Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-11-05

the ensuing year, as a result Of over per I
suasion by persons favorable 10 the gov /
eminent Of New York. They were not |
long in finding out their mistake and recti- /
fed it at town meeting held on the 10Th OF /
June following, by choosing Joseph Hi. |
dreth. Enocb Cook and Solomon Harvey |
trustees or selectmen for the year ensuing.
November IS, l774, another town meeting
was held and assessors. Alexander Kathan
and Enoch Cook, were chosen % purchase
for the u.s. OF the town a quantity Of gun
powder, lead aud fl,uts. No ammunition
had been bought for the town al the time
Of the Westminster massacre. The i'm
pe;uous DR.. Ha'vey became impatient Of
delay aud undertook TO force the purchase
Tie assessors refused TO make The assess
meut necessary TO obtain the ammunition.
thinking, no doubt. that the lima had not
yet arrived when ii was eXP-di-nt - do
so. Through the influence OF the com
mittee OF safety 10 inspect the conduct Of
the Inhabitants, Of whom Dr.. Harvey was
chairman. Aiexan lei karhan and Enoch
Cook were dismissed from their Office a
assessors al town meeting Held April =.
10, because they refused 70 assess the
town for the purchase Of a stock Of ammu-
milton agreeaoy 10 a vote Of the town
NV. =, l774.
No vote was taken 10 prevent them from
acting in a public station until by their
conduct they eyiuced the spirit OF patri
Of, as stated 10 Halls History o Eastern
Vermont" Mr. Hairs mistake was made
when he examined the town records in
ISL by reading the following vote record
ed Nov. %, l71j, or seven months after
the assessors were dism ssed: "Notide not
to Send DlligAtes to nue. York-NUtlde
that Enoch Cook Shuld not Serve nor
Stand as a COmmity nan for the town
nor for the County of Cumberland Nor
act in this town in a publick StaliOn.'
This was freak of the voters opposed TO
Mr.. Cook, and Mr.. kathan's name is not
mentioned. Mr.. Cook, as one Of the faith
ers Of the town, had doubtless advised
that delegates to New York be chosen, but
his opponents thought not aud voted &C
cordingly. Yet MIR. Cook sustained his
contention and five days later the town
voted 10 reconsider the former vote and
"Votide To send two Daligates to New
York By being informid that it was Ned
| full TO send them" Blu, the voters retail
ated and "Voiid tat John Hooker Shall
| Represent this town 10 set al westminster
| 10 the Room Of Euoch Cook and that said
| hooker Shall Cary the town Votes 10 west.
muster The spirit II patriot was not
| involved in this contention. Mr.. Cook
was then serving as a srlectman and con-
tinued TO serve in that capacity through
out the year l77j and was rec !ected 10 that
office for five successive years, covering
nearly the whole period Of the Revolution
AIRY struggle for independence. The patri-
otto citizens Of Dummerston showed by
their votes that Euoch Cook was not
| fri 4
The committee. If they attempted it,
failed 10 secure a vote against Alexander
! Kalhan to prevent him from acting for the
town in public station. They took his
! gun away from him because they judged
him uafriendly to the Continental Con
| sress. Mr.. Kathau bought The gun in
! 1856 and his name and the date Of pur-
! chase were engraved on a silver plate EN-
! bodied in the stock. The Old gun. which
measures SIX feet in length. is sill in eX-
| isteuce. and its owner values IL highly a. d
! relic OF the Westminster fight and the
! Revolutionary times Mr.. Kathan had
! been prominent in affairs connected with
! the organization Of the town and. Withai,
was a very worthy citizen. Therefore, at
a town meeting held May III. l1Tj, uOt
quite month after the battle Of LeXing-
ton was fought, fully arousing and uniting
! the inhabitants in the cause Of freedom, il
was "votide that alexander Kathan Should
have his gun The inhabitants Were SO
| full OF patriotism that a town meeting was
called the ~ day Of June following and
it was "Votid that the town Ac, a Cord
ing TO the County COngras in thaer Re
solves. Void in BY the melisha of the
town Jonathan knight Captain, Josiah
Boyden Lieutenant aud thatWilliam Neagos
be the insien for the melisha of said town. y
DR.. Harvey sill persisted in prosecuting
| Enoch Cook and Mr.. Kathan and collected
letters Of evidence against them. At a
town meeting held the 22d OF August,
| 177j, it vas voted that its the SenCe Of
this town that the Letters that are 10 the
hand Of Doctor solomon Harry are Not
any EvidanCe in the Case which the Com
mite is Collectin, for the Evidance which
tina are to Collect is the Bad Conduct Of
the Cort from its fust Setting up the Cort
Down TO the fust Of march Last and that
those Letters only Shue that the Peple
ware Displeaised at the Earbilary Conduct
OF the ofiisers of the Cort and ware Rady
TO Rise and stop the Cort before that time
and those Letters Show Like wise the unity
of the People and pur fix the time; and
we think it Best not to have those Letors
Dr. Harvey's zoe TO westminster. Jon.
athan knight, Town Clerk"
Mr.. Kathan was further INDICATED from
the charge of being unfriendly to the cause
of American liberty by being elected town
representative in 1882 and 1888 and select.
man in 1856 S7-'8S. These facts sustain
the contention that Alexander Kathan was
a true patriot during all the struggle fol
American independence, as no man with
the least faint Of toryism could have beer
elected to represent the patriotic town OF
Dummerston Immediately after the close
of the Revolutionary war.
AS the town records are silent about hi:
removal, ii is important to state what be-
came of Solomon Harvey, "Practitionel
of Physic," the "village Hampden" Of
Dummerston, chairman of the vigilan
committee, full of zeal, courage and patri
Otism, who with jealous watchfulness
observed the conduct of the inhabitant.
during times which tried mems souls. A
short time before the town voted thai
Alexander Kathan should have his gun
he announced to the authorities that ht
should resign all public offices which b,
held, among which was that of town clerk
AT the town meeting, May IS, l775, il
which the committee of safety were in
stTucted to return the gun taken from Mr.
+ Nathan, Jonathan knight, Esq, wa
chosen town clerk to succeed DR.. Harvey
! Mr.. knight was a member of the commit
tee of safety, was in the court house figh
at Westminster, and received a buck sho
in the shoulder which remained Their,
more than 80 years. Aug. %, 1915, tn,
, town voted not to let Dr. Haryey's letters o,