Only one of the assailants was named, appearing in court records as Manasses Molasses.[7][2][9][10] Molasses was tried before a court-martial without a jury in August 1676,[10] and the evidence against him was described as inconclusive and hearsay.[9] Molasses denied involvement with the killing, but admitted to buying Howland's coat for some ground nuts.[10][9] Molasses stated that the killer was someone named Quasquomack.[10] A resident of Portsmouth, Rhode Island named John Cook [wikidata] also testified at the court-martial that in the area of Puncatest in July he asked a group of indigenous people, named Woodcock, Matowat, and Job, if they knew who killed Howland.[12][10] Cook stated he was told "there were six in the company and that Molasses was the Indian that fetched him out of the water".[12] John Brigs testified that Molasses had also shot at someone named Joseph Russell.[13][10] William Manchester testified that he asked the husband of Wetamoe, Peter Nonoet, who killed Howland, and was merely told that Molasses fetched him from the water.[10] An unnamed sister of Awetamoes testified that a member of the group that attacked Howland by the name of Ohom told her that Molasses was also part of the group and took Howland from the water.[10] A man named Wechunckfum/Abram testified that Molasses had confessed to killing an Englishman in the area.[10] The wife of Sukats testified to a similar confession.[10] The court-martial was persuaded by the testimony against Manasses Molasses and he was exiled and sold into slavery.[7][2][9][10]
In the 1700s, a gristmill and a sawmill were built on the river by Aaron and Moses Barker.[4] Sylvanus Nickerson opened a thread mill here circa 1844 until his death in 1857.[4] It was then operated by Samuel Thurston and Oliver Chase before being taken over by Daniel T. Church.[4] In 2018, preservation work was ordered for the historic bridge over the river at Old Main Road.[14] In November 2022, the state of Rhode Island replaced the existing bridge that carried Fish Road over the river with a new one made from prefabricated bridge units at the cost of $926,000.[15] The bridge was carrying around 9,000 vehicles each day.[16]
Ecology
The stream flows through areas of floodplain forest.[17] Oaks, hollies, maples, and ferns populate the forest.[18] Several species of ants are found on its banks.[17] The brook has high levels of Enterococcus bacteria.[3] Possibly this is related to treated wastewater from Tiverton Junior-Senior High School flowing into the river.[19] In the 20th century, it was stocked with brook trout.[20][21]
^Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate; Woodworth, J.B.; Foerste, A.F. (1899). "V, The Eastern Shore of the Bay". Geology of the Narransett Basin. Vol. 33. Washington, D.C.: Government Printig Office. p. 271, 273. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
^ abEmery, William Morrell (1919). "1 Howland Ancestry". The Howland heirs; being the story of a family and a fortune and the inheritance of a trust established for Mrs. Hetty H. R. Green. p. 5. OCLC2774050. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
