The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-06-03
The Liberty Bell.

bell is on a jaunt about the country,
the history of this priceless relic will no
doubt be of great interest to Free Press
readers. Although the Liberty bell is the
property of the city of Philadelphia, title
to it having been acquired in 1916 by a
sale made by the commonwealth of
Pennsylvania of the state house (Inde-
pendence hall) and all of its grounds,
buildings and appurtenances, including
the bell, furniture and all other proper
ty belonging to the state house, the
whole being purchased by the city for
$4,000, there is not a single person liv
ing in any state of the Union who does
not feel personal interest in the BELL
of the country have barred their heads
while standing before it, and no one can
be found who would allow another to do
it an injury.
1t was this bell which announced the
Declaration of Independence, from which
date, July 8, l776, it has been termed the
Liberty bell. The record of this historic
bell from the time it was brought to
this country for the purpose of calling
the assembly of Pennsylvania together
until that memorable day, July 8, 1885,
when it forever became silent while toll
ing in memory of John Marshall, chief
justice Of the United States Supreme
court, as his body was being taken to
Virginia for burial, forms an important
chapter in the early history of the coun-
try.
Though primarily intended only as a
bell to call the members of the assem-
bly, together, morning and afternoon,
during the sessions of that body, it was
early destined to fill an important place
among other bells then in use, and the
passage taken from the Bible: ''Pro-
claim liberty throughout all the land,
unto all the inhabitants thereof" has
since been looked upon as prophetic
inspiration.
In l75l the superintendent of the state
house in Philadelphia was directed to or
der bell from the agent of the province
in London. The requirements were that
it should weigh 1000 pounds, and bear
this lettering: proclaim liberty
throughout all the land, unto all the in
habitants thereof, Lev. XIV, v X" In
August of the year following, the bell
was brought to this country, but in
September of that year it was cracked
by a stroke of the clapper. To Phil
adelphia firm was given the contract to
recast the bell, that firm being Pass &
Stow. The recasting did not give full
satisfaction, and the founders were Civ
en- the privilege of again recasting it.
That work was completed in May, 1853,
and in the month following it was raised
and fixed in the state house steeple.
Since that date until the present time
the bell has sbeen out of the state house,
the 'Cradle of Liberty" but six times,
the first being in September, TIT, when
it was removed to Allentown, Pa, to
prevent its falling into the hands of the
British. There it remained until the
British evacuated Philadelphia. All of its
other trips were for exhibition purposes,
its trips being as follows: In 1885, to
New Orleans; in 1898, to Chicago; in
1895, to Atlanta, Ca; in 1902, to
Charleston, S. c., and in 1903 to Bos-
ton, to represent philadelphia at the an
niversary of theS battle of Bunker Hill,
a celebration at which the display of
the famous relic of the revolution for in
dependence was most fitting.
Among the noteworthy instances of the
ringing of the Liberty bell may be men
toned the following: 1t rung Sept IL,
1854, to call the assembly together,
when the Massachusetts, Bay votes were
received, acquainting the assembly with
the instructions sent by that colony to
it's agent in London, asking him to use
his endeavor to have the sugar act re-
pealed, and to prevent a stamp act or
any other imposition of taxes upon them
or the other American provinces. Ten
days later, Sept. %, it rang again to call
the assembly, when that body wrote its
London agent in similar terms with the
letter of the Massachusetts, assembly A
year later, Sept. 9, l765, the bell rang on
an important occasion, calling the as
sembly together to consider resolution
to accept plan for congress of the
colonies, which finally met on Oct. 7,
l765, in New York. On Sept. 81, 1865,
the bell convened the assembly to con-
slider the act of parliament imposing
stamp and other duties upon all British
subjects in America. On Oct. 5, 1765, the
bell was muffled and tolled as the ship
Royal Charlotte, bearing the stamps for
Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland,
under convoy of the man-ofwar The
,Sardine, came up the Delaware. On Oct.
81, l765, when the stamp act went into
operation, the bell was again muffled and
tolled.
On Feb. 4, It'll, the bell called a town
meeting in the state house square, when
it was resolved that the claims of parlia-
nent to tax the colonies was subversive
to the constitutional rights of the colon
les and that the union of the colonies
ought to be maintained On Feb. a, III,
the bell convened the assembly when a
petition was sent to the king for the re-