Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-07-11

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companions, he Sprang at him like pan
/ ther and tore him down. The men who
I drove him with their blyonets to his prison
pen, would come privately to bring him
little comforts. Ia England. they sought
to ifighten him by threats of the gallows;
{ he answered by letter TO the American
Commander advising prudent retaliation.
lhey could not hide him away from the
I sympathy Of kind hearts The people who
came to gaze at him As show would slip
gdineas Gto his pockets. He won the re-
I spec oi au true hearted Englishmen.
I " hen he came 90 the Cove o Cork, the en-
tluS.as-ic Trash s3nt him clothing, filed
MS purse with gold, and had they not been
prevented, would have loaded the ship with
stores and supplies. '' am a gentleman
and have the right 70 walk the deck, was
ms proud answer TO the Captain who or
dercI 6in with 0aths 70 20 below. and after
54at Ae walked the deck with impunity.
Ills Imprisonment was n triumph which
Z dlsgraccd none but those who sought to
disgrace him.
There was only one occasion when his
lOrttude gave way. lie tells the story with
the bashtulne>s of a girl. Long imprison-
ment, deprivation, rags. disease and yer
MN, applied long enough, will break down
the strongest man. He had borne all these.
and no Halifax they were supplemented by
the ScGryy, which would have ended his
/ life had he not been relieved by the charity
oil lady who furnished him with food and
vegetables. The wasted shadow which
/ went on -lipbJard there, to be sent &, New
/ York was "a poor representative of the
/ hardy m0lutIinear. but his spirit was Just
as d,haut, as az the moment Of his capture
lie was summoned before the Captain. TX
pcctlns some new exhibition OF the tyrau-
| ny Ji the quarter deck. he summoned his
/ httic remaining strength t. maintain hi-
/ natural character and To defy this new di~
I play Of the malice OF his enemies. To hi~
[ profound establishment. Captain Smith met
hlm VIA hearty shake of the hand. vel
. clmci him o. hi- ship, invited him % his
table, aaI menJiJnei %. If q matter or
I course tAat he lad uricr1d every man
under him g. treat Colonel Allen with the
respect and consideration due 10 an officer
| Of his rank. SGch unexpected kindness did
what no amount oi Iil-trcItment could have
/ done. IL oyc-caue him and l0r a time de
| prEcd him of the power OF speaking. lie
turned away to hila his emotion and then
| with broken voice expressed his gratitude
| Tor kIndnes-, all the more generous since he
would never be- able g repay it. " look
/ f0r no reward was the bluff response ofthe
noble sailor. '' only treat You rs one
| gentleman should treat another. This i
mutahle world and one never knows how
/ soon it may be N his power To do another -
l favor"
| The reward came to Captain Smith very
speedily. They were sailing along the
I coast not many days afterwards and the
/ prisoners formed plot 10 kill the Captain
master the crew, ,and seize the ship with
/ the thirty-lya Thousand pounds in treasure
/ then on board Several of the crew had
/ already been corrupted and Aliens consent
upon which tAey had counted, was only ne
/ ceS-lry % the success of the conspiracy.
/ The leader detailed his plans never doubling
I llS prompt concurrence. This plot must
end here and now 80 was hi, answer, ''and
/ must have your promise to end it, or
/ Will disclose it % the Captain and defend
/ aim w.th ny life. lie has treated Us ike
/ gentlemen, and he shall net be murdered 80
/ The plot was abandoned and never revived
/ Perhaps the most crclI,able part Of the in
I cideut, Sd far aS Allen Is concerned i the
fact that he kept tie secret. and Captain
/ smith never knew from him how well he
/ had repaid has kIndnc-s.
I He reached New York in October Here
/ be Jared mi-sr,ib.y enough, but personal i'll
[ treatment diI not wiring his heart, like
[ those 5lrbsrtie- Which lac saw inflicted on
/ the American prisoners, which fastened
such nleli3.c dl-huu1r on the British
! names iley were never efuulled until the
I days of Salisbury and Anier~Jnyille. When
l allowed % g at llrge. he labored day and
night, with a.l his strength. resources and
/ credit, fer their relief. lie was there when
I tw) tauaSlnl OF these martyrs were sacri-
I feed % what be calls '' the scientific bar
blrity of Britain. The enemy sought t.
