Fall River : an authentic narrative

Front matter

FALL mi¥EE,

AN

AUTHENTIC NARRATIVE,

Preface

.. It is with feelings of embarrassment nerer felt on any for

^ >w mer occasion, that the writer of this little volume lays it before A the iHxblic. The tale which forms the principal part of its con- ^ vients has been hitherto treated in such an indecent manner, r^ that this, of itself, was nearly sufficient to terrify any one at the J undertaking ; and it was not until after long and reiterated r^ persuasion, tha-t the author was induced to attempt it. Who ^ first proposed it, is of no consequence : it is sufficient that a very great part of the subscribers and patrons of former works have seconded the request ; and if the volume answers no other purpose except proving the wish to oblige, it will certainly answer an important one. But we confidently hope it may answer other and more useful ones.

The History of Fall River, a place which is becoming of so much importance in the manufacturing world, cannot but be acceptable to the public. The anecdotes connected with its revolutionary history are worthy to be preserved. And a fair and candid statement of facts, connected with the late unhappy affair in that quarter, is desirable. As to the trial, it does not treat of things in their proper order, nor cannot : and in the next place, none but what is called legal evidence is admissible ; and lastly — and its greatest objection — it is not fit for any body to read. A narrative, therefore, that would embrace the facts, without any of the odiou* details in the trial, is highly necessary, if public curiosity on the subject is lawful : and who shall say that it is not ?

There is another way too, in which it is hoped and presumed this work may prove useful : — as a salutary and timely warning to young women in the same situation in Hfe, in which the ill fated girl was placed, who is the subject of this narrative. On many accounts it may benefit. That baneful disposition to rove, to keep moving from place to place, which has been the ruin of so many, will her« receive a check. And what is more important still — though an extremely difficiilt 1*

VI PREFACE,

subject to treat upon so as to be understood — they will be warned, by the fate of one, against that idolatrous regard for ministers, for preachers of the gospel, which at the present day is a scandal to the cause of Christianity ; which neither honors God or benefits his church ; and certainly is calculated to bring reproach and ridicule on the christian character. To venerate the ambassador of the Most High, and listen to him with respect, while in the sacred discharge of his ministerial duties, is right and proper ; to contribute to his relief in sickness and support in health, of our abundance, or our personal exertion, if necessary, is likewise our duty ; but here let us stop, and not make ourselves, and the cause we profess to be engaged in, ridiculous, by such attentions as mortal man ovght never to receive.

The absurd custom of crowding round some handsome preacher on every occasion, in order to share hi^ smiles, and be distinguished by his gracious gallantries, has justly excited the ridicule of a large part of the community, and armed every scoffer with weapons against that holy cause, which ought not to suiFer from the faults of its ignorant professors, but which they nevertheless confound together. Besides, ministers are mortal men ; and, with good intentions, sometimes persons of weak minds : and it requires a very strong mind to resist continual flattery. Some of them too are ignorant persons ; people, who, if they had their proper places in society, would be hewers of wood and drawers of water, rather than teachers. This description of false teachers is very plainly set forth in the Scriptures, as being " ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth;" as "creeping into houses, and leading captive silly women," &c. &c. This last description of preachers take care to insinuate themselves into every place where they can possibly find entrance. No matter what the reUgious privileges of the people may be they go among : unless they themselves have built up a sect among them, they consider them as destitute of truth and the means of grace. If a neighborhood is furnished with ever so many

PREFACE. Vll

good, respectable, competent teachers, supported by those who are able to do it, there must be one more added, if there is no other way to support him but out of the hard earnings of the poor. Now the fact is, that a preacher, who cannot be supported without drawing upon the chanty of poor factoiy girls, ought to ^o in and go to work himself.

It will be seen too after perusing the history of this unfortunate girl, whether a course of spiritual dissipation is favorable to the growth of religion in the soul ; whether a continual round of going to meetings night and day, is in reality recom mending the cause, or likely to recommend the character, or preserve the characters of young women, in an especial manner. It is much to be feared it is otherwise. In the first place, this appearance of superior devotedness, this over zeal, fails in no instance to draw all eyes upon her. There is rivalship in churches it is known, as well as in other communities, and such members are watched with jealous regard , if they go and return protected as they ought to be by one of the other sex, barbarous insinuations will sometimes be made ; if on the contrary they wander about from meeting to meeting alone, they are immediately censured. And added to this it is expected that the general deportment of such females should differ from that of others ; that it should present an appearance of stiffness and restraint incompatible with youth, witli cheerfulness and a social temper; hence the slightest deviation from the prescribed forms is censured in such persons as a crime ; what would pass in others without remark, is the subject of unqualified abuse in these, and induces a species of persecution, that too often results in loss of charac" ter to the victim.

