Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-06-06
"There is not a doubt of it" sai Rich

frlZZel, and making 1t spring up dsAhnth
loud snap five or six times. "But, gooI ord :
what are we thinking about? I'll u9Nngather. G
in all the guns in the county" TheRmnlse Of I
the moment, was Edwards monitor. lN he ran
like gre and warned few of the Coilel's re- I
tanners, who he knew kept guns abou!hem -
these again warned others, and at elaa o'clock
there were twenty-five men in thc4sse, and /,
sixteen loaded pieces, including Cop1hagen,
and the four pistols found on the d9cased-
These were distributed amongst the rot win
dows in the upper stories, and the rIst armed
with pitchforks, old swords, and cuegs, kept
watch below.
Edward had taken care to place hrslf, with
a comrade, at window Immediately lcing the
approach to the house, and now, baqed as he
was by such strong party, grew qlte impa.
| tient for another chance with his rettbted Co.
penhagen. All, however, remained taiet until
an hour past midnight, when it entefel into his
teeming brain to blow the thefs silver wind
call-so, without warning any ofheiest he set I
his head out at the window, and blew until oil |
the bills and woods around yelled their echoes
This alarmed the guards, as not having the
meaning of it but how were they aionished at
hearing it answered by another at NJ great dis
tance
The state OF anxiety into which tlis sudden,
and unforeseen circumstance threw our armed
peasants, is more easily conceivedth tim descrb-
ed. The fate of their masters greatvealth, and
even their own fates was soon to le decided
and none but he who surveys and oprrulus fl-
turlty could tell what was to be the ssue. Ev-
cry breast heaved quicker, every bredh was cut
short, every gun was cooked and pinted tow
ards the court gate, every orb of vslon was
strained 10 discover the approaching foe by the
dim light of the starry canopy and every ear ex-
panded to catch the distant sounds as they float.
ed on the slow frosty breeze.
The suspence was not Of long continuance.
In less than five minutes the trampng of horses
was heard, which increased as they approached
to the noise of thunder; and in due course,
body of men on horseback, according to the ac-
count which was gwen by the 6Oleners peo-
ple exceeding their own number, came up at a
brisk trot, md began TO enter the eeArt gate.--
Edward, unable to restrain himse lslonger.
fred CopcnhaGen - kkelr facss e. I ~, x,
foremost dropped and his hors9 iia91ee 1eq spri1g
towards the hall door. This discharge was rath-
er premature, as the wall still shielded part of
the gang from the windows. 1t was, however,
the watchword to all the rest, and in the course
oftwo seconds the whole sixteen guns were dis
charged at them. Before the smoke dispersed,
they we're all fed, no doubt greatly amazed at
the reception they met with. Edward and his
comrades ran down stairs to see how matters
stood, for it was their opinion that they had shot
them every one, and that their horses had taken
fright at the noise, and gallopped off withou
them-but the club below warmly protested
against their opening any Of the doors till day
SO they we're obliged to betake themselves
again to their birth up stairs.
Though our peasants had gathered up little
courage and confidence in themselves, their sit.
uaton was curious, and to them dreadful one
They saw and heard a part of their fellow crea
lures moaning and expiring in agones in the
open air, which was intensely cold, yet burst mol
90 to administer the least releaf, for fear of a
surprise.
An hour or two after this great brush, Edward
and his messmate descended again. and begged
hard for leave to go and reconnotfe for few
minutes, which, after some dispute was granted
They found only four men fallen, who appeared
to be all quite dead. One of them was lying
within the porch. "Faith, here's the chaP
shot" said Edward The other three were WIFI
out, at considerable distance from each other
They burst not follow their track turlher' as inc
road entered betwixt groves Of trees, but re-
treated into their posts without touching any
thing.
T; About an hour before day, some Of them were
alarmed at hearing the sound Of horses rect
second time, which however was only lndistlnct
and heard at considerable intervals, ana nothing
= of them ever appeared. Not long alter TINS, Ed
ward and his friend were almost frightened ou'
Of their wits, at seeing, as they thought, the
dead man within the gate endeavorlng to get uF
: and escape. They had seen him dead lying
u surrounded by deluge of congealed blood anc
g nothing but the ideas of ghosts and hobgobln'
entering their brains, they were SO ndlscreet as
never to think of firing but ran and told the tale
n of horror to some of their neighborsD The Sky
d was by this time grown so dark that nothing
q could be seen dlstinctly-and they all remained
!, in anxious ncertitude, until the opening day dis
v covered to them by degrees, that the corpse
:, were removed, and nothing left but large sheet
l. of frozen blood-and the mornings alarms b,
T. the ghost and the noise of horses had been oc
1t casioned by some of the friends of the men tina
d had fallen, conveying them away for fear of dis
g covery.
D Next morning the news flew like wiIdfre, an
the three servants were much ncornModed b.
o crowds of idle and officious people that gathere
!" about the house, some inquirng after the small
II est particulars, some begging to seq the bod
ut that lay in the parlor, and others pleased them
selves with pouring over the sheets Of crimso
!, ice, and tracing the drops of blood on the roa
down the wood.
|. The Colonel had no country factor, nor an
particular friend in the neighborhood-sO thr
l. the affair was not pursued with that speed whc
was requisite to the discovery of the aCcompl
il oes, which, if it had, wOnld have been prOduc
s. tive of very unpleasant eircumstaces by involv
th ing sundry respectable families, as it aAsrwart
appeared but too evidently. Dr. Herbert, tn