Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-05-09
HISTORICAL.
Beginning of the Revolution.
The First Meeting TO Organize Resistance
to the Kings Authority
TOOK PLACE ON DUMMERsToN
COMMON.

TOOK PLACE ON DUMMERsToN
COMMON.
A. the Result Of II Leonard sPauIding
Was Let Out Of Gael "Withsut Key
or Iock-Picker."
Dummerston in l771 was a town by the
name Of Fulham in the county Of Cumber-
land and province of New York. April II
there were "A families in the town The
names Of their heads were Asa Holgate,
Capt. John Kathan John Kathan, jr., Sam
uel Allen, Alexander Kathan, Daniel Kath
an, Charles Davenport, Isaac Miller, Hosea
Miller, Ebenezer Haven, Josiah ROyden,
John Scott, Joseph Hildreth, Aaron Brooks,
Rufus Sergeant, Daniel Sergeant, Jacob
! Thompson, Joseph Temple, John Frizel
Barzillai Rice, Samuel Houghton, Enoch
Cook, Samuel Wswel, Samuel Dutton, jr. -,
Ezra Robinson, Samuel Dutton, Emery Rob
inson, Benjamin Gould, Thomas Boydeu,
Charles Hart, Cyrus Houghton, Sheperd
Gates. John Kilbury, William Miller, Thorn.
as Clark, Joseph Hldreth, jr., Aaron
Brooks, jr., Jonas Duncan, Seth Dutton,
Nathaniel French, Joshua Walton, Joseph
Herrick, Benjamin Jones, Silas Rogers, Cor
nelius Jones
Asa Holgate was constable Nathaniel
French lived actually in Brattleboro, hut so
near the line that he was counted in both
towns There was one black man. The
proprietors Of all the Equivalent Lands To-
Gated in the province of Massachusetts, Bay,
as a recompense TO the colony of Connect.
. -. Il 4ha nrnvince had located In tho
cut for what u.O r. .-- - .t-eDSSSSR "
colony, met on the first Wednesday in June,
lIlS, at the Green Dragon tavern in Bos-
ton, TO organize and divide the lands. The
tract on the west side of Connecticut river,
comprising substantially what is now Brat.
tleboro, Dummerston and Putney, fell to
Lieut., Gov. William Dummer, William
Brattle, Anthony StOder and John White.
This was all called Dummerston after Gov.
Dummer, the senior proprietor. The part
now Dummerston was chartered by the
name Of Fullum, by the governor Of the
province Of New Hampshire, Dec. 20, 1853,
when Brattleborough and Putney were also
chartered. II was sometimes called Full.
halu and sometimes Fulham district in
Dummerston, and began to he called at
times Dummerston. Finally, by preference
and usage Of the inhabitants, it came to he
called Dummerston altogether, as Draper
came TO be called Wilmington, and Cum
berland Nottingham
The inhabitants of Fulham chafed sorely
under the rule Of the province Of New York
aud sympathiled strongly with those OPP
/ posing the exactions Of the British crown
which led 10 the Revolution They were
carefully watched by the adherents Of New
York in Westminster and other towns
Lieut.. Leonard Spaulding had come from
Pntney, and lived on what is still called
Spaulding hill, and was an ardent patriot
The Quebec bill pending in parliament would
fix the established religion OF England upon
Canada, and might be a step towards fixing it
upon all the British provinces in America
! Spaulding was heard to say that if the king
had signed the Quebec bill he had broker
his coronation oath This reached the ears
of Cream Brush, the kings attorney gen
eral for Cumberland county, and other
authorities, and was regarded worthy Of
punishment. A warrant was issued for his
arrest, and placed in the hands Of Sheriff VIII
liam Patterson Of Hinsdale, now Vernon, for
service. With two deputies, Benjamin
Gorton and Bildad Easton, the sheriff, on
October 2S, l174, attempted the arrest, but
required the help of another man before
succeeding. Spauding was taken before
Judge Noah Sabin of Putney, and William
Willard and Ephraim Ranney Of Westmins
ter, Justices who committed him to "gaol" at
Westminster for trial. This was regarded by
the inhabitants Of the town as a public mat
ter. On the following day a majority of
them met near the house of Charles Dav-
enpOrt on the Green aud made choice of
sundry persons 10 serve as a committee of
correspondency TO join with other towns or
respectable bodies Of people the better to
secure and protect the rights and privileges
of themselves and fellow creatures from
the ravages and embarrassments of the
British tyrant and his New York and other
emasaries. The green was the present
Dummerston common They chose Dr. Sol
Omon Harvey, who sometimes subscribed
himself Practitioner of Physic, . John But
Ter, Jonathan knight, Josiah Boyden and
Daniel Gates such committee, who went to
Westminster and tried in various ways to
procure Lieut. Spaulding's release by the
authorities, without avail Tired Of this,
they conferred with the men of their way
Of thinking in other towns as to the best
course to take.
On the 9th of November enough Of these
men To overcome opposition assembled with
this committee at Westminster, made an
opening in the gaol, which was of wood,
large enough to permit the prisoner to come
forth. They congratulated him on his free.
dom, and dispersed quietly to their homes
DIR. Harvey was town clerk of Fulham, and
placed an account of the proceedings in the
town records, which states that the com
mittee found 1T necessary to be assisted by
a Large Concourse of their freeborn Neigh.
bors and bretherin. Consisting of the inhab-
itants of Dummerston. Putney, Guilford,
Halifax and Draper who discovered pa
triotic Zeal and true heroic fortitude on the
important occation;" that the brave sons
of freedom whose patience was worn out
with the inhuman insults of the imps of
power grew quite sick of diving after re-
dress in Legal way and finding that the
Law was only made use Of for the Emolu
ument of its Cretures aud the imisaries of
the British tyrant, resolved upon an Easyer
Method and accordingly opened the gaol
without Key or Lock picker aud after Con
graduating Mr.. Spaulding upon the recov-
cry of his freedom Dispersed Every man in
pease to his respective home or place of
abode. The afforegoing is a true and short
relation of that Wicked affair of the New
York Cut throatly, Jacobitish, High Church,
Toretical minions of George the third, the
pope Of Canada. and tyrant of Britain
Per Solomon Harvey Town Clerk"
The inhabitants of the town did not stop
here. At a meeting held on the 23d of No
vember at the house of Enoch Cook, which
must have been warned at about the time
of the release of Lieut.. Spaulding, they, af-
ter choosing Solomon Harvey, Ebenezer
Haven aud Hosea Miller delegates to the
R0XAl