Strong guards were then to be posted so
that when the village woke up it would be to find itself in military
possession of the legal authorities. The next step would be
immediately to bring the prisoners before Justice Woodbridge to be
tried, the sentences to be summarily carried out at the whipping-post
on the green, and the prisoners then remanded to custody to await the
further action of the law before higher tribunals. It might be
necessary to keep up the military occupation of the village for some
time, but it was agreed among the gentlemen that the execution of the
above program would be sufficient to break the spirit of the mob
entirely. The excesses of the rabble during the past week had, it was
believed, already done something to produce a reaction of feeling
against them among their former sympathizers, and there would
doubtless be plenty of recruits for the party of order as soon as it
had shown itself the stronger. The intervening day, Wednesday, was to
be devoted by those present to secretly warning such as were counted
on to assist in the project. It was estimated that including all the
able-bodied gentlemen in town as well as some of the people known to
be disaffected to the mob, about seventy-five sure men could be
secured for the work in hand.
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