The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-05-06
APPENDIX l..

AN ACCOUNT oE THE CAPTURE AND THE
BURNING OF THE BRITISH SCHOONER GAS
PEE.
In the year 1772 the British Govern
ment had stationed at Newport, r. l., Il
sloop-or war, with her tender, the schoon-
er calle the Gaspee, Of eight guns, com
mande by William Duddingston, Il lieu
tenant in the British navy, lor the pur-
pose of preventing the clandestine land
ing of articles subject to the payment Of
duty. The captain ofthis schooner made
it his practice to stop and board all yes
sells entering or leaving the ports OF
Rhode Island or leaving Newport for
Providence. On the tenth day Of June,
l772, Captain Thomas li dsey left New
port in his packet for Providence about
noon, with the wind at north, and soon
after the Gaspee was under sail in pur-
suit of Lindsey, and continued the chase
us far as Namcut Point, which runs of
from the farm in Warwick, about seven
miles below Providence, and is now
owned by Mr. John B. Francis, our late
Governor. Lindsey was standing east
erly, with the tide on ebb, when he hove
about at the end of Namcut Point and
stood to the westward, and Duddingston,
n close chase, changed his course and
ran on the pointnear its end and ground
ed. Lindsey continued in his course up
the river, and arrived at Providence
about sunset, when he Immediately in
formed Mr.. John Brown, one of our first
and most respectable merchants, of the
situation of the Gaspee. He immediate
" concluded that she would remain i'm
movable until after midnight, and that
now an opportunity offered of putting an
end to the trouble and yeXation she
daily caused. Mr.. Brown Immediately
resolved on her destruction, and he forth
with directed one of his trusty shipmas-
ters to collect eight Of the largest long
boats in the harbOr, with five oars each,
to have the oars and rOwlocks mutfled to
prevent noise, and to place them at Fen
ner's wharf directly opposite the dwell
ing of Mr.. James Sabin, who kept a house
of board and entertainment for gentle
men, being the same house purchased a
few wears after by the late Welcome Ar
nolG, one of our enterprising merchants,
and is now owned by and is the resi-
dence of Colonel Richard ]. Arnold, his
son. About the time of the shutting of
the shops, soon after sunset, a man passed
along main street, beating drum and
informing theinhabitants of the fact that
the Gaspee was aground on Namcut
Point, and would not float off until three
o'clock the next morning, and inviting
those persons who felt disposition to
20 and destroy that troublesome vessel
to repair in the evening to Mr. James
Sabin's house About O'Clock / took
my fathers gun and my powder horn
and bullets and went to Mr.. Sabin's and
found the southeast room full OF peo lie,
where loaded my gun, and all remained
there till about ten o'clock, some casting
bullets in the kitchen, and Others making
for departure, when orders
were given to cross the street to Fenner's
wharf and embark, which soon took
place, and sea captain acted as steers
man of each boat, of whom | pecOllect
Captain Abraham Whipple, Captain John
b. Hopkins with whom | embarked)
and Captain Benjamin Dunn. A line
from right to left was soon formed, with
CAPTAIN Whipple on the right and Cap
tain Hopkins on the right of the left
wing. The party thus proceeded till
within about sixty yards of the Gaspee,
when sentinel hailed, Who comes
there?" No answer. He hailed again,
and no answer. In about minute Dod-
dingston mounted the starboard gunwale
in his shirt, and hailed, who comes
there ?" No answer. He hailed again,
when Captain Whipple answered as fol-
lows: lam the Sheriff of the county of
Kent, God damn you. | have got war
rant to apprehend you, God damn you;
so surrender, God damn you" | took
nv seat on the main thwart, near the lar
board row-lock, with my gun by my right
side and facing forwards. As soon as
began to hail, Joseph Buck
lin. who was standing on TIE main thwart
Dy nv right side, said; "Eph, reach me
your gun; | can kill that fellow" /
reached il to him accordingly, when,
luring Captain Whipple'sreplying, Buck
lin exclaimed: 81 have killed the ras-
,al |" In less time than a minute after
Captain Whipple's answer, TIE boats
we're alongside of the Gaspee, and she
was boarded without opposition. The
men on deck retreated below as Dud-
1ingston entered the cabin. As 1t was
discovered that lie was wounded, John
Mawney, who had for two or three years
been studying physic and surgery, was
ordered to 90 into the cabin and dress