Benjamin Church, fearing the worst, sent his wife to the
relative safe haven of Aquidneck Island and went to Plymouth to
offer his services and advised immediate action. The Plymouth
authorities were slow to act. They had heard through spies that
Philip had received a message from his medicine men that the
"side that shed first blood would lose the war" and that Philip,
believing this, would not allow his braves to kill any of the
English settlers. What they hadn't taken into consideration was
Philip's ingenuity. He ordered his warriors to Swansea, and on a
Sunday late in June 1875 they began killing cattle and
plundering the homes of the settlers there who were all
attending church. A young boy, John Salisbury, came upon them
while they were raiding his home and shot and wounded one of the
Wampanoag raiders. First blood had been shed, and by the
English. The very next day the Indians returned and killed John
Salisbury and his father. Plymouth and Boston both sent troops.
By the time they reached Swansea, 14