The Massachusetts spy, or, Thomas's Boston journal. [volume], February 03, 1774, Image 1

About The Massachusetts spy, or, Thomas's Boston journal. [volume] (Boston [Mass.]) 1772-1775

Image provided by: Boston Public Library

                
WkK&M
A Weekly, Political, and Commercial Paper :-Open to all Parties, but Influenced by None
<DOthoU Gieat LIBERTY inspire our Souls,—And make oar Lives in th Y Polfeflion happy, Og our Deathsg/or/oiH in thy JV*t DJencr.
Vol. lII.]
For the MASSACHUSETTS SPY.
Mr. Thomas,
TUaJe to give the following a place in year
paper, and you will oblige one ofpour euftomert.
R , January Jill, 1774. A. Z.
S T E A has of late been, and
?is now, principal fubjed-
WA lj& matter of conversation, and
•j&ggGK has occasioned such a vast
number of town-meetings up
on this continent, it may not be improper
at this time to lay before the public, an
estimate of the annual charge of this single
article, to the North-American colonies.
To investigate this, we (hall begin with a
, fad ascertained by the East-India company,
' in their late application to the ministry, to
obtain the repeal of the three-penny duty ;
in which they fey, That the usual yearly
consumption in the colonies, before that
duty took place, was two million pounds
•weight : That in confequeace of the duty
being offenfive to the colonies, they have
4 loft a great part of their Tales : And that
in consequence of this, they have an un
common quantity now in their warehouses :
And that, fuppoling the colonies foould
take off the usual quantities ; yet, there
will remain unfold, in December 1774*
four years stock.
This two millions supplied from the East-
India company, is supposed not more than
half the quantity annually consumed in
North-America.
Another writer that there are
two million persons m the colonies who
drink Tea, and reckons two pounds to
each.
Now it is supposed that there are at this
time, in the colonies upon the continent,
live million inhabitants, exclusive of Indi
an* ; if so, then, agreeable to the above, we
may fairly suppose four million pounds
weight of Tea annually consumed among
them.
This 4,000,000 lb. wt.
at 3d. fieri, per lb. duty StaL Old Tenor,
amounts to
And thenfuppofe zsqd.
fieri, per lb. more lor
its foft cost, charges,
and merchants prohu,
until it gets into the
conlumerv hands, and
this amounts to fieri. — j>to©/500.
600,000, — S,occ,©oo.
By this it appears, that if we consume
yearly four million pounds weight, and that
the confirmer pays 30s. old tenor per pound
upon an average, we must annually pay fix
million pounds old tenor for a foreign ar
ticle, which is absolutely unnecessary, and
which wt can so well do without, that per
haps it would not be worth our acceptance
at one penny old tenor per pound.
When we confider, the duty with which
this article is loaded, with its attendant,
SLAVERY; that its medical vir
tues do not recommend it ; that is drains
us of an immense sum of money, which if
left to circulate among us, would be a great
blessing to people of all ranks ; and that
various fubfiitutes areeafily obtained, either
from among ourselves, or from the Weft-
Indies with our produce ; I fay, when
thefc things are considered, we (hall scarcely
find within us, such an affedion for it, as
to facrifice fix millions annually for the
emolument of the East-India company, or
the eftablifoment of an American Reve
nue. And as the merchants of Boston,
New-York, &c. may cafily turn their stock
into another channel, less injurious to the
country, it is hoped they will readily give
up that article of commerce, and heartily
join the country in a full and unlimited re
nunciation of all foreign TEAS forever ;
for, “ by uniting, we stand ; by »ivid
:ng,wiWl"
Or, Thomas’s Bolton Journal.
THURSDAY, February 3, 1774-
For the MASSACHUSETTS SPY.
Mr. Thomas,
Toner giving the following a place in your patriotic
paper, will convey it to tbe epee of the fatheri
of tbit people, wbo must be touched with tbe
jufferin 1 of children so unjust ly deprived of that
jbare of their protection, to which by right and
inclination, they have tbe ftrongtft claim.
MR. John Butler of Dummerfton, cr
Putney, came into a trad of land in
Putney by order of Col. Josiah Willard of
Wincuefier, with a promifc of having th:
land from said Willard on reasonable terms.
Col. Willard thought proper iome time
after to apply to the Governor of New-
York for a Patent for this land with a quan
tity besides ; on which a number of other
people had fettled on a like encouragement
from Col. Willard. CoL Willard some
time after his procurement of this Patent
fold the land to the Hon. William Smith,
Esq; of New-York, without any regard to
the occupants or proviso relative to his
agreement with them. Mr. Smith some
time after his bargain with Col. Willard
impowered or employed Col. Samuel Wells
at Brattleborough, to remove Mr. Butler
and ethers from of the lands they had in
great measure improved on the strength of
their bargain with Col. Willard.
