Norwich bulletin., 1912-04-18
JEWETT CITY
Anne Brewster Tanning Chapter, D, A. R., Votes $25 to Woman's College Hears Paper by Miss Brown on Early Vermont History.

Burdlck, presiding. Mrs. 4. NJ. Brown having received a letter from Miss Elizabeth Huntington of Norwich ask ing that some way be found by which sum of money be raised and given towards funds needed for the building of the Connecticut Woman's college and it's dormitories, to be erected at New London, the chapter voted $25 towards this fund. Mrs. A. M. Brown, Miss Alice A. Brown and Miss Martha Brewster were appointed a committee to arrange some method of raising a sum of money to be given in the name of the town. Every town in the state is to be asked to give something to- | wards this object.
 Paper by Miss Brown.
 The paper of the afternoon was by Miss Alice A. Brown. it's subject being Vermont's Claim to the First Blood | shed of the Revolution, and was taken from the historical address in 1902 at 1 the unveiling of the tablet on the site of the old court house. The village of 1 Westminster yields perhaps, in the tranquil and picturesque beauty of it's location, to few others in New Eng land. It was probably this natural beauty, together with its proximity to the old fort at Walpole, at which a
 military establishment was once main tained by the government of New l Hampshire for the protection of the | frontier, that led to the early settle ment and rapid growth of this charm ing spot, which having been entered by the pioneers as far back as TAI, continued to increase and prosper. l Though on the edge of a. wilderness at the opening of the American revo- lution, it was the most populous and best built village in Vermont. This place had been since 1772 the seat of justice for Cumberland county, which comprised the present Windham and l Windsor counties. The most prom inent of it's public buildings was the court house, which. now no longer i standing, was the site of a massacre
 March 1S. 1775.
 Until the practical termination of the French and Indian war, about 1760, the Vermont territory was as nu- protected and dangerous frontier. Aft CT the capture of Montreal by the Eng
 fish in 1760. population moved to the
 borders, and Massacusetts having re-
 linquished all claims to area north oi her present boundary, Benning Went
 worth, the royal governor of New
 Hampshire, acting under the authority
 of the charter of his colony, issued pat.
 ents to 1S8 townships between tht Connecticut and Hudson rivers, ana the men built their homes. relying up
 on their titles without acquisition
 They suffered every deprivation anC
 danger in order to do this, when
 new hardship confronted them-a con
 fiict to hold and maintain what they had acquired.
 In 1764 a shocking order procured l XFlrlr inf Qt hT
 the king, declaring that the Connec
 ticut river and not the Hudson was tn
 eastern boundary of New York, ant
 forbidding the issuing of any nor patents as before. New York then pro posed to treat all grants made b.
 New Hampshire as void. This woul,
 work a conf1seation of all the land , and homes of the new settlers in Yer
 mont.
 Ethan Aliens Mission.
 Ethan Allen went to Albany to pre- sent the cause of the settlers. He wa ] advised to go home and recommend hi
 people to submit as might made right He retorted that the gods of the val
 leys were not the gods of the hills, an 1 come to Bennington and the meanin | would be made clear. The committees
 the council of safety, the military or ISanlZat1On known as the 0Ee6u hpuil . tain Boys, were primarily designed I protect the settlers against the de v mands of New York. The session C e the inferior court of common plea
 was to begin on Tuesday, March l.
 1775, and the people determined tn
 court should not be held On the lSt ! the wings of the neighboring town = gathered at Westminster and met Cap }. tain Azariah Wright, 8 kinsman (
 Ethan Allen. As they found the coul house was to be guarded, they too
 some sticks and clubs and proceede
 to take possession of the court hous 7 about o'clock in the afternoon. Tn :, high sheriff, William Patterson, wit 4 other men armed with guns, sword d and pistols, and others with sticks an = clubs, came within five yards of th 2 door, and ordered the rioters as the v were called, to disperse, but obtalne . no answer. The kings prociamatlo E was read, and they were threatene q but with 10 avail. After a time tF e Whigs retired and left a guard at Il - court house, At n o'clock the sheri
 and a company of tories proceeded