. The history of Springfield in Massachusetts, for the young; being also in some part the history of other towns and cities in the county of Hampden. n price per shells were either white or blue-black and were gatheredby Indians on the shores of Long Island. Having been dulyshaped they were sent to Springfield to Pynchon and sold tohim by the bushel. On being strung they became wampum,the money of the Indians, and also to a large extent, of thesettlers. Their value arose from the fact that they were somuch used by the Indians for ornaments, just as the valueof gold arises from the
. The history of Springfield in Massachusetts, for the young; being also in some part the history of other towns and cities in the county of Hampden. n price per shells were either white or blue-black and were gatheredby Indians on the shores of Long Island. Having been dulyshaped they were sent to Springfield to Pynchon and sold tohim by the bushel. On being strung they became wampum,the money of the Indians, and also to a large extent, of thesettlers. Their value arose from the fact that they were somuch used by the Indians for ornaments, just as the valueof gold arises from the fact that, worthless as it is in the mostuseful arts, it is universally in demand for jewelry, and likethe peculiar wampum shells, very scarce as compared withother metals. From a study of John Pynchons account books,the historian, Judd, has stated that over 20,000 fathoms ofwampum were strung by the women and children of thisvicinity. As six feet make one fathom we have a string ofbeads which would reach from Court Square in Springfieldthrough West Springfield to the Holyoke City Hall and backagain through Chicopee. 54 HISTORY OF SPRINGFIELD. Stocks. Besides being merchant and preacher, John Pynchon wasalso the recorder or register of deeds, the presiding officer intown meeting and the captain of the train band. He wasalso the judge before whom suits at law were tried and bywhom law breakers were sentenced. There were some lawsthat he had to execute and some punishments that he had toinflict that seem strange to us. Anordinary punishment was standingin the stocks, an instrument ofdiscomfort so put together thatthe feet, arms and neck of the cul-prit were pinned to a fixed positionand his face exposed to publicridicule. The whipping post, evendown to a late period, was a promi-nent object on the street and to it some of the wrong-doerswere tied and whipped on the bare back. One of the rules ofthe army of Massachusetts was that, if any soldier shouldblaspheme, his tongue should
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