History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Upon the settlement of the town by the whites, the Indian trails were fenced by the owners of the land which they bounde<l, and they became the "king's highways." On the lines of the principal ilohawk village west of Meadow Street, on the land owned by the writer, is a ledge of loose and solid granite, ujion which, probably, in the time of the [ tribe, was situated a factory for mortar-pestles and stone hatchets. The writer, when (piarrying stone j for the fiiundation of the house on the iiremiscs, found several i)estles, stmie in an unfinished state, and three hatchets. Within a few rods of this work- shop the writer in 1SG7 unearthed a cubical disii or tray formed of red clay. A survey of the Indian village at Elv's Neck shows that the rules were observed in the arrangement of their graves, shell- , heaps, excepting that the village was situated upon a half-circle, the ends of which rested upon a straight line running north and south. Several years ago the present owner of Ely's Neck plowed up a curious specimen of the liandiwork of the Indians, whicli was taken away by some person. Probably it now adorns some relic-hunter's cabinet. Its length was thrice its width, and it was two inches thick, and appeared to have been composed of some sort of cement. Its face was divided by grooves into squares upon which were inscriptions. The propor- tions of their manufactureil articles show that they may have been familiar with numbers on (piantity. IXDF.W CEMETEItlE.S. West of Xorwalk River and south of I'erie Island Creek are three old Indian cemeteries, all within nat- | ural boundaries. The first is situated between Pine and Judy's Creeks ; the second, between Judy's and Village Creeks; the third, between Village Creek and the Pampaskeshank Brook, each plat being bounded cast by Norwalk Kiver and west by the range of hills encompassing the city of South Norwalk and extending to the cove. lOach tract was ])robably the patrimony of a sachem <if the Mohawk Nation. The skeletons of the aborigines exhumed in the centre and south cemeteries are invariably found be- neath clam- and oyster-shells, witli their war-im]ile- ments, and fiicing towards the morning sun, the shells having been deposited there for the same pur- pose that their implements were. Probably it was in part an lionorary custom, and for the men only. It apjiears that at the death of a male of the tribe the living held a sort of a wake over his remains around his grave by feasting upon clams aud oystcr.s, the shells of which, and those uneaten, they tossed into the pit, witli the i<lca that the occupant would not only need his bow and arrow to bring down game in the other world, but to remind him to hunt for shell-fish along the shores beyond. Not all the In- dian graves are filled with shells. Those found to be so held the remains of a sachem or chief, or other honored members of the tribe, the death and burial of whom attracted larger numbers than usual to the feast. Hence it is concluded that the quantity of shells in any particular grave denotes the man's staniling in his tribe. THE CANNIBALS OF NORWALK. Within the limits of tlic old Indian cemetery, lying between Washington and Concm-d Streets, in this city, graves have been uncovered, of which over thirty were found to contain mutilated human bones. The writer has carefully examined more than twenty of the num- ber. The shells in these graves are of unusual pearly whiteness, which cannot now be accounted for. Every one of these graves is filled to the surface with shells and mutilated bones. Doubtless at the feast of human flesh large numbers were in attendance, and, as these graves also are filled to the surface, they were occa- sions of especial interest and numerously attended by those who enjoyed a chowder of human flesli and shell-fish, the refuse of which they threw promiscu- ously into the place prepared for its reception. In this class of graves no Indian implements have ever been found. This is indeed a mysterious subject, and can be solved only uiion the hypothesis that Norwalk, before the advent of our am-estors, in KiSO, was inhabited at some time in the past by a race of cannibals, proliably the ancest<jrs of the class whom they found in posses- sion of the country at that date. We are not ready to believe that they ate their kith and kin, tliough there is one fact which might be construed that tliey did so, which we will notice hereafter. The great Moliaw'- Nation in tlie height of their glory were cruel and oppressive, particularly towards those against whom they warred. Tliey