Show JoH I 4 4 11 4 s' s 4 fO BY Elmo Scott Watson i t The Salt Water Lexington EVI EVERY nY American knows the story of what took place at ton Mu Mass s. s on April 19 1775 where and fled tied the tI e British regulars fired But how v many matty of f them know the story of the salt snIt water Lexington Brit ish On June 17 7 Iii 1772 the armed BrU ish schooner which was patrolling patrolling pa pa- trolling the coast of Rhode Island t to enforce the trade and navigation acts acts so hateful to the American colonists col col- attempted to stop the Providence Provi dence deuce packet Hannah commanded by Captain LInzee and chased ed the col colonial vessel Into her home port war of-war went where the British man war man aground on a n sandbar That er e evening ng G- G picked men all aU disguised as Indians set out In eight longboats under the leadership lender leader ship of or Abraham WhIpple and amI arrived art ar- rived In sight of or the stranded Gaspe about two o'clock In the morning There were few firearms In the boats bonts but every man was well supplied with round paving stones for wen weapons pons and when a British Brit ish sentinel challenged them their reply was a hall hail of stones which ll sent sent him bim tumbling hastily below deck As the boats closed In on the ship their crews swarmed over o the side and quickly beat bent down any resistance resistance resistance resist resist- ance offered by the sailors of ot the Gaspe Then hastily s setting tire JO to I the ship they returned to their boats with their captives and pulled away awny but stayed staved within sl sight ht until dawn when the schooner blew up Then the they rowed back buck to Providence with the tide the tide released their prisoners prisoners pris pris- and scattered to their homes s. s The British authorities were furious furl furi ous when they heard of f this affair and offered a n reward of a thousand pounds pound forthe leader of the expedItion expedition expedition tion and five hundred pounds and a n afree afree free pardon for any any member of ot It who would turn Informers But although a commission of or Inquiry was busy for six months Investigating the affair not a n single arrest of the Indians who had committed this outrage was ever made And within the next year another another an an- other party of of Indians had swooped down upon the tea Dartmouth In Boston harbor and there held a lea party which has I been forever since famous Two Iwo years later Inter the Continental congress established th the tite first American Ameri Ameri- can navy find and one of the four cap captains talus appointed to command a 8 ship was Capt Abraham WhIpple leader lead tead er of or the paving pa stone lighters fighters at atthe atthe atthe the sa salt It water Lexington The Earliest Revolutionist LL honor to the hero heroes of t 70 76 A ALL honor ALL who brought about the Revolution tion fought in It and won von American fre freedom dom but dont don't forget torget the earlier revolutionists who paved the way for them theta One of or them died on the gallows and his death there In to the words of r a 8 recent historian was the primordial germ of ot the Ameri Amer can cnn revolt It antedated Le Lexington by 85 years cars but was wIs In a n way remote remote remote re re- re- re mote but certain Its forebear Jacob Jacoh was his name He ne was a Dutchman who lived tI In NewYork NewYork New York In the last part of the Sev- Sev century When James n II was deposed as ns king of ot England I New York which had be been n ruled by byan byan an absentee ruler the Duke of ot York brother of the king was without without with with- out a governor So the burghers rs met and appointed and appointed a n committee of safety since war with France was In in the oiling offing and chose Lesler to be captain of the fort Later It authorized him to act ct as governor until a 8 v ne new one should arrive and although he filled the office well welland welland welland and was recognized as governor by bythe bythe bythe the other colonies the aristocrats of New Y York k the English officers and their circle were bitterly hostile hostile hos hos- tile to him In 1689 the new English monarch King William sent a 8 notoriously drunken and Incompetent person named Slaughter to be governor and a lieutenant governor named In In- goldsby who Vho arrived In New York first The aristocrats Immediately lined up with them and he demanded that LeIsler hand band overto overto over oyer i to him bIm possession of ot the fort tort LeIs ler doubting his bis authority refused The result was that he was ar art rested for tor high treason as was Jacob Jacob Ja In Ja- Ja cob his son law and secretary They were tried before a court which was prejudiced against them and sentenced to be banged hanged hesitated to sl sign n the death warrant but the leaders lenders of the aristocratic party got him drunk and rid while he was In that condition con con- HUon he signed the papers without knowing what they were So LeIs ler and went to the scaffold scat scat- fold around which gathered the comm common m people weeping and crying aloud when they saw their claim charn going to their deaths From that day day grew a deep deel resentment against the tyranny of British rulers rulers rul rul- ers which was to burn brighter durIng durIng dur dur- durI I Ing lag the long dispute of the next cent century cen cen- t tury and which was destined to tomake tomake make ardent patriots of the th Dutch Dutell burghers of If New York city when hen the fire ire of or Revolution Hc flamed lamed out In 1775 So Jacob did not dl dlIn dIe In vain f 1831 1 Western Newspaper Union |