The Worcester spy., 1899-01-22
Memorial Bronze To
Be Fixed On
DAY.
To Mark the Spot Made
Sacred by Thomas.


eester will have such a celebration next
independence day as she has not seen
since the times of the revolution. 1t is
proposed on that day to set up a me-
mortal tablet on the south steps of the
city hall in commemoration of the first
public reading Of the declaration of in
dependence in Worcester by Isaiah
Thomas, editor of The Spy, on the 18th
of July. 1876.
The Worcester Society of Antiquity
has been advocating the setting up of
some such memorial tablet for the past
TWO years They have petitioned the
city government to make an appropria-
ton for the purpose several times. Their
efforts were finally crowned with sue
cess and at one of the December
Hieetlhgs OIL the council, the tablet was
ordered erected. The matter now rr.gt s
with the city engineer and City Solicit
or Rugg for execution
Inc tablet Will be set up on the soutI1
race OF the southern staircase of the
clty nall This is the nearest possible
loci't to the site of the steps of the
I'i 1id south Church, where Isaiah
Z s hoilds STOOD when he read for the
L
Besldes the tablet a star will be SINK
IN IN one OF the steps, designed to show
the elevation at which Thomas stood
botn star and tablet will be of bronze
me construction will be of the sim
plest. The tablet will contain a brfer
inscription. The cost of the tablet will
| not be over 500. The contract has NOT
yet been let, but it is almost certain
mat 1t will be in place for the next
fodrth OF July celebration. Some dis
tiig guished citizen will probably he
asked to unyeil it on that date Tba
pan IS to have some distinguished man
Iea1 P yearly the ringing words of the
''. Declaratlon OF Independence from the
spot where Isaiah Thomas stood 129
years ago. No custom, those interested
IN the matter claim, could tend more to
| lister the spirit of patriotism in src-
eeeding generations.
VINO will be designated to unveil tba
| tdplet and read the declaration of in
| f oep~endence ~ next independence day, is.
,l,,,,'1oi, ~ G1uIse' undetermined as yet. If a
| populaf vote was to be taken. the honor
moCiu PROBABLY be awarded to Senator,
Hoaf. A slight difference of oninioy,
| llas iulsen as to whether the rnveiIioo
snoulu take place July or JULY "a the
9niilEeFsary am f5i1 of the first reading by
aoi,,.ei, l.eH ! honas, which by a singular
! coincidence is also the annivarsa,1, "'stt ~
the destruction of the BastiIe and l. ~ ~
9siFed as the great national holiday of
rance The majority, however. seem
| States VI the ohlteu
me story of the first reading of tba
| nostt Deeldrd dtloh OF Independence in Wor-
| is 1-,lr mas peeh told so often that it
| 10 hHoWn TO everybody. Yet. strange
70 say, there appears to be no nrintad
OF written contemporareous account of
the event and the only data. the his
toflahs of today have from which 70
fecohsLfuet ft the scene are those derived
from tradition and hearsay. But in
aslnuch a. as there are now living in the
1sS eys anS many VINO heard the story from
| eye ana ear Witnesses it is safe TO as
sumo that what accounts have come
/ ooWn are substantially correct
| Ihomas was at the time in his early
manhood. He had come to Worcester
on the day Immediately after the bat-
Ile oL Lexington, having sent on his
presses and type secretly before He
thought that by leaving Boston and
setting up his press in what was then
comparative wilderness. he corId
| with more freedom print the views Of
the revolutionary party than would
nave been possible in Boston where
regiments of British troops were quar-
tered. a"''i
On May Sd, the first issue of tba
Massachusetts Spy ever printed in
| worcester was issued. In it he gives
an account of the battle Of Lexington
and the conditions under which the pa
| per happened to be printed in Worces-
tes. That the editor was imbued with
! the spirit of Patrick Henry and tba
stgners of the Declarationof Indepen-
denco, is plain from one glance at tbe
| ute page, where the words Americans
| Liberty or Death-Join or Die an
pear in large letters. For weeks his pa
per had been the organ of the Massa-
| chuSctts convention and his editorials
mac peea written with the one aim of
| arouslnS public opinion to the necessi-
| ty Of rupture with Great Britain.
| Whal then must have been Thomas
| er thusiasm when it became appparent
that the Continental congress in Phil
adelphla was likely to issue a docu-
ment throwing off England's sovereign
| " and proclaiming to all the world
that the thirteen colonies were free.
| What must have been his excitement
i when the messenger bearing a COPY of
/ the long looked for document rode into
town?
Il The messenger had left Philadelphia
Immediately after the signing of the
d. oument and riding horseback with
4 the precious document in one of his
saddlebags, had slowly made his way
/ north through the various towns and
hamlets between Philadelphia and Bos-
ton. 1t is supposed he arrived in Wor-
cester on Sunday and broke his Jour
ney in order to refresh himself with
a days rest before completing the re-
naming stage to Boston the succeed
ing day
The news Of the messengers arrivel
was quickly disseminated through the
little village. Possibly the messenger
was overcome with the Importance of
the nature of his mission and the mo-
nj lnn n,.1.fr Il 4
creetly told few things more than he
ought. Possibly the good cheer of the
old tavern's taproom loosened his
tongue. Certain it is that 1t was not long
| before everybody in town know the It'd
ings rung out so joyously by the liberty
bell in Philadelphia ten days before.
Thomas was one of the first to hear
the news. Perhaps his journalistic in
stincts suggested a SCOOP" At all
events he induced the messenger to al
low him to take a copy of the instru-
ment he carried. Thomas. of course lost
no time in spreading abroad the good
! news. Soon a general demand arose for
him to read the document. Then to sat
isfy the clamoring crowd the publisher
OF The spy mounted the steps of the
| Old South meeting house and In loud
ringing accents read Jeffersons procla-
nation of freedom.
| 1t would make a fine subject for a
| painting ii some artist could picture the
| young editor standing erect on the
meeting house steps reading for the first
! time the words now familiar to every
school boy, while before him stood all
attention an earnest little group of sim
pie country people drinking in the read
| er's words, all ignorant of the wonder
| tul erect those same sentences were
destined to have upon the worlds his
tory.