﻿HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  97 
  

  

  clearly 
  understood, 
  it 
  became 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  

   secure 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  and 
  to 
  protect 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  who 
  had 
  avowed 
  their 
  attach- 
  

   ment 
  to 
  it; 
  some 
  of 
  whom 
  had 
  indiscreetly 
  committed 
  

   themselves 
  by 
  intemperate 
  expressions 
  towards 
  their 
  

   present 
  rulers. 
  

  

  Offers 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  Ellicott 
  of 
  aid 
  in 
  expelling 
  the 
  

   Spanish 
  garrison, 
  and 
  taking 
  forcible 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  

   country. 
  Among 
  these. 
  Col. 
  Green, 
  who, 
  in 
  1793, 
  had 
  

   acted 
  as 
  the 
  commissioner 
  in 
  behalf 
  of 
  Georgia, 
  and 
  had 
  

   manifested 
  an 
  imprudent 
  zeal 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  immediate 
  

   surrender 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  made 
  an 
  offer 
  to 
  Ellicott 
  of 
  

   his 
  services, 
  with 
  a 
  hundred 
  volunteers, 
  to 
  seize 
  upon 
  it. 
  

   Indiscreetly 
  permitting 
  his 
  designs 
  to 
  become 
  known 
  to 
  

   the 
  governor, 
  his 
  arrest 
  was 
  ordered; 
  but 
  he 
  had 
  the 
  

   fortune 
  to 
  escape 
  to 
  Tennessee. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  extraordinary 
  proposition 
  was 
  that 
  which 
  

   Ellicott 
  states 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  him 
  by 
  Col. 
  Anthony 
  Hut- 
  

   chins, 
  which 
  was 
  no 
  other 
  than 
  to 
  seize 
  the 
  governor 
  by 
  

   surprise, 
  and 
  convey 
  him 
  a 
  prisoner 
  among 
  the 
  Chicka- 
  

   saws. 
  

  

  Ellicott, 
  who 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  suspicious 
  

   of 
  the 
  motives 
  of 
  the 
  colonel, 
  was 
  j)articularly 
  so 
  on 
  this 
  

   occasion, 
  for 
  reasons 
  which 
  he 
  assigns. 
  The 
  proposition 
  

   was 
  one 
  of 
  so 
  singular 
  a 
  nature 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  entertained 
  

   for 
  a 
  moment. 
  It 
  was 
  of 
  course 
  rejected; 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  man- 
  

   ner 
  not 
  to 
  give 
  offence, 
  as 
  Col. 
  Hutchins 
  possessed 
  much 
  

   popularity 
  with 
  one 
  class 
  of 
  the 
  inhabitants, 
  and 
  might, 
  

   at 
  the 
  proper 
  time, 
  be 
  useful 
  to 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States. 
  

  

  It 
  being 
  deemed 
  prudent 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  strength 
  of 
  

   the 
  military 
  escort, 
  the 
  officer 
  commanding 
  it 
  enlisted 
  

   several 
  recruits. 
  

  

  This 
  was 
  complained 
  of 
  by 
  the 
  governor 
  as 
  an 
  in- 
  

   7 
  

  

  