The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-07-16

| Brattleboro to stand sentry at their meet
ings, when skirmish ensued and hostil
shots were fired In the meantime tn
wings and Nermonters continued to hole
| regular meetings and keep up a system o
government, and in their turn they sen
out hostile scouting parties to Brattle
boro to the assistance of their friends
there. The Vermonters had a sheriff il
Gmltord, and their party had a constable
who continued to collect taxes for the
support of their cause. Those friendly te
the state paid willingly, but the property
OF the Workers was sold at the post fol
taxes. For that the committee before ap
pointed issued a warrant forbidding the
constable from proceeding against any per
son or persons that owned the jurisdistion
of the state of New York So they had
it, back and forth until in 1888, when
Ethan Allen was directed to call out the
militia and enforcing the laws of Yer
mont, and for suppressing instruction,
etc, in Windham county. At the head of
a band of 100 Green Mountain boys he
marched to Guilford, and issued the fol
lowing proclamation: Il, Ethan Allen,
declare that unless the people of Guilford
peaceably submit to the authority of Yer
mont the town shall be made as desolate
as the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by
Cod"
ihc L oihtis, HdNluS uieu OH hllth anu
his men, were pursued and either taken
prisoners or dispersed. With such an il
lustrious champion at hand the constable
had no further trouble in the collection of
his taxes, and it must be admitted that
he quite oyerdid himself III his zeal, tax
ing produce, horses, cattle, sheep and
whatever else he could find belonging to
the Workers. He sold these articles for
the benefit of the state. In March, 1871,
the town was first duly organized under
the laws and constitution of Vermont
The same year marks Vermont's becom-
ing one OF the United States. In the in
term between 1884 and 1871 no records
were kept by the town. Both parties
held their meetings, but tradition says
that it was rule of anarchy. The York
ers had the town books, but dared not
record their proceedings in them, and
both parties Kept secret their own re-
cords. During the confusion one party
stole the records of the Other and hid
them with their OWN. Before they were
unearthed they had disintegrated so as to
be ilIegible. The Workers, most of their
having been cOnfiscated, fled to
New York and settled upon grants made
to them by that state. Almost a whole
now called cambridge, located
in the southern part of Chenango county,
n. v. was settled by immigrants from
w flt TIE loNH was lDutpeHu-
ent from any superior power, refugees
from other states fled thither, but when
the law came they decamped. These two
causes account for the rapid decrease in
population from 1884.
Some of the first town-meetings furnish
rather amusing notice. Here is one that
savors of trade union: Voted, good yal-
low potaters shall not in the spring
exceed 20 cts pr bushel." Another that
contains name now familiar to everyone;
s'Voted. Elihu Root, Nathan Avery, John
b. Carpenter as sevton for digging graves
for the dead the ensuing year" Another
record of a matter of evident public in
terest is: Voted that sheep and hogs
shall not run at large" Another incident
that shows how froward was the early
township is related thus by the chroni
cIer: "a maiden lady. Anna Godenough,
received an offer of marriage from Dea
Jonathan Allen, who subsequently changed
his mind. On coming to inform her of his
change of intentions she expressed regret,
hut said. If it must be so, it must, but
II was a great disappointment to her"
The deacon replied that he was willing to
make good the damages to her feelings if
she would let him know what they were.