The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-01-19

the rear was on the edge of the old
 MiddleseX canaL)
 The barge arrived at the time desig-
 mated, manned by thirty men, who were provided with billets of wood to de-
 fend themselves in case of attack. As
 a sort of felnt, a portion of the men pro-
 ceeded to the market with baskets | Meanwhile Mir. Beecher had packed the unfinished figure-head in a large box,
 and lowered it down by the run into the
 barge. This accomplished the boat | swain piped his whistle, and the crew of the barge came on board, and she shot through the canal just as the ex-
 cited crowd, who had got wind of the | proceedings, appeared in the ground, | "the little man in black" with his treas | ure, being prominent object on board
 the barge for the misses of the crowd. On arrival at Charlestown, MT. Beech CT was allotted a convenient room to | prosecute the work, before which a sentinel paced night and day. The figure-head was completed and bolted upon the cutWater of the Constitution
 before she left the dock and hauled out to her anchorage in the stream. To guard against any intended attack by
 the mobe Commodore Elliot had placed
 the yard in a state of defense.
 The firmness of MT. Beecher and the
 boldness of Commodore Elliot tended to increase the excitement in Boston. There seemed to be a fixed determina
 tion that the Constitution should not go to sea with that figure-head. How to accomplish the result was not easy to
 1 1n Dat of ed open to them.
 Captain Sam Dewey, a bold, daring and reckless man, had just arrived from sea, and one evening while in company with a few kindrid spirits, the matter was broached. Captain Dewey declar- ed that he would "cut off that figure head and produce it on a certain eve ming"
 The boldness of the proposition and the well known intrepidity of the man gained immediate credence, and 1t was not long before preparations were made for a grand celebration and supper at Gallagher's hotel, then well known house in Boston,
 The night fixed upon by Captain Dewey was eminently propitious-a fearful storm was raging, accompanied by sharp lightning and terrible thun der. Dewey had his confederates at a given point; he took a slliff at Charles ton bridge, and without the aid of oars quietly dropped alongside the frigate,
 Fastening his painter to the lower bobstays, he climbed up to the head, being provided with narrow, but hlghly-tempered saw.
 -l.s as to avoid him in approach, he sawed the fgure-head through, just above the lower jaw, placing a strong leading line over the upper part, which at a given signal was responded to by his confederates.
 The head was safely taken to Comey's | wharf, and from thence to Gallaghers | hotel, where a brilliant assembly was | gathered. It is no need to describe | what followed. Wit, sentiment and | song held high carnival, and of all that | gay and enthusiastic crowd not one, as far as known, Is left. What ulti- mateiy became of the figure-head for | the Constitution was, 1t is said, never | definitely known,
 This is the story of "the decapltation of Andrew Jackson, president of the United States" as papers of that day | announced the dastardly act.
 As "W. H. S." in his happy article states: When old Hickory heard of the deed of the vandals he swore By the Eternal, that vessel shall leave Bos- ton and never again enter the port" and in the furtherance of this, it is said at that time passed an act that the Constitution should never again en- ter the port of Boston, and from that day to this she never has.
 In July, 1889, the navy department de- cided to send the Constitution to Wash ington, to be used as a receiving ship to take the place of the Dale, but the secretary of the navy finally concluded that the utterly unseaworthy condition of the vessel pre0luded such change Certainly after a lap5e of these addi- tional years the venerable frigate is in no better condition to be taken any where, much less to Washington, as the present secretary suggests in his annual report might be done.