Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1872-07-12


But when to the gloom of hope deferred
are added the accomplishments OF wind
and snow and all the discomforts of
cold and smoky station. the situation is
doubly so. Such was my lot on Mon
day morning in January, 1856. No trains
had passed for 48 hours or more, and
there was no reasonable prospect Of any
for AS hours to come. The snow filled
every cut and gap, and nothing was run
ming but the telegraph, and even that
seemed to make slow trips. The knowl-
edge that 100 pupils were waiting my
coming, six miles away, did not in any
wise make the lookout brighter. / was
impatient, very. All this was in the
town Of Fitchburg and commonwealth
of Massachusetts,. There was another
man waiting there as impatient and mis-
erable as myself. His name was DIR.
Calvin Cutter of Warren, Mass. He
informed me that he was then engaged
in enlisting men to carry aid to suffering
and bleeding Kansas. He represented
that DIR. Robinson had been elected gov
ernor and that the free state men only
waited for men and arms to set the state
government in motion. He also limited
that young men of brains and spirit
would there find the tide in their affairs
that would inevitably "lead on to fort
une." Having just had a slight unpleas
antness with the faculty of Dartmouth
college, in which they came out decided
ly ahead, | was ready for anything that
promised adventure and excitement -
and, appropriating to myself his hint
bout "men of brains and spirit" |
promptly told him l would 60. But
there was difficulty in the way. To
complete my engagement, | must teach
three weeks longer. | promised, howev-
er. to see what could be done with my
school board and report to him at Wor-
CccbCi. iIoW Soulu l. uuubb d NldSSdcuu-
sets school director in a crisis like this
All things have an end-even New Eng
land snow storms. | reached my dis
trict, was released two weeks before the
time agreed upon, was paid for the full
term, closed my school at 5 o'clock two
days afterwards, and at 81 o'clock of the
same day was on board train hound for
J Worcester to report in person. | there
met DIR. Cutter, Eli Thayer, Martin Stow
ell and some other active friends of Kan
sas, and after short conference, we ad-
Ijourned to Massasoit housein Springfield
to organize our party and perfect our ar
rangements. On our way thither Will
lam Crutchfeld, John Dean and Mr..
Pickett joined US, and on arriving there,
we were introduced to him who was to
be the leader of our party-David Starr
Hoyt, of Deerfeld, Mass.
was young then and had never seen
war or warriors, (unless the holiday he
! roes of the New England MALTA could
be called SUCH but had formed some
idea of what military leader ought to
! be, and to say that Col. Hoyt fell far be-
low that idea is putting it far too mildly
In appearance, he was about as insignif-
cent as he we'll could be- Short, small
wrinkled, clad in a great buffalo coat,
with the hair worn off in patches, his
head, hands and feet, the only indica.
tions of the kind of animal within, he
looked more like stage-driver, or the
boots of country inn than the leader of
a forlorn hope such as our party was
supposed to be, He invited us to an up.
per room, quietly laid off his coat, and
gave us a little talk. The transfgura-
ton was complete. From clodhopper
he became a hero. His voice, at first,
low, soon warmed into terrible earnest
ness, and bis eyes shot lightning. He
unfolded as much of his plan as it was
necessary for us to know, and closed by
saying, "Now, boys, want no man with
me who is not as willing to die in this
cause as ever was an infant to fall asleep
on its mothers breast" We felt ready
for anything, and told him so. He then
took us to warehouse and set us at work
preparing the goods for shipment. We
had four breech loading cannon, one
hundred Sharpe's carbines with saber
bayonets, some thousands of percussion
and tape-primers, and large quantity
of cartridges. We removed the slides
from the carbines and packed them in
the trunks belonging to DIR. Cutter and
Crutchfeld. All the other articles were
! boxed up, and taking them as extra bag
gage, we proceeded to New York, ar
irving there on the night of the 21st OF
February. On the next day, while Tam.
many was celebrating Washington:
i, birthday, 1 was engaged in getting some
cards printed. They purported to be
. the business cards of IL. A. Morton &
E Co. dealers in brass and iron castings
: mill machinery, betting, etc. also agent;
for Kendall's celebrated oil; 314 Eliza.
4 II