The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-05-20

! excitement ran high among the good citizens
of Providence to have one of their vessels
chased by man of war, or rather the cur dog
of man of war, they felt it to be stigma
upon their character, to which they could not
succumb
Soon was heard the laundering noise of old
! Peter Crooch, the town drummer. Peter was
i formerly drummer in the French war he
was chubby built fellow, about five feet three
inches high, and as to symmetry of form, he re-
sembled Florida duck; his coat was made of
cotton cloth, in those days called fustan; the
nap furze, long since worn off showing the
magnitude of each thread of the color of
leaf in December. When spread out it formed
a circle, except that the shears made straight
line across the bottom. His small clothes
were originally deer skin, but for the want of
the same material, to supply few vacancies
I which time and service had effected, his wife
nicely fitted in a part of the hide of one of the
bleating They extended just below the
point OF the knee, hiding but small share of the
faxen stockings which dame Crooch knit for her
jolly Peter His shoes, which were something
of the same hue of the patches in his breeches,
were confined to his feet by huge pair of sill
yer buckles which Peter said once belonged to
a French officer He would not exactly say
! that he took them from dead mans feet, but
| that the feet which once wore them would need
buckles no longer. His hat was real helmet
! a La Mancha; it was given him while in the
service by his captain, made Of real beaver,
round on the top, being originally cooked up,
but he had from time to time, cut and rounded
the brim as it cracked off in spots, until it had
but little more left than an old basin. His face
was round and much the color of his shoes,
occasioned by the bad whiskey furnished him
while in the service. One eye was sghtless,
covered with a white film, giving him the APP
pearance of quizzing those with whom he con-
versed Thus sailed forth blinkeyed, twad-
ding Peter, beating g to arms, to arms, through
/ the streets and lanes fanked by boys and idlers,
! which increased at every step, until, having as
sembled huge concourse Of children of every
are from five to seventy and five, he brought
! them to a stand still in front of broad shed,
erected at the end of one of the stores, where
Cor a moment he seemed to expend all his
wrath upon the head of his drum, and then
| ceased, and casting his eve to the top of the
shed, there appeared a tawny Narraganset In
dian, dressed in full costume. He fyst gave
shrill whoop, which attracted every eye; he
then commenced in good English" those who
feel disposed to 90 upon a secret, saucy expedl-
ton, that may possibly rive their necks tight
cravat, will appea. on Sheldons wharf this even
! ing, precisely at nine o'clock dressed as you
see me" turning round to exhibit his savage
vestment. He continued, "let none come ex-
| cept stout hearts, and blood to the back bone"
He vanished from their sight "Who was
that Indian ?"-dropped from mouths without
number, and no one could answer, but all sup
posed that Peter was able to crafty their curl
osity, and to the oft repeated question, Peter
with knowing twist of his sound eye, always
replied, " if the old man knows two things, he
will keep one for his own USE Before the
hour appointed, more than FIVE hundred persons
were on the wharf, and among them were many
I of the most active and influential citizens Of
Providence, who were very busy in examining
those who offered themselves for the expedition
They made short work of it, and soon were
sixty -four hale, saucy fellows which were ad-
Judged worthy to pass muster. They were
then placed in eight long boats, belonging to
the different vessels then lying at the wharves,
and in each boat was placed three or four bas-
kets full of paving stones. Thus equipped with
strong and steady pull at the oar, they Gid
ed swiftly down the river, and when within
! half a mile of the Gaspee, they received their
! instructions from one who, by common consent,
was considered commander-in chief of the ex-
petition. With mufiied oars they rowed silent
ly towards her, and when within a few rods
they were hailed by the sentinel on board, No
answer being given he discharged his piece,
and received IN return discharge of paving
stones, which caused him to make precpitate
retreat At this instant Capt Doddingson, the
deck, which was an inclined plane, somewhat
askew, asNhe vessel lay upon her beam ends,
and as the tide reccded, she partly rolled upon
her side.
This Capt Doddingson was as pert a little
! fellow as ever mounted an epaulette, we'll vers-
ed in the vocabulary of profane terms, he de-
manded the name of their leader. The an
swer he .celved was, " the sheriff of the coun-
| ty, of Kent" He again asked, " who have you
J e. 80 IrT,
/ have a curiosity to see your vessel" He
stormed and swore, that if they did not keep
aloof he would send them all to hell. Echo
soon rolled back from the rocky shore, " all to
( hell" A laugh from the boats, and the same
| Immediately from the shore, did not tend in the
least to calm his disturbed Imagination. He
discharged his pistol at the boats, the ball from
which, chucked into the water close by one of
( them. In acknowledgements for his compli-
ment, one of the party without orders, law or
right, returned the salute with an old queens
arm (Which one had observed,) the ball of
which struck the rcdoubtable Captain, not ex-
actly in the Hudibrastc seat of honor, but in
! the top of the thigh, which laid him sprawling
( upon the deck.
The crew of the Gaspee, consisting of twenty
seven persons, were soon on deck, but the
boats crew were on as soon, and a real knock
down battle ensued. Victory, however, soon
declared herself in favor of the assailants.
They then tied his Majesty's faithful sub
I ects, hand and foot, and lowered them into the
boats and pulled for the Pautuxet shore. The
last one who left the deck had applied torch
to some combustible materials on board, and as
! Capt Doddngson sat in the stern OF the boat,
grooming and Nnarting under the wounds,
which both himself and his beloved king had
that night received, one of his new acquaint-
ances, kindly intending to divert his attention
from his own painful reflections, by directing
his eye to an object, which now began to
exhibit beautiful and sublime appearance,
touched him gently on the shoulder, md point
ed towards the burning Gaspee. "This was
the unkindest cut of all, not solitary oath