Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 05.pdf/596

The Supreme Court of yermont.

555

age and troubled with great deafness, loss of upon had," that the riot in respect thereto memory, dimness of sight, and a paralytic culminated in the death of William French tremor in his hands, Noah Sabin was added and Daniel Houghton, and effectually closed to the bench, Judge Lord to continue in the New York courts in this county, and office, but to take only as little share of the none were afterwards held. An accurate burden of the office as should be agreeable account of the transactions may be found in to him." Biographical notices of these the history above mentioned. judges may be found in Hall's History of

GLOUCESTER COUNTY. Eastern Vermont. They were the only judges appointed in The territory in the this county prior to province west of, and March, 1775, after contiguous to, the which time no ses Connecticut River and sions of the courts north of Cumberland were held, although County, was estab commissions were is lished as the county sued to judges at a of Gloucester by ordi later date. John nance passed March Chandler, Crean 16, 1770; and on the Brush, and Samuel succeeding day John Gale were succes Taplin of Newbury, sively clerks prior 'to Samuel Sleeper of the year 1776; and Bradford, and Thomas Solomon Phelps, Sumner of Newbury Micah Townsend, were appointed judges Charles Phelps, and of a court of com Samuel Knight were mon pleas. Samuel commissioned as at Sleeper was a Quaker torneys at law. As preacher, who moved sistant justices of the to Newbury from New court of common pleas Hampshire in 1762, were appointed as but, being " moved by well as many justices the spirit," he created STEPHEN ROWE BRADLEY. of the peace. A disturbance in the re court of Oyer and ligious meetings by Terminer and general gaol delivery, at which interrupting the minister while preaching, Hon. Robert R. Livingston, one of the judges with laudatory or condemnatory ejacula of the Supreme Court of Judicature for the tions. For this grave offence he was Province of New York, attended, was held confined in a cellar, and threatened with at Westminster in July, 1774. To constitute "thirty lashes in full tale" should he con such a court, it was necessary that one of tinue to exhibit his peculiar propensities. the Supreme Court judges should attend. He was released upon his removing to In March, 1775, the people became so excited I Bradford, then Moretown, that he might over what they deemed to be grievous more fully enjoy his religious freedom. It wrongs and injustice inflicted upon them is not stated that his conduct while re that they determined that the administration siding in Bradford differed from that in of justice in the hands of tories should Newbury, but it met with such approval cease; and "such proceedings were there- from the authorities that he was appointed