exacted tribute from those whom they had conquered, and when thev entered the eountrv of their enemies to 506 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. demand its payment they sent out runners in ad- vance who cried aloud, " We have come to suck your blood!" The historian gives an instance when those of the same nation ate their fellow-beings. After the * burning of Schenectady by the French and Indians, in tiie w'inter of KiftS, thoy were pursued and over- taken by the English and Mohiiwks, and after the engagement tiie Indians, under Col. Schuyler, burned about thirty corpses of the enemy which they scalped and roasted and ate. A critical examination of this kind of tombs has not brought to light the remains of a single Indian 1 woman or child. This fact seems to indicate that I they were either eaten or that they were cremated. The writer inclines to the belief tiiat it was their custom to burn them. Most of Chestnut Street was a. large flat rock, but now removed, which bore the a))pearance of having been cracked and sealed by ex- cessive heat. It is now thought that it was an altar upon which the savages roasted their victims or cre- mated their women and children. CHAPTER LI. NORWALK (Continued). TIIE llEVOLUTIO'N. The first reference to the war of the Revolution which ajjjjcars in the town records is under date Dec. .">, 1774, and is as follows : "Dec. Tj, 1774. IVftereoji, This meeting hove taken into consideration tliu matters contaiiietl in the association eomo into l>y the Continental L'ongreffl held at I'hihulelpliia the 5th day of September, 1774, and ap- proved of hy tile lower hoime of lut^embly, and recouinieiidcd by them to the wcvenil towns in tliM colony, to ap|ioint committees for the puqwses in the eleventh article in sd asaoeiation contained. Do opprove of the 8i\me. nod In pursnance thereof do appoint Klialtim Raymond, John Cannon, Thadds. lietls, Stephen St. John 2d, Lemuel llriHiks, I':iiplialet Lockwood, N'ulhl. Benedict, Sjimuel Oniniati, Uoold Hoyt, Tlios. Betts, 07.iiis 3Ierwine, IMiinehus Ilanford, I)iniiel iti-lt^. jr.. Bhickleucli Jesup, Er.ra (jregory, John Carter, James Rh-lianls, Samuel Richards, Gershom Raymond, Ami lloyt, a comndttee for the purpose in it^ Eleventh Article contained, during the pleasure of the town.*' Feb. 6, 1775, it was voted, " That those persons which have been warned by the committee of inspection, to bring in their arms, shall not vote in choosing a com- mittee of inspection at this meeting." At the same meeting were chosen Messrs. Phinehas ILtTiford, Stephen St. John (2|, Thaddeus Betts, Na- thaniel Benedict, Osias Merwine, Lemuel Brooks, Thoma-s Fitch, I'riali Rogers, .labcz Gregory, Seth Seyinore, Timotliy Fitch, Daniel St. .loiin, Blackleaeh Jesup, Daniel Betts^ Jr.. Claj) Raymond, Ezra Greg- ory, James Richards, Moses Comstock, Samuel Cook Silliman, Samuel Richards, and Jesse Raymond, a committee of inspection during the pleasure of the town. At the same meeting it was voted, that they disap- prove of ye unnecessary use of Gun-powder, and rcc- ' ommend it to the committee of inspection to take care of the matter. Oct. 14, 1776, it was " Votedy That the select men give a proper reward, to the persons ap- pointed and ordered by the authority to set tlie watches, for their ser- vice, and draw an oriler on the town treasurer for the payment thereof. " AlUff voCfd, That the select men make such provision for the watches as tliey shall think proper in regaiil to housing." Dec. 2, same year : " The select men are directed to transport six cannon such as they shall judge ber^t for the defense of this town, from Salisbury ; and provide carriages for the same, and also, usuttlciont quantity of ball for the se- curity of the town." During this period the oppressions of those who had the control of the sale of brcadstuffs and other neces- saries of life, became too tyrannical to he borne with patience by the citizens, and under date of 5Iarch 12, 1777, the town voted that, "The inhabitants by vote agree that they will assist the officers of this town in currying into execution one certain law of thi:4 State, entitled an act to prevent monopolies and oppressions, by excessive and unreasonable prices for many of ye nocessiu-iea ond convenicuceB of life." At the same meeting "The iidial itant..* by nnuor vote approve of what the authority and select men have d()ne, in regjird to hiring seventy-five men as a vs'atch or guard to this town." RECRUITING FOR Tilt: COXTIXENTAL ARMY. Lender this date the following record also ap])ears concerning the eiilistiiient of men for the Continental service :