The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1850-07-18
prr 1lAriiER BYLEs.

REv ElATHER BYLEs.
s.x,on Of the Old School, " no furnishes the
p.,.,or Transcript with highly entertaining Arti-
.,s. under the caption or "Dealings with the
ns.a- y cives an account Of the Rev. Mather Byies
who nnnistsred in the Hollis street church from
1885, to Is16 He seems 10 have been more IN
veterate Joker than the Rev. Sidney Saith.
A. ho was once occupied in mailing some Aes
,aeon hi. doors, to exclude the cold, parishoner
10 him--ss,he wind bloweth wheresoever =
III, Dr. Byies.. "Yes sir" replied the "
tend man hste,h, whcresoevsr the wina 0io"
eth"
He was intimate with General Knox, who was
bookseller before the war. When the .Anies.-
can troops took possession OF the 20" s''s, .ao
evacuation. Knox who had become quite corPu-
lsn,- marched in at the head ofhis artillery. ~
IL nsssed on. B.les, who thought himself privil-
a.-sJ IN old scores. exclaimed loud enough to be
hsnrl.-s.I never saw an OK fatter in my hte.''
m, Knox q. not in the vein. He felt offended
Nv ,his freedom, especially from Byles, who was
then well known 70 Dc tory; and rep ai IN un'
In NAV, l777, Dr.. Byles was arrested, as TO-
~. and subsequently, tried convicted and sentenc-
ed 10 confinement, on board guard ship. and TO
be sent to England with his family, in forty days.
This sentence was changed, BY the board OF war,
to confinement, in his own house. guard was
placed over him. After time the sentinel was
renoved-afterw ards replaced-and again re-
moyed-when ,he Dr.. exclaimed, tina. he had
been neutrality-suspicious. disregardsd. He
called his sentry his observatory.
perceiving one morning, that the sentinel, q
simple fellow was absent, and seeing DR.. Bylcs
himself, pacing before his own door, with mus
ket on his shoulder, the neighbors stepped over
TO inquire the cause--"You see,' said the Dr,
~ begged the sentine TO let me 60 for some milk
4 Erar me- n
reasoned the matter with him; and he has gone,
himself, TO get il for me, on condition that Keep
guard in his ABSENCE
When he was very poor, and had no money
waste in follics, he caused the little room, IN
which he read and wrote, to be painted brown;
that he nigh, say 10 every visitor-"You see l
am in brown study
One bitter December night, he called his
daughters from their bed, simply toinquire itthey
Law warm.
He had a small collection Of curiosities.
Some visitors called one morning, and Mrs.
Byles, unwilling to be found at her ironing board,
and in the emergency. desiring to hide herself,
as she would not be so caught by these ladies
for the world, the DR.. put her in closet and
tu,toned her in. Alter few remark Il, !, the ladies
expressed wish to see the DIS curosities,
which he proceeded to exhibit; and, after enter
tanning them very agreeably, tor several hours,
he told them he had KEEP, the greatest curiosity
10 the last; and, proceeded to the closet, unbu.-
toned the door. and exhibited Mrs. Byles.
He had c, implanted, long, often, and fruiiless-
ly to the seectmen. OF qnagmire in front OF his
dwelling. One morning, two Of the fathers of
the town after violent rain, passing with their
chaise, became struck in this bog. As they were
striving to ex,rica,e themselves, and pulling to
the right and TO the left, the DR.. came forth, and
bowling with great poIiteness, exclaimed-''I am
delighted, gentlemen, to see You stirring in this
matter at last.''
Upon the 18th of May, 1880. the memorable
dark day, lady wrote to the Dr.. as follows
"Dear Dr., How do you accoun, for this dark
ness?" and received this immediate reply
"Dear Madam, am as much in the dark as
yon are.''
From The time Of the stamp act, in l765, TO the
period of the revolution, the cry had been repeat
ed in every form Of phraseology that our grew
ances should be redressed, One fine morning
when the multitude had gathered on the common
to see regiment ofred coats paraded there, who
had recently arrived-"Weli,"s id the DR. gaz-
ing at the spectacle. 81 think that we can now
no longer complain, that our grievances are not
red dressed, "Truc,'' said one Of the laughers
who were standing near, Shut you have t,co d.,
DR.. Byles.. "To be sure sir, have" the Dr..
instantly replied, 81 had them from Aberdeen,
in 1906"