Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-07-29
nlisfellaup.
Written for the Green Mountain Freeman.
NORA MONTELLE;
OR,
THE MYSTERY UNVEILED.
CHAPTER III.

.~~.~~o,.~>~,.>>~~>--~~~.y~~o-~o>O~>~~
CHAPTER III.
when the sound
Of coming war echoed the hills around,
How did those start forth from every glade.
snatching the musket where they left the spade
How did their mothers urge them to the fight,
Their sisters tell them to defend the right;
While every vale to which their voice could come,
Rung with the fife and echoed to the drum"
~. G. C. Brainard.
The. people of the New Hampshire Grants
had been engaged in bitter controversy with
the Government of New York, from the year
l764, up to this time; and indeed, it was not
settled until 1890. They had purchased their
grants of Benning Wentworth, the Governor
of New Hampshire, but the government OF
New York, by forced construction of the
royal decree, declared these to be void.
The settlers were therefore called upon by
proclamation of Tyron, the Governor Of New
York, to surrender their grants and re-purchase
of him, or be expelled from their homes. To
pay for their land again, they considered would
be wrong; but to pay for the improvements
they had made, they felt to be grossly unjust
and most of the settlers resolved never to do it.
Upon their refusal, Gov. Tyron made new
grants to New York purchasers, but when they
came on to make surveys, they met with a de-
termined resistance Then came sherifs anC
civil magistrates to execute the writs of posses
sion, and by due course of law remove the oc
cupants of the land; but the settlers still
showed resistance, and that they might have {
force ready to act on any emergency, they
formed a military association of which Ethan
Allen was appointed commander, with the it'll
OF Colonel, and Seth Warner, Remember Ba
ker, Robert Cockrane, and Others were appoint
ed Captains. After this the New York sheriff
were pursued whenever they set foot on the for
bidden ground.
Great rewards were offered for the capture O
Allen, Warner, and others, by Tyron, but nj
one succeeded in capturing them. They wer
then commanded to surrender themselves fo
committance to any Justice of Peace, within
seventy days, and if they disobeyed, the persol
negecting to surrender himself was to be ad
judged and deemed convicted, and verdict 0
guilty of death duly rendered.
"They may sentence us to be hung" salt
Allen. g for refusing to voluntarily place ON
necks in the halter; but how will the fool
manage to hang Green Mountain Boy, befor
they catch him?"
To strengthen his interest, Tyron appointe'
some of tho most influential settlers to Office
and to destroy this policy, the settlers decree
by their Convention that no person living il
the disputed territory should accept or hold offc
under New York The punishment for this Of
fence was called the {" beech SEAL" or I" castiga
tion with the twigs of the Wilderness
Thus the people of these Grants had az
quired high sense of their personal right
and fixed determination to maintain them.-
From having to defend their homes against tn
encroachments of neighboring government
they had become Injured to hardship and priva
tion, and were familiar with enterprise and &C
venture, and thus when the sound of comm
war with England echoed among their hills
it was but signal for them to act.
The taking of Ticonderoga by Allen, May II
ITS, has been said by writer's of the history {
our country to be the commencement of tn
war on the part of the Colonies. 1t indee
opened way for the invasion of Canada,
measure which Congress decided upon, afte
hearing that the British were to make gran
effort the following spring. to attack the ColC
nies by way of Lake Champlain.
Sir Guy Carleton, a man of energetic chara,
ter and renowned military exploits, had bee
sent by the British Ministry as Governor
Canada, and as the British troops had bee
called from Canada to Boston with their Gel
erals, Clinton, Howe and Burgyone, late in tt
spring of l775, the Americans thought now Wi
the time to make the attempt. 1t was decid,
to invade Canada by two ways by way of Lal
Champlain against the forts, st. John al
Chambly, and Montreal, and then proce,
against Quebec. The other way, up the Ken
bee river, and move towards Quebec, with Il
view that the two parts of the army dispatch
by these ways, should reach that fortress at Il
same time.
Three thousand soldiers, partly from Nc
York, and the rest from New England, were
lected for the occasion. Major General Schu
Ter was appointed Commander-in-Chie of IL
army, Brigadier-General Montgomery the col
mand of the first division by way of the LAX
and Col Benedict Arnold that of the other.
1t was now the last of August Allen had ,
ready joined Montgomery at Tconderoga, al
Warner was preparing his brave regiment
the same object.
But let us return to Percy Wallace, who
we left wounded at the home of Nora. A f
days have passed since his arrival there, but
seems to have forgotten his enthusiasm
Right and Liberty entirely, for he has found
new study-that of watching the lovely a
guileess Nora US she fitted around about
daily cares, or sometimes as she read to him,
brought him fragrant flowers, and now a
then he listened to wild snatches of music fir
her lips for Nora too had forgotten her cou'
Jason, and the shadow had melted away fir
her heart and left it full to overfowing W
happiness.
This could not always last, for there is
awakening to- every bright dream of mort0
and as Byron says, +" There comes forever SOL
thing between us and what we deem our hi
piness. ;" Percy awoke to its reality on