Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-07-13
Told By Himself. Details Never Before Published
Narrated in Letter Just Discovered.

There has been discovered in old
archives in Boston musty letter writ
ten by Paul Revere himself, in
which he tells the story of his IA
nous exploit This letter never has
been published before. Indeed. its ex-
istence was unknown until it was
found by the investigator.
Many interesting things are shown
by this letter. and some cherished pic
lures destroyed. Longfellow has given
us in undying verse the picture of Paul
Revere waiting impatiently on the
Charestown shore for the signal Ian
terms 10 show in the old North Church
steeple, telling him of the movements
Of the British. But ii seems from this
letter that Revere knew before he left
Boston the intentions of the royal
troops, and himself ordered the
signals to be shown, so as to inform,
as by previous agreement. Colonel Co
nant and other patriots on the Charles
town shore. AS soon as Revere got
across the river Colonel Conant in
formed him that his signals had been
seen. and then Revere told them what
was acting, and went to borrow Dea-
con Larkin's horse
1t seems. too that Warren Dawes
had been dispatched by DIR. Warren to
Lexington before Revere was sent out.
Revere got to Lexington half an hour
Judgment Of Deacon Larkin in the mat
ter of horse flesh; but suppose Dawes
had been first-then it would have been
Dawes ride. 1t is a matter of con
graduation that Revere arrived before
his fellow courier. for Warren Dawes is
not half as euphonious a name ITO fill
the speaking trump of future fame" as
Paul Revere. Another thing which
strikes one is the number of patrols
and scouting parties which the Brit
ish had out over Mddlesex. We gen
orally picture Paul Revere as dashins
through the night along the roads of a
peaceful farming country. But in re-
atty he rode through country
swarming with British scouting par
ties.
1t appears from the letter also that
DR.. Warren did not think that the OBJ
ject of the British was TO destroy the
stores at Concord, but to capture John
Hancock and John Adams, who were
at Lexington; and the last picture
glimpse we get of Paul Revere he is
Juggling a trunk filled with Hancock $
papers across the fields, while behind
him the minutemen and the British
are fighting on Lexington common.
This is Paul Revere's story OF his
ride:
In the fall of 1774 and the winter Of
1775 l was one OF upward of thirty
chiefly mechanics, who formed them
selves into a committee for the pur-
pose of watching the movements of the
British soldiers, and gaining every in
telljgence of the movements OF the to-
res We held our meetings at the
Green Dragon tavern. We were sc
careful our meetings should be kept Sc
cret that every time we met every per
son swore upon the Bible that they
would not discover any Of our trans
actions but to Messrs. Hancock. Adams
Drs Warren, Church and one or two
more.
About November, when things began
to grow serious, a gentleman who had
connections with the tory party. but
was a whig at heart, acquainted me
that our meetings were discovered. ant
mentioned the identical words thai
were spoken among us the night be.
fore We removed to another place
which we thought was more secure;
but here We found that all our trans
actions were communicated to Gov
ernor Gage This came to me through
the then secretary. Fucker he told
it to the gentleman mentioned above
1t was then the common opinion that