The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-30


upon Leisler's own grounds and IN full view of
his country seat. " Mat have DONE said
been tut In the service OF my king and queen
aud for the Protestant cause, and for the good
ofmy country" As
THE DROP FELL.
the populace rusned forward with shrieks and
cries 10 snatch some relic Of their tnartyred
leader, and not long after they had the pleasure
Of following his remains In state to burial in
Garden street Church-the Attainder OF treason
having been revoked. Lelsler and Milborno
were the first victims OF oppression and the
p,oncers Of the men who gave their lives Tor
freedom &C injury afterward.
. Under English rule the Park was known a. the
commons t"cing mart OF the common lands
granted To the city 10y the charter and subse.
qncntly as tue Fields. A the name denotes, it
was merely an open pasture. where cattle could
iced, aud hvailttlc Tor any purpose of public as
semtlages or military cncampmeut. Before the
close OF tue seventeenth century, 4 rude block
house had been erected at tie southern end OF
the latk, whici la 1879 was converted into u
temporary prison. Subsequently this distp-
peared, and the tract was unoccupicd save by
pubic celebrations Of the Kings birthday, Guy
Faw kc-'s Day, aud all occasions that warranted
nun ON the site Of the present City Hal, and
Edl'"w-, plllory ctsc, whipping post and duck.
ace lmmudatIo1 of truants. thieves, = Ierers,
tralnp.. aud other offenders. 70 these were
udle4 the Provost Prison (nOW the italI OF Rec.
nrist huiit 1ist prior - tho Revolution, ana
tne iitidewciL erected subsequently.
E..,en wears before the ha, T. Of Lexington.
IA I''l, I'm indisnant throns OF peo lie seized the
-. ss gang nuat deliberately bore II ~ broad
wy tV tue Fields. end there
PUBtICLN BURNED IT.
That was their own protest against the tyranny
mt tore inca nom home and occur alton.
re gangs dit not do much business in the
ciii uiterwari. This was the first time the p-o-
pie OF New Nurk felt tpcir strength Next wear
tncy were ready t. stand together to- The com
mon cause. On the lrst day Of November, lIUj,
an iinmCh-e popular meeting was held IN the
Fields IN OBS ositlun TO the stamp act. A scaf-
fold was erected aud Lieut.. Gov. CadNallaa,r
Golden Was burned IN effisy. lie next hlrAt
another mass held In the
place. and the crowd pressed down Broadway T.
cst the STAMPS when were ia posse.sinn OF t,oy
Golden and then INSIDE tue tort. The moo dared
the soldiers to fire on theto. and finally brought
out the GnNVruors sta;c coach. L r. down the
wooden rdlllu-s that enclosed tn HlWltus
or en-, made bonfire Of the material aud left
nothing but the ashes OF Colden'- handsome
sh'"lh- tnc hfltish coinmlndant elegant coun-
Try eat az what Is now the corner Of worth
street md West broadway. Trr.,upon tie
Fl inlis we're delivered W To the Ma,urAud Con.
mon Council and peace again reignea.
ne "nno Aious s,anp act - REP, led ~ 1903.
anu ui rue next nhtndHy OF the hiug. June 4.
the ucuple hAd grand celenrA ion GA the Iuni-
mons An * was roasted whole. and the me-t
wa washed do~n 10y a hussheld OF rum and
twenty-five barrels of strong beer. At sue
unr 10 rty poewas erected on the Commons
nemeuto and trophy. The soldiers mere
alwri jeal Dus OF this monument OF the pe0pic's
power, sud were especially incensed b,ca .sr on
the colonial MAJ TO the top Of tue poll. while a
small cannon Al It's foot echoed every .un from
cOdis that the nag must come down. Accord
lnEly, on the lJth Of August patty II sol ier-
from the barracks that were errc'ed cong
down tar hlerN tuie. Iuc next Ht-at tac O. 90
pie adhered 90 erect another poe, hid wer.
zra- were severely wounded, nut they Icr-r-
vered, ana thc colonial hag once more waved
~ ri iiuph over toe Feils.
ON the I'D OF September, 1895. the second polo
W., cnt down qui,tit IA the dead II uisut uy
unhu'"n putic-. Two DAYS atterward is tuiri
tplr ~ - erected, winch IN tsrn WAS dcstrut ed
Matcn l., 100. Tue next day mast wa, erected,
soclr, bi traces ami iron bands, ana is base
set 10 guard IT, ine soldier- made repeated At
Temps To destroy u. j. II the sons II Laocrty,
who were tdi.Y or- tu,Lvd At tais Il e., we've ga
tue alert and successfully prevented lts d-.,rdc-
tion.