And is this counterbalanced by any inward advantage ? — Does religion thrive most in noise and tumult? Does the heart become better, the imagination purer, the temper more placid ? Can that God, who is worshipped only in spirit and in truth, be only honored in a crowd ? Let every heart decide the question.

Vlll PREFACE.

With respect to embellishment in this book, no person acquainted with the facts, who has seen it, pretends to say there is any, except in the first interview between the physician and the unfortunate heroine of the tale ; where it is said the phraseology is improved without altering the facts. If the error is on the side of delicacy we hope to be pardoned.

L

AN AUTHENTIC NARRATIVE.

Chapter I

Situated on a rather abrupt elevation of land rising from the northeast side of Mount Hope bay, distant about eighteen miles from Newport, and nine from Bristol, R. I. stands the beautiful and flourishing village of Fall River,so called from the river, which taking its rise about four miles east, runs through the place, and after many a fantastic turn, is hurried to the bay over beds of rocks, where, before the sce'ne was marred by the hand of cultivation and improvement, it formed several beautiful cascades and had a fine and imposing effect. The village is now only picturesque from the variety of delightful landscape by which it is surrounded, the back ground presenting a variety in rural scenery, where neat farms and fertile fields shew themselves here and there, between hill and dale and rock and wood. The soil, though for the most part fertile, is in some places exceedingly rocky, and often in the midst of such places some little verdant spot shews itself, looking, as Cunningham says, " as tho' it were wrested from the hand of nature."

But Fall River is chiefly inviting as a place of residence from the salubrity of its air, and the vicinity of Mount Hope bay, which spreads before it like a mirror, and extends easterly until it meets the waters of Taunton river, forming on each side immerous little creeks and coves, which add to the charms of the landscape materially ; while on the southwest it takes a bold sweep, and passing round through Howland's ferry, where it is compressed through the narrow channel of a drawbridge, having the ishmd of Rhode-Island on one hand and the town of Tiverton on the other, again expands and flows on to meet the ocean. Rowland's ferry is not visible from the village of Fall River, though it ig from the bay when at the distance of three or four miles. Vessels do sometimes pass and repass through the drawbridge at Rowland's ft^rry to and from Fall River and Taunton ; but the most usual way of access to the former is through Bristol ferry, two miles south of Bristol port. It requires no great effort of imagination to go back a few years, and imagine the Indian with his light canoe sailing about in these waters, or dodging about among the rocks and trees. I'hfe neighborhood of Fall River has been the scene of frequent skirmishes among the Ficknets, the tribe of King' Philip, and the Pequods and Narragansetts'. Uncas too, with the last of the Mohicans and the best, has set his princely foot upon its strand.

Fall River, which in 1812 contained less than one hundred inhabitants, ov/es its growth and importance principally, indeed almost wholly, to its manufacturing establishments: which, though not splendid in appearance, are very numerous and employ several thousand persons collected from different parts of the country, as well as many foreigners: the immense fall of water here being now nearly covered by establishments of various kinds.

There are at least fortythousand spindles in operation, and it is only twenty-one years since the erection of the first cotton manufactory. Previous to this the land in this vicinity belonged principally to the families of Bordon, Bowen, and Durfee ; three families from whom the principal part of the stationary inhabitants sprung-. The land now divided among the different manufacturing establishments is principally held in shares, that is in tJie neighborhood of the establishments. So flourishing has business been there, that there is scarce a machanic, trader, or even labourer, who has been there for any length of time, who has not acquired an estate of his own. In 1812 the first cotton manufactory was erected by a company incorporated by the name of the Fall River Company. In the same year, another company was incorporated called the Troy Manufacturing Company, and another factory built. There are nGw,in 1633, thirteen manufactories, viz. two cotton manufactories of the Troy Company — Pocasset,one woollen do. — New Pocasset— Massasoit— 01ne3^*s mill, — Calico works — Fall River Company's mills, three in number — Annawan — Iron Works and Nail Manufactory. The Calico Works alone, which cover a large area of ground, employ nearly three hundred hands ; its state of improvement is not, we believe, exceeded by any establishment of the kind in the country — besides a number of machine shops, &c. which, stuck about on the jutting rocks, many of them, in the very bed of the stream, have a most singular appearance. The fall originally was through a deep black gulf, with high rocky sides. Across this gulf most of the manufactories are built. There is an appearance of active industry and a spirit of enterprise, as well as of cheerfulness and contentment, that at once strikes a stranger. It is evident too from the number of houses of worship, schools, &c. that the moral and religious education of the rising generation is not neglected. There are seven houses of worship. Two forCongregationalists, two for Baptists, one

