rk. He followed him with
characteristic celerity and promptness, and at length found him one
Sabbath morning attending divine service in a Dutch meeting-house.
Cowdin did not hesitate, but entered and seized the culprit at once,
much to the surprise and consternation of the congregation. A severe
struggle ensued, in which he barely escaped with his life, but he
finally overpowered and secured his prisoner. He then took him to
Boston, where he received orders to deliver him at Crown Point. So alone
through the woods for that long distance he journeyed with his prisoner,
who well knew the fate which awaited him; threading each day the lonely
forest, and lying down each night to sleep by the side of the doomed
man. He delivered his prisoner safely at Crown Point, from whence he was
taken to Montreal, and shot. For many years Cowdin was one of the most
influential and prominent men in Fitchburg, and enjoyed to a great
degree the confidence of his fellow citizens. He was the first
Representative to the General Court under the new State Constitution,
and held many town offices. A handsome monument has recently been
erected to his memory by his grandson, Honorable John Cowdin, of Boston.

Preaching being provided for, it was also voted to keep two schools, and
to appropriate the sum of L8 for that purpose. And now the town of
Fitchburg was fairly started out in life. From the towns to the East
energetic young men began to come in with their families, to make new
homes for themselves, so that in 1771 there were from seventy-five to
eighty families, with a total valuation of L2,508,105. The highest tax
payer was taxed on a valuation of L121, and the rate was over ten per
cent.

There were now, from time to time, numerous town meetings and many
matters, both grave and trivial, to discuss and settle. Matters civil
and matters ecclesiastical were inextricably blended. There was no
separation of Church and State, but a community firmly believing in a
personal Divine Providence, whose hand interposed daily in all the
affairs of life. We may instance an article in the warrant for town
meeting, January, 1770, which read as follows: "To see if the town will
relieve Widow Mary Upton for Distress occasioned by frowns of Divine
Providence, and abate her husband's rates on Isaac Gibson's and Ebenezer
Bridge's tax lists." The result of the article was that Mr. Upton's poll
tax was abated, and the frowns of Divine Providence were doubtless