"After this event the nation broke up: some joined the Potatucks; some went to the country of the Six Nations; some perhaps migrated to Scatacook; and of those on the eastern bank of the river very few remained about their ancient seats. In 1774 the Milford part of the tribe was reduced to four persons, who lived on a small reservation at Turkey Hill, now in the township of Derby. "The Naugatuck Indians, or the band to which I shall give that name, resided at the falls of the Naugatuck, about five miles above its confluence with the Housatonic." Jo or Joseph Mauwehu was the son of a Pequot Indian, who was the king or sachem of the Scatacook tribe of Indians in Kent. His father placed him in the family of one of the settlers of Derby, where he lived until he was twenty-one. When Jo arrived at his majority his father presented him with a tract of land in the northern part of the town of Derby, now called Seymour. Here he collected a few followers about him, over whom he exercised the rights of a sachem. Jo was here known by the name of Chuse, tradition stating that he received this nick-name from his peculiar pronunciation of the word choose. Chuse built his wigwam near the falls of the river in the present town of Seymour. The white population at that time was very small, but soon after increased. This settlement was long known by the name of Chusetown. This chief seems to have been a kindly-disposed Indian, and is reported to have lived on the most amicable terms with the whites in his neighborhood, supporting himself mostly by the products of hunting and fishing. Chuse, with all his amiable qualities, had one failing not entirely unknown at the present day among the civilized race who have monopolized the hunting grounds of the sachem; that was a decided preference for strong drink over water. He seems to have been of that class who say, 66 water is very well in its way; but for a steady drink give me rum." "He used to come, when he was thirsty, to a fine spring, bursting from a solid rock at the foot of a hill; and there he would sit down on the bank by the side of that spring, and drink the sweet water as it gushed from the rock, and praise it, and say that if there was only another spring, just such a spring, of rum, flowing by the side of it, he would ask for nothing more, but should be perfectly happy." Chuse was a bold hunter, and a large, athletic man. He used to kill, in this vicinity, deer, wild turkeys, and occasionally a bear. In addition to these means of livelihood Chuse and his followers made an annual excursion to the sea-side. Their mode of living was somewhat different from that of the crowds that now annually go down the same valley for the same purpose. The Indians used to say they were “going down to salt," and the same phraseology has been, to some extent, continued to the present day. Chuse and his companions were in the habit of going down the river in a sail-boat, and when they arrived near the mouth of the stream, they made a tent of the sail of their boat, and enjoyed the sea air and sea food for two or three weeks. They were not probably encumbered with as many packages, extra band-boxes, etc., as the "Flora M'Flimseys" of the present day, who make similar excursions, not with the view of encamping on Milford shore, but to spend a few weeks at that charming resort, the Ansantawae House on Charles Island, nearly opposite the original sea-shore resort of the natives of the Naugatuck Valley. It is highly probable that the early excursionists down the valley, unlike those of the present day, were quite satisfied with "nothing to wear." That must have been an independent and agreeable sea-side life of Chuse and his party; and besides, the Indians exhibited a degree of tact which made their summer excursions profitable. With all our boasted advancement of the present day, few are able to make a summer trip to any known watering-place a source of revenue. The Indians found in the vicinity of Milford an abundance of oysters and clams; of the latter they collected large quantities, which they boiled, and dried in the sun. These were afterward strung and carried with them on their return home, affording a considerable stock of provisions for the remainder of the year. These clams were also a considerable article of traffic with the natives of the interior, who were glad to exchange their dried venison for the products of the sea-shore. This appears to have been the earliest barter trade known in this valley, and certainly exhibits business tact as inherent to the natives, as well as to their successors. Hence, in more ways than one, the earlier sea-side excursions of the people of the Naugatuck Valley paid a better per centage than those of the present day. Barber, in his "Historical Collections of Connecticut," traces the origin of the He name of Naugatuck to Chusetown. says the name was originally Nau-kotunk, which signifies in the Indian language, One Large Tree, and was so named from a large tree which formerly stood near Rock Rimmon, about three fourths of a mile north of the falls of the Naugatuck, in the present town of Seymour. There was formerly a large Indian burial ground at Seymour; the graves, in accordance with the Indian custom, were covered with small heaps of stones. This land was purchased in the early part of the present century, and every vestige of the Indians has been unfortunately destroyed: Barber relates an ingenious contrivance of the people here for traveling before there were any roads. The Indians as well as the whites attended "meeting" at Derby. "Those of the whites who died here were conveyed on horse litters to be buried at Derby. These litters were made by having two long poles attached to two horses, one of which was placed before the other; the ends of the poles were fastened, one on each side of the forward horse, and the other ends were fastened to the horse behind. A space was left between the horses, and the poles at this place were fastened together by cross pieces, and on these were placed whatever was to be carried." Chuse remained at this place fortyeight years, and then removed