Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-05-20
STAR.
ETHAN ALLEN IN CAPTIVITY.

W ar, none is more strange than that Of the
queer genius, Ethan Allen; in England, the
event and the man being equally uncommon
Allen seemed to have been a curious combi-
nation of Hercules, a Joe Miller, Bayard,
and a Tom Hyer. He had q person like the
Belgian giant, mountain music like O Swiss,
and heart plump as Ceur de Lions. Though
born in New England, he exhibited no traces
OF her character, except that his heart beat
wildly for his country's freedom He was
frank, bluff, cOmpanionable as pagan, con-
vivisl as Roman, hearty as n harvest.
For the most part, Aliens manner while in
England was scornful and ferociOus in the last
degree, although qualified at times by a he
| roic sort of levity. Aside from that inevitable
egOtism relatively pertaining to pine trees,
spires and giants, there were, perhaps, two
| special incidental reasons for the Titanic Yer
monters singular demeanor abroad Taken
captive while heading a forlorn hope before
Montreal, he was treated with inexcusable
cruelty and indignity. Immediately upon his
capture, he would have been deliberately suf-
fered to have been butchered by the Indian
allies in cold blood upon the spot, had he not
with desperate intrepidity, availed himself of
his enormous physical strength by twitching
British officer and using him for a target,
whirling him round and round against the
| murderous tomahawks of the sayages. Short
| ly afterwards, led into the town fenced about
| with bayonets of the guard, the commander of
| the enemy, one Col. McCloud, feurished his
cane over his captive's head with brutal in.
suits, promising him rebels halter at Ty
burn. During his passage to England in the
same ship wherein went passenger Col. Guy
| johnson, the implacable Tory, he was kept
| heavily ironed in the hold, and in all respects
| was treated like mutineer; or it may be
| rather as lion of Asia, which, though Gagged,
| was too dreadful to behold without fear and
trembling, and consequent cruelty. And, no
| wonder, at least, for on one occasion, when
| chained hand and foot, he was insulted by an
officer, with his teeth he twisted off the nail
| that went through the mOrtise of his hand
cuffs, and so having his arms at liberty, chal
lenged the insulter to mortal combat. Often
| when at Pendennis Castle, when no other re
| vengement was at hand, he would hurl on his
| foes such bowling tempest of anathemss as
| fairly shook them into retreat. Prompted by
| somewhat similar motives, both on shipboard
and in England, he would often make the
| most vociferOus allusiOns to TicOnderoga, and
| the part he played in its capture, well know
ing that of all the American names TicOnde
| roga was. at that period, by far the most fa-
nous and CALLING to Englishmen.
| Israel Potter, an exile American, while
| strolling around Pendennis Castle, where Al
len was confined, CHANGED to hear him in one
| Of his outbursts Of Indignation and madness,
of which the following is specimen.
Brag no more, old England consider th at
you are only an island! 0lder back your
| broken battalions home! and repent in ashes
| Long enough have you hired tories across the
| sea, forgotten the Lord their God, and bowed
down to Howe and Kniphausen-the Hessian !
Hands off, red-skinned jackall! Wearing the
| Kings plate, as L do, (meaning probably cer-
tain manacles,) L have treasures of wrath
| against you British" !"
Then came clanking, as of chains; many
| vengeful sounds, all confusedly together.
| Then again the voice.
| "Ye brought me out here, from my dun
geon to this green, afronting yon Sabbath
| sun-to see how a rebel looks But I'll show
| you how a true gentleman and christian can
conduct in adversely. Back, dogs respect a
| gentleman and a christian, though he be in
| rags, and smell Of bilge- water. Yes, shine
| on, glorious sun 'Tis the same that warns
the hearts of my Green Mountain boys, and
lights up with its rays the golden hills Of Yer
| mont ~
| Filled with astOnishment at these words,
| which came from over a massive wall, includ-
| ing what seemed an open parade space, Israel
| pressed forward, and soon came to a black
aTchway leading far within, underneath, to q
| grassy tract, through a tower. l. Ike two
boars' tusks two sentries stood on guard at
either side Of the open jaws of the arch
| ncrutlnlzlng our adventurer a moment, they
| signed him TO enter.
L
| where the sun shone, Israel stood transfxed
| at the scene.
Like some baited bull in the ring crouched
the gigantic captive, handcuffed as before :;
| the grass of the green trampled and gOred ~
all about him, both by his own movements
and: those of the people around. Except some
| soldiers and sailors, these seemed mostly
towns people, collected here out of curiosity.
The stranger was outlandishly arrayed in the
sorry remains of a half Indian half Canadian
sort of dress. consisting of fawn skin jacket
| the fur outside and hanging in rugged tufts-a
| half rotten bark like belt Of wampum ;
| aged breeches of sagathy; the darned wOrsted
| stockings reaching to the knee old moccasins
riddled with holes, their metal tags yellow
with salt water rust faded red woollen bon
net, not unlike Russian nightcap, or por-
| tentous ensanguined full moon, all soiled and
| struck about with half rotten straw; unshayen
beard, matted and profuse as a cornfield
beaten down by hailstones. His whole marred
aspect was that of wild beast, but a royal
sort, and unsubdued by the cage.
| "Aye, stare stare, thou but last night
dragged me out Of a ships hold like a smutty
| tierce, and this morning out of your Uttered
| barracks there like murderer-for all that
you may well stare at Ethan Ticonderoga Al
| len, the conquered soldier, by -! You
| Turks never saw a christian before Stare
| on! I am he who, when your Lord Howe
Il "ohtoU W OiiUS q paSiiOS " uONn duu
worship him by an offer of major general
| ship, and five thousand acres Of choice land
| in old VermoRt-ha! three times three in for
| glorious Vermont and the Green Noun tain
boys hurrah ! hurrah hurrah II am he, L
say, who answered your Lord Howe you,
yon offer our land? You are like the devil
in Scripture, Offering all the Kingdoms in the
| world, when the d--d soul had not a corner
lot on the earth!' Stare on, say!''
"Look, you rebel you, you had best heed
how you talk against General Lord Howe,
here said a thin, wasp-waisted, epauletted
officer of the castle, coming near and fou ish-
| ing his sword about him like q schoolmaster's
| ferrule.
"General Lord Howe? Heed how talk of
that toad-hearted kings lick-spittle of pol
troon! the vilest wriggler in Gods worm-hOle
below. L tell you that the herdes of red
haired devils are impatiently shouting to la
die Lord Howe with his gang-you included
into the seethingest syrups Of Tophet's hottest