Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-04-08


The men now living who saw Ethan Aller
on that memorable visit of his to Guilford
when he announced to the astonished Yorker,
that, unless they speedily submitted them.
selves to the authority of Vermont, he would
make Guillurd rs dcsolatc as Sodom and Go.
morrah, are certainly very few. Indeed, i,
may well he doubted whether there is soli-
! tafy survivor ol that memorable dav other
| than the venerable man, from an interview
| with whom hnvc lust returned. This relic
! oi "A former generation, Is iiah Fisk nv name
! is nmcty-slS and hall years old and though
his eye Is somewhat dim and his natural force
aoated, he nevertheless retains his mental f.i-
cultics 81 well that an hours talk with him
Is Il great treat for an antiquarian.
Ills account of the skirmlsh between Allen
and the Guilford Workers is very graphic and
interesting. He was then twcntv-one years
Old, and, as common with almost all the other
inhabitants of Gulford. was an adherent of
New York. The men capable of bearing arms
had been organized into two com panies, and
as the approach Of Allen was made known,
these companies were called out to resist his
progrcss.-One company refused to comply,
but that to which Fisk belonged mustered in
tull force, and was paraded on the common
near the Westinghouse at Gullford Center.
Allen. with Il small company of horse and a.
mother OF foot, both OF them not ecualling
thc Workers in number, had previously pitch
ed his tents from IL third to a half nile North
OF the meeting house, and IN full sight As
the Workers maintained no disposition to COM
mence the fight, Allen brought affairs to
crisis by sallying forth with his dragons and
rushing down to join battle. His approach
filled his adversarics with CONSERVATION. The
captain, who was a coward, did not wait till
Allen had come within gun-shot, but noun
ted his old gray mare and made of as fast us
she could carry him. The lieutenant, finding
himself chief in command ut such u critical
moment. could not collect his thoughts soon
enough for the emergency, and, after mo-
ment' hesitation, gave The word" Take care
of yourselves. The whole company run for
the woods, except Fisk and four or five others,
who, unwilling to disperse without al single
shot, stood their ground, brought their guns
to level and discharged them at the rapidly
approaching horsemen, after which they fol-
lowed in the footsteps oftheir illustrious pre-
decessors. Some OF them were taken prisoners,
but Fisk and Others managed, by lodging
about in the woods two or three days and
nights, to clude the vigilance OF the pursuers
and escape scot-free.
In due season Fisk became Green Noun
tain boy, and served the State in various ca
pacites. Some data respecting him let me
commit to the preserving cire Of type, before
they pass into forgetfuness. He was son
of Amos e. Isaiah the son of Amos,'') and
Mary Wilbur Fisk, and was blln in Warren,
r. l., September, l7G2. In l777, he re-
moved to Gniliord Vt, with his father, and
soon after coming Jf age, purchased larm
in Brattleb)ro, where he lived some years.
and then moved to Lyndon, at which place
he spent the remainder of his active life
lie was representative from Lyndon in 1903.
1904, 1913 to lSlS inclusive. 1921 and l. %,
ten years in all. From 1907 to 1912 inclri-
sve. he was Assistant Judge of Caledonia
County Court, and from 1915 to 1922 inclu-
sve. he was Chief Judga, fourteen years in
all. He was an Elector Of President at one
of the elections Of Munroe. He has voted at
every Presidential election that has taken
place for Washington first. for Fremont
last, and in the mean time for Jefferson,
Harrison, Clay and Taylor. He was the
father OF the Rev. Wilbur Fisk, ID. D., one
of the most eminent divnes in the Methodist
denomination.
Mr.. Fisk s recollectons cover the whole
period OF our existence us state, and form
materials for many an interesting column in
the newspaper, which, If leisure allowed,
would gladly write. But enough for now.
p. II. w.
Coventry, Vt, March 22d, 1859