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

"a This Is the historical fact. The council
| followed it, cOnfscation scheme with measures
of energetic defense Expresses were sent in
every direction with the news of Tconderoga :
| fan and appeals for the prompt forwarding of
troops. Ira Allen attended TO this, which no
one else, even the military commanders, bought
of in the confusion and terror of the time and
Allen paid the expenses out of his own pocket.
Scouting parties were organized that gathered
full Information of the enemey's movements
and forwarded it in every direction with en-.
couragt ments that the enemy could he met and
repulsed. Warnings of the Bennington cNpe-
ditiOn were sent out SO that II WAS no accident
that STARK and the New Hampshire troops and
the Berkshire militia were on hand to crush It.
Measures were concerted for the capture of Ii
conderoga, Crown Point and the strong posts in
his rear that did 50 much To ruin Burgoyne,s eN-
petition.
{sJ Ira Allen has often been called the ''Metter
mich of Vermont" and may be even more prop
erly called its Hamilton, rs a companion Of Its
Washington in Coy thittenden, In appearance,
character and career he bore a decided resem-
blance to Hamilton. n man of wonderful re-
sources and originality in practical statesman.
shin, with brain lteemiug 10 his dying day
with projects OF vast utility, the first secretary
and treasurer of the state, its lone great diplo.
mat during its career Of independence the
principal manager of the llaldimond ncgotia.
lions, and the father of The University of Yer
mont. lie WAS the Youngest of the Allen broth
ers, born at Cornwall, Conn, April ISL, that
he was only 20 years old al the time of these
important events, and in bis early thirties had
become one OF ttt men IN litt thull
try He came to Vermont before he was 20 and
became large landed proprietor in Burlington
and Colchester whose future he was able to
furesee He was In Warmers regiment in the
Canada campaign of l77j, and stood high in
Montgomery's confidence and in later years be
came captain colonel and finally major general
of the state militia. Besides being secretary,
treasurer and SURVEYOR general, he was a mem
Der of the Board OF War through nearly all the
Revolution.
His conduct of the Haldimand negotiation by
lfgh ish rtfl AtlNfsn Ken
on our Canadian border through the last three
of the war, ~ keeping the hope dang
ling before the British that Vermont would des
eTt the Revolution ana return TO her allegiance to
the crown was, one of the most extraordinary
things of onr history, ii Is probable that Allen
had little sincerity in ii, calculating while foul
ing the British, 81 the same time to keep in
a position where, as he said in latter years 'if
the war had terminated in favor of Great Britain, |
Vermont would have beena fayorlte colony un'
der the crown. but Chttenden and the other
leaders took pains to put on paper tbefore they !
began the negotiations statement that this pur |
pose was only to deceive the British necessary |
political maneuvre thing "as they said II was |
absolutly the only thing Vermont could do descr
led as she had been by Congress and rs the event
proved the most useful thing for the Reyotinary |
;ause Allen Away sclaimedlthat it was the DIES |
;ve thing in Washington enabling to capture |
CORVALLIS.
Allen played not only double but :trible !
aud quadruple game in INCORPORATION, keeping |
alive British belief that treaty was Just ON the /
point of conclusion, serving with Bradley and |
others as delegate to Congress TO verge the |
admission of the state manipulating with the |
legislature and commanders of New York and
Sew HAMPSHIRE TO avert bloOdshed over the
disputed claims of the East and West unions,
converting Luke knowlton and other partisans
If both New York and New Hampshire author
ty TO a plan that united all in favor of Yer
mont and all the time allaying the suspicious of
,ur own people who were on the verge of fury
,ver floating rumors of dealings with the Brit
sh The legislature had "A hearing ON reso-
ution of inquiry in ISL about these rumors and
Aliens statement with Ttlden, like frankness
rot only satisfied both the patriots and the spies
rom Canada that he knew to be among the
pectators, even more skilfully did he mlSlead
he legislature at Windsor. when II demanded
o know about n letter that had been written by
he British TO the Vermont commander.
He was a commissioner to negotiate a treaty
bout free trade arrangement aud the con-
truction otthe presentChamplain cana, offering
D cut it at his own expense II allowed to collect
uch tonnage as would yield an interest on the
Investment. lie was member of the commits
ion of 1880 that settled the controversy with
lew York and cleared the way for the admis-
ion of the state TO the union. He went 10 Eu-
ope in 1875 to push his canal enterprise and
nth commission to purchase arms Tor
rance with shipload of the latter,
e and the ship were captured by
British cruiser on the charge that the arms
ere intended to aid the rebellion in ireland.
took eight years of litigation TO recover tine
roperty and clear himself and the expense of
and neglect of his affairs at nome, where he
as robbed right ana lelt, ruined nlll HhahCial
Z, and where he had been worth 81 100000 to
500 900 before ne left, he returned bank
lpt and after long and brave struggle, with
ndess law suits, and after being even jailed AT :
he fled from the state and lived in
Philadelphia his last few years, dying there in
Streme pOver'y, January :, lslI and being
nried in strangers grave with no stone to
ark il. His large landed possessions in lras.
lrgh. which was named after him, remained
his family. He married daughter of Gen ,
nos who bore him three children, one of
HON, Ira III Allen lived TO become man of
me prominence and died in 1866, al the age of
/. The Iatter's son, Chas II ALLEN, civil en-
neer was in the legislature of 1867, hut he and
= two srSters died early of consumption.