Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1888-03-10
THE FIFER AT LEXINGTON,
Copyrighted, 1883, by FUNK Il WAGSALLs

'IibS ipI 'Ht punt WAL
THE FIFER AT LEXINGTON.
Copyrighted, 1883, by FUNK Il WAGNALLs
Lexington. Concord! What Amcri.
can boy or girl, man or women, has
not heard or read of these little Mass.
achusctts villages, whore the first ear
nest blows for American independence
were struck and the hot flame of the
revolution first burst out. on the 10Th
Of April, l775? Among the first oh.
joc's of my pilgrimage were these two
| villages.
1t was a charming morning in Octo.
Der, 1913, when | Travelled by railway
from Boston to Concord, seventeen
miles northwest Of the New England
capital. There | spent an hour with
Maj. Barrett and his wife, who "saw
the British scampcr," and had lived TO.
gcthcr there almost sixty years. The
Major seemed robust at eighty. seven,
and his wife, almost as old, seemed as
nlmblc of foot as a matron in middle
life. She was a vivacious little woman.
well formed. and retained many traces
of the beauty of her Young woman
hood. They had much to tell me of
events their eyes had witnessed.
After visiting the place of the skir-
mish at Concord, | rode in q private
vehicle to Lexington, six miles cast.
ward. through a picturesque and fer.
tile country, and entered the famous
village at the Green, whercon that
skirnisll occurred, and a commemora
tive monument now stands. After
brict interviews with two or three
aged persons there, | drove to the
house of jonathan Harrington, in east
Lexington, who, n lad seventeen wears
old, had horal1cd the opening of the
old war for independence with the
shrill notes of the fife.
AS | halted before the house of Mr..
Harrington AT a little past noon, and
saw an old man Welding an axe vigor-
onsly in splitting wood IN his yard, |
entered the gate and introduced my
sell and my errand. The old man was
the venerable iifer.
Come in and rest Yourself" he said
kindly, rs he led the way into the
house.
Although he was then past ninety
years of age, he appeared no older than
I man OF seventy. His form was near
~ erect; his voice was firm; his com
was fair; his placid face was
lighted up by mild blue eyes, and had
few deep wrinkles; his hair, not
all white, was very abundant, and in
he was of medium height and
took a seat on n chintz-cov-
cred lounge, and he sat in a Boston
rocking-chair.
81 have come" | said. "to make some
inquiries about the battle OF Licking
.on."
at wasn't a battle" he answerc d
only a skirmish."
at vas a sharp one" | said.
"Yes, pretty sharp, pretty sharp" he
thoughtfully. Eight fine
men out of n hundred were kill
ID; two of them my blood relations"
81 understand you played the fife on
hat morning" said.
"As well as | could" he replied. al
anght myself to play the year before,
when the Minute.men were training,
nd ! was the only person in Lexing.
on who knew how to fife. That amt
aging much, though, for then there
we're only eight or ten houses in the
'illagc besides the Westinghouse"
add you belong to.the Minutc-mcn?'
asked.
"Iwasa Minutc-Joy. They asked mo
o fife, TO help Joe Burton make music
With his drum tor Captain P,rker's
ompany. Poor Joe! His drum-hcad
vas smashed and he lost a finger in
he fight. Captain Amos Parkcr's COM
ANY was drilled the night before, for
'ol Brown, our nearest ncighbor, came
rom Boston at..sunsct and said he had
cen nino British soldiers walking to-
Lexington. Sam Adams and
ohm Hancock were at Parson Clarke's
.ouse, where Dorothy Quincy, Han.
sweetheart, was staying Gage
to catch and hang 'em, and il
vas believed the soldiers Sol had seen
lad been sent out to seize 'em that
light. A guard of ten men, under
sergeant Monroe twho kept a tavern
Iere) were stationed around Parson
,larke's house. At a little past mid
light Paul Revere-you'ye heard of
tevcre--came riding like mad from
cambridge, his horse all atoam, for the
Weather was %uncOmm0nly warm. lie
old Monroe he wanted to see Han.
ock. lie didn't want to be disturbed
" noise said the sergeant. Noise
aid Revere; you'll have noise enough
Don, for the regulars are cominyv
Hancock heard him, and opening n
window called out, Revere, | know
on; como in lie went into the house
moment. then came out. mounted his
Iorse, and started on IA gallop toward
concord. Very soon everybody in
was asiir." ,
Were you on duty then?" inquired. F.,
"No," he said, If went to bed at elcv-
II o'clock, and, as all boys should do. /,
slept soundly. My mother, who was
Dnnster, and n of the most patri-
tic women who ever lived, called out +,
0 me at three o'clock in the morning. ,
Jonathan p! Jonathan! Get up. The ,
eg1ars are coming and something :
,ust be done | dressed quickly ,
my light gun over my shoulder, :
ook my fife from u chair, and hurried !.
the parade near the Westinghouse, !,
here about fifty mcn had gathered, .
others were arriving eve Y mn. ,
by four o'clock q hundred men 4
ere there. We did not wait long '
ordering whether regulars were real. i
coming, for a man darted up to Can. v
I'm tarker and told him they were j,
Iose by. The Captain immediately y
fdered Joe TO beat the drum, and