The Lampasas Daily Leader (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 32, No. 25, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 4, 1935 Page: 3 of 4
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Battle of Lexinqton, April 19, 1775
William
Dawes, Jr;-
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
STEN, my children, and you shall
hear
Of the midnight ride of . . .
No, not of Paul Revere—at least,
not of him as the only rider on that
historic April night 160 years ago.
For there were two others who also
sped through the darkness as mes-
sengers of alarm and who also de-
serve to be remembered by their fel-
low-Americans.
But they are not thus remembered,
does it happen that Paul Revere
is so famous while William Dawes, Jr., and Dr.
Samuel Prescott are virtually “forgotten men”?
There are several plausible reasons.
One of them is the lucky chance of his having
a name which fitted well into the swinging
cadence of a poem by one of America’s best-
loved poets. “William Dawes” and “Samuel Pres-
cott” are good, substantial American names. But
somehow they lack the musical quality of "Paul
Revere.”
Another is the lucky chance (or perhaps It
was shrewd foresight) of his having written out
an account of his exploit and of this manuscript
being preserved for posterity. Still another is
the fact that this midnight ride was only one
incident in the career of a man of extraordinary
versatility. For Paill Revere was a silversmith,
an engraver, a cartoonist, a publisher, a poet, a
dentist, a merchant, an inventor and a soldier
and his accomplishments in any one of these
occupations might easily have guaranteed more
than transient fame for him. Recognition of
^these accomplishments did come to him in his
lifetime but for the immortality that is his, he
can thank Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and
the poem “The Ride of Paul Revere,” first pub-
lished some 65 years ago and since then recited
countless times by countless American school
children.
Recognition was longer in coming to William
Dawes, Jr., even in his native New England.
For many years April 19, the anniversary of the
battles of Lexington and Concord, has been ob-
served as Patriots’ day and celebrated as a holi-
day. In 1915 began the annual re-enactment of
Paul Revere’s ride as a part of the celebration,
but it was not until five years later that William
Dawes was similarly honored. On April 17, 1920,
the Boston Evening Transcript carried an article
which said in part:
“Both William Dawes and Paul Revere will
ride from Boston town to Lexington on Mon-
day. In these Twentieth century years, while
Paul Revere has repeated his famous ride on
each succeeding Patriots’ day, William Dawes
has not, heretofore, ventured forth over the
route which he followed on the nineteenth of
April, century before last. But this year he
will make the trip and will receive his share
of the honors of the day.”
The story of the ride of William Dawes is a
generally forgotten incident of the dawn of the
Revolutionary struggle, yet he seems to have
been entitled to an equal share with Paul
Revere in the credit of a daring and dangerous
enterprise. He left Boston at the same time
and carried the same message of warning and
alarm to the Inhabitants of each outlying vil-
lage and hamlet. Dawes went under orders of
the Committee of Safety as did Revere, but
Dawes was sent by the way of Roxbury, Brook-
line, Cambridge and Arlington to Lexington,
instead of the route followed by Revere through
Charlestown, Somerville, Medford and Arling-
ton. The idea was that the British were not
likely to capture both riders and one of them
was almost certain to get past the enemy. As
a matter of fact, both overcame the difficulties
and dangers and reached their common desti-
nation in safety.
While the ride of William Dawes has been
unknown to a majority of the general public, it
has been by no means overlooked by the his-
torians. In connection with the present observ-
ance a brief account of the exploit and some-
thing. about Dawes himself has been prepared
by W< K. Watkins, historian general of the
Sons of the American Revolution. Mr. Watkins
says:
“William Dawes, Jr., a young tanner, was
born in the North End in 1745. He was an
active patriot with Revere, Doctor Warren and
others, a small group in watchful waiting, for a
move of the British against the Americans.
Warning of such a movement was given by
William Jasper, an Englishman, who had mar-
ried Ann, sister of Robert Newman, the sex-
ton of Christ church. Jrisper was a cutler and
did work for the soldiers and so heard of the
intended expedition.
“During the war Dawes removed with his
family' to Worcester, where he was assistant
commissary of issues at the magazine. After
the war from 1782 to 1795 he kept a general
store at 13 Dock square now numbered 21 to
30. He lived on Ann, now North street, where
stood the ‘Franklin House’ half a century ago.
