one o'clock in the afternoon
hurrah ! '' Such were the sounds that rose and rung among the rafters of the crowded old log Town House of Guilford , as , for the first time for several years , a New Statesman and whig moderator was declared elected by a majority of the suffrages of the freemen . The next moment , the door was seen vomiting forth its throng of excited victors , who , as they reached the open air , joined the crowd eagerly awaiting the result at the entrance , and , with them , renewed and reiterated the glad shout , till the distant hills responded in loud echoes to the roar of the stentorian voices of the triumphant party . After a fortnight 's active exertions on the part of each of the opposing parties , in mustering and drilling their respective forces , preparatory to the approaching contest , in which both were equally confident of victory , though too sensible of the danger of losing it to remit any effort , the voters had assembled at one o'clock in the afternoon . After spending several hours in a disorderly and wrangling debate , in relation to the qualification of voters , which at last resulted in rejecting the test required by the charter , -- that of being a freeholder,-and in permitting every resident to vote , the ballots had been taken for moderator , or chairman of the meeting , when , as much to the dismay of the tories as the joy of their opponents , it was found that victory , in a majority of three , had declared for the latter , who thereupon testified their exultation in the uproarious manner we have described . After a while , the noise and tumult within the house was suddenly hushed , and the clear , deliberate tones of some new speaker addressing the assembly , became audible to those without the building ; while the attent and eager looks of those who stood listening in the crowded pass-way , plainly evinced that some important and exciting subject had been introduced . At length the voice ceased , and a new commotion ensued within .