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2. The Matthews men were all supporters of William Lyon MacKenzie, who was an ardent speaker at the meeting held at Thompson's Tavern on the Brock Road at the Fifth Concession. For almost thirty-five years they paid taxes to the Government of Upper Canada, collected by absentee landowner William Allan. These taxes were used solely for the support of urban, chiefly Anglican and Family Compact Government job-holders, for the roads around York and other government expenses. Nothing came back to the Township in the way of help, except a pittance for the upkeep of the Kingston Road, which transformed itself into a good plank road as soon as it traveled out of Pickering and into York. The toll-gate was a source of irritation to everyone passing over the Rouge Bridge. After the bank failure of 1835, and the electioneering of Sir Francis Bond Head in 1836, the Reform Party became bitter and desperate all the more. William Allan leased part of his land on the Brock Road South to the Greig, Lamoreaux and Gordon families who were all Loyalists and Orange sympathizers. These newcomers carried on raids against their northern neighbors and Matthews, with his friends carried off guns by force. During the fall of 1837, the Pickering Reformers, did a good deal of quiet target shooting on the farm of the Baptist clergyman, George Barclay. In December they were ready to respond to the call of MacKenzie to attempt to take control of the Government by force. Over three hundred men followed Peter Matthews to Montgomery's Tavern and sixty of them were sent back with him to the Don Bridge to burn the bridge and intercept the mails. MacKenzie was completely disorganized and following his defeat, Matthews, who had started to burn the bridge, fled into the Rosedale ravines. Here, he and his friends wandered for several days until they were forced by cold and hunger to walk to the home of a friend, James Duncan, close to the Pickering Townline. They had dinner and a good sleep. During the night the house was surrounded, Peter was surprised in his bed and although it is said that he threw his captor against the door, while he was still in bed, he was overcome. David was more fortunate and fled to Pickering and hid in a straw stack for several days until life was more secure. Peter and his companions were marched to the Gaol in Toronto and here he was condemned to death for treason. Approximately eight thousand people petitioned for the release of Lount and Matthews but to no avail. They were sentenced by Sir George Arthur, (whose secretary all durint this time was J. B. McAaulay, who owned 50 acres of wild land of the Matthew Lot 17, Con. 6, Pickering). Dr. Scadding the eminent Anglican historian of the period writes of their death, quoting from an eye-witness; "We saw Lount and Matthews walk out with the white cap upon their heads - on arriving at the fatal spot, although the steps were seven or eight, and the ascent almost perpendicular, they mounted the stairs without the least faltering: Lount first followed by the Sheriff; then Matthews and Deputy Mr. Baird. Some have thought Matthews did not ascend with the firmness displayed by his fellow-sufferer; but they do his memory injustice, for I was looking upon the motions of both with intense anxiety, to see whether each disgraced his name, or the cause in which he had forfeited his life, and there was not, to my vision, the slightest trepidation. Lount looked up and bowed to us; then kneeling upon the trap underneath one of the nooses, the cord was placed about their necks by the executioner, and the cap pulled over their faces. One of the clergymen, Mr. Richardson, made a prayer and in an instant after, these two heroic souls were ushered into eternity." "Their execution was a cruel, harsh and altogether unnecessary proceeding." The Matthews property was confiscated and Hannah, the sad widow, with all her children was left with nothing. One or two of the older ones remained and were married, (a Mrs. Worden of Acton was an older daughter), but Hannah took her remaining large family to the United States where they settled in Michigan. In 1849, the property was again returned to the family, who rented the same to David Matthews and other relatives, but it was subjected to many reshuffles and mortgages until finally it was sold in 1865 to the Stephenson family.