Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-06-09
Che FREEMAN
MONTPELIER, VT.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 1879.
Cain and Abel.


e,,re to raking up the ashes of Abel. The
:, ....-iou of this antediluvian research was
,re discovery of a theft committed by 4
,,,.n.ber Of the present Massachusetts
House Of Representatives who halls from
o.onrham. Rutland never yields the palm,
,,lo.her the material industries of the
u.,.r Creek Valley, or methods of gently
,,,.5crjnr in a railroad. or the domain of
,rora]- are concerned. So the Rutland
Gil, went the Stoneham performance one
h,t.,.r by relating the story of Abel Spen
,er l., remarks excited tie curiosity of
.Lc New York TriJu1le. and we copy be-
low An article from the Tribune. and an
other from the Globe:
ABEL IN lsJ7.
T. i said that many of US are lucky in
not knowing who and what our great
were. The fact is, that in the
Good old wears they took things just as
fhcv take things now. We are apt to sup
pose that legislative cenveyancing is
an art of modern discovery; but in this
centennial season painful as well rs pleas
ant facts are disinterIed. Abel Spencer,
law. representative from Rut-
land. VT in the years 1102-3-6-1, and
Sneaker Of tie House in 1902 and 1907.
..rnl- 10 have come before his time. What
did Abel do. in spite Of his innocent name?
He stole moncv-not public mOney-but
Tie cash of his fellow members to the
amount of S92 There was a row, of
course. and Committee of Investigation.
The members whose money had been con-
vrycd fcloniuuslv into the pockets of this
made short work Of
Aiel. Bv Il Yea and Nay vote he was
unanimously kicked out.
Perhaps private plundcrers would fare
no hettcr nowadays. If the Hon. A. b,
should be caught stealing the currency of
the Hon c. d., we suppose that either
branch of Congress would promptly and
severely deal with A. B. aforesaid. But
wien the cash is taken from the Treasury
and christeued Back Pay" the opera
ton seems cleaner and smells sweeter.
Poor Abel spencer, Genius born too ear
~ We do not h-ar that he put out card;
or that he wrote u letter: or that he made
a speech of the cxculpatory sort; or that
he sued the news apers of the period for
IHo-i. or that he assaulted anybody or that
hr went to Canada to buy cattle; or that
i.r did ANYTHING except sink into ignomin-
iuu> oblivion We feel IN interest in his
,.r-r. and should really like to know what
became of Abel. Was he indicted? Did
I.r reside for Il prescribed period In the
common iail2 Did his indignant constl-
iu-nt~ send him back TO make laws again?
And again. pei hap~. to break them? Dld
I..- party afterwards hold him up us Il
lolr,yr. and give him an office. and so
~oUh,. his broken heart? Did he hang
Iimsrll2 What became of the di>hOnored
Honorable Abcl?-Fr0m the Nelr York
Ir.tllc, UIy IS
Our ABEL
History Is constantly repeating itself. a
few ,lav, ago. in referring to the case of
lanes Best. a larceny committing member
# The Massachusetts Legislature. we cited
The somewhat similar case of Abel Spencer
-" our Abel" they would call him in
N!q-sachusctts-a speaker of the Vermont
House of Representatives, and 4 member
from Rutland. who was expelled the House,
ia Io".. for stealing money flom ms lei
low members. The facts then stated have
fe,n quoted extensively. both within and
without the Stale without credit. OF
,our~,.--and various comments made
thereon. and queries suggested relative
th,rctu For the benefit of these querl>t-,
AMI those who talk so much about the
80 earlier and better days of the republic,
W.. will state some further facts relative to
" our Abel" thus answering some OF the
5,ir.cs. and, perhaps, suggesting a les
~ru-
Abel Spencer furnishes an illustration
# the. old saving that what is born IN the
blood +, bred in the bone. His father,
Ecrf.luin Spencer. was Il Justice of the
peace. and an assistant Judge of the court
If common pleas, under the jurisdiction
of New York. and had rendered himself
80 obnoxious to the people of Vermont,
tht Tthan Allen caused his arrest, de
c.rrd that he and others had made Dur
ham now Clarendon. Il hornets nest
1 iulrmcnt seat " was erected IN the
fail IF l713. Allen. Warner. Baker and
Cochran being Judges, and Spencer was
tried ON various charges. found guilty and
.. lis house DE-, Jared a nuisance which
must he buried" which sentence. ut his
request. was committed" into having
tie roof taken off. which was carried into
effect. Ira Allen says that he was " an
orttul intriguing and designing man. who
from Icing Il >tickler fer New Ork had
been Suddenly converted to an advocate
for anew State. and so ingratiated him
etlf a. 4 good whi@. that he was elected a
m,mhcr Of the council of SAFETY He,
however. n Allen predicted he would. de
serted 10 the British. carried the secrets of
the council to Bur4ovnr, but died soon al
TER without having received the price OF
L.~ treason. How similar was the case of
John &. Breckinrdgc. in our own day?
Ir:. Allen. in rccounting his treachery. de-
G,rr> th-s lesson: This may show the
rr.Irirty Of carefully examining the con-
Git # men. before electing them to i'm
p'rtart offices"
Tho people Of Vermont. however, for
Ct that lesson. in clevating the son to i'm
por'a,t Offices. The voters of Rutland
Vh"n they made him..their representative,
'r.n linn with the endorsement OF Clare
t n of the county and the State. lie
hll been before he became a resident of
H., md. 4 representative from Clarendon.
>-,','> Attorney for the county of Rutland.
n. Speaker of the House OF Representa-
lv'~ With that endorsement, Rutland
,'"e him and WAS badly sold. Not so
A'A E,r, ,ndun. His record was bad when
-. took linn mp. and she ought, in this
go ~ tplavc visited the sins of the father
Il .lD son. When the Legislature in 1907.
.'-'.! it~,lf of Abel Spencer, they again
''.-.t Ia Aliens lesson of the pro
.'.'tt ot examining the conduct of men,
;prr rlccting them to important otfi-
r'~, hut the Lesson was followed only for
'''v yc-r~. We find some years after.
..e ! -cl~lture elect rg a man of some
'a n'ncr t. high judicial station with
10 " examining his - conduct He,
."'''r, l1efcrrcd the profits of another
....-n1 +" the salary of Il judge, and de
.At' 10 accept the appointment that he
-.-a. embark in the forgery business,
N- profession" he followed assiduous-
.n,. he and life parted. From that
--i-., N"rmoltcr> - examined the conduct
~ mon, 50 that another Clarendon man
-.--tA- [, " do the state some service,
i.'irrrc.! to % to Ohio and become one of
..'F representatives in Congress, rather
'--'A L. perform other q" services for Yer
'"1h' ~. IN her State prison.
lH's at example was rather conta-
a.. \ AtrmAut,rs Iapan r,rafI1llv N