Chenango and Unadilla Valleys Fifty Years Ago
By S.S. Randall
Chenango Telegraph, March 27, 1872
Continued from January 3, 2017 posting
A romantic account is also given of a tragical scene enacted at the "Castle" during the latter years of the Oneidas occupancy. A beautiful Indian girl, betrothed to a favored lover, was addressed by a rival suitor of rank and wealth, preferred by her "cruel parents," and who, with such advantages in his favor, succeeded in transferring the dusky maiden, sorely against her inclinations, to his wigwam. His felicity was, however, destined to be of short duration, and was speedily interrupted by the elopement of his bride with her "one true love." The indignant husband pursued the guilty pair, and coming upon their trail, in the darkness of night, and while they were buried in profound slumber ruthlessly stabbed the guilty paramour to the heart, and after inflicting numerous and severe wounds upon the "false fair bride" left her to her fate. She, however, ultimately recovered; and the Indian Council assembled in solemn conclave, for the trial of the murderer, upon mature deliberation, and upon a full investigation of all the facts and circumstances, rendered a verdict of acquittal, based upon the flagrant provocation received. Verily as Shakespeare long ago proclaimed "for all that I could ever read or learn, the course of true love never did run smooth." A New York jury, under the luminous ruling of Judges Barnard or Cardozo could not have arrived at a sounder conclusion. The plea of "Son assault demesns" was fully established--the law vindicated, and substantial justice done.
Mr. Clark is of the opinion "that the exact location of the "Castle" is on that portion of Mr. Hall's farm, bounding on the east bank of the Chenango river, where are yet (1850) standing a few apple trees planted by the natives, and which are about the last trace of the former habitation of the aborigines in Norwich." Occasional conflicts, sometime attended by bloodshed, and even murder, occurred between the two races; in which that "last of the Mohicans" Abram Antone--a ferocious blood-thirsty villain was uniformly prominent, until his savage instincts were choked out by the hangman's hand.
In the year 1785, Gov. George Clinton negotiated a treaty with the Chiefs and Sachems of the Oneida and Tuscarora Indians, at Fort Herkimer, whereby in consideration of $11,500 in goods and money to be paid to the Indians, they conveyed to the State, or relinquished their claim and title to the entire territory south of a line to be run from the Unadilla or Tianaderha river and the Chenango on the north through the south bounds of the present village of Norwich to the Pennsylvania line on the south. Three years subsequently, a second treaty was effected at Fort Schuyler by Gov. Clinton, including the cession of the entire tract known as the "Twenty Townships" extending from the north line of Sangersfield, Oneida county, and Nelson, Madison county, to the southern limits of the towns of Norwich, Preston, McDonough, in Chenango county, and bounded easterly by the Unadilla river and westerly on what was known as the "military tract" comprising the present towns of German, Pitcher and Lincklaen, and two towns in Madison county. Otselic, Smyrna and Sherburne were subsequently made the frontier towns of the county on the north; Pharsalia, Plymouth and North Norwich next on the south, McDonough, Preston and Norwich, immediately below, and Columbus and New Berlin on the east. The three towns of German, Lincklaen and Pitcher were annexed on the west; and Smithville, Oxford, Guilford, Greene, Coventry and Bainbridge on the south. Each of these townships was divided into equal quarter sections and subdivided into lots containing two hundred and fifty acres each, as nearly as might be practicable, and numbered from one to one hundred; reserving in each township one lot for "Gospel" and another for "School" purposes, centrally located. These several lots, in each township, with these exceptions, were ordered to be sold under the direction of the Commissioners of the Land Office and Surveyor-General at a minimum price of three shillings or about seventy-five cents per acre. The average of the sales were bid in by wealthy capitalists and land speculators at about one dollar per acre, and speedily resold to actual settlers or subsequent purchasers at five times that amount.
To be continued.
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