The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-02-28

t6) Gideon DIN of SALISBURY, through not
member Of:tne council as shown last week,
was one of the most trusted of the Vermont
leaders, "A member of the legislatuse II years
l7S9 TO 90, speaker the last years judge of the
Bennington county court % years, l1sl-9s and
ls00 to ls02 and chief justice lS01.lI member OF
the Governor council wears 1888 IS and Con.
gresham wears 1907, He came 10 SALISBURY
from Rhode Island in l776 when 80 years old and
In the Windsor convention tho next year and
the first state legislature was commissioner of
sequestrtion. major in the Second Regiment
under Herrick and afterwards under Wallbird
and was often In service on the frontier during
the war He died inls23 and left many descendants
of distinction Congressman A. b. DIN of New
fork.was his son and Congressman Henry Oh
in of the state his nephew.
In the fall of - after the battle of Bennington
Lyon appeared at Arlington on Gov Chitten-
den's farm, soon becoming secretary for the
governor, clerk of the court of coniiscation,
captain and colonel of militia in the contests
with New York, representative from Arlington
in 10 50 and from Fairhayen 1886, except three
years, assistant Judge of the Rutland county
court in SO and representative in Congress 81
to 1901, winning after three eNacting contests
against lsrea Smith and Isaac Titchenor and in
'y3 getting $50 out of the $40 votes cast in Fair
haven.
He was the father of the latter town, being one
of its original grantees, moving there in 1888,
serving in the different town Offices, running
saw and grist, iron and paper mills, news
paper and magazine and various other enter.
prises.
1t was in January '9s that he had his cele-
brated encounter with Roger Grisworld in Con.
gress, splitting in the latters face as retOrt to
IA tWit about the wooden sword incident and
both then proceeding to blows when their col
leagues interterred. He only escaped eNpul-
sion for this affair because the vote for il,
though majority, fell short of twothirds. He
was indicted at Rutland in Oct '9S under the
alien and sedition law, for an article he had pub
lished in the Windsor journal, attacking,
President Adams for his appointments and his
continual grasp for power unbounded thirst
for ridiculous pOmp. foolish adulation or selfish
ayarice" and was sentenced to four months i'm
prisonment and $1,000 fine. He was reelected
to Congress while in Jail and his journey from
Ncrgennes down the west side of the state was
a continuous triumph and fete, especially at
bennington.
But lie was Iuined financially during the
fight and at the expiration of his |
term in Congress he went TO Kentucky, estab- |
lished the first printing office in the state, at
Eddyville, and was again elected to congress |
serving from 1904 TO 1910, But he was again |
ruined in business through a government con- |
tract for the construction of ships in the war of
lsl2, and again struck out for new fields, going |
to Arkansas where he was elected the first dele |
gate to congress in ls2O, but died at Little Rock
before taking his seat.
Soon after coming TO Vermont he married |
Beulah Galsha daughter of Gov Chittenden |
One of his sons, Chittenden Lyon, was, also |
member of Congress, another, Matthew was a
man of business prominence IN Kentucky, and Il |
Jack sou elector and Gen III Il Lyon of Ken.
lucky was his grandson ami son of Matthew. |
The LYON family of Peru was direct from |
him and Mrs { Chandler of BrattleborO, is a /
great grand daughter, her mother being
Laughter of Seth Lyon.