Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-05-17

to fragments, and piled the fragments
in front of Abraham Montague's house
in Broadway, near Murray street, where
the Liberty Boys usually held their
meetings. The next day meeting of
upward of three thousand citizens was
held In the Park, and resolutions of in
dlgnatlon and reprisal were adopted.
This brought on the "battle of Golden
Hill" fought at the intersection Of
John and Pearl streets, in which six or
seven persons were severely wounded
"A battle which antedates the Boston
massacre by two months, and Lexing-
ton by five years. A new liberty pole
was Immediately afterward erected,
strongly ironed and surmounted with a
topmast and vane, on the latter the
word I" Liberty" being conspicuous in
large letters. More than once w hin
the year the soldiers endeavored to I'M
ship the topmast, but in vain.
In May, 1870 the citizens held meet
ing In the Park in opposition to impor
tation of British goods, and in the next
month quantity of British goods that
had been seized by the Sons Of Liberty
were publicly burned here. Here,
also, after the Liberty Boys had boarded
Capt. Chambers vessel, in April, 1874,
and emptied his tea into the waters of
the harbor, the people met IN triumph,
while the canon pealed their victory,
and the flag on the liberty pole waved
farewell amid exultant Oh GERS of the
colonists.
Events now began to thicken and to
grow more stirring. A great meeting
was held in the Fields, July 6, 1774, in
opposition to the act of Parliament,
known as the Boston Post Act. At the
meeting fiery young West Indian, a
boy Of seventeen, who was student in
Kings College (afterward Columbia),
made an impassioned address to the
populace. It was his first appearance
in public, and the people who asked
his name were told that he was Alex
ander Hamilton. All through this
year and the next meetings were held
in the Park on the affairs of the day,
and on Sunday morning, April %, Its,
when the news Of the battle of Licking
ton came, an impromptu meeting was
held at the Liberty pole, and the mob
led by Capt. Isaac Sears proceeded to
sack the arsenal at Wall and Broad
streets and seize the Custom House and
general stores.
A day or two subsequently public
meeting of citizens placed the govern
ment of the city in the hands of COM
mittee of one hundred, events marched
rapidly. In July, 1776 an army of H.
600 American troops, under Washing
ton, occupied the city. News came
that the Congress sitting at Philadelphia
had declared the United States free
and independent. The whole COM
munity were electrified. The troops
were ordered out on the commons on
the 9th of July, formed into hollow
square, and the Declaration of indie
pendence was read to them by one Of
Washington's aides, the Commander
in-chief being present in person.
Hearty cheers were given at the con-
clusion of the reading, and then, as the
Continental troops marched up Broad
way, the people started for the Bowling
Green and finished the days entertain
ment by pulling down the leaden statue
VI AlIS O0OISo dlll llcWlllS IL 1uCO lag
ments.
The British re-occupied the city in
September, 1776, and one of the first
acts Of the brutal Provost Marshal,
Capt. Cunningham, was to have the
liberty pole cut down. It was reared
again, however, on the day the British
left New York, and the old flag of col
onial days waved from it's summit
while Cunningham marched down
Broadway under a strong guard, and
amid the groans of the people he had
prosecuted.
Many changes have passed over the
Commons since then. The Poor
house gave way to the present City
Hall in 1903. The Bridewell, which
stood between the Poorhouse and
Broadway, was taken down in 1889
The Provost Prison is the present Hall
of Records. Each of these buildings
had its graveyard adjoining, and be-
sides, there was the negro burying
ground at Broadway and Chambers
street, a desolate, unsig htly place, which
school boys avoided at night.
ooh Shoot that Hat pa Remark that
Cost Baltimore Husband $3.50.
From the Baltimore Gazette.
nm