The history of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, By a committee of the Dorchester antiquarian and historical society ...

432 HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
ing the matter, and closing with a request that the
Court would grant some other island as a help to
them " towards the maintenance of a free schoole,"
in the room of that which was taken away. (See a
copy of the petition on page 163 of this work.)
There was still another applicant for the island,
namely, Winnuequassum, who sent in his petition
to the Court, "craving Thompson's Island to be restored to him as his inheritance." It is unknown to
what tribe of the aboriginals he belonged, as also
the particular merits of his claim. The reply was
(1 Nov. 1654), "Altho' the Court cannot see cause
at present to heare the case, nor wthout hearing to
restore the peticoner the land, yett judge meete to
give him libertie of tryall, in any Court fit for cognizance of it, notwthstanding any former acts of this
Court therein."
We learn nothing more respecting Winnuequassum or his suit.
The following is from the Court Records (Vol.
IV. part 1, p. 29), date, 18th Oct. 1650.
"In the triall of the case between Mr. Thomas Jones
and Mr. John Wisewall, on the behalfe of the school of
Dorchester, and Mr. John Thompson, respecting the title
of the island called Thompsons Island, the Courte, on the
hearinge of the case, and examining the evidences brought
by both parties, judged the right to belong to John Thompson, and gave him his bill of costs, which was three
pounds, seven shillings and sixe pence, against the towne
of Dorchester."
Notwithstanding what had been said and done in
relation to Thompson's Isle, the people of Dorchester