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

456 HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTON. [1782.
uttered similar seditious sentiments, and declared that "the
courts of law should be broken up and that he could raise
2,000 men for that purpose, if he could get anybody to lead
them."
First Attempt to Stop The regular session of the Court of Genthe
Court. gral Scssious of the Peace was convened
at Northampton, on the 4'^ of April, and
continued till the 28"'. On the first day of the session Ely
was at hand determined to close its doors. He harangued
a great crowd of riotous and disorderly persons in the
streets of Northampton, inciting them to forcibly interfere
with the court. He " caused a seditious Letter to be wrote
and signed by himself as in the name & behalf & by di-
rection of the same People there thus assembled declaring
to the Good People of the Towns in the County that the
Court was going on contrary to the mind of the Convention,
and desiring them to come." This missive, signed by
others as well as Ely, was circulated extensively throughout
the county, and on the 12*^ of April " a great number
of disorderly persons " assembled in the town ready to accomplish
the work proposed. Armed with a club, Ely again
addressed the mob. " Come on my brave boys," he says,
"we'll go to the Wood Pile and get clubs enough and
Knock their Grey wiggs off and send them out of the
world in an instant." Thus incited, the mob immediately
armed themselves with clubs and gathered in a menacing
array about the Court-House. The " brave boys," however,
were more ready to attack the woodpile than the court, and
held back. Once more the demagogue resorted to his
favorite weapon, and endeavored to stimulate his hesitating
dupes. Again he invoked the authority of the Hatfield
convention, loudly charging the mob with cowardice, proclaiming
that if they were afraid "he wanted to have the
Honour of doing the business himself * * * and then
and there loudly, and wickedly and seditiously declared he
had rather fight against this authority than against the
King of Great Britain, that he had rather oppose that oppressive
Court than the King of Great Britain," He was
unable, however, to stir up his unruly followers to the commission
of any overt act, and they did nothing but curse and