The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-11-12
ANCIENT RIFLE
PRESENTED TO
LOCAL LODGE
Famous Relic Has Place at
Masonic Temple
OWNED BY COL. SCOTT
Native Of Bennington Who Saw Long
Service in Army and Who Was
Killed in Mexico.

Editor OF The Banner:-The pre-.
sentation Saturday evening by John
NJ. Scott to Mount Anthony lodge, F.
and A. NJ, of the rifle of the famous
Col. Martin Scott calls for more than
passing notice. The rife had been
an heirloom in the Scott family for
several generations and Mr. Scott,
nephew, desiring to place the old relic
in hands that would treasure it safely
and preserve 1t in good condition
through long period OF time, gener-
ously placed it in its present keeping.
The gun hangs in the social room
of the Masonic Temple and with it is
the large well-finished powder horn,
which Col Scott made with his own
hands just before he entered the
United States army, probably about
1872. The weapon, which is of the
old fiintlock type. is well finished and
well preserved and carries more than
5O-calibre bullet. 1t was made at
Harper's Ferry. Va, in 1914 and first
saw real service in 1918 III the Fifth
Rifle regiment of the regular army.
Mount Anthony lodge of Masons is
highly pleased with the gift and the
donors name will be duly spread on
the official records of the order.
Who was Col. Scott? He was son
of Phineas Scott. sturdy farmer,
who resided at or near the present
old Scott homestead in the western
part of Bennington. He was born in
this town In l7SS and from an early
age was gifted with remarkably ac.s
curate craftsmanship. especially with
the rife. Even in his boy Wood his
fame as hunter and marksman had
spread SO broadly that a coon story
false, of course---is told to illustrate
his unerring aim. The story is as fol
lows: One day young Scott set out
with several companions to hunt on
Mount Anthony. They scattered as
they entered the woods. each hunting
separately After a while one OF the
hunters espied coon in the topmost
branches of very tall tree. He
fired at him and missed The second
shot failed to hit. One by one the
other members of the party came up
and took deliberate aim. but each
missed hitting the coon. Finally,
Scott arrived on the scene and raised
his gun to fire. Suddenly the coon
looked timidly over the limb and
said:
"Who are you?"
Il am Scott
81 am Capt. Scott"
10
THE same"
"Welr'. replied the coon, unlimbering
himself, you need not shot, I'll
come down"
A great many stories that are
vouched for as true have come down
to us regarding the craftsmanship OF
Col Scott, but lack of space forbids
relating them.
One day as Scott was blowing on
his fathers farm a letter was handed
him. Upon opening it he found
commission as ensign in the United
States army. To the day of his death
he never knew how this commission
came to be rendered him. He never
applied for it and he had never
thought of it. He promptly accepted
and in a short time had gained the
distinction OF being the best shot in
the army.
Hammersley's Army and Navy
Register gives Scott's military record
as follows: Second Lieutenant,
TwentySiXth Infantry. 1914; second
lieutenant. Rife Regiment, 1918; first
lieutenant, 1919; transferred to the
Fifth Infantry. 1921; captain, 1928;
major. Fifth Infantry, 1916; brevet
lieutenant colonel, 1876 He led the
forlorn hope that assaulted the
Molino de Rey in Mexico in 1S47, one
of the most desperate engagements in
any war, and his dying eyes las
looked upon the flaming folds of the
Stars and Stripes as it was planted
upon the crest OF the walls. He was
shot in the breast and died within an
hour Scott's comrades wanted him
TO make himself less conspicuous as
the bullets whistled around their
heads, but the colonel's answer was;
Martin Scott never stoops in battle"
Col Scott had a curious and adven-
turous history. His reputation as the
best shot in the army was acknow.
legged and his uncompromising atti-
tude on the abolition question late in
life was also as well known as his
Workmanship. He never drank a
glass of liquor in his life nor played
game of cards. The officers of the
post took umbraze at his extreme
views on these questions as they were
addicted to the social glass and to
nnrd nln wing Tho unlf hniwnnn ihnnn