The sun., 1898-01-09
BAY STATE SECESSION MEN.
ONLY ONE sIGNER LEFT OF THOSE
ON THE HAYERHILL PETITION

hhNBhhlbLt nbbh.t Jan. b.-hlIuOhb oVBTy
pleasant afternoon Haverhill people have seen
rection of Mil atreet An old man nearly 90 years
old His white hair falls over his coat collar,
and his long white beard reaches almost to his
waist. Nearly every old inhabitant Of Haver-
hill knows him as old Frank Buffers He is the
sole survivor Of the long list of signerS to that
famous Haverhll petition presented to Congress
by John Quincy Adams, then Representative
from Massachusetts,, on Jan. "a, 1912, calling
for "a peaceable dissolution Of the United
States"
This remarkable instrument, which, upon its
presentation caused wave OF excitement and
Indignation reaching over the entire country,
was addressed to Congress in this fashion:
''To the Congress Of the United States: Tho
undersis sncd, citizens of Haverhill, in the Com
monwealth Of Massa chusetts, pray that you
will Immediately adopt measures peaceably to
dissolve tho union of these States.
First Because no union can be agreeable or
permanent which does not permit prospects Of
reciprocal benefit.
"Secohd-.Because vast proportion OF the
resources OF one section Of tho Union 10 annually
drained to sustain the views and courses Of
another section without any adequate return.
"Third-Because Judging from the history Of
past nations) this Union, IL persisted in, in tho
pTeS6nt COnu1tlOn Ol tnlnBS, Will certainty over
whelm the whole nation in utter destruction"
This paper was signed by BENJAMIN Emer.
son I'd, John p. Montgomery, Osgood g. Boyn-
ton, Elihu Hutchinson Franklin Curricr. Ed
ward r. Dixie. Elijah S. Tosier. William Hale.
Joseph Flanders. Alfred s. Parmelee. George
o. Harmon, n. p. Dresser. James Harmon,
Otis w. Buffers, John Philbrick, William Il.
Noyes, Edwin A. Sargent, Herman Kimball.
Washington johnson. Thomas Ball. Joseph b.
Spller, J. Henry johnson. Francis Buffers, Jr.,
Sewall E. Jewett, William H. Currier, Daniel
Brickctt, Cornelius Jenness. William n. Davis,
Ezekiel Halo, Jr., Tappan Chase, Samuel Stu
art, Samuel Plummer, Nathaniel Foot, Leon
ard Baker Francis Buffers, George F. Bailey.
Elbridge q. Davis, Alfred Gage, Truman NJ.
Martin, Oliver II. 4. Delaware, B. Greeley,
Nathan Webster, Charles Fitch, and John l..
Hurd.
Massachusetts,, by the presentation of this pc.
tition, was the first State of the Union
to place herself on record, through the act Ct
her citizens. as being in favor of secession.
although, twenty years later, when the war
came through the secession movement by the
Southern leaders, no State of the Union fur
nished so large proportion Of her adult males
for the suppression of that movement as did the
old Bay Stnte.
Mr.. Buffers was seen by THE SUN correspon-
dent yesterday at his favorite place of resort on
Water street, where, in company with several
the IL ms e OF the fascinating Sf dom
correspondent. however. the old man consented
brought upon him and his fellow sgners the
bitter enupciations OF the South and West.
Of the forty-four signers Of that. petition. of
which ! am the only one now u living. really
%ase one e
Emerson, whom the Democrats of that day
called Black Ben on account of his extreme
results of its presentation to Congress-, Emcr.
son. who was closely identified with Whittier.
slavery movement in Massachusetts of that
minded Baptist, man Of intiexi6le Ie resolution o.
Montgomery and seweli E. Jewett, he was real.
ly the father Of the petition, although IT was
keeper for John P. Montgomery, who brought
it around town for signatures"
%hen any Mr. asRed or
Was therei l should rather think there was.
But to understand the question 1t is necessary
Haverhill at that time. We were not city
then, only town Of about nine or ten thousand
inhabitants, and almost every man woman and
child was altogether or partly dependent upon
the shoe industEy 10 for their cS
manufacturers looked for q market for their
goods, and ! remember the large number Of
town In the late thirtcs and early fOrties to buy
their stocks for the coming year.
culated was not particularly distasteful to the
great majority Of manufacturers and trades.
men; We were pretty much all abolitionists. If
and Haverhill. in common with all New Eng;
land, was pretty hot, tell you. over the gag
had just before then been presented to Congress
by q New England man, Charles @. Atherton
brought around the petition he obtained quite
a number Of signatures to 1t easily enouRh-a
good many more than appeared upon 1t when 1t
was presented to Congress, and people began TO
discuss it pretty freely and talk about It, not
only in the shops but in their homes and on the
This discussion led to curious conclusion.
Some OF the business men and manufacturers
might not str! Ike the southern buyers OF Hever.
hill boots and shoes In quite the Same light in
which we regarded it. and then there came a
Ben Emerson. Sewell Jewett. and John P. Mont
Romery frantic. Why. remember that nearly
eagerly looking around after franklin Currier.
In whose custody 1t was and all OF them were
4 sm 70 % her Rna on
one man came up to him one day aud profcssed
to be merely anxious 10 look at the people VINO
to allow Iii n 10 take il into his hands. or
course. the ilsit thing he dil was to scratch his
name on IN a hurry, and then laugh at Currier
" 1T got 50 att alter " while hi that men scarcely
q SS that and hf ben L
necessary for Emerson, Jewett, and Mont.
yomery to take measures to insure the mere pre-
scntation of tie document to Congress. The
petition for safe keeping was deposited In Ma;
than Webster's hat store on Water street, and
all who wished to sign 1t were secretly, told
where II was, and appointments were made for
them 10 come to the store after dark and attach
.heir names by stealth"
"How did 1t happen that John Quincy
Adams was selected ss the man to presen. tho
represent the old Essex district in Congressi''
mo, he did not. but he was the only man then
representing Massachusetts, In Congress whom
we thought we could trust and rely upon to pre-;
sent 1t, and the only man whom the South could
not intimidate and question his motives. The
fact that he was an ex- President OF the United
States we considered would lend aid and sup
port to the petition"
"But, did you as a signer, really consider
that a dissolution of the Union was actually
possible and even praiseworthy at that timef
well, ] actually don't think that did, and
am pretty sure that neither did some OF the
Others But, on the other hand. do consider
that Emerson and the leaders of the movement
did believe that a peaceable separation OF the
North and South was not only practicable but