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

452 SPRINGFIELD, 1636-1886.
State street, parallel to Byers street. A United States engineer, in
surve3'ing the United States lauds, fonnd that Prospect street be-
longed to the government, and Ripley, knowing that Stearns expected
to cut up his land into building lots, which would be useless for that
purpose unless Prospect street was kept open, put up some sheds
in the middle of the street in- front of Stearns's property, in order
to test the question. Stearns at once ordered his workmen to
tear down the buildings and the fence, and remove some lumber
there deposited. Mr. Stearns began the work himself by cutting
down the first fence-post. When the work was in progress. Major
Ingersoll appeared and ordered the Stearns party off. Stearns
replied that he thanked God he lived under the Constitution and the
law, and refused to stir. Some words passed, but no personal violence
was done. This was called, locally, the Stearns riot, for which he and
his men were arrested and tried in Boston ; verdict, not guilty. There
was subsequently another trial at Boston over the title of the land,
and Stearns was beaten.
The opposition to Colonel Ripley and a military superintendency
culminated in February, 184(j, when Adj. -Gen. R. Jones directed a
court of inquir}', consisting of Gen. J. E. Wool, Lieut. -Col. N. S.
Clark, and Maj. S. Cooper, to examine the charges formally pre-
sented by Joseph Lombard, Calvin Shattuck, and many others. R.
A. Chapman apjieared for Ripley, and ex-Senator William Eaton, of
Hartford, and D. H. Dustiu for tlie complainants. There were thir-
teen counts to the indictment, including the malicious discharge of
faithful armorers, the employment of " reckless foreigners " for night
watches, the deterioration in the quality of the gun manufactured at
an increase of cost, the extravagant building of a new residence, the
receiving of commutation for quarters when elegant hoiises were
standing empty, the wanton and illegal fencing up of Prospect street,
the swearing out of a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Stearns, and,
finally, threatening to discharge armorers if they read certain local
newspapers. There were some points of truth and right on both