USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Pelham > History of Pelham, Mass. : from 1738 to 1898, including the early history of Prescott > Part 33
USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Prescott > History of Pelham, Mass. : from 1738 to 1898, including the early history of Prescott > Part 33
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2d. The Monies raised by imports and excise being appropriated to dis- charge the interest of the government securities, and not the foreign debt, when these securities are not subject to taxation.
3d. A suspension of the writ of Habeas Corpus by which those persons who have stepped forth to assert and maintain the rights of the people, are liable to be taken and conveyed even to the most distant part of the Com- monwealth, and thereby subjected to an unjust punishment.
4th. The unlimited power granted to justices of the Peace and Sheriffs and Constables, by the Riot Act, indemnifying them to the prosecution thereof; when perhaps, wholly actuated from a principle of revenge, hatred and envy.
Furthermore,-Be assured, that this body, now at arms, dispise the idea of being instigated by British Emessaries, which is so strenuously propa- gated by the enemies of our liberties : And also wish the most proper and speedy measures may be taken, to discharge both our foreign and domestic debt.
Per Order, DANIEL GRAY,
Chairman of Committee for the above purpose.
Thomas Grover of Worcester, an insurgent leader took upon him- self the liberty to fulminate his individual ideas of some of the griev- ances the people were suffering under in the Hampshire Herald;
" To the Printer of the Hampshire Herald: Sir. It has somehow or other fallen to my lot to be employed in a more conspicuous manner than some of my fellow citizens in stepping forth in defence of the rights and privileges of the people, more especially of the County of Hampshire.
Therefore, upon the desire of the people now at arms, I take this method to publish to the world of mankind in general, particularly the people of this Commonwealth, some of the principal grievances we complain of and of which we are now seeking redress, and mean to contend for, until a redress can be obtained, which we hope, will soon take place ; and if so, our brethren
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HISTORY OF PELHAM, MASS.
in this Commonwealth, that do not see with us yet, shall find we shall be as peaceable as they be.
In the first place, I must refer you to a draft of Grievances drawn up by a committee of the people, now at arms under the signature of Daniel Gray, Chairman, which is heartily approved of ; some others also are here added. viz .:
Ist. The General Court, for certain obvious reasons, must be removed out of the town of Boston.
2d. A revision of the Constitution is absolutely necessary.
3d. All kinds of government securities now on interest, that have been bought of the original owners for two shillings, three shillings, four shilling, and the highest for six shillings and eight pence on the pound, and have received more interest than the principal cost the speculator who pur- chased them,-that if justice was done, we verily believe, nay positively know, it would save the Commonwealth thousands of pounds.
4th. Let the lands belonging to this Commonwealth, at the eastward, be sold at the best advantage, to pay the remainder of our domestic debt.
5th. Let the monies arising from impost and excise be appropriated to discharge the foreign debt.
6th. Let that act, passed by the General Court last June by a small majority of only seven, called the Supplementary Aid, for twenty-five years to come, be repealed.
7th. The total abolition of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace.
8th. Deputy Sheriffs totally set aside, as a useless set of officers in the Community ; and Constables who are really necessary, be empowered to do the duty, by which means a large swarm of lawyers will be banished from their wonted haunts, who have been more damage to the people at large, especially to the common farmers, than the savage beasts of prey.
To this I boldly sign my proper name, as a hearty well wisher to the real rights of the people. THOMAS GROVER.
Worcester, Dec. 7, 1786."
Possibly Grover issued his manifesto from Worcester, but at other times his name appears as Capt. Thomas Grover of Montague.
The causes which led to the prevailing discontent, the calling of conventions, and the formulation of a long list of grievances and the resort to arms, may need further explanation for the better under- standing of the disturbed condition of the people 112 years ago, by those who may read this portion of the history of Pelham.
CAUSES OR REASONS WHICH LED TO REBELLION.
The War of the Revolution had been ended but a few years. It had been an expensive war. The state debt was £1,300,000 besides £250,000 due to officers and soldiers. The state's portion of the
37I
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THE SHAYS REBELLION.
Federal debt was £1,500,000. Every town was more or less embar- rassed by advances of money which they had made to equip the fre- quent requisitions of men, called for by the state, and for supplies to support the army, which had been done upon their own particular credit.
