Depositions of Nuckquittaty and his Wife
June 7, 1678
Nuckquittaty upon examination before authority declared that yesterday he and his squaw were at Thomas Williams’ or nearby till it was night. And about sunset or a little after he saw Kesequonunt come to Thomas Williams’ house and brought a quarter of venison to sell and did sell it to Thomas Williams1for one quart of rum, which he saw him deliver in a glass bottle2 to Kesequonunt. And he did taste of the said rum and desired Kesequonunt to sell him some of it for wampum but he would not sell any but gave him some to drink. And presently Kesequonunt went away with the bottle of rum and said he would go to town and he saw no weapon that Kesequonunt had with him. And a little while after came Keweebhunt to the said Thomas Williams’ house and brought a quarter of venison, which the said Keweebhunt sold to Thomas Jones’ wife for rum3which was about a quart put into a stone jug and a nutshell of which rum he then tasted. And the people of the house hastened him and his wife and Keweebhunt away because it was night and coming toward the town Keweebhunt said he would call in at his friend’s (Mr. Bolles’ house) and, accordingly, they all three went together to the door which they found open and a child wounded and gasping, lying in the threshold. It being dark he called to Keweebhunt to make a light and see what was done but he himself went not into the house, but the light being made, he saw Mrs. Bolles and one child killed and one child wounded and gasping and thereupon his squaw4 was afraid and desired him to get away. He answered he would go and inform authority thereof. And likewise Keweebhunt came away with him from the house in the way toward the town and coming along in the way they heard guns at the town whereupon his squaw was afraid and said go not in the path lest you be killed.5 So he and his squaw left the path and went about to get into the town but Keweebhunt said he would go in the path and inform what he found. He being asked who he thought or judged was the murderer, he replied he judged that it was Kesequonunt.
Nuckquittaty’s squaw, being examined, also declares that she saw Kesequonunt sell venison to Thomas Williams and had for it of him one quart of rum, as her husband hath declared. And that she came with her husband and Keweebhunt from Thomas Williams’ house in the evening unto Thomas Bolles’ house where she saw the persons found wounded and murdered as is before declared. And after Kesequonunt was gone she sayeth she went to a wigwam not far from Thomas Williams’ where she found Nuiis and his squaw who said they were going over the river and tarried but little with them, but returned to Thomas Williams's house and there found her husband and Keweebhunt with liquors in a stone jug and proceeded thence as above mentioned.
Attestation: Attested per John Talcott, Assistant
Notation: The examination of the Indian prisoners exhibited in court October 3, 1678
Cataloguing: 106, 118
- 1. The words his wife are crossed out in the original.
- 2. The words stone jug are crossed out in the original and relaced with glass bottle.
- 3. Thomas Williams and Thomas Jones were fined for selling liquor to the Indians. In October 1678 both men petitioned the Court for an abatement of the fines, but it was not granted rather it was sent to the County Court for its consideration. (Trumbull, Pub. Rec. Col. CT., Vol. 3, p.19)
- 4. In the original the word wife was crossed out and replaced with squaw.
- 5. This fear was not unfounded given recentness of King Philip’s War and the fact that Nuckquittaty and his wife were surrenders living under the authority of Uncas and the Mohegans.\