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

SPRINGFIELD, 1636-18S6. 31
coucera when he looked upon these luitives, for they were only
too anxious to do anything to be relieved of their bargain with
him.
The chief accusation in reference to the natives was that 'Mv. Pyn-
chon kept them in continual fear, and the commissioners, in order to
test the matter, did what ]Mason had asked Pyuclion to do at Aga-
wam, — desired verbal assurances that he was not angry with the
Indians. Pynchon, seeing that such a declaration by him might be
interpreted by the Indians as a release from their bargain, which they
had failed to keep, objected so to do until the debt had been fully
reatiirmed. After some dela}', an appeal was taken from the com-
missioners to the General Court, and the point argued, as would
appear, by Mr. Talcott, a member of the lower house. The court
sustained Mr. Pynchou's appeal, but the commissioner who was i)ush-
iug the matter was offended at this episode, and, as Mr. Pynchon
subsequently said, repressed his feelings " with an h}' offended spirit,
& to the chancing of the forme of his visage." After it had been
explained to the Indians that the five hundred bushels must be paid,
Mr. Pynchon expressed his good-will and cordial feeling to the
knot of dusky savages.
The next point involving the Indians taken up by the commission-
ers was the chai'ge that Mr. Pynchon bought of Mohawk runners
beaver intended as presents to the authorities at Hartford, or, to use
the ancient words of the charoe, " the English Sachims in the
River." Mr. Haynes had reminded Mr. Pynchon that the intended
gifts had been spoken of to him, and this was made to appear as an
aggravation of Mr. Pynchou's offence. We give Mr. Pynchou's
defence upon this point in full, as it is an interesting statement, independent
of its immediate connection : —
M''. Pinchou answers that when M'. Haynes first told him of it that he
doubted it was but the givcing of the telling of such a thing as their dayly prac-
tice is, for any advantage of gayne. He could not Iinagin that it was come as