Maybe hits.
They were inconvenient.
When things fall apart,
they gotta get rid of the lower hanging fruit to keep them from talking.
Original text is capital "G".
https://www.gjcity.org/259/The-Declaration-of-Independence#:~:text=But%20when%20a%20long%20train,Guards%20for%20their%20future%20security.
WHy?