Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/530

 Gookin's History of  half the town, and slew and wounded about twenty persons, whereof the lieutenant of the town, named Adams, (a person somewhat severe against the praying Indians) was one ; and the same night the lieutenant's widow, being at Mr. Wilson's, the minister's house, that stood near the main guard, being upon a bed in a chamber, divers soldiers and commanders being in the room underneath, Capt. Jacob having a gun in his hand half bent, with the muzzle upward towards the chamber, he being taking his leave to be gone to his quarters, by some accident the gun fired through, and shot floor, mat, and through and through the body of the lieutenant's widow, that lay upon the bed, and slew her also; this was a very strange accident, but God is awful in such tremendous dispensations. This intelligence of burning Medfield coming to the General Court, and so soon after the burning of Lancaster, occasioned many thoughts of hearty and hurrying motions, and gave opportunity to the vulgar to cry out, “Oh, come, let us go down to Deer Island, and kill all the praying Indians.” They could not come at the enemy Indians, for they were too crafty and subtle for the English ; therefore they would have wreaked their rage upon the poor unarmed Indians our friends, (had not the authority of the country restrained them ;) for about this time the Council was informed by good testimony, that about thirty or forty men were entering into a combination, to convey themselves out to the Island, at Pulling Point, the narrowest place between it and the main, and to have cut off all the poor Christain [sic] Indians. But the Council sent for two or three of the persons, and warned them, at their peril, to desist from such a wicked action ; and so the project was frustrated. There was a paper written by the enemy Indians, and stuck up in a cleft of one of the bridge posts at Medfield, which being found by an English trooper belonging to Captain Gibbs, who brought it to his Captain, the contents whereof were ; “Know by this paper, that the Indians that thou hast provoked to wrath and anger, will war this twenty one years if you will ; there are many Indians yet, we come three hundred at this time. You must consider the Indians lost nothing but their life ; you must lose your fair houses and cattle,” This paper was brought to the General Court, wherein may be seen the pride and insolence of these barbarians at this