The Insurrection in Greenwood, New York, which made the front page of The New York Times, took place in February of 1882 when citizens of Greenwood, New York, resisted the seizure and sale of property to pay for bonds that were attained to build the Rochester, Hornellsville, and Pine Creek Railroad. After potential buyers were threatened with firearms, and some were seriously injured, New York Governor Alonzo Cornell proclaimed on February 11, 1882 that an insurrection existed in Greenwood. Some property was successfully sold in February and March, and the governor lifted the proclamation in June. Background The Rochester, Hornellsville, and Pine Creek Railroad had articles of association filed on March 30, 1871 in New York and the company was formed according to the railroad laws of the state. It planned to build a railroad line from Hornellsville to the New York–Pennsylvania state line. Greenwood, population 1,400 in 1882, and other communities through which the line would run, borrowed money to pay for the railroad construction. In Greenwood's case the sum was $30,000 (); Hornellsville borrowed $70,000 and West Union $41,000. Work on the railroad ended with the Panic of 1873, which brought railroad bankruptcies and bank failures. The railroad was never built, and Greenwood had "nothing to show for its bonds except a few miles of inexpensive grading." In 1872, the town of Greenwood was bonded for $30,000, but a judge of the Court of Appeals found that the bonds were illegal in November 1873 because commissioners violated an agreement about ensuring it was legal. The jubilation of the people of Greenwood over this decision was short lived, as the New York Legislature passed a law in May 1874 legalizing the acts of the commissioners. The insurrection Greenwood paid interest on the loan until 1874, when the entire principal was due. In order to repay the loan, a tax of $8,000 was imposed on the citizens of Greenwood. Since they had been "defrauded and robbed", the residents refused to pay it, although they continued paying county and state taxes. Most of the people in Greenwood were very bitter and made threats of injury or death. From 1878 to 1882, there were several unsuccessful attempts to sell lots to pay for the debt, but in the process, several would-be purchasers were seriously injured. The tax collector in February of 1878 offered for sale several lots of personal property which had