80 



CIVIL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part. II. 



ATTEMPTS TO STOP THE COURTS. 



WINDSOR COUNTY. 



RUTLAND COUNTY. 



time fixed by law for holding the court of 

 common pleas at Windsor, a mob of about 

 HO armed men, headed by Benjamin Steb- 

 bins and Robert Morrison, assembled near 

 the court-house with the obvious design 

 of preventing the sitting of the court. 

 They were waited on by Benjamin Wait, 

 the sheriff of the county, the riot act was 

 read, and they were ordered to disperse; 

 which order, after a little hesitation, they 

 iudgcd it prudent to obey. The court 

 then went in, and proceeded to business 

 without molestation. 



Warrants having been issued for the 

 rinsrleadcrs of the insurgents, Morrison 

 ■was soon arrested, and indicted for a riot. 

 He pleaded guilty, and threw himself up- 

 on the mercy of the court. The court sen- 

 tenced him to sutfer one month's impris- 

 onment, to procure bonds of £100 for his 

 good behaviour for two years, to pay a 

 fine of £10, and the costs of suit. The 

 insurgents,- wlio belonged principally in 

 Hartland, hearing of the arrest of Morri- 

 son, assembled at tlie house of Captain 

 Lull, in that town, to the number of about 

 40, under arms, with the intention of res- 

 cuing their leader. This coming to the 

 knowledge of the court, thr y ordered the 

 sheriff to procure assistance, proceed to 

 the place, arrest the insurgents, and com- 

 mit them to prison. The sheriff having 

 collected a small force, proceeded in the 

 night to Hartland, came upon the insur- 

 o-ents unawares, and, after a short scuflle, 

 m which some slight wounds were in- 

 flicted, but no lives lost, he succeeded in 

 takiuir and committing to prison 527 of 

 their number. These, on being arraigned 

 before the court, pleaded guilty, and,were 

 sentenced to pay fines, and costs of court, 

 and procure bonds for their good behavior 

 for one year. Tliis put an end to the dis- 

 turbances in Windsor county, and the 

 militia, which had, during these transac- 

 tions, turned out to the number of five or 

 six hundred, returned to their homes. 



A few days after, a scene somewhat 

 similar was acted at Rutland. On the 

 ^Ist of iS^ovember the court opened at 

 that place, at 11 o'clock in the morning, 

 and adjourned to 2 o'clock in the after- 

 noon. In the mean time, a committee, 

 pretending to have their appointment 

 from the people, waited on the court and 

 requested them to adjourn without day. 

 The court informed them that after call- 

 intf the docket and attending to the ne- 

 cessary business of the day, they would 

 take their request into consideration. On 

 openino- the court in the afternoon, one 

 Col. Lee, at the head of about 100 mal- 

 contents, rushed into the court house, and 

 in a most insolent and riotous manner 



began to harangue and threaten the court 

 for not adjourning agreeably to request, 

 upon whicli the court ordered the sheriff 

 to adjourn till 9 o'clock the next morn- 

 ing. 



The mob now refused to let the court 

 depart ; called for arms, which were im- 

 mediately brought from a neighboring 

 house, where they had been lodged for 

 the occasion, and placed sentries at the 

 door and around the house, making pris- 

 oners of the sheriff, judges, and a number 

 of other gentlemen, whom they kept in 

 confinement for several hours ; but, find- 

 ing they were not to be intimidated, tliey 

 were suffered to depart. In the evening 

 a committee of the insurgents, who styled 

 themselves Regulators, again waited u])- 

 on the judges at their lodgings, and re- 

 newed their demand for an adjournment 

 without day, but were informed that it 

 could not be complied with — that not only 

 their oath and dutv, but the honor and 

 dignify of the government, obliged them 

 to ])roceed in the necessary .business of 

 the court.* 



Irritated at this answer, the rioters re- 

 solved to prevent, at all hazards, the sit- 

 ting of the court the next day. With this 

 view they took possession of the court- 

 house, and messengers were sent to rally 

 re-enforcements from the neighboring 

 towns. In the mean time, orders were 

 sent to Col. Clark and Col. Pearl and 

 Lieut. Col. Spafford to call out the militia 

 without loss of time for the support of 

 government. These orders were issued 

 about 8 o'clock in the evening, and were 

 responded to with such alacrity that by 

 9 o'clock the next morning tlie two colo- 

 nels above mentioned appeared with suffi- 

 cient force to protect the court from fur- 

 ther insult or molestation. 



The insurgents left the court-house 

 early in the morning, but continued in 

 the vicinity during the day to the number 

 of 150. In the evening, several of their 

 leaders were arrested and committed to 

 prison ; but Lee, the chief in command, 

 made his escape, and Capt. Cooly, of 

 Pittsford, retired with about 40 of the in- 

 surgents in a body. The insurgents ar- 

 rested were put upon trial, found guilty, 

 and fined from £3 to £'2o each, according 

 to the aggravation of their offence, and 

 were required to find sureties for their 

 good behavior for one year. 



In the mean time, the leaders of the 

 insurgents, who had escaped arrest, sent 

 expresses through the country with tlie 



* This tirm antl dignified reply of the court m?.y 

 be found at length in the Vcrmoni Gajstte, pri.Qied 

 at Bennington, Uec. 11, 1T86. 



