As the fees required from the grantees were from $100 to $700 or more, the governors of both States were unwilling to lose the rich harvest thus brought them and it is said that considerable fortunes were gained by each of them from this source. Ethan Allen became first known 1)y the part he took in this con troversy. The Vermont settlers resisted by force the attempts of New York sheriffs to take possetsion of lands held under New Hampshire grants and in some cases confirmed them by *the beech seal° that is they flogged the sheriffs who came to enforce New York claims with what Allen called *twigs of the wilderness.° The struggle did not wholly cease till Vermont was admitted into the Union. It was in the enforcement of the claims of the Vermont settlers that the Green Mountain Boys were organized. These were a military force, composed of daring and determined men commanded by Ethan Allen.
Allen and four brothers had come from Con necticut and taken lands under grants from New Hampshire and these they were fully prepared to defend to any extent that might be necessary. In the long and sometimes severe struggle the settlers for the most part held their lands against New YOrk.
Founders of the The experiences undergone during the stormy times just de scribed not only secured beyond further dis pute the homes of the settlers on the New Hampshire Grants, but they gave to these hardy pioneers a training which well-fitted them to become founders of a State that should be a power. There were many sturdy, honest and brave men in those days and men of strong thinicing as well. It may not be altogether fair to select a few from the many, but probably most would agree that of them all Ethan Allen, Ira Allen, Seth Warner, Remember Baker, Thomas Chittenden and Jonas Fay were pre eminent. Vermont would not have been what it was during the century following the Revolu tion had not these men been among its citizens. Most of these are too well known to most Americans to need more than the mention of their names. Perhaps Jonas Fay is least known. He was a clerk of many public meetings, of the Council of Public Safety and wrote the declara tion by which the State was established as an independent republic.
Beginning of the Republic of In pre-Revolutionary times Vermont had little that could properly be called a government.
Each town was controlled by its *Committee of Safety° and there was no higher authority recognized. Under such conditions there was of necessity little unity. But the people were not long satisfied with this and on 13 March 1775, there came a change which was far reach ing in its results. On that day Judge Chandler was to hold court at Westminster. Those in terested assembled without arms, took posses sion of the court-house (illustration from draw ing by Daniel Hall). This building was taken down in 1806.
At first there was no disturbance or attempt to use force to prevent the convening of the court, but a sheriff's posse was collected to disperse the crowd and, apparently without suffi cient provocation, fired upon them and mortally wounded William French — who has been called *The proto-martyr to the cause of Ameri can liberty.°
No other person was killed at the time but several were wounded and Daniel Houghton died afterward from his wounds. The sheriff's party claimed that they were fired on first, but none of them were in any way injured and a long discussion of the affair which followed did not establish the truth of their claim. This. event has ever since been known as the 4West minster Massacre.* On 11 April 1775 a con vention of Committees of Safety held at West minster, adopted a remonstrance to the court of Great Britain in which they begged gTo be talcen out of so oppressive a jurisdiction and either annexed to another jurisdiction or in corporated into a new one.* Ethan Allen was prominent in this convention and proved himself fully equal to the emergency. For three or four years before this he had organized the settlers, forming councils of safety and military companies.
There were no organizations in the colonies more satisfactory or trustworthy than those which Allen formed and inspired with some what of his own vigor and enthusiasm for free dom. The new jurisdiction mentioned in the request of the Westminster Convention was probably a proposed Royal Colony which was to include the New Hampshire Grants west of the Green Mountains and all the territory north of the Mohawk River and east of .Lalce Ontario, the capitol to be at Skeenesboro, N. Y. (Whitehall). It was proposed also that Philip Skene should be governor of this new province. Ethan Allen, William Gililand and Jehiel Haw, ley and other Vermonters of prominence were active in this undertaking, but the outbrealc of hostilities at Lexington, 19 April 1775, only eight days after this convention finally set aside this plan. But such people as the early Ver monters could not long remain inactive and ere long another convention was called to meet gat Mr. Cephas Kent's in Dorset?) This con-. vention was ((duly warned* by a committee and was to ((raise troops)" and transact whatever business might seem necessary. The warning also contained the significant article ((To see whether the convention will consent to asso ciate with New York, or act by themselves in the cause of America.° This convention met on 16 Jan. 1776 and authorized the drawing up of a remonstrance and petition which should be pre sented to the Continental Congress. In accord ance with this action such document was duly prepared and presented at another convention held in the same place on the 24th of July of the same year. The remonstrance and pentiot were adopted by the convention and with this paper was a recapitulation of more recent oc currences relating to the New Hampshire Grants and included the king's decree of 1767.