In 1795, he went to live on his farm in Marl-
boro where he died February 25, 1799. His
body is: buried in the King’s Chapel Burial
ground-,*]
But although Massachusetts thus in 1920 be-
gan to pay belated tribute to one of her heroes,
it was not until four years later that Americans
FROM EARLE’S drawing made A VtW PAYS LATER.
Paul Revere
Retreat of the British From Concord
FROM THE FAINTING Ml «.H»P»EU
generally became aware of the name aq.d fame
of William Dawes, Jr. That came about through
a rather curious development during a political
campaign.
In 1924 the Republican party nominated Gen.
Charles Gates Dawes of Illinois as the running
mate for Calvin Coolidge who had succeeded to
the presidency after the death of President
Harding. A few weeks later Senator Pat Har-
rison, “keynoter” at the Democratic convention,
called upon his party to give to the nation a
“new Paul Revere” who should act as a mes-
senger of warning to the country of the dangers
of continued Republican rule. That led a reader
of the New York Herald-Tribune to recall that
the great-grandfather of the Republican nominee
for vice president had ridden with Paul Revere
in 1775 and to bring to light the following poem
by Helen F. More, a New England writer of
verse, which had appeared in the Youth’s Com-
panion :
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
I am a wandering, bitter shade;
Never of me was a hero made;
Poets have never sung my praise;
Nobody crowned my brow with bays;
And if you ask me the fatal cause
I answer only, “My name was Dawes.”
’Tis all very well for the children to hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere;
But why should my name be quite forgot
Who rode as boldly and well, God wot?
Why should I ask? The reason is clear—
My name was Dawes and his Revere.
When the lights from old North church flashed
out,
Paul Revere was waiting about,
But I was already on my way.
The shadows of night fell cold and gray
As I rode with never a break or pause,
But what was the use when my name was Dawes!
History rings with his silvery name;
Closed to me are the portals of fame.
Had he been Dawes arid I Revere
No one had heard of him, I fear.
No one has heard of me because
His name was Revere and mine was Dawes.
This poem was widely reprinted both during
the campaign and after General Dawes had be-
come vice president, and it did much to estabJsh
in the minds of Americans that William E.
Dawes as well as Paul Revere was a heroic figure
in the events of April 18-19, 1775. His name be-
came even better known during the Lexington
and Concord Sesquicentennial celebration in 1925
in which his descendant, Vice President Dawes,
had a prominent part. During this celebration
two bronze tablets honoring Dawes were un-
veiled—one marking the site of his home at 16
North street in Boston and one on the Brighton
end of the Larz Anderson bridge, marking the
spot \yhere he crossed the Charles river “on his
way to alarm the country of the march of the
British to Concord.”
As for the third of the “midnight riders,” Dr.
Samuel Prescott, he is still pretty much a ‘Tor-
gotten man,” so far as Americans generally are
concerned. Even in New England his recogni-
tion has been even more belated than was
Dawes’. On April 19, 1930, the Boston Globe car-
ried a special dispatch from Concord which said
in part:
“Dr. Samuel Prescott” (impersonated by
Sergt. Andrew G. McKnight of Troop A, One
Hundred Tenth cavalry) galloped into town at
two this afternoon, reined in his horse in front
of Wright’s tavern to notify the natives that
“the British are on the march.”
“Dr. Prescott” presented the reproduction of
bis historic ride for the first time today and
it added much interest to Concord’s observ-
ance of Patriots’ day.
“Dr. Prescott” has waited some time for his
place in the limelight, but he found solace in
the fact that he was generally accredited with
being quite the handsomest and best-dressed
“rider” of the three.
When the original Revere and Dawes left
Lexington on that famous night in April, 1775,
to come to Concord, they met Doctor Prescott
on the way. Doctor Prescott lived in Concord
and had been courting in Lexington that night.
Thus, Charles L. Burrill of the Boston com-
mittee, explained to Concordians near Wright’s
tavern, this afternoon, the reason for the bro-
caded costume, the white lace and other pret-
ties worn by “Dr. Prescott.” *’
Wright’s tavern is the building at which the
men of Concord and surrounding towns gath-
ered at the call to arms on April 19, 1775.
Major Pitcairn of the British detachment which
reached Concord made the tavern his head-
quarters, and it was here he made his famous
boast that he would “stir the Yankee blood
this day.”
