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Connecticut in Rhyme—Portland Crom well and Middletown, with the His* tory of Some of Connecticut’s first Settlers. BY WILLSHIRE OF CROMWELL. Prospect Hill is to me a belov’d place of Earth, Tis the home of my childhood,the spot of my birth; have roamed far and wide over moun tain and plain. After half off a century I behold it again. Once again from its summit I View with delight The Connecticut river reflecting the light of the sun as it rises o’er Portland’s green hill. Lighting up the wild nooks and the time I honor’d mill. Looking South from its basis a wide shaded street, a’d with villas embower'd in their shady retreat, hile the heaven pointing spires of three temples of Grace. Where the streets intersect, adds a charm to the place. And beyond the broad meadow and Se bethe’s stream. Spreads the city’s broad streets as though seen in a dream. And in the dim distance rise grandly in sight. The Meriden mountains away to the right. A gate from the east to the west circling round A more beautiful landscape my eye, never found. A wide winding stream wafts the steam boats and sails. And the trains on their roads crowd the glistening rails. Bringing natures productions and products of art, And distributing them in the places of mart. Broad meadows and cornfields whose blades wave in light. Reflect back the sun like the sword of a knight. When in marshall array’d on the green battle plain. E’re its lustre’ is dimmed by the blood of the slain, I view the old grave yard, whose tablets and spires ; Have for ages protected the dust of my sires The men who from priestcraft and bigotry, came. To enjoy what to them seem’d the pure _ gospel flame. . Here labor’d and fought, worshipp’d suf fered and died. Sages, Savages, Rileys, and 3 Millers, side by side. They purchased their lands of the Indian tribe. Nor did they attempt Sachem Sowheague to bribe. Bought both sides of the river for miles up and down And founded a city they called Middle town. They first built a ‘‘meeting house” twenty feet square And ee their guns at the back of And the gospel of peace as proclaim’d by the son Was preached from their pulpit enforced by their gun. Mathew, 34 to 37. Until Sasacus Sachem of the Pequods the wise They attacked before day taking him by surprise. Of men, women and children six hundred and more By fire and sword murdered, they left in their gore. Hist. of Conn. p. 24. These few, no resistance could Andred ‘in dismay to the wild Sace But were hotly Eyed through their own hunting From. Parbrooks 0 to Newaiven, no shelter they found And the blood of the Pequods goes New and’s , 10, All were slain by the Mohawks and ser vants of God, And the New England tribes filled with wonder and fears ; Gave the Puritans peace for the next f orty years. Thus these declines liv’d and return’d to the dust, I fear for their souls when I read ‘‘God is just or how they construed the command of the Lord, “He who taketh the sword shall die by the sword.” But as the poor Indians used arrows and spears, The commands of the Lord gave their conscience no fear. The Indians destroyed they all felt safe , for life. Their attention soon turned to sectarian strife. And first Roger Williams, a Quaker at, Was tives but six weeks in which to He hastened his steps from the Puritan’s, To the ania Narragansetts to worship his Hist of Baptists of N. E. p. 97. Soon the patriot outcast return’d good for Informed. them that the Indians deter mined to kill. PAGS ¢mien OF We of the whole Indien. They'd exterminate all of the hated pale face. Hist. of the Baptists of N. E. P. 99 Thus forewarned, theys attack’d and con ‘quered the foe— Yet the sentence’gainst Williams they would not forego. The Baptists were next,called incendiaries most awful. They believ’d the baptizing of infants unlawful. And oppos’d ,making war to punish outward breaches. John Clark had not finish’d his sermon, and speeches before he and two friends were thrust into prison And fin’d forty pounds for preaching baptism. Hist. N. E. Baptists, P. 178. Mr. nee Holms refus'd paying the They fea his bare back to the people in line. — As the strokes fell upon him showed no outward pain. Three times did the deacon, his strength to regain Pause,a on his hands lest his fingers might slide From his three corded whip that laid open the hide, John Hazel and Spur who examined the wounds, Were fined for contempt; each paid forty pounds. In Boston they nailed up the meeting house door. In Salem hung witches three hundred and more They sent to that boorn whence no traveller’s return pares the stakes as the poor witches t urn In New neden a sect called Quaker Re geren shied abby John Rogers a man of large They thought all days alike