The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-07-31
NEWS IN FORMER DAYS.
How the Purveyors Disseminated
knowledge Of the Events
Of the World.
Tho News Letter Writer Of the
limo of Charles II. Of
England.
An Account of the Battle OF Bunker Hill
Tho Faculty OF Padding Not
Employed.

In these days Of daily morning papers
and afternoon extras" it is difficult to
realize that n little more than a century
ago the people Of this great country had to
rely for their news mainly on the news let
ter. Yet such was the case, and the ro-
porter of that period was a person Of un-
steady occupation, who, by virtue of a
standing arrangement with somebody in
some other town, near or far, wrote letters,
descriptive of occurrences or detailed the
gossip Of tee day, says the New York Times.
In the times Of Charles II. the news vendors
living in London did a thriving business
with the provinces, where their letters in
manuscript form were usually read to
groups of interested listeners in the public
houses. They were generally paid for by
some philosophical squire or goaaip-lov-
ing coterie of the neighborhood.
OF course, the custom was brought from
England to this country by the early set
tiers and it survived long after the estab-
hshment OF weekly papers. 1t proved es-
pecially useful at the time of the revolution,
when the demand for news was too impera-
tive to be satisfied by the tnrdy vehicle of
the weekly paper. But BY that time an i'm
poftant advance had been made in the form
in which these daily morsels of news were
served up to a hungry public. The spirit Of
enterprise, which has long been the dis
tinguishing characteristic of the American
printer, had even then begun to show itself,
and the continentals, instead of having to
coneregate at the public houses to hear the
news letters read, were enabled by the
vr.p<ocSc sn{ nrvorkio~ - Ao1,o Z Ln 49, - {,
them in tho shape of a circular.
MIR. D. Mon. Stauffer, the editor of the
Engineering News, who is an interchangeable
and very successful collector of autograph
letters, manuscripts, etc, of the revolution
ary period. has picked up several of these
revolutionary news letters. He has one, for
example, describing the battle of Licking
ton, and another the battle of Bunker Hill.
As an evidence of the value attached by an
tiquarians to these circulars, it may be
mentioned that one of the Bunker Hill
news letters recently sold at an auction in
letter. 1t was printed by Francis Bailey at
Lancaster, Penn, june 26. 1775:
ny an Express arrived at Philadelphia
on Saturday evening, last we have the fol-
lowing account of the battle at Charles
town, ON Saturday the 18th of June, in
slant:
"On Friday night, the 18th instant, 1900
of the p%rovincials vent to Bunker Hill in
order to intrench there. and continued in
%treDching there till Saturday 10 O'Clock,
landed in Charlestown, and plundeling it of
all its valuable effects, set fire to it in ten
different places at once; then dividing their
army, part of it marched up in front OF the
provincial intrenchment and began to at
tack the provincials at long shot; the other
mort cf THAR rpou m n rnhn1 N0YnI &hn $@-r
of Chatlestown under cover of the smoke
occasioned by the fire of the town. The
provincial %sentries discovered the regulars
marching upon their left wing. Upon no.
tice of this, given by the sentry to the Con-
Capt. Notion, of Ashford. with 400 Of said
forces, Immediately repaired to and pulled
up a post and rail fence, and carried the
posts and rails to another fence, put them
together for a breastwork. Capt. Notion
enemy were got within fifteen rods, and
then not till the word was given. At the
words being given the enemy fell surpris.
inRly; it was thought by spectators, who
stood at a distance, that our men did great
execution.
when the regulars on the right wing we're
put in confusion and gave way; the Con-
n~ecticut troops closely pursued them, and
were on the point of pushing their bayo-
nets, when orders were received from Gen.
eral Pomeroy for those who had been in &C.
tion for two hours to fall back and their
places be supplied by fresh troops. These
orders being mistaken for a direction to re-
treat, which was handed to the left, the
principal place of action, where Captains
Notion, Chester, Clark, and Putnam had
forced the enemy to give way, and were be-
fore them for some considerable distance,
and. being warmly pursuing the enemy,
We're with difficulty persuaded to retire;
but the right wing, by mistaking the orders,
having already retreated, the left, to avoid
being eneirculed, were obliged to retreat
also with tho main body. They retreated
with p ecipitation across the caussway to
Winters hill. in which they were exposed
to the fire of the enemy from their shipping
and floating batteries. We sustained our
principal loss in passing the causeway.
.'The enemy pursued our troops to Win
ter's Hill, whore the Provincials. being re-
inforced by Gen. Putnam, renewed the bat
tie with great spirit, repulsed the enemy
with great slaughter, and pursued them
until they got under cover of their cannon
from Ne shipping. Whom the enemy re-
turned to Bunker's Hill and the Proyincials
to Winters Hill. where, after intrenching
and erecting batteries, they on Monday be-
gan to fire upon the regulars on Bunker's
Hill, and on the ships and floating batter
les in the harbor when tho Express came
away. The number of Provincials killed is
pebWeou loIty anu noSouty' AfVaiS Wouhueus
of the Connecticut troops sixteen were
killed. No officer among them was either
killed or wounded, excepting Lieut.. Gros-
yenor, who was wounded in the hand. A
colonel or lieutenant colonel of the New
Hampshire forces is among the dead. 1t is
also said that DIR. Warren is undoubtedly
among the slain.
1.-The Provinoials lost three iron six
Founders, some intrenching tools and a few
knapsaoks.
The number of regulars which ut first
attacked the provincials on Bunker's hill
was not less than 2,OO0, the number of the
provincials was only 1,50O, who it is sup
posed would soon have gained n complete
victory had 1t not been for the unhappy
mistake already mentioned. The regulars
we're afterwards reinforced with 900 men.
1t is uncertain hoH great a number of regu-
lars were killed or wounded, but 1t was
supposed by the spectators who saw the
whole action that there could not be less
than 400 or 800 killed. MIR. Gardner, who
got out of Boston on Sunday evening, says
that there were 200 wounded men brought
into thoe rl.ra tha ,,rr,&ipn hafrra ho n ~