Not only is Dr. Samuel Prescott a “forgotten
man” so far as the average American is con-
cerned, but he is still pretty much of a shadowy
figure in American history. You will look for his
name in vain in any of the school book histories
or even in the cyclopedias of biography. But that
he had an important part in the history-making
events of those two April days 160 years ago is
attested to by a contemporary account of no less
importance than Paul Revere’s own narrative
which says:
“I set off upon a very good horse; it was
then about 11 o’clock, and very pleasant. In
Medford I wTaked the captain of the Minute
Men; and after that, I alarmed almost every
house, till I got to Lexington.
“After I had been there about half an honr,
Mr. Dawes arrived, who came from Boston,
over the neck; we set off for Concord, and
were overtaken by a young gentleman named
Prescott, who belonged to Concord, and was
going home; when we had got about half way
from Lexington to Concord the other two
stopped at a House to awake the man. I kept
along, when I got about 200 yards ahead of
them; I saw two officers as before, I called to
my company to come up, saying here was two
of them. In an instant I saw four of them,
who rode up to me, with their pistols in their
hands, said, ‘You stop, if you go an inch fur-
ther, you are a dead Man.’ Immediately, Mr.
Prescott came up. We attempt to git thro’
them, but they kept before us, and swore if we
did not turn into that pasture, they would blow
®ur brains out (they had placed themselves op-
posite to a pair of Barrs and had taken the
Barrs down). They forced us in, when we got
in, Mr. Prescott said, put on. He took to the
left, I to the right, towards a wood at the
bottom of the Pasture intending, when I gained
that, to jump my Horse, and run afoot; just
as I reached it, out started six officers, seized
my bridal, put their pistols to my breast or-
dered me to dismount, which I did. One of
them examined me and asked me what my
name was. I told him. He asked me if I was
an express. I answered in the affirmative.
“He demanded what time I left Boston. I
told him, and added that th,eir troops had
catched aground in passing the river, and that
there would be 500 Americans there in a short
time, for I had alarmed the country all the
way up. He immediately rode towards those
who stopped us. when all five of them came
down upon a full gallop. One of them clapped
a pistol to my head and told me he was going
to ask me some questions, and if I did not
give him true answers he would blow my
brains out. He then asked the questions and
ordered me to mount my horse.
“When we got to the road they turned down
toward Lexington. When we had got about one
mile the major rode up to the officer that was
leading me and told him to give me to the
sergeant. The major enquired how far it
was to Cambridge. Then he asked the sergeant
If his horse was tired and said “take that man’s
horse.” I dismounted, and the sergeant mount-
ed my horse, and they all rode towards Lex-
ington meeting house.”
The British then released Revere, who went
on to Reverend Clark’s house where he warned
Hancock and Adams in time for them to flee.
In the meantime Doctor Prescott had safely
made his escape and soon reached Concord.
As for what followed—“You know the rest. In
books you have read . . .”
© by Western Newspaper Union.
THE LAMPASAS LEADER
City “Lost” 1,000 Years
Once Capital of Arabia
Somewhat to the south of the pipe
line from the oil fields of Iraq to
Haifa and Tripoli, on the Mediter-
ranean sea, lies a city of the forgotten
past called Petra.
Not far removed from the Gulf of
Akaba on the Red sea was once the
veritable crossroads of the Old world,
notes a writer in the New York
Times. In the year 106 A. D. Petra
was made the capital of Arabia. Its
population was then about 50,000, and
goods were brought from Africa,
Arabia and India for storage before
being transported by caravan to the
Valley of the Nile, Palestine, Phoeni-
cia and the Euphrates-Tigris. valley.
Of such importance was the city that
the Romans built two roads to tap its
wealth. With fihe fall of Rome, how-
ever, its doom was sealed.
The metropolis of Arabia was then
abandoned except for a small number
of desert tribesmen. The Arabs con-
sidered it sacred ground and danger
menaced any one encroaching upon it.
But in 1812 the intrepid Swiss ad-
venturer, John Lewis Burckhardt,
reached the city in the disguise of a
Bedouin sheik and returned to tell of
its mysteries.
A comparative handfull of Arabian
faithfuls still Inhabit the city, and
to this day it is only under the pro-
tection of British guards that visitors
are admitted into its historical and
almost mythical confines.