This burden of debt was enormous as compared with that before the war,-when it was less than £100,000.
Tax payers now will appreciate the burdens laid upon the people at that time, when they know that the, third part of all sums raised by taxation was laid upon the rateable polls alone, and the rateable polls little exceeded 90,000 in the state.
The people had secured freedom from Great Brittain, but were under grievious embarrassments which pressed upon them sorely. For eight or nine years they had been fighting for liberty and now they felt as though they were fighting for life,-for mere existence as it were. Upon the right management of the public debt depended the tranquility and happiness of the people.
They were strongly prejudiced against raising money by duties of impost and excise, for paying running expenses of government, or for paying public debts. It was considered anti-republican by the leading men of that day. The paper currency was depreciating day by day and it seemed an impossibility to save the public credit, upon which the happiness of the people depended.
The opposition of the people to paying interest is another thing which astonishes us in these times when interest paying by states, counties, towns and individuals is so common. They said it was " a cankerworm that consumed their substance without lessening their bur- dens." We should have said, fund the debt and pay interest annually and the principal by installments. But the installment plan had not been invented at that time. They wanted to pay the debt at once, but could not.
Another cranky notion was this : That trade,-commerce, -the importation of goods, led to luxury and vice. The commercial men said all trouble came from the regulations under which commerce had to be carried on. To destroy commerce would not lessen the evils complained of ; and finally the opposition to impost and excise duties began to give way. The export trade was almost destroyed, and if goods were imported they must be paid for in specie,-which tended to drain the country of ready money.
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HISTORY OF PELHAM, MASS.
The private, or individual indebtedness was large; those who had been fighting for liberty came home and found indebtedness they had left, unpaid, and more modern debts had been added to the old. Paper money was of little value, and specie was not easily obtained, while creditors were pressing for payment. The Tender Act of July 3, 1782, provided that private debts might be paid in neat cattle and certain other personal property at an appraisement by men under oath. The law did not satisfy debtors or creditors. It had the effect to suspend lawsuits in some cases, but also served as the signal for hostilities between creditors and debtors and really because of this law debtors thought their creditors were under their control.
The pressure of creditors had made the people irritable and tur- bulent, and the burdensome taxes made the load heavier still; and there was clamor for another issue of paper money for relief, but it was not issued.
The lawyers brought suit in the courts for creditors and attached personal property if it could be found. If a debtor had a stock of cattle the sheriff seized them and drove them off the farm. The debtor could not offer a receiptor for the cattle, as now, until trial. The effect of such action being to absolutely block the work of the farm, and there is little wonder that the farmers became sullen and angry and cast about for successful opposition to such practices. That they were in dead earnest to get rid of lawyers is shown by the foregoing draft of grievances by Thomas Grover of Worcester, which doubtless expressed the prevailing sentiment of the people toward lawyers.
There was great increase of these suits for debt, pushed by lawyers, urged on by creditor clients anxious to realize on accounts long overdue. This persistence on the part of lawyers caused the impecu- nious debtors to hate lawyers without stint. Inflamatory newspaper articles against lawyers increased this hatred. The leading insur- gents insisted that "this class of professional men ought to be abol- ished." They instructed the representatives elected to the General Court in 1786 " to annihilate lawyers " but they failed to accomplish it. Perhaps it would have been better for the country if they had. They practically excluded lawyers from the General Court for the session of 1786, and convinced the House that their distresses were greatly increased by the exhorbitant fees exacted by lawyers and attorneys, and passed a bill through the House fixing the fees for
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THE SHAYS REBELLION.
attorneys and providing for their taking an oath previous to pleading, in every cause, that they would not receive more than the lawful fees, but it failed to pass the Senate.
The lawyers being odious to the people the next step was a logical one ;- the lawyers were intimately connected with the courts of jus- tice, and the courts somewhat under their control, so the extension of this hatred of lawyers so as to include the courts was a natural one, so the clamor for the abolishment of courts became loud, and the purpose to stop the courts by force of arms was soon formed, and carried out in many instances.
On the last Tuesday in August 1786, only a few days after the Hatfield convention where they urged the people to abstain from all mobs and unlawful assemblies, 1500 men under arms assembled in Northampton, took possession of the court house and effectually prevented the sitting of the court. The next week the court was prevented from holding session in the court house at Worcester but held court in a private house. The foregoing brief explanation of the reasons or causes which led the people to resort to arms for the relief they sought is perhaps sufficient, though it may not be satisfactory to those who may read it.
ENLISTMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE INSURGENTS.
The massing of armed men for raids upon the courts in the shire towns of the counties in the state required organization and some sort of method for securing and enlisting men. A meeting for the consideration of this important business was held, and a committee of seventeen insurgents was appointed to raise and organize a large force of men in Hampshire county ; among the members of this com- mittee were Capt. Shays of Pelham and Capt. Billings of Amherst. The form of enlistment used in recruiting these forces was as follows :
" We do Each one of us acknowledge our Selves to be Inlisted into a Company Commanded by Capt. - & Lieut. Bullard & in Colo Hazeltons Regiment of Regulators in Order for the Suppressing of tyrannical govern- ment in the Massachusetts State, And we do Ingage to obey Such orders as we shal Reseeve from time to-to time from our Superior officers, and to faithfully Serve for the term of three months from the Date in Witness hereof we have hereunto Set our names-the Conditions of Will Be for a Sargt Sixty Shillings Pr Month Cop1 Fifty Shillings a Month Privet Forty Shillings a Month and if git the Day their will be a Consedrable Bounty Ither Forty or Sixty Pounds."
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HISTORY OF PELHAM, MASS.
The enrollment of men went on under the direction of the above committee among the restless and turbulent element until a large number of the able bodied men in many of the towns were drawn in, and were in arms against state authority under local leaders; consti- tuting a formidable insurgent body who were determined to prevent the sitting of the courts, in the belief that if they could stop the ses- sions of the courts they would stop the entry and trial of suits for debt by impatient creditors who employed the lawyers.
The insurgents took possession of court houses in Middlesex county and at Worcester, also at Great Barrington in Berkshire. They also determined to prevent the sitting of the court at Spring- field on the 27th of Sept. 1786. Six hundred of the state militia under Gen. Shepard were ordered to take possession of the court house which they did. Capt. Daniel Shays with more than 600 insurgents appeared on the scene and sent a request to the judge that none of the late rioters who were under arrest should be indicted. The court did little business, and after three days' session adjourned, after resolving that it was not expedient to proceed to Berkshire for a session of the court in October following.
In October, Capt. Shays marched his men through the streets of Springfield in the face of Gen. Shepard's men, by permission of the General; it is said the one condition of the permission was, that the insurgents behave well; which it is said they did. There was a gathering of insurgents at Great Barrington the same month because they feared that an attempt would be made to hold court, but there was no attempt to hold a session.
The legislature which was called together on the 27th of Sept. 1786 had passed some stringent measures which caused Capt. Shays to issue the following order :
" PELHAM, OCT. 13, 1786.
GENTLEMEN :-- By information from the General Court they are deter- mined to call all those who appeared to stop the court to condign punish- ment. Therefore I request you to assemble your men together to see that they are Well armed and equipped with sixty rounds each man, and be ready to turn out at a Minute's warning ; likewise be properly organized with officers. DANIEL SHAYS."
The General Court adjourned on the 18th day of November, 1786 after suspending the Habeas Corpus act and passing other acts that it was hoped would pacify the excited people of the state. At that time it was estimated that one-third of the entire population was in
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THE SHAYS REBELLION.
sympathy with, or in active action against the constituted authorities, and in some sections of the state the proportion of insurgents was. larger. On the 23d of November there was a convention of insur- gents at Worcester after the courts had been unable to enter the court house on the 2 1st, and obliged to hold court in a tavern.
Governor Bowdoin then began to take active measures for the suppression of this uprising. The militia in Middlesex was called out and four regiments in Essex. The insurgent leaders having rejected offers of pardon, warrants were issued for the arrest of the leaders, and Parker, Page, and Job Shattuck, leaders in the eastern part of the state, were arrested in Groton.
Shays with the largest part of the insurgents left Worcester after stopping the courts on the 2 Ist and marched to Rutland where he remained until Dec. 3d when he returned to Worcester, but marched back to Rutland again on the 9th of the same month where he remained for some time, some of his men freezing to death on the march. There was a great scarcity of provisions, and 'tis said that Shays made known his willingness to leave the people to themselves and accept of pardon if the Government would offer it.
