THE KING OF POTOWMACK.

7

the witnesses. Furthermore, John Lord and Capt. George Mason were ordered to pay to the public two thousand pounds of tobacco apiece for their contempt of the right honorable governor's warrant, unless they show cause to the contrary at next quarter court; that they be both suspended from all civil and military power till they have cleared themselves from the King of Potowmack's charge against them and give bond with good security to such person as the honorable governor shall appoint for their good behavior towards the said King, his and all other Indians." But the Assembly confessed that with Brent, Fowke, Mason, and Lord deprived of office there was no one in Westmoreland County able to conduct its affairs, and they proposed to join it to Northumberland County, or else ask the governor to send some persons there "capable and fit " to govern it.' In April, 1664, Captain Mason is found to be buying more land, six hundred and fifty acres in Westmoreland County, from Col. Valentine Peyton, for which he paid "a valuable consideration" but the sum is not named.' At the General Court in October, 1669, George Mason petitioned for and obtained five hundred additional acres, part of the same tract, which had been deserted by the original patentee.

About this time the Dutch, Lord Baltimore, and the Indians were all giving the Old Dominion some trouble. So the Grand Assembly proclaimed a fast on account of the disturbed state of the country, and furthermore voted for five forts, one of which was to be on the Potomac. Now then were the proscribed soldier-planters to come again into the public service. George Mason appears to have held the office of sheriff of Stafford County in 1670, and is called in the MS. records of the General Court for that year, Major George Mason.' The sheriff was the executive officer of the county court. The judges in this court were called Jus

1 Ibid.

? Westmoreland Court-House Records.

844 Virginia Carolorum," p. 344 (note). (From a MS. owned by the Virginia Historical Society.)

tices of the Peace, and they had almost entire control of the affairs of the county. They were chosen from the principal gentlemen of the neighborhood and received their commissions from the governor with the advice of the council. They received no compensation for their services, the office being considered one of honor not of emolument, and thus a high standard was obtained. In 1673, and perhaps earlier, George Mason was clerk of the court of Stafford County.' The Stafford county records are so incomplete it is impossible to determine when the appointment was made, or how long any of these appointments continued. Both offices were held by the second George Mason many years later. Some time between 1673 and 1675 apparently, Captain Mason received the highest office in the county of Stafford, that of its County Lieutenant. Stafford was cut off from Westmoreland probably in 1666-7, when it is first mentioned as sending a delegate to the Assembly. A tradition in the Mason family, found in the old paper before quoted, asserts that George Mason gave the county its name, calling it after his native shire in England. The County Lieutenant in the early records is called "Commander of Plantations." The office, which in England was held generally by a knight, was conferred always in Virginia on the class of "gentlemen," and they were chosen usually from the large landholders. The County Lieutenant commanded the militia with the rank of colonel, was entitled to a seat in the council, and as such was a judge of the General Court, was appointed directly by the governor, and was the possessor of very large powers in the civil and military control of the county. He presided over the county courts at the head of the justices. The MS. records of the General Court, of which only two fragments now remain, for this period, show Col. George Mason to have been successful in a suit in which he was the defendant in March, 1675-6, upon an appeal from

Old deed in the Brent family.

In the interesting "Memorials of Old Virginia Clerks," F. Johnston, none are given for Stafford previous to the Revolution.

COLONEL MASON'S AGreement wITH THE INDIANS. 9

Stafford County court. The decision of the Stafford court was confirmed, but the amount of damages does not appear.'

In this same month, March, 1675, Colonel Mason's name appears in an act of Assembly, in connection with the defence of the country against the Indians. Lieut. Col. John Washington is named among the commissioners appointed for Westmoreland. And the act specifies that " Col. George Mason and Mr. James Austin or one of them in Stafford county be further commissionated when occasion shall be to use Indians in the war, and require and receive hostages from them, also to provide one hundred yards of trading cloth to each respective fort, that it be ready to reward the service of Indians as hereafter in and by this act shall be provided." And then we learn of a special service of Colonel Mason's by which he had taken the lead in the negotiations with the friendly Indians. The act continues:

"And whereas Coll. George Mason exhibited to this Grand Assembly a certain agreement by him made with certain Indians, vizt. that the young men shall go in search of all murderers and all other Indian enemies to the English to be paid three matchcoates for every prisoner they bring in alive, and one matchcoate for the head of every one they kill; Bee it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the said agreement shall be well and truly observed on our parts, and that those commissioners, herebefore in this act named to take hostages may make the like agreement (if they can) with all other the neighboring Indians."

