The Coolidge examiner., 1931-01-30
paul REVERE'S s
mid NIGHT RIDE
Listen my children, and you shall
hear Of the midnight ride of
Paul Revere"

In these famous words the be
loved poet, Longfellow, began his
own account of an important and
colorful incident in American his
tory. This excellnt story-poem is
universally known among the school
children of the country, but it seems
that the venerable bard allowd his
sense of the dramatic to obscure
the facts in the case, with the re,
suit that a somewhat fictitious
story has been perpetrated in an
interes ing but inaccurate epic
For, instead of reaching Concord
as Longfellow relates, Paul Revere
was captured by the English just
outside of Lexington.
The Divis on of Information and
PubEca ion of the George Washing
ton B:cenennial Commission, ap-
parently as particular with regard
to the tru h as was the great Father
of His Country, has issued state
ment in recognition of the one
hundred and ninety-sixth birthday
anniversary, on January 1st, of the
| "patrio- Mercury" which tells the
story of Paul Revere's immortal
midnight ride
The year 1775 opened upon a very
critical situation in the American
Colonies, and even The most nope
full were becoming convinced that
an armed conflict with the mother
country was inevitable. British
troops were stationed in Boston,
which was considered the hot bed
Of rebellion, but the presence of
these soldiers only made worse an
already hopeless condition. The
citizens of Boston vigorously pro-
tested England's action in station
ing an army there, and committees
were formed tt keep a vigilant eye
on the Redcoats and all their
movement. One purpose of these
committees was to prevent the
capture of John Hancock and
Samuel Adams, whom the English
regard as seditionists and who
were at that time really the leaders
of the Massachusetts resistance to
the authority of Parliament.
Paul Revere, Boston silver
smith, whose father was Hugenot
refugee to the colonies, was
member of one of these committees
which reported directly to Adams
and Hancock. In the early part of
April, 1775, the movements of the
British troops aroused the suspi-
cions of the patriot vigilants, who
became convinced that the capture
of their leaders was intended
Revere had visited Lexington a few
days before his memorable ride took
place and on his way back to Bos-
ton had stopped in Charlestown to
arrange with a friend the means to
be employed in appraising the lat
ter OF the movements of the soldiers
Adams and Hancock were in Lex
ington and if their capture were
intended the men had to be before
hand.
On the night of April IS. DR..
Joseph Warren learned that eight
hundred troops under 1t. Col
Francis Smith were leaving with
the double objective of capturing
Hancock and Adams and destroy
ing the military stores at Concord
which the patriots had been collect
ing. The future hero of Bunker Hill
lmmed:atly dispatched William Da-
ives for Lexington, from which
place he was to proceed to Concord.
warren then sent for Revere. whom
he instructed to ride to these Will
ages by another route. The patriot
sllversmith sought out a friend and
requested him to place two lanterns
in the tower of North Church as a
signal to the watchers in Charles
town, then proceeded to the Charles
River where boat awaited him.
In this craft, with muffled oar
locks, he was rowed to the opposite
shore, passing under the guns of
the British man-of-war. Somerset.
and avoiding by five minutes the
soldiers who had been sent to de-
tain him.
In Charlestown Revere found
that his signals had been seen, and
procuring a horse, he Immediately
set off for Lexington. He had just
passed Charlestown Neck when he
saw two mounted British officers
waiting under a tree. AS these