Chap. 9. 



SETTLEMENT AND CONTROVERSIES. 



31 



EEMEMBER BAKER. 



BEECH SEAt. 



MODES OF PUNISHMENT. 



as a rioter, as related in a preceding sec- 

 tion, an officer from New York attempted 

 to apprehend him. He, considering it an 

 aft'air of open hostilit)', defended himself 

 against the officer, and in turn attacked, 

 wounded and disnrmed him; but, with 

 the spirit and generosity of a soldier, he 

 spared his life. 



After Ethan Allen and Seth Warner, 

 no person on the New Hampshire grants, 

 up to tlie close of tliis period, acted a more 

 distinguished part, or was more servicea- 

 ble to the settlers, than Remember Baker. 

 He was the pioneer in many an enterprise 

 and was always in readiness for any emer- 

 gency. Being a joiner and mill-wright 

 by trade, he built the first mills which 

 were erected at Arlington and Pawlet, 

 end was preparing in connexion with his 

 cousin, Ira Allen, for the erection of mills 

 at Winooski falls, when the war of the 

 revolution commenced.-^ 



During the protracted controvesy in 

 which these men acted so prominent a 

 part, there had been, up to tliis time, fre- 

 quent attemjjts to arrest it and bring it to 

 an amicable settlement. Orders from the 

 crown had likewise been often given to 

 New York to suspend further prosecu- 

 tions and make no more grants of the 

 lands in dispute till his Majesty's further 

 pleasure should be known respecting 

 them. But in despite of royal orders and 

 the remonstrniices of tlie settlers on the 

 grants, New York continued to assert and 

 to endeavor to enforce her claims, and the 

 repeated but vain attempts at reconcilia- 

 tion, served only to embitter the resent- 

 ment of the contending parties and pro- 

 duce a state of hostility more decided and 

 alarming. 



The affiiirs of the inhabitants of the 

 grants appear to have been managed du- 

 ring this period by committees appointed 

 in the several towns, and who met in con- 

 vention as occasion required, to adopt 

 measures for the common defence and 

 welfare. The resolutions and decrees of 



*A8 Oapt. Baker wo? killed shortly after the 

 clo.se of this period, \vc would observe here that iie 

 was born at VVoodbury, Ct. about 1740; served in 

 the expedition against Canada in 1758 ; came to the 

 Grants about 1761 ; was engaged in the reduction 

 of Ticondoroga and Crown Point in the summer of 

 1775, and in August following;, being sent by Gen. 

 Montgomery to reconnoiter the enemy's pcsition at 

 St. Johns, he was shot by an Indian. At eomo 

 distance this side of St. Jolins, he landed and con- 

 cealed his boat, and was abo\it proceeding on foot, 

 when ho saw tl.it liis boat was already in posses., 

 sion of some Indians. He hailed them and demand^ 

 od his boat, but as they paid no regard to the dc» 

 mand be drew up his gnu and it missed fire, and at 

 the next instant received a sliot through Jje head 

 from one of the Indians in the boat and fell dead 

 upon the spot. His companions then fled and mado 

 their way back by land with the sad intelligence. 



these conventions were regarded as tho 

 law of the land, and their infraction was 

 always punished with exemplary severity. 

 The punishment most frequently inflicted 

 was the application of the '■^heeck si:al" to 

 the naked back, and banishment from the 

 grants. This mode of punishment derived 

 its significant name from allusion to the 

 great seal of the province of New Hamp- 

 shire, which was affixed to the charters of 

 the townships granted by the governor of 

 that province, of which the beech rod well 

 laid upon the naked backs of tiie " York- 

 ers," and their adherents, was humorously 

 considered a confirmation. 



That the reader may have a just idea of 

 the summary manner in which the con- 

 vention and committees proceeded atrainst 

 those who violated their decrees, we will 

 lay before them the sentence of Benjamin 

 Hough, as a sample. It appears that 

 Hough, who resided in the vicinity of 

 Clarendon and who was a violent Yorker 

 went to New York in the winter of 1774| 

 for the ptirpose of obtaining the aid of 

 government against the Green Mountain 

 Boys, and that on the 9th of March, tho 

 very day of the passage of the extraordi- 

 nary law of which we have already spo- 

 ken in the fourth section of this chapter, 

 he accepted the appointment of justice of 

 the peace for the county of Charlotte, un- 

 der the authority of New York. On his 

 return he proceeded to execute his new 

 office within the grants, in defiance of the 

 decree of the convention which forbade it. 

 He was repeatedly warned to desist, but 

 being found incorrigible, he was arrested 

 and carried before a committee of safely 



