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August 3, 2009

Essex County Chronicles: 'Death on a white horse' came riding from Middleton

Essex County Chronicles

In Hamilton Hurd's classic "History of Essex County," published in the late 1880s, can be found a chapter on Middleton written by town resident David Stiles. In it, Stiles chronicles important religious, civil, military and business developments — and shares some colorful stories about the town's ways and inhabitants.

A number of those anecdotes involve Andrew Peters, for 27 years the minister at the Middleton church. Peters, it was said, was "perhaps a little eccentric" but still capable of direct action when it was required. The minister once settled an argument with Timothy Fuller by giving his often unruly parishioner a sound, and perhaps unchristian, thrashing.

Another Peters story involves an impromptu call he made at the home of the town's last Native American inhabitant, "Old Willis," and his wife. The man of the cloth declined an invitation to stay for dinner when he learned skunk was on the menu. Peters did take a rain check, however, and at a later date stopped in for a plate of eel, one of his favorite foods.

At the conclusion of the delicious repast, the "cunning squaw" calmly informed her horrified guest that he had just eaten rattlesnake.

Food also played an important part in the celebration following Peters' ordination in November 1729. Apparently, the custom of the time on such occasions called for every household in town to prepare a feast and to open their doors to all area inhabitants.

It was a matter of local pride to stop at every single house for food and drink, although some revelers chose to rest between stops "till their stomachs were relieved of its unwonted burdens." How, the author doesn't say.

Peters' successor, Elias Smith, was not a Middleton native but quickly became attached to the town and its inhabitants after his hiring in 1759. He once rejected a job offer from Marblehead by saying, "I would not leave my little flock in Middleton for all of Marblehead."

It was during Smith's term that a dispute erupted over seating assignments in the meetinghouse. Some unknown and obviously unhappy members of the congregation ripped out many of the seats one "dark and stormy night," and did it again after the town had allocated money to rebuild them. The problem was solved by another vote of the town to rebuild the pews — with the stipulation that in the event of further destruction, "each man should build up his own seat" at his own expense.

Stiles also includes in his chronicles of Middleton a number of anecdotes relating to military matters. One involves the aforementioned Timothy Fuller, who, upon hearing that fighting had broken out at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, galloped off on his white horse to help the patriot cause. The Middleton man caught up to the retreating British troops and fired at their posteriors until he ran out of ammunition. After a brief retreat to reload, he again attacked the redcoats with "startling effect."

According to Stiles, the enemy branded Fuller "death on a white horse."

While Fuller survived the fighting, he did suffer minor "injuries." His legs became so chafed from all the riding he had done during that eventful day he had to walk home to Middleton. His exhausted steed was taken home by a boy from Danvers, but later "bit the dust" in the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Political conflict may have been behind a bit of malicious mischief that took place in Middleton during the War of 1812.

Sometime in 1814, news reached the town of a potential assault by British warships anchored off the coast of Salem. Capt. Samuel Wilkens called his minutemen to arms and prepared to march to Salem, only to hear at the last second that it had been a false alarm.

Instead of just going home, however, a number of the troops decided to make those who failed to answer the call to arms pay for their sins. Most of these, says Stiles, were Federalists who were opposed to the war.

The mischief-makers marched to a nearby house where one of the offenders, Ezra Bradstreet, lived. When Bradstreet heard the clomp of boots approaching, he ran into the nearby swamp thinking they were British soldiers.

When his elderly mother answered the locals' knock at the door, one of the troublemakers fired a shot in the area of her feet, sending her screaming back into the house. Ezra, according to Stiles, stayed in the swamp in a "nearly nude state" until he felt it safe to return to his domicile and terrified mother.

¢¢¢

Jim McAllister of Salem writes a weekly column on the history of the North Shore. Contact him at jim@nii.net.

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Essex County Chronicles: 'Death on a white horse' came riding from Middleton
by Essex County Chronicles , , Mon Aug 03, 2009, 12:45 AM EDT
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