The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-04-22
LEGEND AND GOLD.
Mt. Anthony In the Role of a Robin
Hood Legend. - Bennington's Lofty
Peak said TO Have Housed the Regi-
cides COTE and Whalley

Mt. Anthony in the Role of Robin
Hood Legend. - Bennington's Lofty
Peak said TO Have Housed the Regi-
cides COTE and Whalley.
1t is known to some that DR.. Day, the
local historian, the popular Rector of st.
Peters, Pastor Marten, G. F.Leonard and
others have shaken hands over the de-
termination to explore the cave on the
sides of Mt. Anthony. Until they do so,
return and write up the story the follow
ing, which we find floating about I'M
credited, will answer for forerunner of
the legendary account sure to be writ
ten. The article below we cut from the
Rutland Morning CAL, but bears marks
Trojan that leads us to think it was
taken from an exchange. The account
says: Mount Anthony, picturesque and
cloud-kissing peak of the Taconic range
at Bennington. is rising into fame. The
mountain has for many years been an in
teresting feature in the landscape, ow-
ing to the traditions concerning the
primitive church established In 1772 by
Rev. Ithamar Hubbard, well toward the
top of the west side of the mountain; to
the famous seven-chambered cave, the
most famous in New England, on the
northeast side of the mountain, on lands
owned by John Wool Griswold of Troy;
to the tall observatoies that formerly
crowned its summit, and to the existence
of gold, that has been found in small
quantities at times for many years and
by many observers.
And now comes Boston antiquarian,
who, after long and patient research,
has arrived at the conclusion that COTE
and Whalley, two of the judges of King
Charles l, of England, called by some
"the regicides,' inhabited the cave on
Mount Anthony during the winter of
1868. Whalley was a lieutenant-general
and COTE a major-general in CrOmwell's
army. These generals were among the
30 judges who condemned King Charles
to death. After the restoration of mon
archy in England King Charles ii,
ordered the arrest and execution of the
judges, but COTE and Whalley escaped
to this country in 1860.
1t is matter of history that the Kings
minions ransacked this country to find
the fugitives, who were so closely press
ed that they lived in the woods near
New Haven at times; at another time
thew dwelt in a cave in that vicinity and
on another occasion they lived under a
bridge. In 1864 they set out for Hadley.
Lhhoosf "AiOlN lNOu III a.
apartment of the cellar of a clergyman,
Mr.. Russell, for many years. From a
letter to his wife in 1879 COTE, who was
living alone, his companion having died
several years previously, gave a descrip-
ton of the terrors and hardships in the
different places of captivity, and men
toned cave in which both lived for
months in hunger, cold and every kind
of deprivation and discomfort. The de-
scription corresponds so closely with
that of the cave on Mount Anthony and
the surrounding region that the Boston
gentleman, who is descendant of COTE,
inclines very much to the belief that the
fugitive generals really inhabited the
cave for time. 1t appears he came to
Bennington last August and looking over
the ground carefully, found it to tally
with the description in the letter. His
name and the full results of his investi-
cations of the lines of the two men while
in enforced hiding will probably be
published in the Neio England HiStOri-
cdl and Genealogical Register during
the current year.
Bennington was not settled until 1901,