both to work and to pray And attended their work upon the Sabbath y Hist. of New London, p 205. For working at shoemaking on the Sab bath day John Rogers was fined and ten pounds had to pay. His wife for absence from their public meeting To be whip’d feet in stocks to keep her quiet sealing. John Rogers’ baptized upon the Sabbath da y. The sight caused saintly sisters to scream and faint away. He bothered fifteen lashes his bare back ! In addition to the Judges , fine, of fully five pound. For saying P parson Daltonstall refused him a de fene sued for scandal by the law of the Wash and ‘six hundred pounds also one ten for costs Ann by such persecutions his large fortune . * Just. He’d upbraided the Judge and excited ‘his ury For trying a murderer without calling a ury. He ae give bond and was thrust prison Without fire, on the cold, from the floor had not His son cried at the Sheriff, you've killed my father. And the citizens broke in the prison together. Brought ee a wrap’d in cloth to lay at his Borecht 3 — sent spirits, his wife things story of New London. And when he'd recover’d and the popu lace quiet, Fin’d his son for crying and raising a riot. Being Toe they’d no need for harrows an So to canoe the fine took three of hia best cows. The Methodists faith Wesley preached in the land At one Se them the saints took Call’d them heretics lantern and devils innate ; Whip’d, fin’d them and banish’d them all of the State. Detversie came under their chastening Because a aT had so good an opinion of They OP ellewed Christ’s atonement redeem'd from the fall Would ‘save the whole race because He died for all. Still’d contemners of priests by just stop ping their breath, — Levitical law putting witches to the eato. Yet these God fearing saints sent ships o’er the waves Stole thousands of Negroes and held them as slaves. Deut. xvii, 12. Levt. xx, 27. Ex. xxii, 18. No compunctions of conscience, no ear to their cry, Although God had declar'd the man stealer shall die. = The freedom they prized was from Popery’s thrall, Leaving them to enslave and to perse cute all. Ex. xxi, 16. Who with their form of worship ne’er i n their mighty, dictatild not in on wou Thaw. Seadiand, Perceive to be God’s To own in. this promised ‘Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land, to all the inhabitants thereof.” Levi. xxx, 10.* When our declaration proclaim'd o'er the land . “That all men were equal before God to stand, . _ Free to worship their God as their con science bade, With none to molest or to make them afraid.” Declaration of Independédnce. To their bigoted eyes the true fight was reveal'd, . To maintain equal rights they Jill rush’d to the field . All sects were united, as once they ‘fore saw, ay That free toleration would by our su preme law. Our inspir'd declaration the first time on earth, saw that mankind, were all equal iith, And w ant to be free from the oppres sor’s That resistance to’tyrants wasl-obedience to God. To maintain these great truths they pledg’d honor and life, is And deferred for a time their sectarian strife, ~ And fought till they conquere¢=?an honor able peace, ~ . “Form’'d a nation more glorious than Ro man or Greece. _ The self-evident truths by ours statesmen unfurl’d. . Like the rainbow illumin’d the enslaved world. . Beneath our bright banner the exiles of * . Are free though they fled from the land of their birth. We fy on all nations and from isles of the sea Even though some be call'd the ‘heathen. Our patriots names on the bright roll of time, Will receive from the world ‘an enlight en’d acclaim. ’Twas Franklin, Adams, Hartson, Jeffer son, Sherman and Livingston — Who hurled the truths, that []l the world might see That ‘all mankind of right [ought to be free. . . They mo God's altar lit the electric flam That thrilled mankind §) Liberty's acclaim. As does the lightning flash fom pole to pole Tiume my midnight sky, (+ thunders So dia the truths made evident by Thee Make tyrants tremble o'er.if throbbing sea. May their great truths soon educate the the world. May tera. the church and thrones May all from inhumanity be ree And only to the All Wi bend’ the knee,— : And penny the marble shaft, the storied tint D obelisks shall to dist return, hen gone the pomps, gaurches ‘and kings bestow, Their names undim’d ‘shall’ shine, their stars the brighter glow eS the digression, my muse took ai girt. It was of Promec Hill I was trying to Write Till the windows of Porting illumed fairly blaze. Like — in a crown ,transmitting the Or mya of stars through the curtain
Newspaper Details
The Penny Press
Middletown, Connecticut, US
Fri, Jul 24, 1885
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 10 Jul 2026
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