The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-01-26
Story 81 ANTHoNY HAswELL
Part No. Telling How He Became
a Printer

thony Haswen never saw his father
after being left as an apprentice. To-
gether with his brother, William Has
wen Jr., in Boston. I have since re
ceived a letter from my cousin vii
liam Haswell Of North Adams, Mass.
which gives an incident Of which I
had never heard, and which. as It
gives quite a valuable side light on
the ignorance among the eSmnor
people Of England. about conditions
in the colonies, / viii repeat
Il seems that when the father re-
turned to England he did so with
The intention Of returning to Boston
with his whole family as soon as
possible. But the support OF large
family on the wages OF a mechanic
in those days, made the work Of pre-
paratiOn for the removal very slow.
Meanwhile dark stories were whis
pered around among the neighbors
as to the fate Of the two little fell
lows taken TO America by their
father. These stories gained rapid
ly in defniteness and vicousness, un-
til it was openly asserted that viii
liam Haswell had sold his two boys
into slavery to the savages.
Vehement denials Of this Islander
and assertion that his sons were still
under his control, and apprenticed in
good positions, did nothing to allay
the excitement, and the poor man
found himself completely ostracise
and actually in danger OF violence.
Affairs finally reached such a state
that a conference OF the few friends
who still stood by him was called
and il was determined that he
should 90 to Boston and bring one of
his boys back with him, TO demon
strate the falseness Of the tales.
Thus il was that the father came
again to the colonies, and took his
son William back to England with
him. Soon after this war broke out
| between England and France, put
ting an end to all emigration; and
this was soon followed by the rebel
| lion of the colonies, so that neither
father or son ever crossed the At
lantic ain and the result of foolish
gossip was that Anthony HasWeli
was the only one OF his fathers fani
] ly TO become an American citizen,
while his brother William entered
the English navy. where his descen.
dants TO this day serve under the
| English flag
Meanwhile Anthony Haswell, mere
boy though he was entered heart
| egttl int -
pressed colonies against the Mother
country He was a member OF the
patriotic clubs organized among the
apprentices. and wrote fiery songs
for their gatherings. Whether he
was one OF those who helped throw
the tea into Boston harbor, neither
my father or aunt Eliza Harwood
were able to tell me. | have always
been inclined to give him the bene
fit of the doubt. and claim that he
had a part in the immortal tea party
My grandfatheT's knack of Versifi
cation, of which | speak above, was
destined to play a prominent part In
deciding his vocation for life. One
day. during the noon hour at the pot
terry, he scratched with nail or
the bottom of an unbaked dish {
verse or two that occurred to him
do not know just what the verses
We're but he himself told his chill
dren long afterwards, that they were
as strong as the boys command o
language permitted. The bell rams
for work to be resumed. and h'
threw the dish to one side and for
got all about Il.
A few days afterwards the propri'
tor was showing a visitor through
his establishment. My aunt, told M
that her father said that this visito
was none other than Benjamin Franz
} lin himself Although my grandfath
er did not know 1t until sometim
later. AS they passed along the Wis
itors eye was caught by some writ
ing on the bottom OF a dish. and h
picked it up and read it. He aske'
the proprietor who the author wa
and after a little inquiry that part
cular dish was traced back to All
thony Haswell, and the boy wa
summoned into the office, amid tn
jeers Of his fellow apprentices tina
Now you'll catch it for spelling tina
dish"
In the Office he was asked II tn
writing was his, and replied that /
was but that he had intended eras
ing il before the dish was baked
He aso acknowledged with fear ant
trembling, that the verses were orr
ginal and expected nothing less thai
an instant discharge from his EN-
ployment But the visitor, put hi
hand into his pocket and gave tn
boy a golden guinea, with the re
mark that a boy who could writ
that way, and felt that way, had n
business in pottery,
From this incident it came abou
! that through the influence OF Franz
] lin the potter released the yout
from his indentures to him, and Al
thony was apprenticed to 1saia
Thomas, publisher OF the Worceste
Spy,
Here under the tutelage OF one
the most patriotic men In the col'
J. MES, and helping to print one OF tn
d most influential OF all the papers thf
}. were unfolding the cause OF freedol
9 Anthony Haswell became printC
n for lile and developed to the fu
( those principals of fiery patriotism
e which characterised him to his late'
$ breath
A. NJ Haswell,
Springfield, Mo.
DIR. EDWARDS