Natchaug, forms the Shetucket in Windham.
“ Much pleasantry,” says Mr. Barber, “ has been indulged at the expense of the inhabitants of Wind- ham, on account of a singular oc- currence which happened in the year 1758, by which the inhabit- ants were very much frightened. There is probably some exaggera- tion in the account, though the foundation of the story is believed to be a matter of fact.” We copy it as an amusing relic. |
“ On a dark, cloudy, dismal night in the month of July, A. D. 1758, the inhabitants of Windham, a small town in the eastern part of Con- necticut, had retired to rest, and for several hours, all were wrapped in profound repose—when sudden- ly, soon after midnight, the slum- bers. of the peaceful inhabitants were disturbed by a most terrific noise in the sky right over their heads, which to many, seemed the yells and screeches of infuriated Indians, and others had no other way of accounting for the awful sounds, which still kept increasing, but by supposmg-dhe day of judg- ment had certainly coftm j and to- their terrified imaginations, the aw- ful uproar in the air seemed the immediate precursor of the clangor of the last trumpet. At intervals, many supposed they could distin- guish the calling out of paticu- lar names, as of Colonels Dyer and Elderkijn, two eminent law- yers, and this increased the general terror. But soon there was a rush from every house, the tumult in the air still increasing—old and young, male and female, poured forth into the streets, (f in puris naturalibusentirely forgetful, in their hurry and consternation, of their nether habiliments, and with eyes upturned tried to pierce the almost palpable darkness. Some daring “ spiritsconcluding there was nothing supernatural in the hubbub and uproar over head, but rather, that they heard the yells of Indians commencing a midnight attack, loaded their guns and sal- lied forth to meet the invading foes. These valiant heroes, on ascending the hill that bounds the village on the east, perceived that the sounds came frqm that quarter, and not from the skies, as first be- lieved, but their courage would not permit them to proceed to the dar- ing extremity of advancing east- ward, until they had discovered the real cause of alarm and distress, which pervaded the whole village. Towards morning the. sounds ini the air seemed to die away^ In the morning, the whole cause of alarm, which produced such distressing apprehensions among the good peo- ple of the town, was apparent to all who took the trouble to go to a certain mill pond, situated about three fourths of a mile eastward of the village. This pond, hereafter, in the annals 'of Fame, forever to be called the Frog Pond, in conse- quence of a severe drought, which had prevailed many weeks, had be- come nearly dry, and the Bull Frogs ^by which it was densely popu- lated) at the mill fought a pitched battle on the sides of the ditch which ran through it, for the pos- session and enjoyment of the fluid which remained. Long and ob- stinately was the contest maintain- ed ; and many thousands of the combatants were found defunct, on both sides of the ditch, the next morning. It had been uncommon- ly still, for several hours-before the battle commenced, but suddenly, as if by a preconcerted agreement, every frog on One side of the ditch, raised the war cry, Col. Dyer, Col. Dyer, and at the same instant, from the opposite side, resounded the adverse shout of Elderkin too, EU derhin too. Owing to some pecu- liar state of the atmosphere, the awful noises and cries appeared to the distressed Windhamites to be directly over their heads.” |