Christ of the Andes Is
Most Unusual Monument
The Christ of the Andes is one of
the most unusual monuments in the
world. It stands at Cambre pass, the
highest accessible point on the Chile-
Argentina boundary in the Andes
mountains in South America. In 1902
Chile and Argentina had a dispute
over their boundary line. Through the
efforts of the clergy and the women of
the two countries involved the dispute
was settled by arbitration and the
money w-hich was on hand to use for
preparations for tihe war was used for
internal improvements.
Under the leadership of Senora An-
gela de Costa, of Argentina, the women
of the two countries raised the money
for the erection of a large statue of
the Christ in 1904. The bronze used
was that of old cannon which had been
taken from Spain in time of war. The
statue is 26 feet high and is mounted
on a granite pillar. A tablet on the
base is inscribed: “Sooner shall these
rnountains crumble into dust than Ar-
gentines and Chileans break the peace
to which they have pledged themselves
at the feet of Christ the Redeemer.”
Detective, Investigator
A detective, in the proper sense of
the word, traces crime or obtains se-
cret information for the detection of
crime. His occupation is directly in
connection with infractions of law. On
the other hand, an investigator, as the
term is ordinarily employed, is one
who is occupied in the field of research,
generally scientific; one who is en-
gaged in seeking facts. A legislative
inquiry into certain facts may be con-
ducted by an investigator, and the in-
quiry may lead to thv detection of in-
fractions of law. In such an instance
the work of an investigator and that
of a detective might be along identical
channels, but it is an incidental chan-
nel for the investigator, and the occu-
pational channel for the detective.—
Literary Digest.
Japanese Chronology Confusing
Early Japanese chronology Is con-
fusing and, to say the least, inexact,
says a writer in the New York Her-
ald-Tribune. This is sufficiently proved
by the earliest histories which give
the average age of the first emperors as
something over a hundred years. Most
confusing of all, up to about 600 A. D.
is the mixture of legend and fact, of
fairy tales and truth. Actually my-
thology is so mixed with history that
no mortal man can separate the two,
no one can say just where the super-
natural ends and the natural begins.
Famous Pets’ Graveyard
The most famous pets’ graveyard in
the world is the dogs’ cemetery in
Paris, qne of the tombstones in which
bears tiie famous cynicism: “The more
I see of men, the more I love my
dog.” There is also a dogs’ ceme-
tery in Kensington gardens, Lon-
don. It was started when a dog be-
longing to the duchess of Cambridge
was killed in a road accident, and is
now full.—Answers Magazine.
Effects of Moonlight
Scientists long have scoffed at the
ancient belief that moonlight can
cause lunacy and render food unfit for
use. However, persistent claims that
certain fish caught in the River Nile
would spoil overnight if left In the
light of the moon have been found to
be true.—Collier’s Weekly.
“Maid’s Money” to Servants
In the Guildhall every January 20,
“Maid’s Money” is given the maid-serv-
ant who has been in service for two
years or more in Guildford, England.
The old custom is maintained under
the will of John How, who died In
1674. Claims are settled by the throw-
ing of dice.
Philippine Tribes Ancient
Construction of the rice terraces In
the Ifuago country of the Philippines
is of such a nature as to indicate that
the tribe has lived in its present habi>
tat for more than 2.000 years.
The Bad Dream
By GERTRUDE von BERNUTH
©, McClure Newspaper Syndicate.
WNU Service.
TT WAS a stormy winter night. The
A wind blew a gale, tbe rain came down
in torrents, and Cynthia Blake was all
alone in the Long Island house.
Cynthia didn’t like being alane, and
on a night such as this she hated It
Especially since it had recently been
in all the papers that David had got-
ten a fifty thousand dollar executor's
fee from the Dodge estate. That made
her nervous. But she lighted a log
fire and settled down beside it with
her book, hoping against hope that
tbe time would pass quickly. David
would be home by 11:30 anyhow.
Eight o’clock, nine o’clock—surely
that clock must be slow !—ten o’clock—
and the telephone rang. Cynthia sprang
to answer it.
“I’d like tri speak to Mrs. David
Blake.” It was a man’s voice, business-
like, yet rather suave.
“This is Mrs. Blake,” said Cynthia.
“Oh! Well, Mrs. Blake, I’m afraid I
have some disturbing news for you.”
