The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-12-13

| toHliilehtS on his speech, and hi,
motives in coming there to make it,
entirely superhuous. And they therefore
proceeded. as if nothing but ordinar,
interruption had occurred. to tn,
J business on which they were engaged
when the judge came in--that of pass
ing some fresh resolves expressive OF
their determination to hold the Cour,
House in defiance of the threats OF
their opponents, and of their now set
tied purpose of no longer submitting.
on any conditions, to the continuance
of court which had proved itself Sc
corrupt and treacherous. After this.
and making arrangements for the post
ing and relieving of guards at the
doors for the night, part of the com
pany left the house to seek lodgings
elsewhere. as the usual hour of rest
had now arrived.
When the nonplused and discomfort
ed Chandler left the Court House, he
rapidly took his way back to his quar-
tiers. from which he had been started
out by Patterson and Gale, to see if he
might not be able to accomplish by fair
words what they had failed to effect
by foul. Although he had put the
best possible face upon the notifying
occurrence he had Just been compelled
to meet and had made, as he believed.
a handsome exit from the company.
yet he felt keenly conscious that he
had not only utterly failed in the Oh
iect of his visit, but that much of his
late base conduct was known. He
perceived this in the illusions of Dun
ming, the pith of which he had affect
ed not to understand. He had seen it.
he had felt it, in the significant aud
knowing glances that had been ex
changed on every side around him. and
especially in the bitter derisive laugh
that had assailed his tingling ears. He
had also been taught lesson in the
interview. He had seen, in the firm
manner and determined looks of those
he had been confronting-he had seen
that which told him of spirit at
work among the people that the loyal
party, with all their boosted strength,
might not long be able to quell. He
began to see, with the instructive
sagacity of the true office seeker to per
ceive the possibility, perhaps proba
bility, that the power of dipensing
Office and patronage was about to
change hands and he inwardly trem-
bled for his own safety He found
himself, in short, in one of those
straits, to which men Of his character
are not unfrequently reduced that of
being wholly at loss to decide which
side was most likely to become the
strongest. Could he have foreseen and
decided this. his mind would have
been comparatively at ease; for he
could have then trimmed his sails, so
as to steer clear of the political break
ers which he knew were somewhere
ahead. Some course. however he must
decide upon: and after amenting his
inability to pierce the future. so far
as to know which party was destined
to prevail, and thus secure the i'm
portant advantages that might be de
rived from shaping his present course
he at length resolved to
keep aloof, at present, from both
parties, believing he had so adroitly
thus far, that which every
side might triumph. he could put in a
specious claim of having acted with
it. in reality. from the first.
And having now made up his mind
TO this course, he avoided meeting
the tory leaders again: and, seeking
)ut d safe messenger, and sending
MIN to tell them, that 'he had left |
he company at the Court House AS he
'ound it" and that "a forgotten |
business engagement had compelled
him to be absent from their councils |
'or few hours - he took his way to
distant part of the village, where he
.alled on an acquaintance of neutral
politics. And here becoming much en- |
ragged in conversation, and feignlng |
o have forgotten the hour of the night, |
le was at last prevailed on to accept. |
IL he did with great seeming reluc-
ance. the invitation of his host to
AIRY till morning.
After Patterson and his minions re
reated from the Court House, they |
eturned to the tory tavern, and there |
several hours, alternate!
.ursing their opponents for rebellious
,bstiuacy in not yielding to their com
nand and menaces, and their expected
riends for their Hardness in reaching
he place. And affairs remaining IN
his situation till a late hour IN the
,yening, they were on the point OF
,ivlng up all thoughts of renewing the
lttack that night, when the long and
looked for reinforcement,
of thirty or forty armed
men. came hurrying on to the ground.
The sinking spirits and waning
courage of the clustering sheriff and
lis confederates now instantly revived
md, exulting that they now had the
,ower to glut their vengeance, they
esolyed on making an immediate
ssault And after fortifying their
ourage with liberal potations OF
,randy. the whole party, now swelled,
lot only by the freshly arrived forces,
nut by Brush, Peters, Stearns, ana
nany others. who had declined joining
n the first sally. TO nearly one nun
Ired men, eagerly set forward TO the
Gene of action.
The other party, in the mean time;
hough still maintaining a watchiul
uard at the doors of the Court House,
ad vet been so long exempted from an
tack of their forces, that they were
ow in but little expectation OF being
nv further molested till the next
1orning. And some we're lying
tretched upon the benches IN the
ourt room. asleep: some, with their
Teat-coats under their heads. were
anosipg on the floors of the different
.ssaoes of the house; while others
80. .o,pi the fires engaged