The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-03-20

Is the March portion OF Justin
H. Smiths The Prologue OF
the American Revolution" running
through the Century. To quote in part:
The last week day OF the year ar.
rived and the afternoon brought a cold.
clustering snOwstorm from the north
east. Al 4.l5 o'clock, when the sun was
supposed 10 be setting one could hard
ly see. Favored once more" thought
Montgomery. II was the night OF
year 10 assault Quebec-a night when
fortune could keep a tryst without fear
Of detection. Dark No; black-black
as the bore Of loaded rife. The tenn
pest ragged the dense fine snow whirled
and drifted; hail stung the air. Kissing.
About 4.30 in the morning Malcolm
Fraser rushed down 81. Louis street.
crying like a tocsin: Turn out! turn
out! turn out" and Quebec awoke with
a start and a cry. Two rockets had
gone up from the foot Of Cape Dia-
nond bastion; firing had begun there;
men were seen approaching the walls.
out rang the great bell Of the cathe-
dral. One by one. but all quickly. the
other bells took up the tale. The bells
OF the Jesuit college and the Recollet
monastery gave tongue The gentle
prayer bell OF the Ursulines joined IN
the turmoil. while the sisters fell on
their knees in the dark chambers. The
nuns Of the Hotel Dieu. praying in the
vaults, felt the jar and heard the dull
Clang of their own bell swinging fu.
riously, and far away. in the Lower
Town, Our Lady of Victory re-echoed
the cry for help. The dogs barked
madly. Cannon began to thunder. \
torrent Of shells came in from the
American mortars in ST Roch and the
city walls quivered with the retort.
Fire-balls glared and sputtered in front
Of the bastions. Drums beat wildly
up and down the streets in the glow Of
lanterns and the smoky flare of torches.
Officers roared their orders. Citizens
rushed hither and thither 10 their posts.
Boys and old men Of seventy shout
dered guns. Squads of sailors ana
Maclean's Emigrants, in green coats
faced with scarlet; squads Of the Flu
siliers, in red with facings of blue:
squads of militia. in green coats bun
breeches, and buff waistCOatS. met.
stared threateningly at one another in
the dim light and then hurried on.
Children woke up and held theh
breath too frightened TO cry. Even
at the General Hospital, a mile away.
the nuns were sure that fatal hour
had come, for the town blazed, and its
thunder enyelOped them, and they
trembingly partoOk Of the communion
The city was a ring of fire. n crater OF
tumult. The fearful din of it swept up
the 1t. Lawrence tossing and whirlinG
and writing in the tempest, and in the
midst of all this. Governor Carleton
calm. alert, fearless, walked down the
steps of the castle. and marched across
TO the RecOllet monastery. the place Of
assembling.
For time the firing ragged all along
the fortified front and beyond it, but
In n little while the attack seemed TO
be dying out. An attempt to burn Pal
ace Gate came to nothing. Living
stOn's Canadians were soon scampering
for shelter. Browns men kept up a
rafting fire below Cape Diamond bas-
ton, but made no move toward assault.
What did il mean? Then came some
schoolboys from the Lower Town, cry
Ing at the top of their voices that
Americans had got in there. What?
Yes, had got in, they insisted. Garlic
ton sent Maclean 10 investigate. Soon
he was back by God, sir, it's true!
They're there" he said.
And so the battle ended. "a COM
plete failure" says Treyelyan. No
doubt. but that is not the wonder. The
wonder is that human beings dared to
venture.