Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-07
HALos KNOCKED FROM HEROES
Boston Historian Pens an Indictment
Against Some Revolutions
AIRY Leaders.

Patriotic Massachusetts, is thoroughly
aroused over the scathing attacks made by
James H. Stark historian, on its revered
revolutionary heroes in his book, THE
Loyalists of Massachusetts and the Other
Side of the American Revolution"
| Stark calmly tears the halos from the
heads of the ancestors Of many of Massa-
chusetts first families who pride them
selves on their honorable lineage. The book
is most damaging document to the cause
of the Sons of the Revolution and other
kindred societies and one of the boldest
statements concerning the real lives of some
of the foremost men of revolutionary days
In a chapter devoted to the causes of the
revolution the author states: I'm Virginia
the revolutionary movement of the poor
whites, or crackers led by Patrick Henry
was against the planter aristocracy. II
was only very slowly and very deliberately
that Washington Identified himself with
the disunionist cause"
Patrick Henry was one of the most unre-
liable men living, according to Historian
Stark. Byron called him a forest born
Demosthenes and jefferson, wondering
over his career, exclaimed; Where he got
that torrent Of language is inconceivabe.
have frequently closed my eyes while he
self what he had said without being able
to recollect word of It,"
HE had been successfully a storekeeper,
a farmer and shopkeeper, but he failed
in all these pursuits and became a bank
rupt at 49, declares the author. Then he
studied law a few weeks and practiced
few years Finally he embarked on the
stormy sea of politics. One day he worked
himself into a fine frenzy and in a most
dramatic manner demanded liberty or
death although he had both freely at his
disposal.
"John Adams Joined the dlsunlonlsts prob
] ably because he saw that If the revolution
was successful there would be great oppor-
tuntty for advancement under the new gov
eminent. This proved to be the case"
The author, By quoting from letter which
Adams wrote shows Boston that Adams
was defaulter and did not make proper
return OF taxes, and that his sureitles had
to pay about 5000.
Shark takes up. with careful detail, the
Boston mobs and the events leading up to
the revolution. In telling of the Boston
massacre. he says:
''rhe rioters repeatedly challenged the
soldiers TO fire II they dared and the torrent
of coarse and profane abuse poured upoa
the soldiers Is astonishing even In ITS echoes
across the century and would furnish ma
terial for an appropriate Inscription on the
Attacks monument"
Concerning the Boston tea, parry, Stark
says:
THE Illegal seizure Of the tea was in a
certain sense PARALLEL by the so-called re-
spectacle mob which on the 18th day of
August 1884, destroyed the Charlestown
convent and year later nearly killed Gar
l.son and made the Jail his only safe place
OF refuge"
He further iterates that more than one
OF the slgners OF the Declaration of indie
pendnee We're smugglers, and John Han
cock defaulter. In TIA John Hancock was
elected treasurer Of Harvard
In this they considered their patriotism
more than their prudence" says the his
tor1an; "the amount OF college funds paid
over 20 him was upwards OF n5 400 and
AXE mis- friend, Samuel Adams he. too
proved to be a defauiter
For twenty years the 'coropration begged