Butler upon this made some enquiry/mto
the foundation of the title, and found tpat'
neither Col. Willard nor Judge Smith had
any right to it either by Charter from Ncw-
Hampihue, or Patent from New-York.
Nay it appeared plainly that all theft lands
were of the equivalent granted by the Bay
to Connedicut, and by that colony aliened
to individuals ; among whom the families
of the lax Justice Stoddard and the Powells
are proprietors of the trad in question.
The province of New-Hampfhirc once be
fore deputed this title, and was foiled by
it, and Mcff. Powells on application made
to them, told the occupants to retain their
pofleffion and they would secure them.
Finding therefore, that an indisputable
title with knowledge and i.itcreft enough to
defend it lay against them, they fem to
have suspended a dired attack, and in all
appearance aim to harrafe Mr. Butler, by
means too bast to be borne with in a civi
lised country. One James Cumming, a
favourite of Col. Wells’s bought a (mail
note against Mr. Butler, for the recovery
of which he took out a writ against him.
The mode of serving this writ was so ex
traordinary that any one must conclude
there were further views in it than barely
to obtain a trifling debt, ich probably
might have been di charge a on demand ;
it was this. On November 30th last past,
James Cumming afosdaid, his son and one
Charlo Hathon came to Mr. Butler, in the
morning, and stood waiting at tbe door till
an opportunity might offer tor them to force
into the house; and embracing the firft they
entered, and immediately fell to beating,
mauling and wounding the several persons
in the house in the following manner, viz.
Hathon went immediately to the bed where
Mr. Butler, his wife and child lay, and
firuck Mn. Butler on the hip, which put
her in great pain, telling her ihe was his
prisoner. But not content with this, he
pinched and bruised her in sundry places,
took her by the hair of the head and drew
her up, and foe laying hold of a pair of
tongs to defend herfelf, be wrested them
from her and knocked her down with them.
By this time Mr. Butler awoke who till
then was deeping and finding his family
assaulted in so terrible, inhuman and barba
rous a manner, seized a leaver, which one
of his boys handed him, and told them he
would clear the house of them or kill them
if they did not depart. While Hathon was
thus abusing those in the bed, Cumming
did in a bk* manner beat and abuse others
in the house, particularly a man and woman
between eighty and ninety years of age >
the man so infirm with a paralytic disorder,
ihat he has not been able to dress himfelf
for a long time ; neither did the children
efeape the fury of those determined execu
tors of civil justice. The whole family
fared alike, probably that all might be alike
proceeded against, as riotous oppofers of
lawful authority. However, on Mr. But
-1 r’s dtclarat on they all went off together,
..nd said Hathon being a constable returned
the writ served, though Butler never knew
he had one till some time after.
In about an hour Cumming and son
came back to Mr. Butler’s with near thirty
other people, under command of one W il
fon, who was said to be deputed by Hathon,
and commanded the people who were with
him as aiiiftants, to take Mr. Butler and
all his family for a breach of foe peace ; and
said Wilson entered the house brandifoing
a naked sword in his hand, attended by
Noah Sabin, Esq; one of the afliftant jui
tiecs of the county, who told Mr. Butler
that if he did not surrender he would raise
the whole county.
Mr. Butler hereupon furrendcred, and
they set one Deacon Parker to guard Mrs.
Butler, though foe was unable to fit up on
bed, by reason of the battery foe had
of Hathon. Having done this,
7 (betook Mr. Butler and fomc of the chil-
carried them to Cumming’shoufe,
they took bail for their appearance
at the court next to be holdcn for the
county.
Justice Sabin also told Mr. Butler that
in case his wife and the other child did not
come and give bail within three days he
Wjuld fend for them ; and happening with
one of them, a young lad, on the road he
took him up himfelf and confined him a
whole day, without giving him any account
wby he aid it, or pretending any warrant
whereby he was held a prisoner.
What renders it very suspicious that all
this crud and vexatious treatment of Mr.
Butler it to drive him from his place is, that
one Malachi Church was all this time wait
ing at Cumming’s to warn him off the
land.
Another circumstance hardly demonstra
tive of the greatest impartiality in the jus
tice, was, his refufing, with an air of con
tempt, a warrant requested by Mr. Butler,
against the persons who had committed so
evident an out-rage upon his family. The
Justice indeed made a pifo at their fuficr
ings, as a matter worthy of no regard, and
afterwards said they were all prisoners and
had no right to have their complaints no
ticed, or warrants granted in their favour.
Fine dodrinc this Justice Sabin !
