Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/287

DELAWARE COUNTY. 263 was standing with his little son in the open air in front of the house. We were that son : and how bright a picture is still retained upon the memory, of the frightful appearance they presented as they surrounded that parent with fifteen guns poised within a few feet of his head, while the chief stood over him with fierce gesticulations, and sword drawn. 0, the agony of my youthful mind, as I expected every moment to behold him prostrated a lifeless corpse upon the ground. His doting care and parental love had endeared him to his family. But he stood his ground firmly ; he never yielded an inch. Conscious of right, he shrank from no sense of fear — and finally, when a few neighbors had gathered together, a second time they were driven from the premises without the accomplishment of their object. The Indians marched off the premises and down the road in single file. About three miles below they overtook and tarred and feathered Hiram More. In September following, Timothy Corbin was tarred^ind feathered 2d> Daniel W. Squires', in the same town, on general training day, while assisting the sheriff, G-reene More, Esq., in the service of some ofiicial papers. The sheriff's papers were also taken and destroyed. The following is copied from " The voice of the People, a paper established at Delhi, as the organ of the new party. ^' On the first day of Oct., 1844, a little band of true patriots assem- bled in Bovina, at the house of J ames Seacord, and united in holding the first Equal Rights Convention ever assembled in Delaware county. At that convention, John McDonald, of Kortright, and G-eorge Thompson, of Andes, were nominated to the assembly." This ticket was defeated in the main, although one of the candidates, having been endorsed at the Delhi convention, was returned to the legislature. Early in the session of the legislature of 1845, an act, enti- tled An act to prevent persons appearing disguised and armed," passed rapidly through both houses of the legislature,