He soon heard some commotion outside and the movement of feet toward the mill house and presumed that Husband had arrived. Ethan had no trouble looking over the heads of others and saw the leader of the Regulators walk in, accompanied by several other men. He was a stocky man, not much more than five feet tall but weighing about two hundred pounds. He had a florid face and piercing eyes, and paused just inside the door to become accustomed to the darker interior and to look around for familiar faces. One of those he recognized was Henry.

During this half minute or so, the crowd opened enough to form a passageway from the door to the sacking platform just below the main millstone. Then Husband moved forward with measured steps, not speaking but nodding briefly to several other men he seemed to know. Without hesitation, he mounted the three steps, turned, and looked down into the upturned faces of the crowd. With slow and deliberate movements he removed his slouch felt hat, exposing a snow-white forehead and a full head of reddish hair, wiped his face with a bandanna, and replaced his hat. When he finally spoke, it was with a surprisingly low voice, requiring that his audience be exceptionally quiet. He seemed somewhat timid and ill at ease, but was clearly in charge of the meeting.

“I’m glad to see so many of you here, and want to thank Brother Maddock for letting us use his mill house as a meeting place. Let me introduce Charles Robinson of Anson County and Christopher Nation of Rowan County. They are substantial farmers and good men, as all those who know them will attest. Also, I want to acknowledge the presence of Mr. Edmund Fanning, a well-known local attorney, who I understand is here to represent Governor Tryon as his secretary.”

Everyone turned to look at Mr. Fanning, a wealthy man who owned a large house in Hillsborough and was influential around the courthouse. Ethan and Henry had not noticed the nondescript man before, but now saw him in a corner, trying to look at ease as he leaned against a wall stud. He nodded his head slightly and ostentatiously opened a notebook, to indicate that he would be making entries throughout the meeting, taking note of each person and then apparently writing down his name or some description.