The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-28

| The Houee being in Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, and having under consideration amend ments of the Senate to the urgent defi- ciency appropriation bill:
 1<r. Wiley of Alabama said:
 Hsr Chairman: At an early day of the present session had the honor to i'm <ro6uca into this House a bill H. R. 1041D for the erection of monument, h the city of Washington. to the mem oxy of Jeremiah O'Brien. upon which shall be inscribed the words:
 Erected to the memory of
 The heroic Irtsh-American.
 Jeremiah o'Brien.
 Who attacked and captured
 In the first sea fight of
 The Revolutionary war
 The British schooner Margaretta.
 Commodore John Barry has justly been characterized as the father of t--e American navy. I am pleased to be ad- vfsed that a similar bill has already been 5ntroducedsin this House, authorizing the erection of monument. at our beautiful national capital to keep fresh in our re- nembrances the iilustrious services ,-e rendered his country. both in peace and In war, and to make luminous and glo- rious the growth and development of the American navy. in the rapid march of E the most marvellous century that ever chronicled the brilliant achievements of the human race.
 But while we are rendering a just trib- ute to the man whose genius and brains created our navy, let us not forget to do honor to another patriot, Jeremiah c'Brien, who fought the first naval bat tie in our struggle for independence from the British crown, nor fail to perpetuate the virtues and the valor of the brave, free. and independent men who, under his leadership. did deed so grand and $ enduring as to win the admiration of the civilized world. History does not record tho name of a hero who has ex- ce1led in dauntless courage and in un- conauerable patriotism the mortal Irish Anarican sailor of whom speak.
 These intrepid men from sawmill and ahipyard have glorined our nations flag and ornamented the brightest page of the annals in which are inscribed the brilliant events that have transplred during the past one hundred years in this Union of our fathers and sires." The white angel of peace has descended up.n the village of Machias, in the State of Maine, and now abides within her gates. But not so in the memorable month of June, l775. Then the tocsin of war was heard on her streets and excitement ian high m every household. A wordroEs change has come over the spirits of her Inhabitants and hangs above the face of the mighty waters. The sweet flowers of hope and faith are climbing and bloom ing over the ruined and deserted cannon which once belched forth the fires of carnage and death during the war In which the colonies engaged with the mother country.
 Popular conceptions are inaccurate and misleading. The story of the men of Ma cihas IS necessarily traditional. One hun- dred and twenty-nine years ago the first seq battle of the Revolutionary War was fought. Away in the distant regions of antiquity, 50 remote that, the event is scarce remembered in the chronicles of men, it is not to be marveied at that dif- ferent and conflicting versions of this remarkable encounter should appear from time to time. One of the most interesting and romantic accounts has been rendered by Lfetft Edward Wilson Very late of the United States Navy.
 Ina story. as told by him. runs sub sfantfaliy like this:
 The news of the battle of Lexington reached Machias early one Sunday morn { ing. It was fhe 10th of June, ITS, and just then there was an armed Gove;n- ment laehDoher in front of the town wait ing 0 convoy a couple of lumber-loaded aloop8 fo Halifax.
 The young men of the village, fired by tho story of the deeds of their kinsulen. gathered and plotted to lend their mi.e to tha cause: but what could be done? The guns of the schooner covered the town: there were other guns in the little old pioclshouse and there were few mtiskets: but the authorities were Tories, and all the gunpowder was locked fast in the magazine beyond their reach. There wns powder in Jonesboro, ten miles aways but no man dared so to get it for fear og being missed
 And 50 ik happened that Mary Chandler. a young girl of 17, slipped quietly from the nscetinghouse during the sermon. walked over the rough trail to Jonesboro. and that night carried on her shoulders twenfy-five pounds of powder back 4hrough the woods to Machias.
 This biockading craft was His Majes- fy's schooner Margaretta, manned with crew recruited from the hardy seaflr- els of Nova Scotia, and full of the braWn and tnusele and grit which had contrib uted so essentially to make true the boast Britannia rules the waves"
 When the shadows of evening cane down upon land and sea the commander of the Margaretta, as g. precautionary uaeasuTe. and in order to guard against a possible covert attack at night, moved the schooner down. the river to the bay few miles away. where he thought he would be in safe position to hold :hS reheliious village in his relentless gr1p but no sooner was he out of sight than Jeremiah O'Brien, himself a lumberman