El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-04-19
Notable Day In History
PATRIOTS RECOUNT WAR STORIES IN
CONFEDERATION OF STIRRING EVENTS.

minds of many who almost forget Sara
toga and Yorktown. Revere has left
his own version of that famous ride
He wrote Ii for the Massachusetts His
torical society in 1898. At the time OF
the ride he was about 40 years of age
He was not a novice in the business
of express riding, having been employ
ed by the selectmen of Boston TO carry
the news of the tea party TO New
York and at other times to carry mes
sages to the continental congress at
New York and Philadelphia. In the
winter of I774-5 he and 80 other me-
chanics organized themselves into an
association for watching the British
troops. Every man of them swore
upon a bible at each meeting that he
would not divulge anything that tram
spired. except TO certain prominent and
authorized persons.
Ride Long Premeditated.
When ii was discovered that the
British intended TO advance. another
messenger was sent ahead TO notify
John Hancock and Samuel Adams. The
lantern signals for Old North church
tower had been arranged previously.
When Revere made his landing al
CharIestown he got a horse from dea-
con Larken, and 1T was OF this steed
that he made the famous ride When
he came to a place where a criminal
had been hanged in chains he was ac-
costed by two mounted British officers,
who tried to stop him. One rode in
front and the other behind him. Sud
denly he lodged into a bypath and into
another road, losing the pursuer in a
clay pond. He reached Lexington
few minutes after midnight. Hancock
and his affianced bride were staying al
the house of the Rev. Mr.. Clark.
After notifying them. Revere started
on TO Concord accompanied by two
other riders. While these two were
off arousing the populaee, Revere was
captured by n number OF British off
GERS who threatened 70 blow out his
brains If they thought he was not tell
ing the truth At Lexington his good
horse was taken from him, a poor
mount given him instead, and he was
set free
England First Victorious.
The British were victorious in the
little skfrrnish at Lexington, but when
they reached Concord the fortunes of
the day were retrieved by the Ameri-
cans Fire, fellow soldiers, for Gods
sake fire. was the command given the
Americans, and they needed it so well
that the British were forced to retreat
And such a retreat as IL 'waSl From
every bush, every rock. and every tree
there came a well directed shot that
laid some British soldier low. The Eng
lish were given taste OF the kind
of warfare the indians had meted out
to Braddock on his Pennsylvania march,
and the English historian. Stedman, de-
clares that when they reached the hos
pitable endorsements under Percy
their tongues hung out like dogs after
a chase Lord Percy's band played
Yankee Doodle" in derision, but IL was
silent by the time it got back 10 Bos-
ton.
Fight OF Fentur6-
The fight at Concord was full Of in
teresting incident. II is a well estab-
Iished fact that here the British fired
first. while the minute men were pro-
testing against their tearing up
bridge They searched the house of
Col. Barrett Mrs. Barrett gave the
red coats food, but refused pay, on the
biblical grdUnd that when an enemy
hungers he Is to be fed She succeed
ed in covering up many valuable stores.
1t was reported after the battle of
Concord that many of the British had
been scalped by the minute men. after
the fashion of the indians. Gen. Gage
even transmitted this report to the
English war office. The way IL came
about seems TO have been that an Eng
lish soldier who had been wounded shot
a boy who had come down TO the creek
1Or water his so dnSeTeQ IHe DOy
that he took Ratchet and Drained the
wounded soldier.
4 Noted of Notable Days.
The annual observance of this day
in Massachusetts is of inestimable bene-
fit in that il impresses upon the minds
OF the youth OF the state the part
played by Massachusetts and New Eng
land in the struggle for American in
dependence. 1t IS to be compared to the
celebra tons in North Carolina, OF the
anniversaries OF the Halifax independ-
ence resolutions on April u, and of the
signing of the Mecklenburg declara
ton of independence on Nay 20: and 10
the celebration in Vermont of Aug. s
as Bennington battle day. Washing
TONS birthday and the Fourth of July
Serve TO keep alive the memories of
the more general events Of the war To-
independence These state holidays
serve to remind the people OF the states
of the part taken by their Immediate
section IN that memorable struggle.
Tomorrow-Indian Dances