by assuming that 'being enveloped in woods, they might not especially at first consider it as on the summit!' In other words, he assumes that Goffe, a general trained to military exactness, did not know, after living there three months, whether he had been living in a pile of rocks on the top of the hill, or in a hole in the side of the hill! It should be noted that Goffe's reference is explicit. If he had simply said 'a cave,' the bowlders might, by a stretch of the imagination, have been made to tally with it; but he particularizes by adding, 'or bole in the side of the bill.'"         "What has become of this 'hole in the side of the hill'? Should there not be some trace of it remaining?" asked Fennell.         "Not necessarily," said the doctor. "You must remember that Richard Sperry, who conveyed their food to them while they lived there, had committed the crime of high treason by giving comfort and assistance to 'traitors,' and that he would have the highest interest in destroying every trace of this dangerous business as soon as the regicides were out of his care. He would have been extremely foolish had he allowed to remain so near to his house a condition of things which he would have found it difficult to explain. The royalist sympathizers were alert and numerous, and large rewards were offered not only for the capture of the judges, but of those who had in any way sheltered and assisted them. The existence of this cave would have been like a trap of his own setting for Richard Sperry, in the light of later developments; for it was the discovery of the cave with the bedding and other evidences of occupancy which it contained, that led the judges to abandon it as no longer safe." West Rock         "They never could have lived in that alleged cave on the top or the hill," exclaimed the judicial Fabian, "unless they both had curvature of the spine I examined the place carefully once, and found the floor about eight inches wide at the innermost point, and about seven feet long, gradually widening toward the aperture. It is shaped something like a ram's horn. A man to lie in there would have to go in feet foremost, and twist himself up like a sea serpent."         "I have heard something about the lightning striking these bowlders and changing their position," said Graham.         "They were struck many years ago," said the doctor; "but as far as I can learn, the only damage done was the -- page 195 -- | Previous Page | Next Page | | Town of Hadley Page | Hampshire County | | Western MA History & Genealogy | These pages are © Laurel O'Donnell, 2005, all rights reserved Copying these pages without written permission for the purpose of republishing in print or electronic format is strictly forbidden This page was last updated on 12 Sep 2005