Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

316 SPRINGFIELD, 1636-18S6.
We find that in the winter term of the Court of Common Pleas in
1784, Moses Bliss, "William Pynchon, Luke Chapin, Isaac Morgan,
Zenas Parsons, Abel Chapin, Jonathan Dwight, and many more were
crowding on each other's heels to secure judgments against debtors,
and Colonel Worthiugton and others foreclosed mortgages against the
same unfortunate class.
The Februar}^ term of the Common Pleas, 1786, was held at North-
ampton, the justices present being Eleazer Porter, John Bliss, and
Samuel Mather. No less than three hundred and thh-ty-three cases,
mainly occasioned by the poverty of the unhappy debtors, were called
up, and judgment obtained or action deferred. It is a monotonous
record on the books, but was dramatic enough in results. There was
a general waU of despair. Jonathan Dwight, " trader, " secured, for
example, a judgment of £8 3s. 9fL and £1 15s. \Qd. in costs against
Ebenezer Rumrill, of Longmeadow, and Elihu Murray, of Deerfield.
Their note was £7 15s. Their property was at once levied upon. We
find John Worthington, Ephraim Chapin, Phineas Chapin, Josel Day,
Luke Bliss, Moses Bliss were plaintiffs in similar actions. The Mays
term was equally full, and the enraged army of debtors from all parts
of western Massachusetts, would not let the judges proceed with busi-
ness on the first Tuesday in August. Robert Breck, of Northampton,
clerk of the court, says : " Early in the jMorning of this Day, there
was collected a considerable number of Persons under Arms, who
paraded near the Court-House, with a professed Design to prevent
this Court from sitting ;
a Committee from whom presented a Petition
requesting the Court would not proceed to do any Business. The
Court being convinced thereof, thought propper to open the same at
the House of Captain Samuel Clark, Innholder." An adjournment
of the court was then made until November, but the insurgents inter-
rupted all courts until May, 1787.
The elections of 1786 were hotly contested. Lawyers became
special objects of contempt, on account of their agenc}' in securing
judgments, and the feeling was sufficient to exclude most of the pro-