The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-02-21

t them secretly trembled for the fate q
;ne near ana dear ones left at homes
Ia winch the red tomahawk migbt.
eten at mat very moment, be busy nj
rus WORK OF DEATH while the bosoms
" an were burning to be freed from
anoir present duties, that they might
s sei;a the sword or musket fly TO the
roilel Oh thelr endangered families. and
nihSie IN the common defence against
the naughty invaders of their soiI
any iurther proceedings with the sinh.
lect ON hand, at such moment were
soon perceived TO be utterly impossi.
PIE ana majority of the members
began 10 press eagerly for an immedis
ase adjournment. But while n few
Oh .heir number, sharing less than the
resi- III the general agitation or being
more deeply impressed with the i'm
porlahce OF accomplishing, at this
lime' an object now so nearly attained
were attempting to resist the current
ana prevent any action on the motion
10 adjourn, till time was gained for
IeHection, an unwonted darkness, as if
py the special interpretation of Proyi.
Tence, suddenly fell upon the earth,
Inc ilghtnings began TO CLEAN through
lhe dark and threatening masses of
cioud that had developed the sky. and
.ne long, deep roll of thunder was
heara IN different quarters of the
heavens, giving warning of the severe
ana protracted tempest which soon
purst over them with fury that pre.
GUIDED all thought of venturing abroad
Inc prospect of being thus confined to
the place for some hours, and pe,haps
the whole day, taking from those NOV
ing III all lnducement for an immediate
adjournment, they now began to take
a cooler view of their situation: and
soon, by common consent the business
on hand was resumed. The reading
OF the constitution was finished and,
while the storm was still howlino
around, and the thunders breaking
over them, that instrument was adopt. |
ed, and became the supreme law of
the land. q
one thing more remained to be done
ana that was, to constitute a provis
lonal government to act till the one
pointed out by the constitution lust
adopted could be established This
was now effected by the appointment
OF that small body of men since known
as the Old Council of Safety of Yer
mont, and noted alike for the remark
able powers with which they were
clothed, and the remarkable manner in
which those powers were exercised:
ior, from the nature of the case, and
the emergency 10 which these men
were called to act, they were almost
necessarily invested WITH the extraor,
binary combination of legislative,
judicial, and executive power. But
this power, absolute and dictatorial as
1t was, they never abused or exercised !
but for the public good: and in this
they were chcerfully sustained by the ,
people, who felt that they were thus :
only sustaining the cause of freedom. :
out the laws which were of their own !
providing, and which they were anxious !,
should be obeyed,
To that unique assembly, of whore -,
'rlgln we have been speaking, we pro- =
pose next to introduce the reader In !
obedience to an order of the conven !
ion, issued at the moment of hasty ,
dissolution, near the close of the mem q
'rable day before described, the differ :
MT members of this newly appointed :,
'ody, many Of whom, it is believed q
we're also members of the one just dis :,
Olved, had promptly convened at Ar e
ington. But finding themselves here =
by the near vicinity of the h
nemy, they had adjourned into the -
lore interior town of Manchester. h
within whose harricsde of mountains ~
hey could proceed with their delibera- ;,
ions with little fear of interruption. p
nd here, conscious that the eyes of :" :"
II were turned anxiously upon them, ~