Litchfield enquirer., 1855-01-25
THE STATUE OF GEORGE M.

Green, New York, we copy from the proof
sheets of Mr.. HoLLlsrgR's forthcoming
History of Connecticut. The sketch will
possess peculiar interest for our readers
from the fact that the event took place in
our own village and was participated in by
persons who are still remembered by the
mass Of our fellow-citizens:
There is an incident connected with Litch-
field, that is worthy of notice here, as it H.
illustrates the character of our people, and the
part that the mothers and daughters of tina,
generation, played in tie drama of the rev.
oiutfon.
General Wolcott, who was member ct
the Continental Congress, and signer of
the Declaration of independence, was res
'ident OF Litchfeld, and spent his congress-
lonal vacations at home in answering the de-
-mands made for troops upon the northwest
-ern part of the State, by Washington, Put
man,. and Cites.
On the 2lst of August, ITO, the birth
day of Prince Frederick, the father of George
the third, an equestrian statue of his maies-
ty was erected in New York, on the Bow
ling Green, near Fort George. The statue
was made principally Of lead, but was the
work OF Wilton, celebrated statuary of
London, and was very elegant and richly
glded, so that it had the appearance of be-
ing solid gold. The ceremony of its cree
ton was the occasion Of much fpstivity in
New York. The kings council, the city
corporation, the chamber of commerce, and
the marine society, as well as the gentlemen
of the city and army, paid their respects to
observation-disclosures Golden at the fort, by
special invitation, and drank the ''hins's
healAh" under the inspiring influences of
music. and the discharge Of thir,y-two pie
ces of cannon from the Battery. No doubt
after the fifth bumper, these gentlemen were
loyal enough to have drank Immortality to
the statue, as well asto the king But sad
as the reflection may be, it is none the less
true, that, although by the theory of the
iBfn.sf. constitution the king never dies, yet
the works Of mems hands are perishable,
and the features Of royalty fade even from
brass and iron, to say nothing Of the more
impresslhle metals that may sometimes with
more propriety, represent sceptred sover-
eighty. The eighteenth century was re-
ma-kable for its desire TO look beneath the
surfaces of things, and appears, &c: long
after the statue was placed, to have begun,
even in New York, to make very irreger-
ent application Of the maxim, call is not
gold that gIitters." 1t is quite likely that
one of the very first experiments was made
upon this Statue and rhat the qualities of the
metal were tested in the year 1873, with that
corrosive acid first discovered in Connecti-
cut, and afterwards constantly carried in the
pockets of those peripaietlc philosophers.
called " SeNs OF LIBERTY" Had it not
been so, it ia not likely that we should find,
under date Of the 9th Of February, Of that
year, an act entitled an act - to prevent the
'deCdcing Of statues, which are erected in the
city of New York;
Under the protection Of this statute, the
equestrian king, with the exception OF the
ordinary wear of time, seems TO have con-
tinued to bestride, his charger, and to have
met the morning sun with countenance
equally golden, until the year l776.
On the night Of the eleventh Of July,
seven days after the Declaration of indie
ipendeHce had been given to the world, the
b." Sons OF LIBERTY" paid his majesty "a
visit in good earnest. They treated him
with shocking familiarity. A gentleman
who stood near enough to witness the inter.
view, after the party in attendance had as
sisted the king to alight, could not torbear
eKcaiming in the words of the Angel to
Lucfer:
'" If thou best he-but ali !! how fallen, how
changed -
What they did with the king. where they
carried him, aud what was the fate of one.
who by the laws OF the country that he gov
.e-ned, could not be allowed to die, was for
long time mystery The next morning
the pedestal was in its old place, but the
horse and his rider were gone. In vain might
the loyal British governor search for them,
and in vain might the tories of the city shed
tears, as they looked the town and country
cover to restore to its place the presiding ge-
MUS ot'the Battery. That benigaant face
never beamed uponthem again.
Meanwhile, not like Cardinal Wolsev, BY
easy stages. but rather like General Putnam,
by forced marches, ana doubtless under COW
or Of darkness, the monarch was led away
into Connecticut. lie was taken far inland
over rough country aud made to climb
high hills. They finally committed him to
tthe care Of General Wclcott, who was proba-
bly, at home, and ready to receive his kinrly
guest with his usual courtiy hospitality, not
long after the eleventh of July.
The fate of the statue is briefly told. Cen
eral Wolcott treated it's ponderous masses
as military stores. He caused shed to be
built to-the broken statue in the apple orch
ard near his house, and chopped i, up with
an axe into pieces Of a convenien, size to
be melted into bullets, that the kings troops,
in the words Of Mr. Hazard, might g have
melted majesty fred at them" The ac-
count current, that will be found in the sub
joined note,, is full Of meaning, and will
-
This account is in the handwriting of Gov
Wolcott, and is as follows:
Mrs Marvin, 5456c dyes
- 81" on former account, 2G02
- CO.'S
Ruth Marvin on fnrmer account, 6204
Not Gent to courthouse, ii9 packs, 1893
Laura, on former acconnt I2ha
Not sent 10 courthouse, 81 packs, il2S
1878
Mary Ann, on former account. 57e2
Not cent % the cour,-hnus, H. pack,