WARRANTS FOR THE ARREST OF REBEL LEADERS.
On the roth of January, 1787, Gov. Bowdoin issued Warrants to the sheriff of Hampshire county for the arrest of
Capt. Asa Fisk of South Brimfield. Joseph Hinds of Greenwich.
Alpheus Colton of Longmeadow.
Capt. Joel Billings of Amherst.
Obed Foot of Greenfield.
Luke Day of West Springfield. Capt. Gad Sacket of Westfield.
Capt. Abel Dinsmore of Conway.
Capt. Aaron Jewett of Chesterfield.
Capt. Mathew Clark of Colrain.
Capt. John Brown of Whately.
Samuel Hill of Charlemont.
Samuel Morse of Worthington. Capt. Daniel Shays of Pelham.
Capt. Thomas Grover of Montague. John Powers of Shutesbury.
These men were the leaders of the insurgents in Western Mass. of whom the governor wrote the sheriff as follows: "That the enlarge- ment of the above named persons is dangerous to the Common- wealth, its peace and safety." Sheriff Elisha Porter reported to the governor :- " Day, Colton, Clark and Brown, jailed,-the others not found."
Gov. Bowdoin found that calling out a few men here and there was having no good effect in quelling these rebellious citizens and by the advice of the Council 4400 men were called out, 700 of them from Suffolk, 500 from Essex, 800 from Middlesex, 1200 from.
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HISTORY OF PELHAM, MASS.
Hampshire and 1200 from Worcester counties, with two companies ·of artillery, detached from Suffolk and two from Middlesex. The troops from Suffolk, Essex and Middlesex were ordered to gather near Boston on the 19th of January, 1787. Those from Hampshire county at Springfield on the 18th. Troops from Worcester to join those of the eastern counties at Worcester. All were raised for thirty days' service, unless sooner discharged. Major-Gen. Benjamin Lincoln was placed in command.
The state treasury was so low at that time that there was not money enough to place the troops in the field and private citizens furnished the money to do it. Gov. Bowdoin issued his orders to Gen. Lincoln to take command and protect the courts, to apprehend all hostile persons, etc.,-and closed with this paragraph :
" On these attempts to restore system and order I wish the smiles of heaven, and that you may have an agreeable command, the most perfect success, and a speedy and safe return; I am with much esteem, sir, your most obedient servant, JAMES BOWDOIN.
HON. MAJOR GEN. LINCOLN."
THE REBELS MARCH TOWARD SPRINGFIELD.
Capt. Shays and his insurgent forces had withdrawn from Worces- ter toward the western part of the state. Gen. Lincoln arrived at Worcester on the 22d of January. The court was to sit on the 23d, and it did without any trouble. Gen. Lincoln and his army pre- vented any outbreak.
Gen. Shepard was in command of 1100 men from Hampshire county guarding the arsenal and stores at Springfield and the insur- gents under Capt. Shays and others were concentrating there for an attack. Luke Day had 400 men at West Springfield. Shays with II00 men was on the Boston road while Eli Parsons was at Spring- field, North Parish (Chicopee) with 400 more. Most of these men were old Continental soldiers.
Shays informed Day that he proposed to attack the post at Spring- field on the 25th, which was the next day. Day replied that he could not assist on the 25th, but would be ready on the 26th, but his letter was intercepted by Gen. Shepard. Shays thinking it was all right marched his forces from Wilbraham to the attack. Day in the meantime had sent a preëmptory demand to Gen. Shepard that the troops under his command be surrendered to him, but it did not terrify the General as Day perhaps hoped it might.
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THE SHAYS REBELLION.
Gen. Lincoln was two days' march from Springfield, but hurrying forward through the deep snow. With more insurgent troops near him than he had militia, Gen. Shepard discovered Capt. Shays and his forces approaching from the Boston road about 4 P. M. on the after- noon of the 25th of January, moving toward the arsenal which he had been ordered to defend. The General sent an aid accompanied by two citizens to Shays, several times, to ask what the latter's intentions were and to warn him of danger. Shays was informed that the- militia was posted there by order of the Governor, and of Congress and if he should advance further the militia would certainly fire upon his men. Shays declared that he would have possession of the bar- racks, "Barracks I will have and stores," and marched to within 250 yards, when Gen. Shepard ordered his men to fire the cannon ; but the first two shots were fired over the heads of Shays and his. men, who continued to march upon the arsenal. The third shot was aimed at the center of the advancing column and fired with deadly effect.
