Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-01-01

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then dissolved the meeting. The wal
whoop had, in the mean time, bee
sounded; and about fifty persons, dis
guised as Indians, hurried to Griffin
(now LiverpcoD Wharf, near the foot Q
Pearl Street, bearded the ships, and Il
three hours time had broken and empti
ed into the dock three hundred and for
ty-two chests of tea, valued at f1S,0Ot
Joshua Wyeth, at that time Il journey
man blacksmith, and one of the actor
in the affair, related in 1927 the follow
ing particulars to Rev. Timothy Flint
'It was proposed that young men, no
much known in town, and not liable t.
be easily recognized, should lead in tn
business. Most of the persons selectet
for the occasion were apprentices ant
journeymen, not a few of them, as wa
the case with myself, living with tor,
masters. had but few hours warn
ing of what was intended to be done
Our-anumbers- were between twenty
eight and thirty. OF my associates,
only remember the names of Frothing
ham, Mead, Martin, and Grant. w,
first talked Of firing the ship; but w,
feared the fire would communicate t,
the town. We then proposed sinking
them; but We dropped this project
through fear that we should alarm th,
town before we could get through will
it. We had observed that very few per.
sons remained on board the three ships
and we finally concluded that we weul(
take possession of them, and discharge
the tea into the harbor without danger
or opposition. The greatest objection
to our plan was, THAT it would take sucl
a length of time to carry it throgh, ant
render us more liable to detection. tt
prevent being recognized, we agreed tc
wear ragged clothes, and disfigure our
selves as much as possible. We were
dressed to resemble Indians; our face.
were smeared with SCOT or lamp black
and we should not have known each
other, except by our voices. We sure
ly resembled devils from the bottomless
pit rather than men.
At the appointed time, we met by
agreement in an old building at The head
of the wharf, and fell in, one after an
other, as if by accident, so as not to ex-
cite suspicion. We placed one sentry al
the head of the wharf, one in the mid
die, and one on the bow of each vessel
as we took possession. We boarded the
ship, which was moored to the wharf
and the leader of our company,in very
stern and resolute manner, ordered the
captain and crew to open the hatchways
and hand US the hosting tackle and
ropes. The captain asked what we in
tended to do. The leader told him that
we were going to unload the ships of
tea, and ordered him and the crew be-
low, assuring him that if they ebeyed no
harm was intended them. They instant
ly ebeyed. Some of our number jumped
into the hole, and passed the chests to
the tackle. As they were hoisted on
deck, others knocked them open with
axes, and others raised them to the rail-
ing, and discharged their contents over
board. All that were not needed for
discharging the tea from this ship went
on board the others, and warped them
into the wharf, where the ceremonies
were repeated. While we were at worl,
the people collected in great numbers
about the wharf, to see what was going
on. They crowded about us, so as to be
much in our way. Our sentries were
not alarmed ,and could not stop any one
who insisted on passing. They were
particularly charged to give us notice
in case any known tory came down to
the wharf. We were merry in an un-
dertone, at the idea of making so large
a cup of tea for the fishes, but were as
still as the nature of the case would ad-
NIT. No more words were used than
were absolutely necessary. Our most
intimate acquaintances among the spec
tators had not the least knowledge of us
We stirred briskly in the business from
the moment we left our dressing-room,
and were so expeditions that, although
it was late in the evening when we be-
gun,we had discharged the whole cargo
before morning."
The account given by George Robert
Twelves Hews. in the "Traits of the Tea
Party" furnishes other facts. He says
it was bright moonlight night, and
that the company was divided into three
parties, with captain and boatswain to
each. His party, led by Lendall Pitts,
boarded one of the brigs, and requested
of the mate the use of few lights and
the briggs keys,which were handed over
without hesitation; and no injury was
done to the vessel, or to the other arti-
cles of her cargo. Everything was done
decently and in order land even a small
paddock, that had been broken, was re-
placed by another. One or two persons
detected in secreting some of the tea up
on their persons, were roughly handled.
An inspection took place after regain
ing the wharf ;and all the tea men were
ordered to take their shoes off,and emp
ty thcm,which was supposed to be done.
Pitts then took command, formed the
party in order, marched back into town
to the music of the fife; and then all
went quietly to their homes. Hewes
thought that from one hundred to one
hundred and fifty persons were more or
less actively engaged. He relates, that
as they marched by the house of a tory
named Coffin, at the head of the wharf,
Admiral Montagu, who stood at the
window, exclaimed swell, boys, you
have had fine pleasant evening Tor
your Indian caper, haven't you? But
mind you have got to pay the fiddler
yeti" "Oh! never mind, shouted Pitts
''never mind squire! just come out here,
if you please; and We'll settle the bill in
two minutes!' The crowd shouted, the
fifer struck up lively air, the Admiral
put the window down in a hurry; and
the company marched on.
The last survivor of the tea party ,Da-
vid Kinnison, died at Chicago in 1852 AT
the great age of one hundred and fifteen
He was one of seventeen inhabitants of
Il. l. ]