St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-02-14

\EWEURN. VT. Jan. 30. 1873.
For more than II century before Its
exploration bv the French and English.
Vermont WAS the dark and bloody
ground on which the Algonquin tribes
of New England and the lroquoiS OF
western New York, engaged III deadly
conflict. 1t was Il war of havoc and
determination. attended by the most
appalling cruclties. Hence few Indians
occupied the territory when it WAS ira
versed 10y the earliest explorers from
Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
CAUSES OF TARDN SETTLEMENT.
Unlike New Hampshire. her water
falls and valleys show few traces of
aboriginal occupancy. At Il few points
in the Connecticut valley. and especial
" at NewhIrN. lust on the verge of the
Ox-bnw meadows. Il large number of
stone implements have been plowcd up,
and cor fields and burial grounds were
visible to the early white settlers.
Their stone implements consisted chief
~ of the pcStlc. aN, g"ugc and chl>el.
made of slate. spear and arr"w-headS
and dressing knives made of Jasper and
quartz. dishes of >Oap>!onc and pottery
of burned clay.
New bury was the gateway of the
Connecticut valley, the point where
various tribes passing annually between
Canada and the lower valley of the
Mcrrimack. found convenient tarrying
place. Its rich meadows, sheltered
from the cold winds. furnished the most
northern grounds on which corn and
beans could he planted and ripcned.
The settlement was limited to IL small
tribe, and they withdrew fo Canada
when the PenacookS abandoned the
valley of the McIrimack in 1909.
Still. the territory of Vermont re
manned wilderness. 1t WAS exposed
to the attacks of the French and In
dams on the north and WIS 1t sort of
common grotmd, to the jurisdiction of
which none of he English colonial gov
crnmcntS as Vet laid claim. Some
wears later it became evident that these
lands had Il value. and New York. New
Hampshire and Massachusetts each la-
bored vigorously To secure them.
SIIEEwD OLD GOVERNOR.
New Hampshire 1T this time had
Bcnnimg Wentworth for royal Gov
ernor. il digmiicd gentleman, at1ahlc in
manners and iaStidiouS in dress. He
was Governor from I1ll to l761. He
ruled long and well, and bid fair to
have held his position till the day of
his death, had not his aNnricc and great
wealth excited the envy of other am
bilious men of the pros incc.
Some men act from principle. and
Designating personal ends are purely
philanthropic but like angels visits.
they are few and far between. While
the Governors of New York and Ma>Sa-
chusettS were quarIclimg over the dis
putcd territory. Gov. Wentworth SAW il
golcn opportunity. Il sort at Credit Mo-
hilicr. before him. Self interest wills
pcrcd that it must hc improved. ohc
speedily and secretly set his surveyors
at work upon the richest portions of
the disputed territory. and before the
worthy rulers of the two neighboring
provinces were aware of it. three tiers
of townships on the west side of the
Connecticut. and Sumdry others on the
eastern hOr,lcrS of Lake Champlain
were laid out, and ready to lie char
tered.
Gov. Wentworth now hccamc IL great
favorite with his people. for short
time. All who were on good terms
with him. all who had nerve and enter
prise, and all who had been lucky
enough to lay 10y Il few yellow SOY
erelgns Whcrewith to pay good round
fees, were suddenly enriched by the
good Governor. All any of them had
to do WAS t" draw up petition. get
the requisite number of SigmcrS, go to
the Governor with Il nice purse of gold,
and a charter was sure.
HOW SETTLEMENTS GREW AND CON
FLICTS AROSE.
In this way not less than one hun
dred and eight townships III Vermont
were chartered: and aS they We're held
for the most part 10y enterpIi>ing men.
no time or effort WAS spared to have
them speedily occupied. Settlements
began t" spring up along all the Con
necticut Valley. and westerly to Lake
Champlain.
We cannot stop to tell of the mighty
wrath of the New York officials whcn
the acts of Gov. Wentworth became
known and how 10y fraud and the
connlvanCc of the crown they IL few
Years later established claim of their
own.
In the meantime, eastern and southern
Vermont had become dotted with the
cabins of >talwart men from MaSSachu-
sets and New hampshire. When the
officers sent ON 10y Gov. Tryon of New
York. told these observation-disclosures that
they must Nacatc the new lands on
which they had built their rude dwell
ings, or pay them for the same. the
settlers boldly and huntly refused to
do either. 50 they seized and carried
tsN nt he. ia,
he tried before the courts of New York.
This reused the ire of the Green Noun
tain boys. and when the ROYAL posse
came again in l77O. they were seized.
stripped. tied to the trees. and whipped
without mercy. The "bluc beech" was
the instrument used. and no Yorker
who received one of these taCellations
ever had the tcmcriIN to risk Il rcpet-
ton.
This struggle WAS not merely about
the price of land. but it was Il conflict
of ideas warfare between liberal and
aristocratic principle - between the
township system with local elections
and taxes. and colonial Capitalization.
Gov. Tryon issued proclamation offer
ing a reward for the seizure of Ethan
Allen, and the Colonial Assembly paSS-
ed resolve that if the rebel leaders
did not surrender themselves within
thirty days. they should incur the pen
atty of death without the benefit of
clergy. In the border region the prop
erty of the settlers was seized and con-
tiscated.
ms controversy. now grown violent,
was suddenly stopped not scttled-by
the startling events preceding the Rev
olutlon. by common consent local
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