Free- Will Baptist, one Unitarian, one Methodist, &LC. There are a number of free-schools here, towards which the inhabitants themselves voluntarily contribute twenty-five hundred dollars per annum. The number of inhabitants at the present date, 1833, is said to exceed five thousand. It is to be supposed that among the heterog-eneous materials which form the community in this place, there is a great variety of character, as well as of creeds; occasionally some differences of opinion as well as clashing of interests. Yet for the most part crime has been unknown there. There have indeed been a few suicides, but they were " few and far between ;"and it has'often been a boast among the inhabitants, that living as they do, on the borders of two states (part, and by far the greater part, is in Troy, Mass. the other in Tiverton, R. I.) the laws of either were seldom called in to punish anything except venial transgressions. Fall River too can boast of its prov^ess in battle, of its revolutionary characters in "the times that tried men's souls." For although their humble attempts to resist invasion have not yet found a place on the pagesof history, yet certain it is, the tide of war has once rolled its threatening waves as far up as to reach the shores of Mount Hope bay. The character for bravery, generosity, and independence of mind manifested at that period seems to have become a part of their inheritance. Among all the changes which the increase of population causes, the primitive virtues of simplicity and hospitality are still eminently conspicuous. Whoever goes to reside there seems to adopt readilythe manners of the inhabitants. Even the labouring part of the community in the manufactories, as well as in other dspartments,are positively distinguished by a degree of refinement and courtesy of manners, superior in a great degree to what we usually meet with in manufacturing villages.* It is a fact that speaks loudly and deserves to be recorded in letters of gold, that Fall River is the only place known to the writer of these sheets where she ever past a week without hearing one individual speak ill of another: and few persons ever had a greater opportunity, having spoken with more than three hundred people during that time.

We have stated that previous to the commencement of its settlement as a manufacturing village, and even as far back as the revolutionary war, the families of Bordon, Bo wen and Durfee, were the principal proprietors of the soil, and brave fellows they were too, some of them. Even the soil around this secluded spot was stained with the contest. At the time Newport was in possession of the British, there was an attempt made to destroy their mills at this place, consisting of saw mills, grist mills and a fulling mill. An expedition was fitted out in boats, and came upon them in the night with the intention of firing the village, consisting of a little cluster of houses, about ten in number, and those remote from each other. They were aided by some of the tory refugees, and succeeded in landing on the shore, a little below the long wharf, that now is, where they fired the house of Thomas Bordon. Several little bridges lay between them and the mills, and these were immediatly destroyed by the brave little handful of men collected on the spot, except the last, behind which they en-

* I shall always recollect with pleasure one little incident, in one of the weaving rooms of the manufactory, where the noise was very distracting arising from a vast number of looms going at once. The machinery suddenly stopped, and a strain of music arose simuhaneously from every part of the room, in such perfect concord that I at first thought it a chime of bells. My conductor smiltd when I asked him if it was not, and pointed to the girls, who each kept their station until they had sung the tune through.

trenched themselves, and commenced firing a ft w yankee sliot, and from behind the house of Richard Borden, at the corner of which one of the enemy was shot. (The okl fabric is still standing.) The enemy continuing to advance, and become more formidable, they succeeded in levelling two of them ; one was shot dead, supposed by Doc. John Turner, and the other mortally wounded. This rather intimidated the assailants, who made a motion to retreat, but after haulting at a little distance, returned again, and the scuiHe was renewed — the yankees lighting bravely, with their last powder and ball ; finding their ammunition ail e5ipended,they contrived to make up the defect by management. One of them, Sherman, by name, was mounted on the wall, and instructed to give orders, which he did with a great flourish, telling them to fight on bravely — the day was their own, and they had ammunition enough to last a month. The poor fellows had then the very last in their guns-but they gave a great shout, and discharged that in the face of the foe, who swallowed the bait, and retreated to their boats, carrying with them, however, one prisoner, old Mr. Richard Borden, who had ventured too near in the zeal of the moment. Boys fifteen and sixteen years old, fought in that contest, and women brandished their broomsticks, and tradition says only one small boy was frightened, and he ran off and hid in the woods until it was over. One of the tories who had been an inhabitant of Fall River,and guided the enemyto this little nook was named Holland. The business not prospering as he expected, he was glad to retreat with the British, and at the evacuation of Newport went to reside at Halifax, Many years subsequent to this, and after he had become quite an old man, he returned to America, and being anxious to see Fall River, the scene of his treacherous attempts, he visited it under an assumed name. Thomas Borden was then an old man, and the stranger made some pretence for calling at his house, but in spite of his disguise and the lapse of years, his eagle eye detected the resemblance, and hastily advancing he demanded to know " if he was not the traitor Holland." The stranger stoutly denied himself to be that character. " If I knew you was," said the old man, clenehing his fist, " I would lay you on that forestick, (pointing to the lire) and roast yon to a cinder." Holland, terrified, fled again from the place and has never been there since.

