Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1890-01-16
mountain gorge awakens with appalling rever.

berations a thunderous din of echoes
or the men who We're engaged in this historic
first not perhaps because he was any Drawer than
some others, but because his bravery brought
him to his death. A native of Brattleboro but
twenty-five years of age, he was n clever, steady,
honest, working farmer, lie was always front
man. He fell at the front in the court house
massacre. Fyetory balls pierced his body One
in his leg another in his thigh One broke out
several teeth, one struck his forehead and one
which caused his death, and which was supposed
to be preserved in the old headstone, pierced the
brain Just back of the ear. Thus bridled and
butchered, he was dragged bleeding and alive,
into the miserable Jail pen where he was obliged
as they broke the night watches with their
drunken brawlng. One tipsy fellow shouted
out to nm I'VE wish there were, forty men in
your condition." Then they Knocked him as he
gasped for the failing breath, and made sportfor
themselves at his dying motions. At last it is
over. The martyr spirit leaves the pierced and
but his fame is just begun. In him the cause of
American freedom receives its first victim, and
in his grave are buried all hopes of reconciliation
with the mother country. The old headstone
speaks truly; "For murder his blood for ven.
geance cries" For every drop of that blood
there Is to spring up score of avengers.
honor with this historic conflict is that of Azariah
Wright. man as bold as he was executive an
invetsrate hater Of kings; and popes, and other
born leader. His grit was evidently better than
his grammar, his spunk better than his spelling,
"A letter WHICH ne WrOte 10 tne governor begins
with the patriotic sentence, Great is Amarica
there terror starts all Yourope," in which
America is spelled Ama;r.i-ca, and Europe
Y.o,uroP-e; In this letter he speaks very plain;
may be very small, and yet wear the crown of
gustus," alluding l suppose, to Augustus the
Roman emperor, but "as for him he does not
propose to gustify any only by merit. certainly
not that deceitful man Thomas Chandler"
Despite Uncle 'Riahs poor spelling and mixed
rhetoric he could give the tories about as good a
Il a.
and to him more than to any other man Westmin
ster owed its early reputation for undauntd spri,
and sturdy bravery. The story of Uncle 'kiah
will bear repeating. Capt. Wright was church
| going man though he was not on the best OF
terms with Parson Bullen who was somewhat
given, as Uncle Rah thought, to the King George
way of lordlng it over his flock. 1t so CHANGED
that big bear got taste of Uncle Rahs stand
ing corn, and learning by experience that the
coast was usually clear on Sunday took that day
for regular grand feast in the cornfeld. Mucl
eXasperated by Bruins disastrous visits the gooC
man took his gun one Sunday, went to the field
and when his bearship appeared, shot him. The
| explosion reverberated throughout the village
The folks at church, who We're doing under Par
son Bullen's long sermon, woke up and wondered
what had happened. 1t was soon discovered tina
Uncle Riah had broken the sabbath by firing
gun. church meeting held and it was
voted that the doughty bear slayer should be eX
communicated "for this daring and unexampleC
impiety." But the day of accommodation ar
rived, Uucle Riaf entered the church in full regi
mentas. His gun was loaded with a brace o
balls, his sword was by his side, his knapsacl
was on his back stocked with six days provisions
| When Mr.. Bullen got up to read the sentence o
communication the offending brother a'sC
arose, cooked his gun and levelled it at the minis
ter and cried out in stentorian tone "Proceed i
you dare; proceed and you are dead man." A
this, says the tradition, the astonished clergyman
shrank behind the pulpit; his opponent with grea
deliberation recovered his arms and stood waitin!
for the next move. Some minutes passed befor
the minister had the courage to peep out from hi
n
| hero had come to a rest, he reached the documen
down to Deacon Sessions and asked him to reat
| it. The deacon, frightened and stammering
| began to read, when again the old flint loci
assumed the horizontal. and this time pointed
directly at the deacon's spectacles. Their
/ was moments silence, another peremptor,
command to desist and then a general STAN
pede of the minister, deacons and congrega
/ ton. The old veteran was left master of tn
situation. He quietly locked the meetin:
house doors, sent the key to Parson Butler
with his respects, and went home.
The keynote of patriotism that was strucl
/ on Court House Hill has given tone to tn
4 spirit of later days. Our fathers fought an,
1 bled in the revolution and in the war of 1872
They have always been first and foremost il
every good cause. When the fearful ours
of slavery cast its shadow over America
fair face the abolition spirit found some o
its most responsive hearts in this town
Some of you knew old Frisbie the colore'
fugitive who sought shelter from the south
ern slave hound in Westminster. He live
in a log cabin which stood, | think, quit
near the site now covered by Ruth TitcOmb'
house. He was a fine fiddler and much i
demand at country dances. His master 500
discovered his whereabouts, and attempte
to take him back to bondage. AT once Il con
pany of thirty men armed themselves wit
muskets, pursued and overlook the Southern
ers at the old Gibson Tavern. They rescue
the captive and brought him back in triumph
and spent the rest of the night in ceebratin
theeyent with Frsbe as fiddler. This wa
long before the civil war, but when that wa
sent its thunderous call for men Throughout
our land there was no quicker or heartie
response than that which Westminster gave
Our fathers and brothers
.sIof+ thoir ,,ou,,bsb ,ros i, tbo mould
Thair fn 'i, and hnrJ. without fold
NJ CIV
Ihey tore themselves from nome ana lrield
ana Dared tnelf bosoms TO the Duhet ana III
bayonet WIN as quickand eager patrlotii,s,i
as dNi tnelr lathers III tne oiueh iilne. II
names OF falrbrother, and Pierce, and hih
and Daring, and Miller, and Baxter an
Ranney are worthy to be carved on the sam
stone with that of William French. 1lo'
my own heart thrills after these twenty-hy
years as memory brings back the drum beat
the blue coats, and the exciting scenes OF thu
later conflict when brothers were pitte
against brothers, and the sons of the revolt
ton heroes contended in deadly strife owe