The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-06-29
The Fifer of Lexington.


By BENTON J. LOSING.
LexingtonI ConcordI What American
boy or girl has not heard of these two little
villages in Massachusetts where the first
blow was struck for independence, and
where the hot flames of the Revolution first
burst out, on the 10Th of April, 1776. One
of my first pilgrimages was to these viii
lagos.
1t was a bright. sunny morning in Octo-
Der, 1848, when 1 travelled by railway from
Boston to Concord, a distance of seventeen
miles northwest of the New England Cap
ital. There 1 spent an hour with Major
Barrett and his wife, who saw the British
scamper," ard had lived together almost
sixty years. The Major was hale at eighty
seven, and his wife, almost as old, seemed as
nimble-footed as a matron in middle life.
She was a ~vivacious little woman, well.
formed, and retained traces of the beauty of
her girlhood.
After visiting the place Of the skirmish at
Concord, 1 rode in a private vehicle to
Lexington, six miles eastward, through a
picturesque and fertile country, and entered
the famous village at the Green whereon
that skirmish occurred, and where a CON-
memorative monument now stands. After
q brief interview with two or three aged
persons there, we drove to the house of JON
athan Harrington, in East Lexington, who,
a lad seventeen years old, had opened the
ball of the Revolution on the memorable
April morning with the war-notes of the
shrill fife.
As we halted before the house of Mr..
Harrington, at a little past noon, we saw an
old man welding an ak vigorously in
splitting fre-Yood in his yard 1 entered
the gate and introduced myself and my
errand. The old man was the venerable
ifer.
"Come in and rest yourself" he said kindly,
as he led the way into the house.
Although he was then past ninety years
of age, he appeared no older than many
men at seventy. His form was nearly erect,
his voice was firm, his complexion was fair,
his placid face was lighted by mild blue
eyes, and had but few deep wrinkles, and
his hair, not all white, was very abundant.
1 took a seat on a chintz covered lounge,
and he sat in a Boston rocking chair.
al AVE GOMEZ 1 said "to make some in
quiries about the battle of Lexington"
at wasn't a battle, 'he answered, "only a
skirmish."
at was a sharp one" 1 said.
eyes, pretty sharp, pretty sharp" he re-
piled. thoughtfully. Eight fine young men
out of a hundred were killed; two of them
my blood-relations."
81 understand you played the fife on that
morning" 1 said.
"As well as lcould," he replied. "Itaught
myself to play the year before, when the
minute>men we're training; and 1 was the
only person in Lexington who knew how to
fife. That amt saying much, though, for
then there were only eight or ten houses in
the village besides the meeting house."
aid you belong to the minute-men?" ]
asked.
81 was a minute-boy. They asked me to
fife to help Joe Barton make music with
his drum for Captain Parker's company.
Poor Joel his drum-head was smashed and
he lost a little finger in the fight. Captain
Parker's Company was drilled the night
before the fight, for Sol Brown, our nearest
neighbor, came from Boston at sunset, and
said he had seen nine British soldiers in
overcoats walking toward Lexington. Sam
Adams and John Hancock were at Parson
Clark's house, where Dorothy Quincy, Han
cocks sweetheart, was staying. Gage
wanted to catch and hang EN-, and it was
! believed the soldiers Sol had seen had been
sent out to sieze EN- that night. A guard
of eight men under Sergeant Munroe (who
kept a tavern here) was stationed around
Parson Clark's house. A little past mid
night Paul Revere-you've heard of Re-
vere-came riding like mad from Cam
bridge, his horse all afoam, for the weather
was uncommonly warm. He told Munroe
he wanted to see Hancock. "He didn't
want to be disturbed by noise" said the SER
gesnt. "Noisel' said Revere; you'll have
noise enough soon, for the regulars are
coming" Hancock heard him, and throw
ing a light coat about his shoulders APP
peared. My mother, who was one Of the
most patriotic women of the day, called me
at three o'clock: "Jonathanl Jonathanl get
upl the Regulars are coming, and something
must be done.' 1 dressed quickly, slung
my light gun over my shoulder, tookmy fife
from a chair, and hurried to the parade near
them eeting House, where about fifty men had
gathered, and others were arriving every
minute. By 4 o'clock a hundred men were
there. We did not wait long wondering
whether the Regulars were really coming,
for q man dashed up to Captain Parker and
told him they were close by. The Captain
Immediately order Joe to beat the drum,
J and I flied with all my might. Alarm-guns