This Richard Borden was a singular character for oddity. He was taken prisoner, I before observed, at the memorable contest of the mills, and as they were carrying him off laid down in the boat while they were passing Bristol Ferry, lest some Rhot from his enraged countrymen should reach them. The enemy commanded him to stand up, which he refusing, two men took hold of him and attempted to force him upon his feet, when a chain shot from the shore, mowed them both down at once, and they fell on the body of the prisoner, dead men.

The wounded prisoner, meanwhile at Fall River, died the next day, and the two comrades were buried on the spot where they fell, side by side. One Peter Thatcher, who had distinguished himself on that memorable night, advanced to the grave while this operation was performing, and protesting if their heads were laid together there would be some mischief hatching, commanded them to be laid heads and points. This was accordingly done, and in 1828, when the ground was excavating for the erection of the Mossasoit Factory, the bones of the unfortunate victims of kingly power, of the poor wretches dragged from their families three thousand miles across the water to engage in a broil of which they probably knew nothing — werediscoveredlayingheadsand point?.

" War is a game, that were their subjects wise Kings could not play at."

The growth of Fall River from the period of the revolutionof the year 1812, must have been slow, and even since that, until 1822,* when there was butfour stores in the place, of any description, and not to exceed four hundred inhabitants- There is now about 100 shops and stores of various descriptions — but excepting two or three on the Tiverton side of the village, scarce any where spirituous liquors are retailed, and not a single distillery in the place.

The roads north and south of the village, lead through a delightful country. The view of the island of Rhode-Island on the south one is beautiful, almost enchanting — while that leading to Taunton is scarcely less picturesque. On this road lies the little village of Assonet, where there is considerable commerce carried on. It is a singular sight to see large vessels coming up to the very doors of the cottages, sheltered and shut in by the little woody point that encloses the tiny harbor — and music to hear the voices and loud laugh of numerous little urchins who are frequently seen playing on the hull of some old vessel on the strand. These fairy landscapes on the one hand, are strangely contrasted by the wildness and sterility of that on the east, which resembles a newly settled country. The land lying between Fall

♦ The third manufactory was erected in 1821, and two more in the ensuing year. At this period, 1833, a large and elegant one is going up.

River and New-Bedford, a distance of from sixteen to eighteen miles, is a perfect desert for the most part, being only diversified by bogs, rocky pastures and forests of scrub oak and vi^ild poplar. The village of Fall River perhaps owes much of its picturesque appearance to the rocks which are seen rising on all sides, some of the most finished buildings being nearly surrounded by rocks.

It almost seems in the law of destiny that every place shall have something in its history to recommend it to the attention of mankind.

In the countries of Europe, in every part of the old world, scarce a village or hamlet is past, where the attention of the traveller is not called to some circumstance of notoriety connected with the history of the place, either it has been the birthplace of some hero, or statesman, or poetj renowned in ihe annals of the world, or the spot where some bloody battle has been fought that perhaps decided the fate of nations. Here was once the resort of banditti, and here once stood the monastery of some religious fanatics. Here was the cell of an anchorite,and here the home of unbounded luxury and unbridled licentiousness. Those ruins cover the springs once so celebrated in history where the beauty and fashion of centuries long gone by resorted for health and pleasure, and drank from the fountains now hidden fathoms under ground. This place witnessed ages since, the vows of those celebrated lovers, and this was the scene of a black iind midnight murder. Here dwelt the witches of yore, and here the sorcerers. Here was lighted the fires of the martyrs, and there, their persecutors breathed their last. Here wept an injured, banished queen, and here a king abdicated his throne. In short, there is no end to the catalogue of events 2* by which each place is consecrated in the memory of man.

