Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1910-02-18
ATTACKS HEROES
OF REVOLUTION
BOSTON HISTORIAN SAYS PAT.
RICK HENRY WAS A MOST
UNRELIABLE MAN.
JOHN HANCOCK A DEFAULTER
Asserts Many signers of Declaration
of Independence Were smugglers
Benjamin Franklin Rifled
Mail Boxes.

| Boston, Mass.-James Henry Stark,
a local historian, has brought an
avalanche of stinging criticism and
abuse upon his devoted head for state
ments contained in his latest book,
THE Loyalists Of Massachusetts and
the Other Side of the American Revo-
luton" Mr.. Stark calmly claims his
book contains truths which he has
gathered after years of research and
which other historians have wilfully
passed by. Its pages are filled with
statements that tear down ruthlessly
the altars erected to Massachusetts
heroes of the revolution, are extreme
and humiliating to some of Massa-
chusetts first families who pride them
selves on the immaculateness of their
ancestry. Patriotic societies in Bos-
ton, such as the Sons of the Revolu-
ton, are deeply aroused, as the book
contains many damaging statements
and proofs of their correctness that
cannot be denied
Patrick Henry Unreliable.
Concerning the cause of the Amer
ican revolution Mr.. Stark's book says:
"In Virginia the revolutionary move
ment of the poor whites, or Crackers
led by Patrick Henry, was against the
planter aristocracy. 1t was only very
slowly and very deliberately that
Washington identified himself with
the disunionist cause. Patrick Henry
was one of the most unreliable men
living. He had been successfully
storekeeper, a farmer and shopkeep-
er, but he failed in all these pursuits
and became bankrupt at "a. Then
he studied law few weeks and prac-
ticed few years. Finally he en-
barked upon the stormy sea of poll
tics. One day he worked himself into
a frenzy and in most dramatic man.
ner demanded liberty or DEATH al
though he had both at his disposal
John Adams joined the disunionists
probably because he saw that If the
revolution was successful there would
be great opportunity for advance
ment under the new government. This
proved to be the case.
That Samuel Adams was defaulter
Mr.. Stark proves in a copy of letter
sent by Mr.. Adams to the town of
Boston of which he was the tax col
lector. Mr. Adams securities had to
pay $4,000.
Boston Tea Party.
In talking about the Boston mas
sacre he says: THE rioters repeated
ly challenged the soldiers to fire if
they dared and the torrent of coarse
and profane abuse poured upon the
soldiers is astonishing even in its
echoes across the country and would
: furnish material for an apt inscription
; on the Attucks monument"
The Boston tea party gets this :
THE illegal seizure of the tea was in
5 a certain sense parallel to the So
called respectable mob which on the
3 eleventh day of August, 1884, de.
5 stroyed the Charlestown convent and
year later nearly killed Garrison and
made the jail his only place of refuge
Many of the signers of the Declara
ton of Independence were smugglers
!. Mr.. Stark asserts, and that John Han
, cock, while having the name of being
. fair trader" was in reality the
= owner of one of the smuggling vessels
Calls John Hancock DefauIter.
ildhSoSh SohhCS
ton with Harvard university the book
'' reads: "In 1878 John Hancock was
E elected treasurer of Harvard college
It In this they considered their patriot
o ism more than their prudence. The
e amount of college funds paid over tt
o him was upwards of 15,400 pounds
and, like his friend, Samuel Adams
l. he, too, proved to be defaulter. Fol
e 20 years the corporation begged an(
!. entreated him to make restitution
t They threatened to prosecute him ant
II also to put his bond in suit, as Adams
S. was out; it was of no avail. He turnet
deaf ear to their entreaties and /
was only after his death in 1893 tina
his heirs made restitution to the col
:, lege, when settlement was made il
:, 1875, in which the college lost $52
= interest"
II In a chapter on the life of Thoma
Hutchinson, a Loyalist, Mr.. Stark sui
1, mits proofs to his claim that BENJAMIN
- Franklin, when 67 years of age, wa
- dismissed from his position as Bos
- tons postmaster because he rifled tn
q mail boxes. He tells in detail hoy
9 Franklin was tried in England an
10 banished in disgrace from the ser'
AZ Ice.
10 Mr.. Stark is a prominent bushes
,e man of Boston. He was born in LoI
= don, but came to Boston at the age c
~ eight and was educated in the loca
schools. He resides in Dorchester.
College Man Flows over.