I bribe Aim with the offer oi a regiment and
service abroad. % desert his flag.
/ lie ~purlei tlc hriie, and they de-
cllrcI Dee mu-1 De crazy. To euro
him. they threw him in,1 a dungeon with
| thieves alI uurilrerS and almost starved
h.m % death. But the victory Of Benning-
;9n ali the cap5ure 9t BIr-oyne fa=Rishel-
the Americans wItl a5aldant material for
retaliation and Improved the treatment
], was not hoWcer until May l77S, we'll
I towards three years after his capture. that
/ ae wis finally exchanged for Colonel Camp
| BELL of the British army. lie then proceed
ci % Valley Forge, where Washington re
/ cciyeI him WItI the strongest expression OF
] respect auI c~tcem- lie has recorded the
/ impression made hy the returned prisoner
/ in no doubtful terms. He was weak and
cmaeia-cj IN body, but his heart was strong
and TIr. Washing rt1n's letter to Congress.
I in flrtheunceo IF Aliens desire to enter To-
,he service again aS soon a. his strength
was restored, SHOWS how admirably the
[ Father %. bis country estimated men, 1t i
. tll illgStratiyeti O. be omitted here
Il have been happy, he wrote. In the
exchange and a visit from Colonel Allen
/ His tortitGde and frmuc-s seem to have
| placed aim olt Of the reach of misfortune
[ There j. an original something in him that
commands admiration and his long cap
tiyity and suiierings have only served t..
/ Increase IT possible bis enthusiastic zeal
/ lie appears very desiruus of rendering hi
/ services % the States and Of being employed
81
| any ambition for high rank Congress
will herewith receive a letter from him and
| doubt not theY wiil make Sach provision
| Tor him as they may think proper and
suitable
Congress responded by granting him u
I COl0ac.'S commission. with words Of com
meudation, which doubled the value of the
reward. After a visit 10 General Gates
| who treated him, as he says, with the
/ generosity of lord, he returned to Ben
| niugton on the last day Of May l77s. where
he was received with great rejoicing
| Among other manifestations, a salute Wa
fred, of thirteen guns for the older States.
and one iory0ung Vermont.
The surrender Of Bureoyue was substau-
TALLY the eadof fighting in this quarter.
and Allen never again entered active
service in the Continental army. The
position OF Vermont was precarous and
his interest iu her fortunes was too great
I tnpe-mit him to seek employment elsewhere
She was putting the machinery Of her gov
I crnment in motion, in which there waSsOmt.
[ friction. and her enemies had become more
[ dangerous since they had substituted in
trisue FOX force. lie entered her service
with rcaowcd activity, and until her final
admission has tongue and pen were employ
{ ell in hcr bGhaJ. Robinson who had been
I d rfs
brides 10 desert his answer was the trans
mission of RObinsln's letters TO Congress
lie was prominent in the negotiations with
! haldlm1ud, which secured quiet here until
/ the end OF the war. His last appearance in
arms, was m the suppression of the reirac-
| tory - Yorker" in Windham county
With a hundred Of his Green Mountain
Boys he marched to Guiltord and there
1 issued proclamation which Is Il model
Of directness and breyity. Il Ethan Allen
[ declare. that unless the people Of GuilfOrd
pcacably submit To the authority Of Yer
mont, | will make the town a desOlate A.
were the cities os Sodom and G)morrah -
| They submitted. lie saw the Revolution
| ended, and the States Independent, but did
| not survive 10 see Vermont finally take her
| seat in the National Council. His sword
was changed into api0ughshare he became
! farmer IN y0lder beautiful valley, and
there, mourned by an attached people, he
died in February, l7s9
have not attempted 50 much as a refer
cncc to all the prominent events in Aliens
life. They are far too numerous for the pre-
sent occasion. His vigorous writings in be
half OF Vermont have not been mentioned.
II Is better l.ir % pass them over than To
touch them specifically. As we pass
through a beautiful conservatory we may
gather here and there a specimen flower.
80 in the rich field Of Aliens life | have
lust touched upon few events which illus
tIatc his character Even in this | am only
too conscious Of failure But in my judg-
mcnt ne is mrrored As the natural product