Page:Great Men and Famous Women Volume 5.djvu/298

 202 WORKMEN AND HEROES In some cases new owners put in an appearance and attempted to take pos- session, having purchased, in good faith, of land speculators in New York City, to whom Governor Golden, of New York, had issued immense grants covering a large part of the disputed territory. These speculators were mostly lawyers, who were favorites or friends of the governor. Against these shrewd men of wealth and education, with their powerful backing, the puny defence of the orig- inal settlers seemed wellnigh hopeless. But it was to be a contest between might and right, and that invisible influence which seems ever to .weaken the one and strengthen the other was surely, though silently at work. Upon this scene of trouble and uncertainty appears Ethan Allen, a farmer, born about thirty years before in Coventry, Conn., large of frame, of great per- sonal strength, and with mental characteristics in harmony with his powerful physique : a tender-hearted giant whose standard of honor and honesty soon measured the injustice of New York's position in the land controversy, and at once sided with the besieged farmers, with whom he had many generalities of sympathy. With fiery energy of will and purpose, he immediately assumed the leadership of the defence, guiding its combined strength into the legal side of the question, thus meeting the power of alleged law with like weapons. Selecting the best legal talent of Connecticut as assistants, and armed with New Hampshire's charter and seal, he appeared in the Albany courts to contest New York's claim that the Connecticut River was the boundary between that province and New Hampshire. But the trial was a farce, stripped of all dignity and justice by the fact that the judge upon the bench, the prosecuting attorneys, and other officials were personally interested, each holding New York grants for many thousand acres in the disputed territory. All evidence for the defence, even the New Hamp- shire charter, was ruled out of court, and Ethan Allen's peaceful efforts for defence were defeated. He returned home, burning with indignation and resolving to protect his property and that of his neighbors, if need were, by the force of his ovn strong right arm. For six years, under his leadership, all attempts by New York set- tlers to take possession were frustrated by the alertness of the "Green Mountain Boys," as the defence now termed themselves, who drove them off quietly or with violence, according to the exigencies of the occasion. As a measure of punishment for these acts, Ethan Allen was outlawed by the Governor of New York, and a price offered for his capture. Soon after he rode alone into Albany one day, and alighting at a tavern in the heart of the city, called for refreshment. His former visit had marked his strong personality in the remembrance of many, and he was at once recognized by prominent officials, who stared at him with curiosity, but made no effort to arrest him. Returning their gaze, he lifted his glass to his lips, pledging in a loud, firm voice "The Green Mountain Boys," and then rode away unmolested. This act was defined by his friends as the rashness of bravery ; by his enemies as the madness of impudence.