The issue of all this law work was this,
that Mr. Butler was committed to jail, for
fix months, his wife for one week, and sen
tenced to pay ten pounds York money ;
and the poor old couple before mentioned
wcie also fined for a breach of the peace.
N. B. The court would fuffer no law
yer from Maflachufetts or New-Hampfoire
to defend this adion.
Another remarkable was, that on trial
the Judges asked Mr. Butler and his wife,
if they pleaded guilty ? They answered, no!
but it seems tiM* did not answer their end,
as they urged them to alter their plea to that
degree, that at length they both consented,
declaring however, that they consented to
a falfe pica, and they were not guilty,
though they had consented to be called 10.
Quere, Was not thisexpedient ncccffary
to help out a want of evidence in the sup
port of an adion, against persons sleeping
in their beds, at the commencement of an
outrage upon them, as being guilty oi a ri
otous breach of peace upon the afiiilants.
A further instance of the tendrmds of
this humane court was, that when Mr. But
ler and his wife were ordered to pr.fon, the
Sheriff found the woman had a young in-
'Numb. 157.
fant at her breast, and asked the Judges what
he foould do with the child ? and they or
dered him to commit it with the mother.
This was undoubtedly right, as it may be
presumed this fame infant was in the bed,
and probably difturbcd the officer, Mr.
Constable Hathon with its cries, while he
was in the execution of his office upon the
mother. One circumstance it is probable,
will be improved by the difafteded to go
vernment against the honourable distribut
ors of just ice, that is. the cominilfion of the
three criminals abovefaid, to an apartment
where there was no convenience to keep
fire, at so rigid a season in that intolerable
climate. But left any thing the court had
done, in this difagrceable affair, might be
improved against them by censorious per
sons, they enjoined and obtained the com
plement of thanks from the prisoners, (two
of them at It aft ;) and arc now to be 100 -
ed upon as having only done wh t their
duty indispensably obliged them to perform.
They utterly deny any ddign upon But
ler’s land, and lay all the blame on the pri
soners for their rchftance of this new fafoi
onable mode of exerting lawful authority in
cases of trifling accounts,notes of hand,&c.
P. S. Since the incident above related
fell out, some information has come to
hand, probably worthy of notice, viz.Cum
ming was, some time before the aflauit,
heard to offer five pints of rum, and two
dollars in calh, to any person that Would
break open Mr. Butler’s house, and let him
and another man in ; and the day after the
affair happened, Cumming fworc if that he
was to be in another such affray as that
was there foould be mor.* bones broke.
Sundry people stand ready to make oath
to the truth of the above representation of
matters of fad, if be occasion.
Hence may be gathered the absolute ne
ccflity the legislature of this province lyes
under, to support their just claim to that
exteniive part of their chartered property,
and effedually to defend their own children,
in the peaceable pofleffion of lands they
have fold and warranted to them.
.By King James lit charter, and Roswell’s
deed of fate f om the count il us Plymouth, eve-
Zacre of this foil is vetted in the proprietors of
is colony. Charles’s confirmation was a meet
furplufage, and those mighty jorifts, who tell
us of the vacauon of our charter, can pretend
no more than a decree to cancel this insignifi
cant record. AU Europe and America, who
look into these matters, know that whatever
right the crown of G eat-Bmain had to the foil
here, was unconditionally, as we may fay,
granted to the council of Plymouth—All ag ee
that the said council made a fair fak* of their
right to Sir Henry Roswell and associates, and
it u equally notorious that these affociaars ne
ver deemed t'ieir tide indefealable, until! they
had obtained a tide from the real owners, ori
ginal inhabitants, and rightful proprietors of
the foil. This no Cha:Ls ever gave or could
give, and this no Charles could or did take a.
way. I therefore conclude, that all the lands,
* which lie and be within the space of three
Enghih miles u the northward of Merimack
river, or to the northward of any and every
part thereof,’ throughout the main land, from
tea uninhabited by the of any chriftiaa
prince or date, at the dace of James Fir ft’s
charter, belong to this colony, except what they
have ceded by their own express agreements.
The King in transferring the jurisdiction of
the conxllei tract co New-York was certainly
deceived : and indeed it must be cons.-sled .his
matter has never been jutpy managed. The
fetdement with New-Hampfhirc is directly
contrary co charcer as possible ; for i Read of
being on a line drawn from three miles north
wa r aof the nurchermoft pare of Merimack fiver
it departs from three miles north of ch.* very
fonchermoft bend of the whole stream. Hence
an area of land of between fihy and sixty miles
in breadm throughout the continent is iott co
this colony. New-Hampfhirc's claim
ward is very weakly foandel, and else dLUnce
the people telling on the lands aooat the lakes
would L ftwn any feac of government, caufod