Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-11-17
Mote, page 203-4. volume see

IS pledSeu 10 Gall tleI1, WcTc tno'liS CI"'-
tenden, Ethan Allen, Ira Allen, Samuel
Stafford, Moses Robinson, Timothy Brown
son, John Fassett, Joseph Fay, being Tor a
long time the only persons in the secret OF
the temporizing negotiation in question:
And so, Tho's Chittenden, ele'en years sue
ceeding its organization, Governor OF YER
mont, Ethan Allen, the hero OF Iicondero.
ga, a Colonel in the continental service, and
long the commander of the Vermont militia,
with the other patriotic and distinguished
men thus implicated, were traitors, were
they? Why, had this been said byiany one
who was not more than half British himself,
the bones of old Ethan Allen would have
ratified in his grave at the charge
Let US glance at the evidence in support
of this grave and singular accusation. AT
the outset of this conspiracy, according to
Col. Stone, Col. Beverly Robinson, acting
on the known hatred of the people of YER
mont 10 the government of New York,
i" sought to open a correspondence with
Ethan Allen, as early as March. 1850. The
first letter was handed to Allen in Arlington,
but was not answered. The second letter
from Robinson was received by Allen in
February, 1881, which, with the first, he
inclosed to Congress in March, accompanied
by a letter." What! sent those British let
tiers to Congress?
Why, we thought it was a secret conspl-
racy a singular course, it strikes us, for one
to pursue who was secretly plotting TO sell
his State to the enemy! 1t is, however,
one or the leading facts from whie, Colonel
Stone drew his notable differences, that Allen
and his colleagues were traitors. Next we
take the statement of two prisoners escaped
from Montreal, "that Ethan Allen and his
associates were forming an alliance with the
Kings officers in Canada-that it was I'M
derstood that Vermont was to furnish the
King with $500 men, under the command
of Allen" When Allen was a prisoner, in
England, sick and comparatively weak of
nerve, poor and destitute, with a halter
about his neck, and the doom of death hang
ing over his head, he was offered half the
fee of Vermont and ii lordship, if he would
enter the British service. And what was
his reply? "Your Majesty here, gentle
men, reminds me of a certain other Majesty
all the lands in the world if he would fal!
down and worship him /; when the fact was,
the poor devil didn't own a single foot Of
lana on GArtb TO S''S "~"S ""s 49, ~
Allen except such a superb offer then And
what would he have naturally said to the
+ comparatively trifling offer the Canadian
had escaped from his captivity, recovered
his vigor, and become a general, in reward
for his services and sullerings! Here, we
suppose, Colonel Stone draws another of his
differences. But to the evidence under con-
9 sideralion. All that these escaped prisoners
could have known, and Colonel Stone does
=, not pretend otherwise, was from the rumors
=, they had heard among their keepers, or at
' best, the talk of British officers, who, no
r doubt, boosted enough about their imagined
prospects of bringing Vermont into an ALI
ance. 1t is wholly inconclusive; and the
, fact that the Governor of New-York though
r. it of consequence enough to be comnunlca'
- ted to his legislature, cannot alter its cllarac'
a ter. Such testimony would not have rndan'
rered "A man under the rule Of RobeSpierrc
when suspicion, decenlly grounded, was al
that was required TO bring a man to ,h'
Guilloline. Indeed Capt. Symam's theor.
of a hole in the earth, or even Locks Moor
Story, was supported by evidence which wa
=, proof positive compared to this piece of re
tailed rumor and braggadocio.-And w
therefore dismiss il for what it is worth
re nothing at all.
=. The oulv other testimony introduced b.
~ Col. S., worthy of notice. consists OF quota
- tons from Ira Aliens History of Vernon
:, VIZ: " Treating Of an a,mistic, and
~, :" coueeyt measures to establish Vermont as
~. ". Galaxy under q. Britain &c.'-wlich til
~ Colonel has so brought in by IA wording {
his own, as to give them, apparently, som
" effect. We cannot, al present, procure
copy Of thisrare book, aud shall not, therefor
m undertake to say how fairly Ira Allen Ina
r. there been quoted. But, if done fairly,
to which we have doubts, we know that ALE
I'll published the work, soon after the war, j
al L..Lv", -L--- l.. h-l ....~~.~ -. ..-l
tn with the English government; and, being
Of. a man of eXpediency, it would be not Il
of unlikely that he should deem it best not
he tell the British to their teeth, when he ha
he interests depending, that he had made dnpt
of them in the affair in which he was ii
.,s principal negociator, but rather to let it re
HE as he had contrived to make them under
,s stand it. But however all this may be, "
10 know that Ira Allen, after his return. re
on published the substance of his history
y, Philadelphia, in numbers, under the title
eJ the Olive Branch, in which he explains It
N, secret intention Of the Vermont leaders,
an be, as far as regarded the British, only
~ procrastinaie and keep off an invasion
w while he gives not the least init nation tn
as they ever had the least idea of ever forum
ne, the alliance which Colonel Stone has char!
ed them with wishing to form. Now if A
lens testimony, uttered in London under 1
~ inducements 10 Withhold explanations, is IA,
!, thority on this point, i, is certainly as goo
~ authority when uttered in America, when
,uL had no inducements TO keep back any pa
I" of the truth. TO say the least, it complet
!" " neulraIizes Colonel Stones best eviden
which, therefore, like his other tesiimon
oil leaves wholly unsupported the charge of ,
'on ryism, conspiracy and treason, with whic
MS in the face Of the opinion of every other WI
ter, he has attempted to brand the uniarnls
nH ed names of the venerable Governor CHI
not tenden and his patriotic associates. IfGo
- Hl....la., ,r,. "a s.,.sx. sl.s $500 n.,o,