Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1832-11-01


shown to us the other day, containing a
saucy attack upon the committee Of the
General Assembly appointed to inquire
into the charges against masonry and
masons in this state; particularly upon
Benjamin Hazard, Esq. its chairman
The public has long been disguised with
the impudent abuse which such papers
seem to make it their sole business to
propagate--and no one who is made the
subject of it ever thinks of paying anv
sort Of attention to it. In his present at
tempt, the caitif hopes to attract some at
tention to his libel by tacking to it sto-
ry in writing which he has procured to
be signed by Mr.. Bethuel Penniman,
Of New-Bed(ord. Having mentioned
this Penniman story to MIR. ii. he gave
us the following account of the circum-
stance out Of which it has grown, viz
That some time last fall or winter, Doct.
Benz. w. Case came to his house in the
evening and told him that there was then
at Mr.. N. Hassard's, MIR. Pcnniman,
butcher from New Bedford, whom he
was anxious Mr.. Ii. should see, as he
knew some important facts respecting the
conduct Of freemasons in his quarter
MIR. II. observed that they had nothing
to do with the lrcemasons in Massachu-
sets, and that it would be useless for
him to see the man.-But being further
importuned by the Doctor he accompa-
nicd him to Mr.. Hassard's house and
there found Penniman setting by the fire
in the bar room with several other per-
sons. Mr. Hazard himself stranger to
Pcnni,nan, neither thinking it decent nor
choosing there to question the man about
charges which according TO DIR. Casc)
he might have to make against his alb
sent neighbors or fellow citizens, re-
questcd to speak with him in another
room. He there told Mr. p that he had
called to see him at the request of Doct
Case, and mentioned to him what the
DR.. had said:-That Pcnniman express
ing n readiness to tell what he knew, Mr.
II. borrowed pen and ink and upon the
blank part of letter which he happened
to have in his pocket, took down the
heads Of P's story, who, it being read to
him, said it was correct; and that this was
all that passed between them except bid
ding good night'-.Mr II. not dreaming
Of asking Pcnniman to sign his name to
such memorandum, much less Of swear.
ing him to it, which he had no manner Of
right or authority to do:-That the story
then told by p. was the same in sub
stance as that contained in the ncwspa-
per alluded to, viz:-That himself PEN
niman) and several others, and .ur Wm
Brown (Penniman styled him) had a
conversation together in the year 1880,
in the market house in Bedford, ,up-
on the subject Of masonry and anti-ma-
sonry; and that Mr. Brown then told
them that several years before, he had
been arrested for breaking open the store
of VIM. y. Crocker, and should have
been in the State prison if the officer who
had him in custody, and who was bro
ther mason, had not allowed him to es-
cape. This is the sum Of tho story.
The language (according TO Pcnniman's
newspaper letter. in which it was prefac-
ed by his Mr. VIM. Brown, was beaslly
and profanc in the extreme, such as you
might expect felon to use, but could not
expect a decent man TO listen to; much
less repeat at full length, in letter for
publication.
Il Mr. ii. mentioned to us that had he
found that Penniman, of his own know
ledge, knew of any criminal act which
had been kept from the knowledge Of the
proper magistrates, it was his intention
to have communicated the fact to some
magistrate or States Attorney in Massa-
chusetts; but that when he had noted
down what p. had TO tell, it was palpable
that il would have been perfectly riJicu
lous for him to make formal communi-