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JANUARY 25:

January 25, 1692:  Today, just before dawn, the village of York, Maine, is attacked by 150 Abenaki warriors, led by Chief Madockawando. The Abenaki will kill more than four dozen settlers, and almost eight will be taken as prisoners then sold or used as slaves. The village and surrounding farms were burned for miles.

1904: By Executive Order today, a tract of land in Nebraska which had been set aside for the Pine Ridge school reservation be placed back into the public domain. This order will be modified on February 20, 1904. 
One of the towns located on this tract of land is White Clay, Ne.

BACKGROUND:
From http://members.aol.com/wabanak/raid.htm

The Attacks Upon York 25 January, 1692

The Abenakis were wavering in their allegiance. After the truce was signed by the Massachusetts commissioners and Sagamores in 1690 the French court and colony were both alarmed. The Governor of Acadia wrote in 1691 that if the Indians had made peace with the English after the fall of Port Royal, Canada might have been lost because of the ease of reaching Quebec in ten or twelve days from the river St. John and Pentegoet. So M. de Villebon was hurried off with supplies and gifts to hold the allegiance of the Indians; and the missionaries, of whom Father Thury was the most influential, were charged to make them break off the negotiations with "the Bostonnais." So well did they succeed that down the frozen Chaudiere and Kennebec Rivers came Indians from the mission at Sillery to join those from the missions of Fathers Bigot and Thury who, with Thury himself, were waiting at the mouth of the Kennebec.

Between this river and the Piscataqua nothing was left but the villages of Wells, York, Kittery and Appledore [Isle of Shoals]. From the Kennebec the Indians travelled until they reached Agamenticus [York ME]. Parkman says the best account of the attack upon York is that sent to Versailles the following October by Champigny, the Intendant. From it part of what follows is quoted. It was based upon the report of a chief who was of the party.Toward the end of January a hundred and fifty Abenakis set out for a place called Iarc [York]. Within six miles of it they found tracks of two Englishmen which three of their people followed, "but they were of the day before." They encamped at the foot of the mountain and climbing it, saw the little town lying along the river banks and along the shore. In the town were perhaps three hundred persons living in about forty houses. It was Sunday. The Indians were hungry and cold; snow was falling heavily, and a council was called to determine whether to attack or to wait for better weather. Hunger hurried the chiefs to immediate action. They separated into two bands and soon made themselves masters of a "fort" (garrison-house) and ten houses evidently on the outskirts; then scattering.

"They laid waste everything for about a league and a half in less than two or three hours."

Champigny said that all the houses were burned, but this is disproved by other statements and by inventories made soon after the massacre.

"Our people spared the lives of a dozen little children and three old women, whom they sent back to a near-by fort with a letter which one of the captives had been made to write."

This brought threats to kill all the prisoners if certain conditions were not fulfilled, and boasts of the great compassion shown in thus giving up these women and children, adding that the English would not have been so "merciful." The Abbe Casgrain wrote that this was due to the influence of the priest, but Williamson says it was done because the English had recently spared some Indian women and children at Pejepscot [Benj. Church on the Androscoggin in 1690]

The Indians did not forget a kindness.  Mr. Pike wrote: "Jan. 25 Monday, 10 clock in ye morning, the Indians fellupon York, killed about 48 persons (whereof ye Rev. mr Dummer was one) & Carried Captive 73." Captain Floyd and his Company "lay in pay at Pascataq," whence he with fifteen from the Great Island and some from the Point hurried off, "but we feare" says a letter from Hooke and Fryer "all will be to Little purpos if God in mercy, doe not devirt them."

Floyd's own letter dated January 27(6) says that he made the greatest haste he could for the relief of the people, though he hardly expected that any were left. He found Alcock's and Preble's garrisons standing, but the greatest part of the town had been burned and robbed, "the Heathen had killed & caried captive about 140; 48 of which are killed & 3 or 4 wounded & the rest caried away. Mr. Dummer ... is barbarously murthered, stript naked, cut & mangled by these sons of Beliall, his wife & family Caried Captive so that there is not only a famine of bread among them by reason of the indians carring away so much of their provision but also a famine of hearing the word of God ... I have caused all the inhabitants to be in there garisons, 2 at Yorke & the other at Scotland, I have left 12 men there there is a hundred souls in Capt Alcoks house that have their whole dependance upon him for bread & likewise at Leuit Prebles for the houses are all burned & rifled except half a dozen or thereabout." He adds that they have carried away all the powder, the leads from the windows as well as pewter and other lead for their supply of shot.

A captive boy who ran away the first night reported about a hundred Indians and no French. He says about seventeen or eighteen houses were burned and advises that men be quickly sent in pursuit to "Amaroscoggin," where "they might happily give them a great blow, but they must have rackets [shoeshoes] for the snow is very deep. ... The Indians Incamped that night they went away at Cape Nuttick pond about 5 miles from the town of Yorke & left 30 of their choicest men for their rearguard that night: the snow being so deep we could not follow them." Before dividing their plunder the savage "Christians" sang a Te Deum for their victory, and on the homeward march they chanted their matins and vesper service, as the priests had charged them not to omit the sacred offices if they would be successful in war. The captives were distributed in the villages where the old men, women and children were astonished by the rich spoils. In mid-February Captains Alden and Converse are sent "to negotiate the affair [of redemption] the well management whereof is of great concernment."

