The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1884-11-13
OLD PETER FlNKlE.
The story Of a Man who Helped 20
Create an Insurroction Years Ago,

Create an insurroctioh years hko'
Peer Finkle, famous during the old "ant'
rent" troubles as "Big Thunder" died recent
iy a, sehodaek, n, " aged Is, In 1874 he
killed man at sheriiTs sale, and was sent to
State pr son for life, but was pardoned by
Gov, John Young, who had been elected by the
aid of tho anti,renters, lie claimed to have
the land he occupied by direct grant from tha
Indians, but was dtspossessed by the Supreme
Court, which held that tho property belonged
to the PATRON, Stephen NWn Rensselaer,, flnke
has been in litigation over this land for thirty
years.
Tho history of the singular movement re-
ierr d to is now almost forgotten, but this tact
but goes to show how soon tie most Important
matters become unknown, Anti-rentsm kept
the State ii Now York in u state Of fever OK
element, worrying upon civil war, for several
years
The Dl,ch West India Company authorized
its members in New York to take up land upcn
the banks of the streams and rivers ON con1i-
ton of introducing within limited time fifty
settlers for ,very mle OF land. Tho proprietor
was invested with the title and privilege Of u
| lord, PATRON or protector, and his colony or
manor was governed by the same customs and
laws MS were tho leudal manors OF the United
Provinces. After the revolution large
proportion # the land in the settled part Of
| New lok was held by the PATRONS, and the
cultiva' ors occupied their farms on leases for
| one on mo lives, or from year to year, stipu-
! lating for the payments of rents, dues and SER
/ vices, copied from tho ieHdd tenurrs OF
England and Holland. In l779 AM 1855 laws
! were enacted ubalishing ieudal tenures, but the
proprietors, unwilling to give up all their
4 ieudal claims, contrlvel deed by which tho
grantees cnNenanted Ia perform services, andrny
rents and dues, precisely similar to tho leudnl
incidents thus abolished. The counties Of AL
I blny, Rensselaer, Columbia, Greene, Ulster
Delaware, Schohaue, Montgomery, lIcrkimer
/ Otsego mi Oneida included within their limits
( most oE these manOrs,
In 1889 associations were formed to devise
means OF getting rid OF these burdens, and
these soon became known rs the ant-rent as
socia,ions. The anti-rent feeling manifested
itself in open resistance to the service OF legal
process for the collection of immortal rents.
| The first conflict which awak med general at
tcntton happened i'll Grafton, Rensselaer, coun'
| ty, where band OF anti renters in disguise
killed man named Smth during an altcrca-
ton ON the highway. A legal Investigation, ut
which more than 200 persons were examined,
failed to disclose the author of the Gecd In
his messages Of 1911 and 1912 Governor Sew
ard discusse the grievances complained Of by
The anti .reni ers, recommended their reference
to arbtrtors and appointed three men to ill.,
vestigute and report to the Legislature, but
the commission accomplished nothing. The
troubles increased until after Il fearful tragedy
at Andes, Delaware county, in lS45, Cover
nor Wright issuoi proclamation declaring
that county in state OF nsurfection.s The
trails and convictions ut Delhi, in the county,
and the convictions OF certain anti-renters nj
Delhi, in the county, and the convictions o.
certain nnti-rentcls ut Hudson, Co.umbig
county, for cons piracy and resistance to law
put an end t. the operations OF the disguised
bands The anti-lent associations determined
to form political p rty to elect all town unC
county officers from their own rau<S and to
vote for no State, civil, judicial or executive
Officers uniriendly to them OF unpledgcd &c
their cause. In the LogiSlatur, OF 1927
about one eighth OF the members were elected
in their interests, and in the Constitutional o
1916 some of the ablest men were avowedlI
anti-renters, or advocates of their principles
Their influence procured the insertion OF
clause in the new constitution abolishing nj
ieudal t. nure! and incidents, and turbiddint
the leasing of agricultural land for Il term eX
ceedinS twelve wears.
The Legislature al successive sessions pnssct
laws which bore heavily upon the landlord IN
tercst, and tended gradually TO amclior1te tn
condition OF the tenants. In 1916 Governo
Wright was defeated ly 10000 minority b.
John Young, whom the auti-rcnterS had nomi
mated. Governor john Young pardoned iron
State prison all tho so-caled anti rent conviuts
on the ground that their offences wera rathe
political than criminal, and that it was the wis
policy o! all good governments to forgive an
restore to citizenship polite i offenders atte
the Jaw had been vindica ed AMI order an
peace restored. After 1877 tho excitement die
out. the anti-rent influence ceased to be a dis