Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-11-29

seized for non-payment. SO, as December is
the date OF expiration, approached, affairs rap
Idly drew to q climax.
During the 10 days which elapsed between
the arrival of the first ship and that climax
Samuel Adams and his followers held a series
OF meetings to determine upon a course of &C
ton. The first of these was In Faneuil hall and
1t Immediately adjourned to Old South church
where the subsequent meetings were held. Al
one of them the county sheriff appeared with q
proclamation commanding the patriots to dis
perse. They listened to him quietly and then
unanimously voted to continue their meeting.
On December 10 a great crowd gathered In
Old South. Rotch had been sent to see Gov.
ernor Hutchinson to secure his aid In getting
clearance papers. While the meeting waited
for his return, there were speeches-many OF
them. Hancock spoke, as did Josiah Quincy, Jr
But the most significant speech was that OF
John Rowe In which he boldly exclaimed "Who
knows how tea will mix with salt wateri" The
shout of approval that went up clearly indicat.
ed what was In the minds of most of those
there.
Finally Rotch returned with the report that
the governor would give him no aid. Then
Samuel Adams arose. "This meeting can do no
more to save the country" he said gravely but
1Ah SAC hhVd6h hhAS q plCui
ranged signal, there was the sound Of an Indian
~war-whoop outside and 1t was echoed by the
crowd inside. Darkness was gathering as a
party of men, most of them dressed In Indian
costume but others with only black paint on
their faces as a disguise, marched down to Crit
fms wharf and quietly but quickly threw over
board every pound Of tea on the three ships.
There was no resistance and no other property
damaged.
Their Job done, the Indians dispersed quick
ly and dotted their disguises. For years the
identity of those who took part In this premed-
itated act of violence and direct defiance to the
king and his ministers was carefully guarded.
But In later years, when the Revolution had
been a success, the identities of many of them
became generally known. One of the most In
t~eresting of these, so far as his later history
was concerned, was Thomas Melvill, who be-
came a fre-warden In Boston and Ia said to
have been the last Bostonian to cling to the Gus
tom of wearing the cooked hat of colonial days.
He became a familiar sight on the streets of
Boston. Living to q shriveled old age, his ven
cradle mIen and quaint costume were immor-
tallzed by Oliver Wendell Holmes In the poem,
'The Last Leaf" for which Melvin is more
remembered than for his being a member of
the Boston Tea Party. But there il another
reason why he should be remembered. When
he returned home on that historic night 100
years ago there was some tea In his boots. He
preserved 1t In q bottle and that bottle and Its
contents may be seen In the Old State House
today.
"You cannot imagine the height of Joy that
sparkles in the eyes and inmates the coun-
tenances as well as the hearts of all we meet"
wrote Samuel Adams after the whole thing was
over. The crown authorities knew that 1t
would be futile to try to Identify the p%artici-
pants and punish them. SO they decided to pun.
Ish the whole city Of Boston instead. The port
OF Boston was closed. the famous "Intolerable
Acts" were passed. Gen. Thomas Gage came to
Boston to succeed Hutchinson as governor and
events moved swiftly to the opening Of hostil