Page:Letters of John Andrews.djvu/45

 LBTTEES OF JOHN ANDREWS- 39

and gave them the fullest assurances thai they had resign'd their scats at y'. board and would Dot act in any capacity whatever, thai was dis- agreeable to the people. Lieutenant Governor Oliver is come to town and Brattle is gone to the Castle, which I believe is the only place of safety tor him in the province. Four or five expresses have come down to Charlestown and here, to acquaint us. that between Sudbury and this, above ten thousand men are in arms and are continually coming down from the country back : that their determination is to collect about forty or fifty thousand by night (which they are sure of accomplishing) when they intend to fling in about fd'teeu thousand by the way of the Neck, and as many more over the ferry : when once got possession, to come in like locusts and rid the town of every sol- dier. But such a scheme is so big with mischief and calamity, that yl Committee of correspondence, select men, and every prudent man in the town of Charlestown. set off to appease 'em early in the morn- ing; and the committee of correspondence from this town also went at the same time. Since which, accounts have been so alarming that between ten and eleven o'clock the Select men set out from here, to try what they could do to satisfie and disperse 'em. Ruthy set out this morning for Hingham, in company with my mother, Mr. Bi*eck, and Ben. Am rejoiced that she is out of the way, just at this time.

A Guard of Soldiers is set upon the Powder house at the back of y' Common, so that people are debar'd from selling their own prop- erty; and the Guard upon the Neck is doubled, as well as that the whole battallions have had new flints, &ca., delivered out to them.

Commissioner Ilallowell, coming from Salem to his house in Kox- bury, pass'd by Cambridge common 4, where the people were collected, spoke somewhat contemptuously of them, which soon came to their ears. They immediately sent a party in pursuit of him. He saw them coming; jump'd out of his chaise; order'd his negro off the horse and got on ; when he set out upon the full gallop with a pistol in each hand. One of the party, better mounted than the rest, overtook him upon the Neck, at whom he snap'd his pistol, which luckily missed fire, when he put on with full speed, and flung himself into the pro- tection of the guard posted there. News of the above movement of the Army, which was represented as though they were coming against them, together with the aggravation that Ilallowell had shot a man. was carried to Cambridge, which set the people in a prodigious fer- ment (who before were become quite calm and compos'd) and every

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