The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-06
HoWJhoRsON's FAOE DfsAPPEARED
FROM TIL CONSTITUTION'S now.
4 Matter or Partisan sentiment THAT Interested
tho Entire CountrS Mere Thnn Thrcescore
Wears Agc-The 90 FIRurehsnd Mau' Living.

nfurt hRC-Hnt FtRuttHeuu NhHhH iNiuk
From the Philadelphia Times.
| Living In Philadelphia to-day is tho man who
in the year 1884 sot tho United States In n
flame by a deed which, while It throws q curl.
Gus and interesting sidelight upon tho history
OF tho times, has never appeared in full in
print before. The man Is Capt. Samuel l..
Dewey, his age is 81, and the deed which made
him famous In the days OF Jackson's admins
tration was the saving Off OF the head of
tho wooden efigy OF Jackson placed rs n
lgurehead on the famous old ship Consti.
tuition. II was n decd which on one hand
sot the Wings wild with delight and made the
Foderalists, who just at this time wero Begin
ming to call themselves by tho new and popular
title of jefferson Democrats, ofterward short.
ened to Democrats simply. equally wild with
anger. Nothing at the time was n better light
on the popularity Of Jackson, and for this rea-
son tho affair, not known to this generation.
and a matter OF history even to the generation
before. has, outside of its being the story of a
difficult and dangerous matter well dono by q
brave man, q peculiar interest.
To understand the story completely 1t is neces-
sary to 60 back Mt least to the year 1880. Then
a report appeared in tho Boston Advertiser that
the naval authorities had decided to destroy tho
Constitution. together with n number Of other
old ships OF tho war of 1872. Their planks had
become rotten and tho ships wero dangerous to
their crews. Little did the naval authorities.
however. appreciate the line glamour
which hung around the Constitution. and when,
two days after the announcement. Oliver Wen
dell Holmes, then 81 years old, flung the poem
Of old Ironsides to the world. and with tho
tered ensign down. struck the popular chord
full and strong, the ship. as it afterward APP
peared. was saved. No one could help thrilling
with Indignation at those lines:
The harpies Of the shore shall pluck
The eagle OF the sea!
and the Navy Department acquiesced to tho
It was some time after this that it was found
that in order to keep afloat, the Constitution at
all tho ship would have to be rebuilt. Accord
ingly she was docked at Charlestown, in the first
dry dock erected in the country. and rebuilt on
old ship remained. The Commandant of the
navy yard was then Commodore Elliot. an ar
In the rebuilding. therefore,. the former figure
head of the Constitution, one Of an allegorical
ness to President jackson. This was done in
spite, of a vehement protest by Commodore Hull.
who had charge of tho undocking. but who was
powerless before the approval of the change by
Mahlon Dickinson. Secretary of the Navy, and as
good a Fcderalist AS. IL not a better than. Elliot.
change. which was as soon as the new Constitu-
ton vas launched in 1884. there was almost as
Of the intended destruction OF the old ship.
Feeling ran especially high in New England
snd %as 81 ln eo%Soa On s0f Eiiio oy the IN s soah5emiPsu4eSS s
Constitution in Chnrlestown harbor, with the
fsss IF 9fd tine , ship d issi1s wSst aP Pd,5 not twSfH oyalss
and anal his ssllsn5Ty and bTsys5y have never
fhPes sSo Universal hlss 3 0hp position Il Se o. aneh HasS
northeast on account Of the northeast winds.
Tho Columbus and the Independence. two other
tomary way, bore mute testimony to this we'll
known fact, and higher and higher ran the feel
infS o ips shn 10 tbeir eoli f { iyai men F. hs% Mas' t tne
q dangerous time to trifie with mems beliefs,
for, the romantic, revival was still at high tide
and ideals were the handspring of action.
1t was under these circumstances that Capt.
Dewey, then a hardy young sailor of % years.
determined to avcnge the fancicd insult. Con
sulting but one other, who took no part in tho
deed itself. Capt. Dewey chose one stormy night.
ming and thunder were continuous, to steal out
with q small saw in one of the boats belonging
s sPi Gsili and w gsiISo %h0 h 5esp k iSsp c 2 nH%seT q,
bridge, MufiinG his oars with pieces of old
f sSIessi he By t tSs sIae aubis nIE Of Sn the in cop 1h9 ,hoaow
Gliding up to the side OF the vessel. no stopped
near the war ropes amidships. and. securing his
There was no sentinel outside: the rain had
driven him to shelter, and Capt: Dewey safely
placed under the spirit the day before.
n, There re- was as stu ra, danger in s The ex ii C anS Of The the
on the Independence were thrown on the figure.
head as n precaution against, any such attempt.
iEd sbs down n n srS 9 G;S on b his back .aS, 6id adiiT by by
neck of the figure with his saw. In this cramped
Southern pine and finely got the head of. not
the, entire head. for a huge collar Of the old
fashion reached well up on the back OF the
Jackson head, and the portion sawed off was on
u plane with the mouth and ears. This was.
Then. after surrounding the difficulties OF the
return, such as finding his boat nearly full OF
water and the tide so low that he had to wade
nnifn n wnV IhrpmUh mnl In rho Rhnrn. the nd
venturous sailor reached land in safety.
One can now but family imagine the tremen.
Middlesex was wild with JOY, hut from the Navy
vindictive protest. Try as the authorities could.
however, no trace was found of the man who
when Capt. Dewey decided for some reason that
1t would be n good thing TO present the mead to
M 3SsksGn ,e,m Wi4h n IT, In af TSiinaesiSSi;i;s set he on m ier
Wiley p. Magnum and John Tyler. who had
been appointed by the President TO investigate
50 he told them. Continuing then to Washing.
ton he arrived there in February, and for two
months tried TO see the President.
Jackson was at that time seriously Ill with a
hemorrhage OF, the lungs, afterward cured by
application of leeches. nd could not sec him.
After waiting until April Dewey went TO Vice
three hours. on account Of the hordes OF Office
seekers, who during Jackson,s illness fioGkcd 10
Van buren,, was given an audience. Van Buren,,
~ u.s. fhh'A tth' NAl' -
Capt. Samuel MADAM Dewey of tho United
States Third Artillery Regiment. and received
him most cordially. After some talk about
Dcwey's father the captain told Van Buren, The
reasons for his visit.
The joke of it all struck Van Buren, forcibly,
and after n startled eNclamati ion he Joined with
Capt. Dewey in u tremendous burst OF laughter.
He did not take the head however. but advised
It's return TO Secretary Mahlon Dickinson. To
Dickinson Capt. Dewey accordingly went. and.
on, being admitted to the Secrctnry's presence,
briefly told him TINT he Ind come To return the
stolen head. The astonishcd and angry Dickin.
son did not, as Van Buren,. see. tho Joke. and
was about to ring II bell. eXclaiming at the same
time that he would have Dewey arrested, when
he WINS stopped by the latter.
"Sir,' said Capt. Dewey, there IL no charge
on which you can hold me except that OF tres.
pass. On this l would have to be tried in Mid
dlesex county. where the trespRss occurred,
And. sir, II am tried there. and "A Middlesex
jury does not give damages to mo and not to
you, my names not Dewey"
Dickinson knew how high the feeling had run
in Boston. and this knowledge cooled his anger.
The head was accepted, but WAS never put on
the boat again and became the property of the
Dickinson fnmily. II now belongs 10 u lady In
Brooklyn. Capt. Dewey was known, everywhere