The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-01-10

IN a verdict that the deceased came IN
his death by the discharge of muskets.
in the hands of Patterson, Gale and
others therin enumerated, (2) all the
latter, thus designated as the murder.
ers of the unfortunate young man.
were taken and, under the authority
OF another order of decree of the con
vention, marched off, under a strong
guard, to the Jail in Northampton.
some forty or fifty miles into the in
terror of Massachusetts, and there con.
fined, to be tried for their lives at the
next court that should be holden in
the county where the offence was COM.
mitted; while a less deeply implicated
portion of the prisoners were put under
bonds to appear at the court To answer
to the charges of m~anslaughter and as.
sault,or made to undergo other punish.
ments and restrictions Immediately i'm
posed by the convention. (3) The actors
in the outrage, who comprised nearly
all the leading members Of the British
party in that part of the Grants living
east of the mountains. having been
thus summarily disposed of. the peo.
pie. now taking the government into
their own hands, and acting in print.
tive assembly, proceeded to reorganize
the court, by the appointment of new
judges, and all the usual subordinate
officers, of their own principles. to
adopt measures to reduce to suhmis.
sion or drive away the remaining iov-
alists of the county, and, finally. to
declare themselves alike independent
of the government of Great Britain
and of New York. az
Thus terminated this memorable
outbreak, which acquired additional
importance from the fact, that it re-
suited in the entire subversion of Brit
ish authority in this. the only section
among the Green Mountains where it
ever gained a foothold. And not small
the praise, which, in view of the cir
cutDstances, should be awarded to the
hardy spirits by whom, this miniature
revolution was achieved for, so great
was the power Of patronage exercised
by this court, and the influence of
those enjoying officer immunities un-
der it. "a great majority of whom were
staunch, and the rest tacit, supporters
OF the royal cause, that. till the oc-
currence of this sanguinarS affair, il is
evident the former had but little hope
OF being able to overthrow this petty
local dynasty without assistance from
abroad. The aged survivors of that
stormy period inform us. indeed. that
but for the massacre Of Westminster. il
would have been difficult to predict
whether the opening OF the revolution,
a few months afterwards, would have
found, in the section in question. a
whig or tory majority predominating.
But that act of murder and madness,
which the loyalists here. with the
strange infatuation attending their do
ings almost everywhere else at the
time, seemed destined to commit, as if
to hasten their own overthrow, settled
their doom.
at was the electric flame to fire the hearts
or a true people, |
And while it opened the ewes of
hundreds of the hitherto acquiecsent,
it armed the opposing with an energy
and determination in their cause
which at once became irresistible and
when the war note was subsequently
sounded by such patriots az Benjamin
Carpenter and his associates, it found
a ready response in every glen and
corner of the surrounding country, and
hardy settlers seized their arms. and.
with the cry of French and vengeance!
fastened away TO the scenes of action
at Lexington, Ticonderoga and Bunker
Hill.
We are aware that some historians
have classed this affair among the
difficulties and skirmishes growing out
of what has usually been termed the
New York controversy, while Others
have treated the subject in a manner
shows them to be doubtful IN
what light to place the transaction
and, for that reason apparently, they
have slid over the matter in those
general and ambiguous terms so often
and re~prehensibly INDUCED in by
writer's at a loss about facts, to con
ceal their own ignorance, or to avoid