The Kansas herald of freedom., 1856-02-16
Tie troubles Of OefRoQt.
Controversy between Vermont and
New York.
IcoScLUpED.I I

CONCLUDED.
1--WE, as messengers, laid before the
above committee an extract of the min
utes of His Majesty's Council of the
province of New York of the Cd in
slant, together with His Excellency gov
ernor Tryon's letter of the same date, di-
rected to the inhabitants of Bennington,
&c., and after reading the same, the
above committee and numerous con-
course of the inhabitants of the adjacent
country and other spectators, gave full
-srad unanimous vote m favor of the pa
pers aforesaid and the thanks of the
people were presented to US for our dill
gence in procuring these papers. Peace
was also recommended on the whole New
Hampshire Grants, by all vino were
present; when the whole artillery of
Bennington, with the small arms were
several times discharged in honor of the
governor and council of New York
Health to the king-Health to governor
Tryon-Health to the council of New
York-Universal peace and plenty, lib
erty and prosperity, by sundry respecta-
bic gentlemen, some of whom were from
neighboring provinces.
STEPHEN FAY,
JONAS Fay"
During these transactions at New
York, intelligence was brought to Ben
nington that Mr. Kockburn, noted sur
veyor in the employment of New York
claimants, was engaged In laying out
land in some of the northern townships.
Ethan Allen collected small party, went
in pursuit of the surveyor, overlook him,
broke his instruments and made him
prisoner. He was brought to Castleton,
tried and sentenced to banishment, and
was to suffer death if caught within the
Grants, but at this juncture hearing of
the success of the mission to New York,
they rescinded the harsh sentence, and
dismissed the surveyor.
During this expedition, Aliens party
dispossessed the tenants of an intruder
at the lower falls on Otter Creek, where
Vergennes now stands. The lands here
had been granted by New Hampshire in
l761, and a settlement commenced under
said grant, and saw-mill erected as ear
ly as 1863. Shortly after, Col. Reed,
claiming under subsequent grant from
New York, forcibly drove off the New
Hampshire settlers and put his own ten
ants in possession. They had extended
the settlement, erected several log houses
and a grist-mill. These were in turn
ordererd off by Allen, their houses burnt,
their mill-stones broken by being thrown
over the falls, and Pangborn, the New
Hampshire proprietor, again put in pos
session of his saw mill.
Intelligence of these transactions soon
reached governor Tryon, who, on the
llth of August, 1772, addressed letter
of sharp rebuke to the inhabitants of the
Grants and required them forthwith to
put Col. Reeds tenants ''into re-posses-
sion of their lands and tenements." On
the reception of this letter, the commit
tees of the several towns assembled at
Manchester, and on the 9th of August
a bold and decisive, but conciliatory an
prepared, in which they con-
tended, that there was no breach of faith
on their part, because none was plighted
till after those transactions, when on the
18th of July, the proposition of govern
or Tyron was accepted, and that the
aggressors were the New York claimants,
who had undertaken to survey and take
possession of the disputed domain, de-
claring unequivocally their determination
neither to break articles of public faith,
insult governmental authority, nor aban-
don their property to the mercy of New
York and-jobbers. They, moreover,
declined restoring Col. Reeds tenants
their possession, not doubling that when
His Exeellency came to understand that
they were really intruders, he nould ap-
prove their conduct.
To the aforementioned communica-
ton an answer from the governor was
respectfully requested, but it does not
appear that he saw fit to comply; and
this abortive attempt at reconciliation
seems only to have widened the breach
and increased the animosity between the
parties. New York now resorted to the
expedient of appointing several promi-
nent settlers to Office for the purpose of
buying them over to their interests. To
counteract these designs, and to provide
for an effective resistance to the Workers.,
a convention was assembled at Manches-
ter, on the 9lst of October, 1772, which,
among other things, decreed that no per-
son on the Grants should accept or hold
any office under the authority of New
York ..and all civil and military Off
GERS, who had acted under the authority
of New York. were required to suspend
their functions, ON the pain of being
viewed. 1t was also decreed .'that no
person should take grants, or confirma-
ton of grants. under the government of
New York"
Punls shment for the infraction Of these
DEGREES was left to the discretion of the
court, except that it must not be capital
Tor the first offence.
CHAPTER ".
In July. 1878, Col. Reed, whose ten
ants had been dispossessed at the lower
Rlls on Otter Greek, as mentioned in the