There

ger and to assist him to escape with his family. The escape was prevented by the early beginning of the battle. After the battle the houses and farms of the settlement were plundered and all the men that could be found were taken prisoners. Mrs. Churchill, with three other women and four children, one a lame boy thirteen years old and one a babe, were left. were no provisions remaining in Hubbardton. The inhabitants must go or starve. Toward Castleton were the British and Indians. The women feared to go that way. So with two horses and what baggage was left them they traveled east to Pittsford and then took the military road across the mountain to Charlestown, N. H. Thence they went down the Connecticut River and at length crossed the Green Mountains again to their old home, Sheffield, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It was a weary journey of three weeks. Mr. Churchill and a neighbor, Uriah Hickok, were made prisoners and taken to Fort Ticonderoga. In a few weeks they escaped and returned to Hubbardton, where they found only deserted homes and the rotting carcasses of slaughtered beasts and slain men. They went on to Castleton, where Mr. Hickok found his wife and children. Mr. Churchill could get no news of his family and so went forward on foot to Sheffield. His family had arrived before him. After the surrender of Burgoyne they returned to Castleton, and the next spring to Hubbardton to begin life there again.

15. Royalton Burned.-In 1780, a party of Indians with a few Tories commanded by a sergeant of the British army came up Lake Champlain and the Winooski River to attack Newbury, but, hearing that Newbury was well prepared for defense they changed their course for Royalton, a flourishing settlement on the White River, and went through Barre and Chelsea

to Tunbridge on the First Branch of the White River, where they lay in camp for a day. In the gray of the morning of Monday, October 16, they began their work of taking prisoners, plundering and destroying property in the south part of Tunbridge near Royalton. At the mouth of the First Branch in Royalton, they formed several parties so as to reach all parts of the settlement as quickly as possible. By two o'clock in the afternoon they had killed two men, taken twentysix prisoners, burned twenty-one houses and twenty barns with their contents and killed all the cattle, sheep and swine they could find. They captured and took with them about thirty horses. Returning to their previous encampment they crossed the hills to the Second Branch of White River, where, being overtaken in the night by a body of militia, they killed two prisoners and sent back the third with the word that they would kill all the rest if they were molested. No attack was made. The next day a deep snow covered the smoking ruins and desolated fields of Royalton. It was a sad beginning of winter for the women and children of that settlement, the men prisoners or killed, their houses and provisions burned, their horses driven away.

The Indians had been aroused by the firing of a few guns on the approach of the whites and moved off in the early morning through Randolph, where they captured Zadock Steele, whose Narrative of his Captivity is well known. That day the Indians crossed the ridge to the Dog River in Northfield. Thence by the Winooski River and Lake Champlain the prisoners were taken to Canada, where, after living with the Indians for a while they were sold to the English at eight dollars a head. Within a year they were exchanged, except one who died in captivity and one. who was detained longer but afterwards escaped.

CHAPTER IV.

THE BUILDING OF THE STATE.

1. Town Governments.-Union.-The early settlements in Vermont were mostly on lands granted by the Governor of the Province of New Hampshire. By these grants the inhabitants of the townships severally were authorized to organize town governments. Such governments were organized as soon as the settlers became sufficiently numerous. The powers of the town were derived from and regulated by the Province. One of the early acts of the town of Bennington was a vote "to send a petition to the General Court of New Hampshire to raise a tax on all the lands in Bennington, resident and non-resident, to build a meetinghouse and school-house and mills, and for highways. and bridges." In 1764, the west bank of the Connecticut River was declared by the King to be the boundary between New Hampshire and New York. New Hampshire withdrew her claim of jurisdiction. New York claimed jurisdiction, and claimed further that her jurisdiction was prior to that of New Hampshire, and that any grants made by New Hampshire of lands west of the Connecticut River were unlawful and without effect, and that any persons who held such lands under New Hampshire grants must give up the lands or purchase them again of New York. The settlers denied the claim of New York upon lands already granted by New Hampshire. As the dispute went on they gradually rejected the claim of New York to jurisdiction, and so each town became an independent government. But the people of the several towns had

common interests, and were exposed to common dangers. Within eight months from the promulgation of the King's order fixing the boundary, the settlers of southwestern Vermont had held a convention at Bennington, and had chosen an agent to act for them. The need of united action did not become less and the towns began to appoint committees of safety who should correspond with committees of other towns and with them recommend measures for the public good. These committees became accustomed to meet in con. vention, and their resolves grew to have the effect of laws, and to be extended to all matters civil and military. A few of these conventions deserve notice.

2. Convention at Manchester.-Among the proceedings of a convention held in Manchester in April, 1774," was a resolve forbidding any person to act as an officer under a commission from the New York government."

A CONVENTION DECLARES FOR A NEW STATE.

3. Dorset.-First Meeting.-June 24, 1776, a warrant was issued by a committee, appointed for the purpose by a previous convention, in which the inhabitants of the New Hampshire Grants on the west side of the Green Mountains were warned and those on the east side were desired to meet by their delegates in convention at Dorset, July 24. Thirty-two towns. were represented in this convention by forty-nine delegates. One of the towns represented was Townshend, which is east of the mountains. Two acts of that convention should be remembered:

Resolved, That application be made to the inhabitants of said grants to form the same into a separate District.

Voted, To choose a committee to treat with the inhabitants of the New Hampshire Grants on the east side of the range of Green Mountains, relative to their associating with this body. This convention adjourned to meet at Dorset the 25th day of the next September.

4. Dorset.-Second Meeting.-The adjourned. meeting was attended by fifty-eight representatives from thirty-three towns. Eight of the towns were east of the mountains. At this meeting the convention

Voted, To take the following vote, passed July 24, 1776, into consideration (viz.) "Proceeded to the consideration of the fifth article of the warrant, and voted that suitable application be made to form that District of Land, commonly called and known by the name of the New Hampshire Grants, into a separate District;" passed in the affirmative-not one dissenting vote.

The people of Vermont joined very heartily in the effort to make the American colonies independent of Great Britain, but there was an opposing minority called Tories. How this convention regarded Tories may be learned from the following:

Voted, That a sufficient jail be built on the west side of the range of Green Mountains at some place that shall be hereafter agreed on for securing Tories.

Voted, That, as it appears that the inhabitants of the town of Arlington are principally Tories, yet the Friends of Liberty are ordered to warn a meeting and choose a Committee of Safety and conduct as other towns; if they meet with opposition to make application to the Committees of Safety of other towns for assistance.

The convention adjourned to meet at Westminster on the 30th of the next October.