The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-02-08
With expressions OF personal kindness.
"(by orlef-ol che FlrultyD
rH EARsTANI." q"
THE LAST or TIE TEA PARTY.

a large portion Of those who were cngag,
cl In tie destruction Of the Tea in the harLor
Of Boston, were disguised either by sort Of
lodisn Costume, or 10y Llrcking their faces
Al-hA- hLa--sl.s I--l--- ---7r-eyIyrvrr
o., aud boldly employed thoir hands without
coho-aiihs thoir faces from the bright light
Of the moon The uomci Of fhy uino Of the
parti ipNior- 10 the act have boon preserved
hut oo'y one of these, 90 far as IL il known is
stl living. This is David Kinuiston, now
OF Chicago, Ttnois, llc Is uov, IL alive, ia
his a4l A44A.-4 and Gneaail. cas-.
H. was horn on tho ! ,lh OF November,
1880, in Ola Kingston. Me, Soon sit,r, his
paseula remlsel 20 Droutwool, y, H., and
thCu-o in fuN yo1ra 20 Lebanon, AT whi, IA
place hc followed the business or iarmirg un-
I'll The commencement OF the revolutionary
war. He 10 descended from l0ng-livdd race.
His great grandfather who came from Eng
isad at az oariy day and settled 10 ale. lived
.4rs4- s...,i iitt- a.s-4i.lf.il.sf a.
,ninod the age Of ono hundred and twelve
years aud ten days his father died at tho ngc
Of onc hundred and three years and nine
months; his mother died while ho was
young,
T Tie had four wives mother OF whom is now
living he haG foar children by his 6rst wife,
none b5 the last two. lie was taught 10 read
aIorhc was Sixty years ofEgs, by Lis grand
daughter, and learned 10 sign his namc while
solder or The revolution-which is all tho
writing 40 hos ever accomplished.
He was one Of seventeen inhabitants of
Lebanon who, some tune previous TO the
Tea Earty, formed a club which held secret
meetings to deliberate upon the grievances
offered by the mother country These mcet-
ings were held at the tavern of one Colonel
Goodiug in a private room hired for the oc-
casion. The landlord, although true Amer
! lean was not enlightened as to the objects Of
their meeting Similar clubs were formed
/ in Philadelphia, Boston, aud the towns a
round, With these Tho Lebanon club kept
[ up n correspondence, and determined wheih.
cr assistance or not, to destroy tho tea AT all
hazards. They repaired to Boston, wherd
they were joined by others; and twenty-four
disguised as Indians, FASTENED on board twelve
arnied with muskets aud bayonets, the rest
with tomahawks and clubs, having first agreed
whatever the result, to stani by<aess-t other
, y the last and that the ir>; man who faltcr.
ed should he knocked on the head and thrown
overheard with the tea. They expected tc
have fight, and they did not doubt that nm
effort would be made for their arrest. But,
in the language of the old man, we cared nc
more for our lives than three straws and We
determined TO throw the tea overheard. We
were all captains and every man commanded
himself They pledged themselves in no e.
vent, while it should be dangerous TO do so
to rctoal the names of the party--a pledge
which was faithfully observed until tho war
OF the revolution was brought to successful
issue.
Mr. kinnison was in active service during
the whole of the war, only returning home
once from the time Of the destruction of the
tea until peace had been declared. Hc par.
ticipated in the affair at Lexington, and with
I his father and two brothers were at the bat
tie of Bunker Hill--Gll four escaping unhurt
tlo was also engaged in the siege Of Boston
the battles of Long Island, Rcd Bank, Whit,
Plains Fort Montgomery, and the skirmish
es on Long Island, Germantown, and Sarato
iga Springs, in which latter his company Of
scouts were surrounded and captured by a
bout three hundred Mohawk Indians. II,
remained prisoner with them ono yea,
and seven months, aboht tho end of whicl
time peace was declared Aftcr the war, h,
settled in Danville, Vt, and engaged in til,
old occupation Of farming. lie resided thor,
eight voars. and then removedro Wello /,