We have now arrived at an important period in Virginia's colonial history, when occurs the episode of Bacon's Rebellion in 1676, the prototype in parvo of the later "Rebellion " of 1776. There are several contemporary accounts of this affair, and one of them is particularly interesting in itself, and is furthermore valuable for our purpose, as it makes mention of Col. George Mason. This is the paper signed "T. M.," which was written by a colleague of Colonel Mason 1 MS. owned by the Virginia Historical Society.

in the Assembly.' "My dwelling-house," he says, "was in Northumberland, the lowest county on the Potomack river, Stafford being the upmost." Here also in Stafford "T. M." had a plantation, with servants and cattle, and his overseer had engaged for him in this county a herdsman who was killed a short time after by the Doegs, an Indian tribe in the vicinity. "From this Englishman's blood did (by degrees) arise Bacon's Rebellion," as our narrator explains.

"Of this horrid action Col. Mason who commanded the militia regiment of foot and Capt. Brent the troop of horse in that county (both dwelling six or eight miles downwards), having speedy notice raised 30 or more men and pursued those Indians 20 miles up and 4 miles over that river [the Potomac] into Maryland, where landing at dawn of day they found two small paths. Each leader with his party took a separate path and in less than a furlong either found a cabin, which they (silently) surrounded. Capt. Brent went to the Doegs cabin (as it proved to be) who speaking the Indian tongue called to have a 'matchacomichaweeokio,' i. e., a council, called presently, such being the usual manner with Indians. The king came trembling forth, and would have fled when Capt. Brent catching hold of his twisted lock (which was all the hair he wore) told him he was come for the murderer of Robert Hen. The King pleaded ignorance and slipt loose, whom Brent shot dead with his pistol. The Indians shot two or three guns out of the cabin, the English shot into it, the Indians thronged out of the door and fled. The English shot as many as they could so that they killed ten, as Capt. Brent told me, and brought away the King's son of about 8 years old, concerning whom is an observable passage at the end of this expedition. The noise of this shooting awakened the Indians in the cabin which Col. Mason had encompassed, who likewise rushed out and fled, of whom his company (supposing from that noise of shooting Brent's party to be engaged) shot (as the Colonel informed me) 14, before an Indian came who with both hands shook him (friendly) by one arm, saying 'Susquehanoughs netoughs,' i. e., Susquehanaugh

'Force's "Tracts," vol. i., tract viii.

EXPEDITION INTO MARYLAND.

II

friends,' and fled. Whereupon he (Col. Mason) ran amongst his men, crying out, For the Lord's sake, shoot no more; these are our friends, the Susquehanaughs.' This unhappy scene ended; Col. Mason took the King of the Doegs son home with him, who lay ten days in bed as one dead, with eyes and mouth shut, no breath discovered, but his body continuing warm, they believed him yet alive. The aforenamed Capt. Brent (a papist) coming thither on a visit, and seeing his little prisoner thus languishing, said, 'perhaps he is paweward,' i. e., bewitched, and that he had heard baptism was an effectual remedy against witchcraft, wherefore advised to baptise him. Col. Mason answered no minister could be had in many miles; Brent replied, 'your clerk, Mr. Dobson, may do that office,' which was done by the Church of England liturgy, Col. Mason with Capt. Brent godfathers, and Mrs. Mason godmother, my overseer Mr. Pimet being present, from whom I first heard it, and which all the other persons (afterwards) affirmed to me. The four men returned to drinking punch, but Mrs. Mason staying looking on the child, it opened the eyes, and breathed, whereat she ran for a cordial, which he took from a spoon, gaping for more, and so (by degrees) recovered, tho' before his baptism they had often tried the same means but could not by no endeavours wrench open his teeth."'

This little incident puts very vivedly before us the manners of the time, with its odd combination of piety and superstition. The whole scene stands out distinctly from its seventeenth century background in the Virginia wilderness; the small Indian prisoner, unconscious on his couch, the stern and resolute, but kindhearted planter-soldiers, seeking to restore their young captive from his uncanny trance by the use of the church's sacrament. Then the men going back to their punch and their discourse over the late bloody affair, while the lady of the house bends over the child with anxious womanly ministrations, assisting the miraculous recovery by her timely watch.

This expedition of Colonel Mason's and Capt. George Brent's proved indeed, as has been said, to be the occasion of

1 Ibid.