to Scatacook in Kent, whither most of the Derby Indians went. He died at Scatacook at the age of about eighty. He had ten children, one of whom, his youngest daughter, Eunice Mauwehu, was living at the latter place about ten years since. An interesting story is related of an Indian having been accidentally killed by a white man about the time of the first settlement of Seymour. Noah Durand, the white man, and John Sunk, the Indian, were hunting deer upon opposite sides of the river. It was in the dusk of a summer's evening, at the hour when the deer were in the habit of going down into the river to cool themselves. The bushes were thick upon the borders of the stream, and Durand, hearing a rustling among them on the opposite side of the river, aimed his gun in that direction and fired. The Indian shrieked, as he received the charge, "You have killed me." Durand instantly rushed across the river to his assistance, and brought water to the dying Indian in his shoe. He drank it and expired. This occurred about one mile below the bridge at Seymour. "A kind of arbitration was afterward held upon this case by the white people and the Indians. One of the Indian witnesses remarked that he never knew of deer wearing red 6 stockings before.' The Indians, however, appeared satisfied that their countryman was killed by mistake, and ever afterward made Mr. Durand's house their stopping place." A lady friend in Derby has at my request kindly furnished me with some recollections of the last of the Indian race in this vicinity, from which I extract the following with the song of Magawiska : Of the once numerous remnants of the native Indian tribes, who in the olden time frequented the Valley of the Naugatuck, but few remain at the present day. As elsewhere in the frontier and middle states, their glory has departed. A few of mixed descent may be found, but in the stunted and bloated figure, reeling with intemperance, not a vestige of the by-gone "Indian warrior race, Whose light form rose in lofty grace." was the widow of John Hatchet. She died about thirty-five or forty years since, and was about one hundred years old. She was known to have said, many years before her death, that she remembered when the main street of Derby was only a foot path on the river bank. She was nearly six feet in height, and her invariable dress was a blanket worn after the Indian manner, and a black hat, the gift of a neighboring farmer. She alone, of all that remained of her kindred, retained the upright form and stately tread of her race. Though degraded and debased by intemperance, she still retained almost to the close of her centennial life many of the peculiar Indian traits, and these were often strikingly apparent when questioned of early events in the history of her family and tribe. It had been said by an aged woman, who, though younger than herself, remembered her in her youth, that she was About the close of the last century, by the daughter of a chief at Chusetown the arrangement made by the state gov- (Humphreysville,) and that she was seen ernment, certain tracts of land in each when young dressed in an Indian blanket, town were appropriated to the Indians. trimmed with silver fringe, and with a The reservation in Derby was located in head dress of feathers and wampum. the southern part, at a place called Tur- This was repeated to her, and she was key Hill, near the bank of the Naugatuck asked if it was so; with her customary River, and at this place were collected" ugh," she planted her oaken stick upon nearly all that remained in the town. The the ground, and resting her hands upon only one among them worthy of notice it, like one of G. P. R. James's heroes of later days," she fell into a fit of thought." She raised her head after a while, and passing her brawn and bony fingers over her eyes, as if to clear away the mists of the past, she said, "I've forgot; so long ago." At another time she was asked, "What did the Indians call these rivers, the Housatonic and the Naugatuck?" she replied, "You do not speak it right; you must say Naugatuck, Ousutenuck." Her usual reply at receiving a gift was, "Arumshemoke," (Thank you kindly.) "Now you must say Ta-putney," (You are welcome.) The song of Molly or Magawiska, (an Indian name given her, her own being unknown,) was written by Doctor J. Hardyear some years before her death; he was a physician of talent and respectability, and a native of Derby. THE SONG OF MAGAWISKA, THE LAST OF HER TRIBE. DESERTED and drear is the place Where the huts of my fathers arose ; I watch where their ashes repose. The calumet now is no more; The hatchet no longer is red; Now molders along with the dead. As we floated on Naugatuck's wave; Now lonely and drear is the place Where the huts of my fathers arose ; I watch where their ashes repose. Derby seems to have been a patriotic place in the war of the Revolution. Among the natives of this town, whose names have been prominent in the annals of the republic, are those of General Humphreys, the friend and aid de camp of Washington; General William Hull, a brave and useful officer of the war of the Revolution, who tarnished his hitherto unsullied reputation by the surrender of Detroit to the British in the last war. Commodore Isaac Hull, the gallant hero of the "Constitution," was also a native of Derby.. Some interesting stories are related of Joseph Hull, the father of Commodore Hull. In early life he engaged in the West India trade; at the commencement of the war of the Revolution, he received the appointment of lieutenant of artillery, and was made prisoner at the capture of Fort Washington, on York island, in 1776. In defense of this fortress, he is reputed to have behaved with great gallantry. He remained in captivity two years. At length he was exchanged, and his unbroken spirit was once more given to the service of his country. Shortly after he was appointed to the command of some boats on Long Island Sound, formerly used in the whale fishery, but now fitted out to annoy the enemy, as opportunity might offer. In this limited but dangerous sphere of action, he gave earnest of a mind and