There was a cry of "murder," and old soldiers though they were, the whole body of men were thrown into confusion. Shays tried to rally his men but could not, and his whole force was soon in full retreat in the direction of Ludlow, leaving three dead and one wounded upon the field. Shays joined forces with Eli Parsons at Chicopee on the next day but the arrival of Gen. Lincoln on the 27th prevented another attack by the Shays men.
Gen. Lincoln had four regiments, three companies of artillery, and one company of horse or cavalry as they would be called now .. At 3-30 the same day, Gen. Lincoln crossed the Connecticut river on the ice after Day and his men, but they fled in confusion and spent the night on the march to Northampton. On the 28th, Gen. Lincoln began the march after Shays who had retreated through South Hadley towards Amherst. The pursuit of Shays and his followers began at 2 o'clock in the morning of the 28th, and Gen. Lincoln pushed along as fast as the drifted snow would permit. Capt .. Shays had a pretty good lead and kept out of the way of his pursuers, arriving in Amherst quite a little in advance of Gen. Lincoln, but knowing he was not far behind, pushed on toward Pelham.
A short time after the Shays men had gone from Amherst, ten sleigh loads of provisions from Berkshire came to East Amherst and stopped to feed their horses at the tavern kept by Oliver Clapp.
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HISTORY OF PELHAM, MASS.
Landlord Clapp knew that Gen. Lincoln was in pursuit of Shays and his men and that the men were about famished. He told the men in charge of the provisions not to think of stopping to feed the horses, but to push on towards Pelham before they were gobbled up by Lin- coln. The teams hurried on after Shays and the famished men got the provisions which they would have failed to receive, had not Landlord Clapp, who was a personal friend of Shays, hurried up the teams. Gen. Lincoln and his army arrived in Amherst and on being informed of the passing of Shays and his men towards Pelham, decided not to pursue them further that day.
The people who were in the farm houses along the road from Amherst to Pelham, West Hill, consisting mostly of women and children, saw a very strange and unusual sight as they looked out to the west along the deeply drifted snow-covered highway on the after- noon of the 28th of January, 1787. Straggling along the untrod road, they saw 1100 armed men, foot-sore and weary, toiling slowly along up the hills after their long march from Springfield. No such sight had they ever seen before, and never since that day has so large a body of armed men been seen in the town.
Captain Shays they knew, and their husbands and sons and brothers also, but the men from Middlesex, Worcester and Berkshire counties they did not know. The travel-worn army of rebels was halted on the common in front of the old meeting house. A portion of the men camped as comfortably as it was possible with the great lack of tents or camp equipage, and the other half, with the rebel captain moved on through the snow of that old fashioned winter down the slope to the "Hollow" where the old Conkey tavern was located, and then up to the summit of Pelham, East Hill, where they camped, Capt. Shays making himself comfortable at the old tavern he knew so well. That 1100 men could be maintained in any sort of comfort on these bleak hills in the dead of winter would seem almost impossible to anyone who will visit them any year in January ; but they were quartered on these hills from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3 and none were frozen so far is known. Doubtless the ten sleigh loads of provisions, which Landlord Clapp hurried along after Capt. Shays' rebel army, helped to make their stay in Pelham more agreeable than it otherwise would have been.
General Lincoln made an examination of the houses at Amherst and discovered that they contained mostly women and children,
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THE SHAYS REBELLION.
most of the men being with the insurgents under Shays. He also learned about the ten sleigh loads of provisions which had gone for- ward. He then forbade the remaining inhabitants from furnishing any supplies to the insurgents ; and pushed on to Hadley where he might find cover for his weary troops.
As we have already said the Shays men were quartered in some sort of comfort on these two hills in Pellham and Capt. Shays was at his old headquarters at Landlord Conkey's tavern in the great hollow between the east and west hills. Gen. Lincoln was at Hadley ten to twelve miles west of Pelham, with his forces and from his head- quarters sent the following letter to Captain Shays on the 30th of January, 1787.
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