Another great mss meeting was held in the
FieiGs Dee. Il, 1901, ana It's action wa- beneficial
III putting on tuc evil day Ot an open out Ireak.
In Jalu ry. NV, tho brttish soldier, mails re-
peated attempts 10 cut down tue liberty pole,
bit were TepAI,ed hAth the nisht 81 jan Ii,
wnen thr' were successful Ga t"at nich. -
pal,y u tie sixteenth Regiment
CUr down TnE POLF,
chopped II into fragments, aud piled the frlg-
lnents IN 'front.' of Ahrdn IN AOntague's house IN
Bro tdyay. near Murray street vfrfa he l. nrfv
10y usgaltv held their meetings. The II LAY
q meeting OF upward Of three thousand citiz MS
was he!i IN the PARK, and resolutions vi inuig-
on tho =" D. THE 81 Golden liiil," fought ~ tue
OF Joan ana Pear, streets, IN waicn
SIX or seven persons were severely wouuded--a !
battle which antehates the boston massacre by /
two munsns, ana Lexington by ave years. A
Low nbtfty pole WAS lnmtllIttlE dfttrwtTl
erected, strongly iroued and surmuuuted with /
topnast aud vane, On the latter the word Lib /
euy beng CONSPICUOUS IN large letters. More /
tnhn once WITHIN tue year the soldiers endeLV- |
ured 10 unehip the tOpna-t, but IA vain.
In May, li,1 the citizens held meeting Ia the /
Park in opposition TO impurtatiOu- %, IL Irish /
goods, ana IN the next month a auant,ty 81 /
British goods that had been seized ty tbe SOILS |
ot Liberty were publicly burned here. Her.
$50, after the Liberty Boys mad boarded Cat. /
CDambcrs's vessel, ia April, li1i aud emftcd /
hls tea into the waters Of tie haroOr, the people
A. "a "a fla a.4Hl 4r ft..tr
victory, and the flag on the liberty pole wavtd a
farewell amid exultant cheers OF the coionists.
Events now began to thicken and grow more
stirring. great meeting was held in tae Fiei Is,
Jdly d., liii, IN opposition TO the act Of ra.lil-
nent, known as the Boston Port Act. At tnis
meeting merry young West Indian, boy Of
seventeen, VINO WAS "a student IN Kings COLLEGE,
arerwHfd Columoial, made an impassoncd
address 10 tho populace. II was ms mr. 4 app" 'f-
hnce IN pubic, ana people vino a-hed his u.uie /
were told Ga L ne was Alexander Hamilton. All
trough this year and toe next meetings were
heu In the Park on the AFFAIRS ~ the day, and
N sunday morning, April %, l17j, when the
news Of the battle Of Lexington came, AN M
iromptu meeting was held at the liberty pole.
lnd the moo, led bYCapt. Isaac Sears proceeded
Ind seize the Custom House and general stores.
THE COMMITTEE OF oNE HUNDRED.
4 day or two subsequently public meeting OF
ntlZens placed the government Of tue city in
he hands Of "A committee OF one hundred,
events marched rapidly, In July, i.16, an army
II IluOU American troops, under Washington.
occupied mo ci,y News came thlt the Cpnsress
states free and INDEPENDENT. The whole COM
nunitN was electrified. Inc troops were ordered
,ut GA the commons on the 9th OF July, formed
nto hollow square, and the Declaration OF Inde-
Dcndence was read 20 them by one 81 Washing
on's aids, the COmmander-in-chief being pres
mt III person. Hearty cheers were given al tho
conclusion of the reading and then, as the Con
mental troops marched up liroadw way, the peo-
,le started tor tho bowling Green and finished
he day. entertainment by pulling down IL
eaden statue Of KING Gorge aud hewing II INTO
fragments.
The british reoccupied the city In Sep
ember, lli6 and one Of the FIRST acts
u the brutal Provost Marshal, Capt. Cunning
IAN, was 10 have the liber.y pole cut down.
I was reared again, however, on tho day the
British left New York, and the old lag OF
olunial days waved from its summit while
Cunningham marched down broadway under
trong gXlrd, and amid the groans Of the people
e had pefsccuted,
Many changes have passed over the Commons
ince then. The Penthouse gave way 20 the
re ent CITY Han IN 1893. The Brldswell, which
TODD between the Puorhuuse and broadway, |
vas taken down IN 1880 The Provost Prison Is
he present Hall OF Records, Each OF these
buildings had its graveyard adjoining, aud, be-
ides, there was the negro hurJlng ground At
roadway and Chambers street, desolate, I'M
lightly place, which scuOOlhOys avoided ut night.
The story OF our Guy Hall Park should be re-
D embeTed when the programme OF our Fourth
( July celebration Ia under consideration.
~.