History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

1748.] KING George's French and Indian war. 163
Noah Pixiey Killed Eai'Iy ill May, Noali Pixley, who lived in
at Southampton. Soutliamptoii, was killed ill tlie liigliway,
while returning from the pasture to which
he had just driven his cows. The Indians fired four or five
shots at Pixley, wounding him in the arm. He ran some
distance, but was overtaken, tomahawked and scalped, the
savages cutting off part of his skull in their haste. In
their flight the Indians stopped at the house of Samuel
Burt, which had been deserted, but only slight damage
was done there. A party of thirteen men under Sergt.
Hawks of Deerfield immediately started in pursuit of the
marauders, marching as far as the Dutch settlements at
Hoosack, designing to intercept them. They were gone
four days, but as usual saw no Indians. A company of
thirty men, under Major Williams, was stationed at ISTewhampton
and Blandford, from June to October 3V\ In
this company were several Northampton men whose names
have been heretofore mentioned.
Southampton De- The inhabitants of Newhamptoii, as it was
^^"^'J- frequently called in the military correspondence
of that day, were panic-stricken by
this disaster, and abandoned the settlement. Most of them
came from Northampton, and before the middle of May,
the majority of them had returned to their old homes.
Rev, Jonathan Judd, the minister, moved all his "household
stuff" to Suffield, where he had relatives, on the 14^''
of May, and did not again occupy his house in Southamj^ton
till the 23'* of December. Seven families returned in
July, remaining therq as a garrison during the summer.
Before snow began to fly, nearly all the settlers were back
on their homesteads.
Peace Declared. On the 18"' of October, 1748, peace between
England and France was signed at
Aix la Chapelle, but the Indians were not immediately
quieted, and occasional raids were made by them till the
following year, when peace was signed with the eastern
tribes, Oct. 17, 1749.