Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1876-02-11
Governor and Council,
The Rebellion In Windsor and Rutland
Counties i'm 1885,.

Ncht W Wis oSaooh, thS bVSihhAhS VI
volume, have prevented us from maxim,
an examination till now.
Like the two first volumes this one i
also of special interest and contains the
{ records of the Governor and Council
from 1882 to 1871, the time when Yer
mont was admitted to the Union, ano
concluding the general documentary his
tory of the New York controversy, anG
the anti court or Shays' rebellion, Many
of the documents brought out on thi.
event are of special interest in southern
Vermont, and certainly itlooks andseem;
a little odd to read document headed
Attempted instruction in Windsor
and Rutland counties" This was in
1886 when "mob of about thirty,
under arms, headed by Benjamin Steb-
bins, farmer of Barnard and Robert
Morrison, blacksmith of Hartland,) as
sembled," to prevent the sitting of the
county court. The sheriff and state S
attorney were promptly after them, read
the riot act and commanded them to
dispense, The mob found their object
baffied and the court proceeded to bust.
ness. Morrison was arrested and plead
guilty and threw himself upon the
mercy of the court, who sentenced him
to suffer one months imprisonment
and required bonds to keep the peace
for two years ana fine of ten pounds
and costs. His friends heard of this
and 80 or 40 of them assembled at the
house of Capt. Lull of Hartland and
determined on a rescue. The court
heard of their proceedings and sent the
sheriff and posse after them, and scuffle
with guns, bayonets, clubs, &c. Twen-
ty-seven of the Insurgents were arrested
and brought to gaol, fined and required
to give bonds for good behavior for one
year. Other hostile movements by 9TH
er insurgents were made and the militia
were called out, whereupon the anti
court insurgents abandoned their insur-
rection. Their grievance was the sup
port Of the courts. A writer, signed " A
poor Farmer" in the Bennington, Yer
mont Gazette, said "More than half
of the county tax to be raised in this
county Is to pay the court for sitting.
| want to know what reason, right or
justice there is that | and number of
other poor farmers, who owe nothing,
and have less due, and who never had,
nor ever expect TO have any cause in
that court, should pay the cost Of its
sitting" In those days the lawyers were
called pickpockets and banditti, and in
Rutland county the insurgents took
armed possession of the court house, but
were soon overpowered by the militia,
though firearms were discharged on both
sides, and two or three were wounded
Many of the leaders of the insurgents
were arrested, imprisoned, fined, &c
The militia were discharged and after
starting for their homes it was ascertaind
that 200 insurgents had assembled al
Col. James Mead's, west Of Otter Creek
and thereupon they were recalled. Ii
was soon found that the insurgents had
falsifed about the court and its treat.
ment of rebel prisoners, and the better
portion of the people rapidly fell into
the support of the court, and the rebel
lion in Rutland county was ended. Al
the next session of the legislature, OF
rather the council, the matter was
brought up for their action, and among
the representatives were Banj. Burt Of
| Westminster, Daniel Jewett of Putney
Samuel Taylor of Rockingham, Eben
ezer Burgess of Thomilson (now Graf
ton,) Daniel Head of Chester, Abnel
Bisbee Of Springfield, John Coffeen o
Cavendish, &c. This rebellion assumed
considerable prominence in western Mas
sachusetts, and SALISBURY and Sunder
land, in this state, were the scenes of con
siderable excitement at the time, as a re
sort for refugees.
Such is almost but a single incident il
the anti-court or Shays' rebellion which
we find in this volume. 1t also has ;
portrait of Gov. Isaac Tichenor, and ia
smile Of the paper money issued b,
this state in 1871, for zone pound" o.
the back of this bill was printed, "Deat
to counterfeit" and theimprint "West
minister: Printed by Spooner & Greer
: 1881"
J This volume, like its predecessors,
? very nicely printed by the Messrs. PO
land of Montpelier, and it is with muc
J satisfaction that we learn that Go,
r Peck has directed Mr.. Walton to col
: tinue the publication of this record, an
5 it certainly could not be in better hand