Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-09-21
Centennial Anecdotes.

Centennial Anecdotes.
[From the address of DR.. q. E. Brigham,
at the meeting of the Society of Vermont
ers of Michigan" at Grand Rapids, August
10th, lS77.l
1t is related of On Baker, the son of Re
member Baker, of Arlington, that he wished
to get married, but being in debt and unable
TO paw he WAS restrained to the limits of the
iail and his intended wife not living within
the limits he wrote this laconic letter
..Hetty come to OH" Hetty DaIling did
come to OH and had her name changed to
Hetty Baker and no doubt WAS very well
satisfied with the baker.
tbs said that the Vermont Coat of Arms
originated in d joke. An English lieutenant
used TO come 10 Governor Chittendens to
spark his hired girl, and to amuse himself
one afternoon he took one of the Governors
drinking horns, for he had four or five all
made from the horn of an OK, and sat down
at the west window where he could look on u
field of wheat in which was a big pine tree,
and there he cut the device of a COW. reach
ing over into the Governors wheatfeld TO
steal his wheat. on his largest drinking cup.
Ira Allen, struck with the novelty of the de
vice, took it for the Vermont Coat OF Arms,
only he dragged the COW over the fence into
the wheat field.
TO FURNISH A HANGING.
Among other things. it is told OF Ethan
Allen that he saved the IL nching OF Redding.
the Tory in this manner Allen had just
returned from three years captivity to Eng
land Redding has been detected in his
migrations to and from the enemy on Lake
Champlain. And at last 1t was proven that
he was connected with the secret disappear
ance of certain muskets from the house of
David Robinson, which were suspected of
going into the hands of Tories He was
tried and sentenced to be hung on the Ith
dty OF June, 117S. But the prisoner 5 attor-
ney found the flaw in the irlal that he was
convicted by SIX Jurors, when he was eDti-
tied by law by twelve A reprieve was asked
of the Assembly, then in session, and grant
ed, till the next Thursday at two O'Clock, or
dering at the same time new trial and ap
pointing Allen attorney for the prosecution.
But the reprieve did not come soon enough
TO prevent the assembling of large collec-
ton Of people at the Common, In front OF
the Old Green Mountain Tavern, 10 see
Redding hung, and they soon grew very
camorous, and proposed to employ Judge
Lynch on the occasion. Allen was soon
seen pressing his way through the crowd and
mounting a stump, he took off bis hat and
exclaimed Attention the whole When
the clamor ceased he explained to tie peo-
pie the state of affairs, and advised them TO
90 quietly home and wait till the following
Thuis sday, when they should see somebody
hung for, said be with oath, II Redding
is not then hung, l will be hung myself!
But Allen provoked the wits of his day
and drew a fire upon himself as will be seen
by the satire attempted in the following effu-
sion from the pen of Dr. Lemuel Hopkins, of
Connecticut
ALLEN. escaped from British jails.
His tushes broke by biting nails
See h,m On green hills afar,
Glow like some ssf-enkindled star
Behold him move, ye staunch divines.
his tall brow i'tng through the pines,
Like some old Sache m from his den,
lie treads once more the hannts OF men,"
Yes, and very soon after this We find him
down at Gulford with about forty Green
Mountain Boys quelling riot OF the Gull
fordites who refused to recognize the author
ity of Vermont, and wouldn't pay their taxes
till he made his proclamation 81, Ethan
Allen, declare that unless the people OF Gull
ford peaceably submit to the authority of
Vermont the town shall be made as desolate
as Sodom and Gomorrah r. and they stacked
their arms with no parley about 1t.
The epigrams of hOmas Rowley. OF Shore
ham, are n unique specimen of the wit and
style of the old-school poet Take this to
illustrate
"'Tis but Jest to have a priest,
II you pay him for his labor,
And lie and cheat in every street,
And Willy your ne eizhbor.'
1t is doubtful if Rowley's wit, after ALL
was equal to that of Dubartis Willard's, the
first representative of Essex. 1t is said that
Barty, as he was familiarly called, and Gov
ernor Chittenden, who lived then at Willis
ton, were on quite familiar terms. Willard,
L. II. lNarfl tl.S
Governor over night. The Governor in ad
dressing him said Familiarity, '.Barty, where
are YOU going :" ''To the Assembly, your
honor" What, to the Assembly" Inquir-
ed the Governor, in new countries, where
they can't get IRON wedges. they have to use
wooden ones" 'Yes, yes, rejoined Barty,
land when they cant get good iron-bound
beetles to drive them with, they have to use
Eastwood mauls.
This Dubartis Willard, sitting in the store
one day In a crowd who had imbibed little,
WAS bantered by the merchant. who asked
him why he wore such Il shocking hat 'Sm-
ply because am unable to purchase new
one, said Barty. "If you will make a rhyme
on the old one, without stopping to think. "
said the merchant, "Ill give you the best
hat in my store" No sooner said than done
Throwing his old hat on the floor, he began
There lies my OLD hat.
And pray what of that,
It's as good az tn. rest Of my raiment
II buy me better,
Twill make me your debtor
And send me TO jail for the payment
Barty carried of the hat. saying, lit WAS a
poor head that couldn't take care of itself. '
il is said that while he was in the assembly
he was called on one morning by some of his
friends, boarding at the same hotel and ban
tered for verse or treat. Barty, being