Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-08-02
LIBERTY BELL A FRAUD.
Historian Says Relic Never Was Runs
To Proclaim lndependenea in 1776.

Historian Says Relic Never Was Runs
To Proclaim Independence in 1776.
Six hundred thousand loyal Ameri-
cans on an average have travelled hum
dreds Of miles annually, shed num-
erous tears and believed themselves
to be looking at something wonder
full when they gaze upon the Liberty
Bell, which is on exhibition in Inde-
pendence Hall here.
| Now Joseph Jackson, probably
Philadelphia's best known historian,
after years Of study and research.
! comes forward with the statement
that all those pretty sentiments re-
garding the cracked bell are myths
and that for years the old bell simply
has been fooling the public.
Not only have thousands come to
visit the old bell, but 1t has been lug
ged around the country to numerous
exhibitions, 1t has a bodyguard and It
has been treated as a member Of the
family.
According to Historian Jackson the
old bell never proclaimed liberty
throughout the land, a little boy never
stood at the foot Of the tower and vel
led to the grayhaired old man In the
tower, Ring, grandpa, ring" as the
Declaration Of Independence was
proclaimed. This, too, according to
Historian jackson, is another beauti-
full myth, and he produces the data to
prove his statements.
He takes everything up In chrono-
the dreams Of other historianS who
have accepted all these dreams about
the Liberty Bell without question.
Historian Jackson starts his denial
with an explanation Of how the bell
first happened to be made. The re-
cords in his possession show that re-
solution passed by the House Of Re-
presentatives on October 16, 1852, in
structed the superintendent Of the
statehouse to procure a bell for the
use Of the assembly, and that on Nov
ember Of the same year letter was
dispatched to Robert Charles. Of Lon
don, ordering a bell Of about 1900
pounds which was to be cast, the fol-
lowing words "well shaped In large
letters around IT."
"By order Of the Assembly Of the
Province of Pennsylvania for the
statehouse in the city Of Philadelphia,
I7b2" and rnderneafh.
Proclaim liberty through all the
land to all the inhabitants thereof.
Levitt, XIV, TO-"
Mr.. Jackson takes up the alleged
ringing Of the bell and the claim that
1t proclaimed liberty on July 4. l776.
So far as he has been able to discover,
after years Of research, this mislead-
Ing statement is directly traceable to
"Watson's Annals of Philadelphia"
which was published in 1880.
Prior to the publication Of that work
the bell was known as the stateholse
bell and not the Liberty Bell, and
nothing had been said about its use in
proclaiming independence. Even as
late as 1880 II was known as the State---
house Bell, even after that building
had ceased to be the assembly and
title had passed to the commonwealth
of Philadelphia
80 little was thought Of the bell"
says Mr.. Jackson, that during the
discussions in city councils in 1898
regarding the restoration of the
statehouse and the introduction of
clock in a proposed tower q new bell
was ordered and the old one-the now
famous myth Liberty Bell-was to be
given in part payment for the new
bell"
Mr.. Jackson takes up the crack
in the bell, which recently has Wild
ened so that the old piece Of metal no
longer may be taken on trips around
the country, as 1t was for several
years. He declares that the bell was
cracked when 1t was taken from its
quarters in the old tower and tolled
for the death Of Chief Justice Mar
shall in 1888.
Mr.. Jackson quotes an entire chap
ter from the work Of George Lppard,
fiction writer, whom he blames for
many Of the historic myths, in which
the story Of the ringing Of the bell Is
told. He then retraces his steps and
makes the assertion that the bell was
not rung on July 4, 1776. He gives as
his authority Thomas Mexican, who
declares that the draft Of the Declar-
alton Of Independence was not adopt
ed until very late in the evening Of
July 4, 1776, and 1t was not until
twenty-four hours later that 1t was
decided to make known the fact Of the
adoption Of the Declaration.
Therefore," says Mr.. Jackson, "it
is not reasonable to suppose that the
bell was rung on July 4, 1776,. when
very few persons knew anything about
the adoption Of the Declaration until
July s, 1776. Had the bell been rung
on July 4 every person in Philadelphia
by congress"
Not satisfied with this Mr.. Jackson
also quotes from the diaries Of Char
les Biddle and Mrs. Deborah Logan
and in neither of them is any mention
of the Liberty Bell or the Statehouse
Bell having proclaimed liberty or even
having been rung.
Mr.. Jackson declares that the Lib
erty Bell received its first real baptism
in the early seventies, when prepar-
alton for the centennial celebration
were being made.