“Yes?” said Cynthia, striving hard
for self-control. Something had hap-
pened to David! “What is it?” she
asked faintly.
“Er—Mr. Blake has had an acci-
dent.” Cynthia gave one cry of anguish
and then forced herself to listen.
“Mr. Blake was on bis way home in
a taxi, and his car skidded on Queens-
boro bridge. I happened to be driving
by and stopped to see what had hap-
pened. Mr. Blake isn’t seriously hurt,
but they insisted upon taking him to
Bellevue for examination and treat-
ment. His one worry seemed to be
about his wife, so I told him that I’d
phone you. In fact, I told him that I’d
gladly take you in to Bellevue, if yon
cared to go.”
“Oh, would you? That’s awfully kind
of you!” cried Cynthia. Her one wish
was to get to David, darling David.
That was all that counted.
“How soon can you be ready, Mrs.
Blake?” asked the voice.
“In five minutes! Oh you’re sure that
my husband’s not badly hurt?” she im-
plored. "You’re telling me the truth,
aren’t you?”
“Mr. Blake is not badly hurt. He may
have a broken rib or two, but—”
“Come on, come on, cut it out,”
broke in a rough voice. “We ain’t got
much . . .” then silence, as if a
hand had been suddenly placed over
the mouthpiece. Then:
“That was some one who wants this
booth, Mrs. Blake. I’ll he there inside
of fifteen minutes! Good-by.”
As Cynthia put the receiver back os
the hook, she was puzzled. Her fear
about David seemed to have vanished.
She began to be her usual cool-headed
self. That other voice, so rough and
snarling. “Come on, come on, cut It
out. We—”
Cynthia raced upstairs to the exten-
sion phone beside her bed.
“Pennsylvania-6-3500,” she said,
speaking into the mouth piece again.
“Hello, hello, is this the Bar associa-
tion? Is Mr. Blake there this evening—
Mr. David Blake? He was to be in
conference with—” «
“Yes, Mr. Blake is here. He’s in
room 510. I’ll connect you with him if
you wish.”
“If you please,” said Cynthia.
“Mr. Blake, please,” said the voice.
And then David’s voice saying hello.
“Dave is that you?”
“Certainly it’s I. What’s up?"
“And are you all right?”
“All right? Of course I’m all right.
What’s the matter with you? I'm just
starting for home.”
“O. K.” said Cynthia, and hung np
the receiver.
“Operator, I want the police,” she
said, taking down the receiver again.
"‘I’ll connept you,” said the operator.
Her voice sounded excited.
“Police station, One Hundred and1
ninth precinct. What is it?” asked a
man’s voice.
“Officer,” said Cynthia. “This Is
Mrs. David Blake, at 20 Weybridge
road, Bayside, Long Island. I have
just had a phone call from a stranger
who tells me that my husband has had
an automobile accident and wants me
to come to him in Bellevue hospital.
The man said he would be here in fif-
teen minutes to take me to my hus-
band. I have since located my hus-
band by telephoning and he’s perfectly
all right. But I thought, if the ‘man
comes, I’d like to have the police.”
“Humph! A snatch! We’ll have
some one there inside of three minutes,
lady. Don’t be scared. Take it easy.”
Cynthia hung up the receiver with
fingers that trembled. That was that
Now what? She sat tense listening for
sounds outside, and finally heard a car
coming up the road. Which is it, she
wondered, tbe ‘snatcher’ or the police?
She shivered a little.
Just then the telephone rang again.
“This is Dave again,” said her hus-
band’s voice. “I’m phoning from the
Long Island station. Is anything wrong
out there? I’m worried.”
Suddenly Cynthia heard a commo-
tion outside, and a shot rang out “*S
all right, I dropped him,” shouted a
voice. “Where’s the other one? Did
he get away?”
“He won’t get far. I blew his front w
tire, and the other boys are just coming "
up the road. They’ll get him.”
‘Cynthia!” shouted David. “Is any-
thing the matter? You’re acting aw-
fully queer. Why did you call me at
the Bar association?”
“Oh, I fell asleep by the fire and had
a had dream,” said Cynthia. “Tell you
ah jut it when you get home.”
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The Lampasas Daily Leader (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 32, No. 25, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 4, 1935, newspaper, April 4, 1935; Lampasas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth897199/m1/3/: accessed July 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Lampasas Public Library.