spirit, which, under other circumstances, would probably have developed more important results. On one occasion a British armed schooner was lying in the Sound. She was engaged in transporting provisions from the country to New York, where the British army was then stationed. Lieutenant Hull proposed to some of his companions, of the town of Derby, to go out and capture the schooner. On the evening appointed, twenty men, placing themselves under the command of Lieutenant Hull, embarked in a large boat, similar to those used in carrying wood to the city of New York. The men lay concealed in the bottom of the boat; and the dusk of the evening favoring the deception, it had the appearance of being loaded with wood. As they approached, the sentinel on deck hailed them. Lieutenant Hull, who was steering, answered the call, but continuing his course, came quite near the vessel, without exciting suspicion, when, by a sudden movement, he drew close alongside of her. His men, well armed, sprung on the deck. The commander of the schooner was sleeping below, and aroused by the firing of the sentinel, he made an attempt to gain the deck, but was instantly shot dead. The Americans immediately fastened down the hatches, took possession of the vessel, and carried her in triumph up to Derby.* Another story is related of Lieutenant Hull's success in circumventing a small party of the enemy whom he met at a place called "the Cove," about three miles west of New Haven. He succeeded in making debted to the biography of General William For the foregoing account the writer is inHull, by James Freeman Clarke. them believe that he had a considerable armed force stationed at a little distance, and actually forced them to return to New Haven. The party were extremely exasperated when they learned that his pretended American force was all a ruse, and that they had been driven back by a single man. Lieutenant Hull, although exceedingly circumscribed in his sphere of action, certainly exhibited great bravery and ability. But it was left to his distinguished son, Commodore Isaac Hull, to exhibit his gallantry and ability in a more extended field. He it was whose skill and bravery first gave the American people a confidence in their prowess on the sea. Early in life he adopted the profession of a seaman, and soon after was placed in command of a vessel. He occupied this position at the first establishment of the navy, and at that time received the appointment of lieutenant. The first of his gallant exploits which attracted the attention of the public, was the admirable seamanship which he displayed in his escape from a British squadron, consisting of one ship of the line, four frigates, a brig, and a schooner, one frigate being within gun-shot. This occurred on the 17th July, 1812. He left the Chesapeake Bay on the 12th of the same month. The chase continued for sixty hours, during which time the gallant crew remained steadily at their posts. The enemy is said to have expressed great admiration of the skill with which Captain Hull maneuvered his vessel and effected his escape. The brilliant achievement of Commodore Hull on the 19th of the ensuing month, in command of the Constitution, in her engagement with the "Guerriere," is too well known to require recapitulation here. In conversation with the venerable Professor Silliman, a few days since, he mentioned to me some interesting facts, which I quote as accurately as possible from his own words. In Mr. Silliman's work, published some years since, entitled "A Tour from Hartford to Quebec," he relates a conversation which he held with a British officer in Canada, who expressed great admiration for Commodore Hull, and especially for the magnanimity which he exhibited in the celebrated engagement between the "Constitution" and Guerriere." The officer stated that at one moment the "Guerriere" was completely within his power, and he might have instantly decided the victory by raking her, but that he let the opportunity pass in order to give her another chance to return his fire. Commodore Hull, on seeing this published, wrote at once to Professor Silliman, and declined in full to receive any credit for such supposed generosity. He said, "However beautiful might appear such magnanimity, I am obliged to disclaim it altogether. My duty was to take the ship, and I did it as soon as possible." In the letter to which I refer, he goes on to give an account of the engagement; he states that the " Guerriere" commenced her fire at a considerable distance, but with little effect. Not a gun was discharged on board the "Constitution" for a considerable time. Lieutenant Morris came to him repeatedly to say, that he found it almost impossible to restrain his men; the balls of the enemy were dropping fast about them. At last, when within pistol-shot, he gave the command so anxiously expected by his men : "Now," said he, "give it to her! Give it to her!" The action lasted thirty minutes; and at the time the "Guerriere" surrendered, she had not a spar standing above her decks, and her hull below and above water was completely shattered. Professor Silliman further added, that Professor Morse was at that time a student of art in London; a fellow-student called one morning at his room in Somerset House, and presented him with a morning paper, containing the official announcement of the surrender of Detroit by General Hull, saying, "I have the honor to announce to you the surrender of your distinguished fellow-countryman, General William Hull, at Detroit." The young American felt that this was most uncour teous on the part of his English fellow. student; but he was enabled to balance the account the next day, by calling upon him, and announcing the brilliant achievement of Commodore Hull in taking the Guerriere. Professor Silliman further remarked, that the universal joy and exultation throughout the country when the news of Hull's victory over the "Guerriere" became known, was unparalleled. The following account of a singular phenomenon which occurred in this town, is from a letter published in the Connecticut Gazette, under date of Derby, Feb |