The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-06-16
FAMOUS CANNON
DUG UP ON FARM
Of JOHN {. GALE.
't~
Had Been Buried for About
I'ifty-Five Years
WAS ONCE A NUISANCE
Reward Was offered to Anyone Who
WoGid Gee That II Disappeared
from Guilford.

huIAOth thiiltnUil7 dltIl WV . NhA ~ ""
July celebra ion about The year 1865,
was dug up by John E. Gale On his
farm in Gui ford Thursday afternoon.
Tho finding of the old gun, which is of
iron and weighs probably over 200 |
pounds, to a mattor Of much historical !
interest, and MIR. Gale is considering |
presenting the ancien' relic to the |
Vermont His orical society. The his
cry Of the cannon follows:
For many years prior to 1865 the vii |
lage of Ilas Guilford, commonly
known as Alg ers, was in possession
lof an ancient cannon, which as a noise
| producer had no rival for many miles
around, and was naturally a prime fav
orito among the young men of the
ricini y, who took advantage OF very
closely contes ed election and Fourth
of July anniversary o keep its inter
ior from getting rusty and inolden'ly
to demonstrate their joy and arden
lpatfiotlsm,
SO frequen ly were, the aeryioes CT
this old thunder-maker called In o
Irekuistion tina it became some thing of
a nuisance to the good people Of the
Ilittle village, who began TO resent the
ids urbance OF it's accustomed serenl-
~ and finally . reward OF SIS was Of
Ifered to anyone who would cause the
permanent disappearance of the OBJ
Inoxious piece OF artillery
The cannon usually was kept under
the Episcopal church. and The firing
was done from tho church common.
place admirably suited to the purpose,
the steep slop6s>of Buck, hill and Boy
den's hin refec iRgsthe loud feYerber
latioRs over 'theelltle Valley and across
the bats TO he south. whore tlIeySwere
aEagas n turned BY Stheshtgh ridge On the
ives sern border OF vesnol, extchdug
from Broad Brook gsfn; 0 the Franklm
land Parsons fsrlpa ;iyherc the echoes
were sent baT5sssc ,ihc hills On the
farms OF Hollis Bcylen, Charles
Squiers and NJ. P Melendy on the
wes'. Hardly would one series OF
d. leveFberationssse easseSs%before another
liisbarge tpok e. a. renew The DIS.
ltress or the timorous and exaspera cd
IS womenfeik Of the yfffage. who likened
these demonstretpns Ilo 4the din OF
: bedlam, thereby adding not q
, little TO the Incompatible joy of he
$ young men in chargegof he cannon
| But he limi. of endurance was finally
| reached, aud the old relic was sudden
> ly and mysteriously disappeared .ss,
, About 1865 II had been fired upon
tho f.lll1vnh mi T,,1
in the accustomed celebration Of tho
: Melondy and Charles r. Bardwel, ia
, mliarly known as Perry and Charlie
had done he firing, and lid returned
Ito the Melendy farm,on the hill to thu
lsc uthwostward, for yoke OF oxen ant
a cart, wi h The intention OF taking The
cannon up to he farm for safe keep
y ing. Meanwhile they had placed it II
! the vestibule OF the church and locked
y the door, When they returned witt
H. the oxen groa. was their surprise {,
q, find that the old gun was missing. II
II vestgation showed that entrance L
e the church had been effected by wa,
e of one CT the cas- windows, and tha
- the cannon had been carried to III
window and there dropped to tn,
ground, where all traces OF it wery
: forever lost. From tho weight OF III,
cannon and / S unwioldly ma ure /
was supposed tha' several were con
y cerned in its removal but their secre
D was well kept, and nc one ever callet
d for tho promised reward of 50, wh.cl
n was long held in readlne,s for anyon,
!, who would claim it,
e While the history of the cannon cal
$ NOS be posi- lively traced / had beel
! In 'own many years, and is believed 4
!, have been tho iden ical piece Ct ordin
9 ance brc ught by the Dummerston con
/ tingont under Ehene2er Haven an,
II Isaac Miller, which accompanied 80
u lother troops under Gen. Samuel Flet
} cher In the invagiun of Guilford OF
Jan. 10, 1854. The fac hat the Dun
1mers on men brought a cannon wit
80 them! that they had no horses; tina
a fierce snow storm prevailed at th
time and continued un il the snoy
was fcur feet deep on q level befor
3 Their re urn, might be reaSonabl
70 ground for the superstition that the
abandoned their artillery, which wa
I described, at tha time as being "a
4 ancient cannon and 1t cannot b
!, learned shat anything Of this doscrT
70 ton has been dca ed in Dummcrsto
: since hat time
II Where he Dummors on men 60
10 thor canncn also is a matter Of col
Y dec ure There is q possibility that
u may iavn been one of the guns noun
Ie led q Fort Dummer, which had for
l. defense one great gun, four palars
4 iroes aud several sw.yels. all mounted
o, in addition to two fourpounder3, SUI
: piled in 1745, History is silent as I
e thu final dispcsl ion Of these guns
= (The foregoing Is from the His DRY o
A, Gu 8lford by John II. Gay now In pre-
h aration)
- I'm II yesterday the a1ovo Ind beel
h all that was known of tho old Gullfor,
e icannon, About O'Clock yesterday a
II ternoon the old relic was cxhumod b.
: John e. Gale at he Gale homestead
o Mr., Ga;o had occasion 0 remove som
Q ear h at the south end Of he granar
u u and storehouse opposite tho southerl
e oil OF his residence, and about 20 fee
from the highway, The old cannon
u was found only about one foo. beloy
y the surface OF the ground. II Is hep