One of the scandals of the early colonial period involved a number of the original settlers of Providence, Cranston and Warwick. This was in regard to the original deed that was entrusted to William Arnold for safekeeping. Some thought Arnold should have “his ears cut off” for allowing the deed to be badly mutilated.

The copies of the original deed given to Roger Williams by the Narragansett sachems and produced by William Harris form the basis of the charges of “forgery.” According to historian Howard Chapin, this is “when Harris had begun on his ‘monstrous’ land conspiracy….” The early records inform us of the date and the persons involved. Long before spelling and grammar became standardized, words were written as they sounded to the writer. The deed reads in the original spelling, “The seventh of the Tweife month 1658 [7th February, 1659] at our Towne Court William Arnold of Pawtuxet came into this present Court and did acknowledge that those two copies [to witt] of William Harrises, and Thomas Oineys which hath these words in them as followeth, are the true words of that writeing called the Towne Evidence of Providence….”

Sidney Rider, in his Lands of R.I., states that “these three men [William Arnold, Thomas Olney and William Harris] were engaged at that moment in a huge conspiracy to gain individual private ownership of nearly one-half of Rhode Island, as it now exists.” Rider, who wrote in 1902, is adamant in the belief that William Harris was the ringleader and that the deeds were forgeries. Other historians differ in their views, but even a quick perusal of the records seems to indicate that there was a serious question concerning the exact boundaries of the Pawtuxet Purchase. Quarrels over the boundaries of Pawtuxet and the question of the illegality of the deed have plagued Rhode Island for many years, and even at this late date experts tend to disagree on the issue. Along with the disagreements over land, there were bitter legal disputes that kept Rhode Island’s founding fathers in a constant state of turmoil.

Arnold never did have his ears cut off as some of his enemies would have liked, but the claims of the mutilated deed were argued over for many years in the colonial period. Arnold, surrounded by his children and grandchildren, lived a long life and was a strong force in the development of the Cranston section of Pawtuxet. His hatred for Samuel Gorton continued unabated into the 1670s.

When the threat of an Indian attack on Pawtuxet was imminent after the Great Swamp Fight in King Philips War, many fled from the village to Aquidneck Island. Some of the older men, however, refused to leave the land that they had spent most of their adult lives developing. Pawtuxet historian Horrace Belcher tells us that in January 1676 William Arnold could not be induced by his son Benedict to leave Pawtuxet for the safety of Aquidneck. Belcher writes, “The old man stubbornly refused to go, but finally consented to move to his son Stephen’s plantation [close to the present-day Broad St.] after the messenger had gone there and had obtained Stephen’s consent to have him.” Arnold at this time was 88 years old, and he died a shirt time later. In March the Indians attacked again, and this time Arnold’s Pawtuxet was totally destroyed.

One of the men who dealt successfully with Arnold, Roger Williams and Samuel Gorton was John Greene, surgeon. Although he was closely allied with Gorton, Greene was respected by his contemporaries and played a major role in the early history of Warwick and Rhode Island.

The story of Arnold’s contemporaries, including John Greene, will be continued.

(Editor’s note: Don and Jean D’Amato wish you a happy holiday season.)