Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

SPRINGFIELD, 16S6-1S86. 191
state of exciternent again. Six persons were massacred by the In-
dians, at Brookfield, July 27. John Lawrence started for Springfield
with the news, arriving there late that very night. John Pynchon
remained up all uight, and by morning had a force of twenty-eight
troopers, under the command of Captain C'olton, on the road to Brook-
field. Soldiers from up the river followed later in the day. Colton
started north in hot pursuit from Brookfield, through tliick forests
and marshes, and in his eagerness finally selected a score of good
fighters, leaving the rest to bring on the exchanged horses, and over-
took the savages at breakfast. He made the attack ; killed half a
dozen or more, and captured nine guns, twenty hatchets, and about
twenty horns of powder, as well as recovering a captive man and
woman. Although Mr. Pynchon in his official rei>ort said of this
exploit, " 'Tis God, not our 20 men, that hath done it," it will not
be amiss to say that Captain Thomas Colton, with almost an Indian's
instinct in following trails, and indomitable pluck, was a worthy in-
strument in the hands of Providence in saving the town from greater
disaster. The plunder was divided among Colton's men, the State
adding £1 for each soldier, and £10 to the valiant Captain, in recog-
nition of services rendered. It is said that an Indian in ambush
once took aim at Colton, but finally concluded not to shoot, fearing
that he might not hit the Captain, and thus be despatched himself in
short order.
Just before this fight two Indians in the prison-house at Spring-
field, situated on the main street, made good their escape, to the as-
tonishment of ever}' one. Pynchon sent out twenty men in fruitless
pursuit. These Indians were from Deerfieid, where the}' had com-
mitted murder. They had, in some way, secured a file, and the
clever manner in which they cut their handcutfs and gained their
liberty was the talk of the village for some time.
Pynchon kept a garrison at Deerfieid and Brookfield for some
time. In December, 1694, he wrote Isaac Addington, a member of
the Council at Boston, about " continuing or quitting y" garrisons at