In our happy coimtry,new to crime and unknown to greatness comparatively speaking, there is little of this kind of distinction known. It is sufficient that the thriving city exhibits the appearance of industry and application and enterprise, that the rural landscape teems with sights and sounds of human happiness, that it is clothed with the flowers of spring, the verdure of summer, and the fullness of autumn. The unenvied distinctions conferred by the monuments of former greatness and vengeful crimes, we desire to leave to our older neighbors. Yet even in this our new and favored country, crime is sometimes known. The primeval curse which extends over the whole earth, has not left our plains and vallies without some demonstrations of its universality. " The blood of man, slain by his brother man, has at intervals stained the soil where peace and purity were wont to dwell, and the cry of murder, borne on the midnight blast, has sometimes been heard, even in someof the most secluded parts of happy America. The traveller in future ages, as he wends his way through the delightful village we have been describing, shall point to the lowly grave on the side of yonder hill, and say " even here, has the curse been felt — even here, has murder stalked abroad, amidst scenes of nature's loveliness, calculated to warm the coldest heart with gratitude towards that good and glorious Being who clothes the fields in plenty and bids the landscape smile, has the assassin lurked, here plotted the direst deed of darkness, here executed a scheme of cruelty which the savages of our western woods might have shrunk from." Here at this lonely grave, whose plain and unobtrusive stone just tells the name and age of a female, cut off in the prime of her days — and tells no more — shall the young- and the beautiful read the warning against the wiles of man, here try while recounting the sad story of her who sleeps beneath to fortify each other against the encroachments of vice, especially of that which captivates under the mask of love. Here the prudent mother shall bring her lovely daughters to read those lessons of prudence and caution, which of all other lessons the youthful heart is most apt to revolt at, the youthful mind to forget. And pointing to this place, the drunkard, the swearer, the Sabbath breaker, the gambler, and even the highway robber, shall exclaim, " that grave attests that monsters have lived worse than me !" On yonder slope where nature has spread her richest carpet of almost perpetual verdure, and where the quiet of the scene might seem to speak of sweet repose and heavenly contemplation, a deed of darkness has been perpetrated, at which even such might have revolted. But this is digression, and we hasten on to the story.

Chapter II

About half a mile from the centre of the village of Fall River, in a southerly direction, on the direct road to Rowland's Ferry and rather remote from any other dwelling, there is a large old fashioned farm house belonging to a family by the name of Durfee. The land descends from here towards the bay with a gentle slope, and is probably about 150 or 200 rods to the water. The house stands in the State of Rhode Island, and near the line that marks the boundaries of the two states.

Proceeding from here towards the village you enter the suburbs of Fall River. In the State of Massachusetts in about a quarter of a mile distance, within a short distance from this line on the Mass. side is the residence of a physician esteemed in his profession as well as in his private life, of unaffected manners, and unassuming deportment. His appearance is the very epitome of plain old fashioned Republican simplicity ; there is a degree of frankness and benevolence expressed in his countenance that at once secures the confidence, even of strangers.

It was on the evening of the 8th Oct. 1832, that the Doctor was summoned to the parlor to see a lady who desired to speak with him. This circumstance to a physician was nothing extraordinary, and therefore it was without any feelings of curiosity or awakened attention that the doctor obeyed the summons : he perceived a young woman very plainly habited and of most dejected appearance : her age he judged might be about 28, and her countenance bespoke the possession of beauty in happier days — but it was now clouded with care and shaded with grief, and as she arose to address the doctor upon his entrance, the air of extreme dejection that she wore, caught his eye, and in a moment interested him in behalf of the unknown sufferer. He begged her to be seated: while drawing a chair opposite, he endeavoured to penetrate so deep a grief and ascertain the cause of this visit. " She had come she said to consult him on the subject of her health. She had not been well for some time, and washed to ascertain with certainty the nature of her disease."

The doctor desired her to mention her symptoms. She did so. Not havinfr the slightest recollection of seeing Iier before, he inquired, was she a stranger here ? "Not exactly ; she had been employed to weave in one of the cotton manufactories for some time past." " Her work probably disagreed with her : had she been used to such employment ?" Yes, for several years. " Would she be so good as to state her symptoms o«ce more ?" she did so, with a faltering voice, and changing cheek. The doctor rose, took a turn or two across the room, and again seating himself opposite, asked the question, "Are you married, madam ?"

" No sir," said the young woman faintly. A long pause ensued.

" If you were a married woman I should be apt to tell you what I thought, but as it is I scarcely know what to say, except it is my opinion you will not be able to work in the factory much longer." The miserable young woman clasped her hands together and wept profusely.