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

470 HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTON. [1783.
passed a series of resolves, and adjourned to hold an open
meeting near the Oourt-House, not forgetting to arm themselves
with bludgeons. When the court appeared to hold
its afternoon session, the mob opposed its entrance into the
Court-House. While the sheriff expostulated with them,
loyal men acted, and drove the rioters away. Some were
wounded, and several arrested.^ Uneasiness among the
people prevailed and many persons were in favor of forcibly
stopping the courts. At the August term, held in
Northampton, "many collect at Mr. Clapp's to oppose the
court, but dare not appear. Vast numbers of people attend
court." 2
A New Proposition. Auothcr scrics of thcse gathering^ took
place in the fall, at which a new element of
discontent was broached. In September, delegates from
seven towns in the upper part of the county met at Deer-
field, ostensibly to consider the deplorable state of affairs,
at present and in the future, unless more money— paper
money— could be obtained. One special difficulty under
which these towns labored was their remoteness from the
Courts of Justice—the very courts they had been voting
out of existence and trying forcibly to abolish— as well as
from the offices of the Registry of Deeds and County
Treasurer. They desired the removal of all the courts from
Springfield to Northampton, or a division of the county,
and proposed to petition the General Court to that end.
This measure was considered of sufficient importance to
. rN^lay before the county at large, and it was decided to call a
^'^convention to meet at Hatfield on the 20"' of October. In
' this
convention twenty-seven towns were represented. The
general financial condition was considered, as well as the
pressing need of more conveniences for the transaction of
legal business. Its discussions were moderate and its recommendations
characterized by fairness and good sense.
Two delegates from Northampton were present, Dea.
Josiah Clark and Capt. Samuel Clark, who received in-
structions similar to those given to the delegates to the
Hadley convention, not to act unless a majority of the
1 Holland's History of Western MassachuaettK, vol. 1, p. 232.
2 Judd's Diary.