"The Indians are to understand the Regard their Majesties of England have for their territory & good subjects here and to boast of the ships and supplies coming from England; to learn everything possible about the captives; and if they "find any wanting especially of those lately carried from Yorke: Examine that matter strictly and urge it upon them that they have offered foule play unto them and be not gulled by them in their reserve of persons of the best account. Insinuate unto them that we doubt not by the blessing of God to oblige them to deliver our captives without makeing Terms for them; But the severitys of the weather are such at this time that the fears of their being exposed by cold and hunger (consisting mostly of women and children) induceth us out of meer pity and compassion unto them to treat in this way for their Redemption, not that we intend the practice thereof for the future. You are to Insist upon the delivery of all the Captives both formerly and lately fal'n into their hands, especially all those lately carried from York... urging upon them their promiss that they should all be there to be ransomed; But if finally you cannot obtain the whole then agree for all that shall be at the place on the Easyest Terms you can And oblige them by writing under their hands with further Security of hostages or else toreturn all the Rest at an appointed time and place and for a certain sum."

A week after these orders were given William Vaughan of Portsmouth sent to Boston information brought in by Mr. Francis Tucker, a magistrate of the Great Island, who had been captured at York. He had been taken to Sagadahock, but had escaped on a fishing shallop after Alden and Converse had reached the place.(11) He reported that "after a day or two'scapitulation," the Indians agreed upon the ransom of all the prisoners. The commissioners had already received on their sloop thirty-six captives; the rest were dispersed but were being brought in daily. Tucker did not know how much was paid. "Their masters carried them on board, received their pay & Soe march't off," he said. With them were about two hundrend able fighting men "who have been long abroad." He reported that some Sandy Beach captives had told the Indians that Boston was sending out men with snowshoes, designing a considerable army, and the Indians, seeking but not finding this army in the woods, fell upon York, which does not agree with other statements. He said also that they had sent two captives to Canada "to Satisfie ye French wth ye truth of this Exploit, they formerly not beleiving the Indns report of service they do against us."

In a Memoire for 1692, when the services of the Christian Abenakis wererecounted, a request was made that the Sillery Indians be included in the rewards granted by the King. In August of the same year Madockawando went to Quebec, taking with him five English prisoners. He saw Governor Frontenac and received a reward.  In these reports mention has been made of seven captives sent to Canada. Records of eight who there became Roman Catholics have been found.

In the list of garrison-houses made in November, 1711, we find in York"21 houses, 89 families, 109 men, 30 soldiers and 548 souls."  It is the Abenaki contention that part of the Story of Snow Shoe Rock is true based on this history of the Raid.We contend that the snowshoes left at this rock located not far from the base of Mount Agamenticus were extras for those they would take captive for a march to Canada for a reward from the Canadian Governor.The snowshoes of the warriors were most likely taken off closer to town where there was a primative road system and heavy foot traffic making snowshoes not needed during the actual raid.Also this accounting seems to validate the Rock on what is now Chases Pond Road as the actual place where the supplies were left.
 

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>From http://famousamericans.net/madockawando/
 

Madockawando was born in Maine about 1630. He was the adopted son of Assaminasqua, whom he succeeded as sachem of the Penobscot Indians. Their lands, lying east of Penobscot river, were a part of Acadia, which was given back to France in 1667 by the treaty of Breda, though the English claimed that the country between the Penobscot and the St. Croix was included in the Duke of York's patent. The Indians were brought under French influence by the Baron de St. Castine, called in New England chronicles Castin (q. v.), who settled among them, and married a daughter of Madockawando. When King Philip's confederacy rose against Plymouth colony, the eastern Indians and the English settlers in Maine and New Hampshire became involved in war. The Penobscots were the first to treat for peace among the Indian tribes, and offered to enter into an alliance with the English. Articles were drawn and subscribed at Boston on 6 November, 1676, and the peace was ratified by Madockawando. The English, however, found a pretext for renewing hostilities. The Indians were successful, and destroyed all the English settlements in that part of Maine. In 1678 treaty was made at Casco whereby the English were permitted to return to their farms on the condition of paying rent to the Indians. The peace was kept until the territorial dispute with France was brought to an issue in 1688 by Governor Andros, who went to Penobscot in a frigate, plundered Castin's house, and destroyed his fort. The Indian chiefs took up the quarrel, being abundantly supplied with arms by Castin, attacked the white settlements, and thus began King William's war. In the atrocities committed on this border Madockawando took a prominent part. When the English built Fort William Henry at Pemaquid he hastened to Quebec to carry the intelligence to Frontenac, but divulged it to John Nelson, whose messengers warned the authorities in Boston of Iberville's expedition. In 1693 the English gained Madockawando's consent to a treaty of peace, yet he was unable to persuade the chiefs who were under the influence of French Jesuit emissaries, and was compelled to recommence hostilities. The Indian war continued for more than a year after the peace of Ryswick had been concluded between France and England, and until by the treaty of Casco the Penobscots, on 7 January, 1699, acknowledged subjection to the crown of England. In the later operations Castin was their leader, Madockawando having been, perhaps, one of the chiefs treacherously slain by Captain Pascho Chubb at a conference at Pemaquid in February, 1696
 

Edited Appletons Encyclopedia, Copyright © 2001 VirtualologyTM