History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

1782.] REVOLUTION—ARMY SUPPLIES—SAMUEL ELY. 461
widely among the disaffected, and on Saturday the 16"',
another demonstration was made. Porter immediately invoked
aid from other towns. Two hundred men marched
from Spring-field, and the Sabbath day exercises in neighboring
towns were very thinly attended. In the afternoon,
Dickinson, who was credited with having at this time a
force of six hundred men, marched for Northampton.
Towards night his ultimatum, demanding the release of
the prisoners, and the delivery of the bonds of Dea. Wells
within half an hour, or an attack would be made, was sent
to the sheriff. He replied that while he was ready to enter
into any reasonable arrangement, he would not agree to
that proposition. "It is my earnest desire," he wrote, " to
have peace, and it is in your power to prevent bloodshed."
The insurgents continued to advance and were just ready
to begin the attack, when Porter offered to meet Dickinson
between the lines. This conference resulted in a visit to
the prison on the part of Dickinson and others of the mob.
Here the visitors found things different from the repre-
sentations. The prisoners had been treated in every respect
in accordance with the agreement, and it was evident that
much misrepresentation had been disseminated concerning
them. The hostages themselves advised Dickinson to give
up his attempt to rescue them. An agreement was made
by which Ely was to be given up, and the hostages were
released. This bargain was carried out, and Klj was eventually
surrendered to the authorities and imprisoned in Bos-
ton. During the night, however, an alarm was given in
Northampton and signal-fires lighted, but no further demonstration
was made. ^
Mr. judd-s Account
I^ this conuection, even at the risk of some
of the Affair. repetition, it may not be uninteresting to
repeat an account of these proceedings as
narrated in the Diary of Jonathan Judd Jr., who was himself
an actor in them —
:
" Wednesday 13 [Junel noise of a Mobb going to Spring-field, bnt no
order till after 9 at Night. We then Collected about 12 and went to
Northampton ; got there at sunrise. Thursday, 14"'. The party went
1 The above account of the proceedings growing out of the attempt of the mob to
rescue Ely, was compiled principally from the Judd MSS., Sheldon's History of Deerfield,
and Holland's History of Western Massachusetts.