The beheading of Pocasset tribe’s female leader Weetamoo on August 6, 1676 is one of the most shocking scenes in my historical novel Conflicting Roots (2025, Maine Authors Publishing). In this post by KPW350, the mutilation and subsequent display of her head on a pole in Taunton expose the reality of brutality during King Philip’s War.

Readers of my novel Conflicting Roots may remember the significance of the Taunton River in southeastern Massachusetts for native Wampanoag people. It was in this small river that the beheaded body of one of the main characters was found floating. In this recall of a tragic event in the factual history of King Philip’s War by KPW350, we learn why Captain Benjamin Church was known as Plymouth Colony’s “Indian Fighter.”

Author Robert W Spencer shares his July event schedule.