Simon Hawke: Hellfire Rebellion

“You want to know why Andrew Oliver was hung in effigy?” Edes asked Hunter. “It is because he has accepted an appointment as the local stamp distributor, to profit from this latest outrage visited upon us. Thanks to the Stamp Act, my newspaper must now be printed on stamped paper taxed at one shilling a sheet. A three-shilling stamp is required on any legal document. School and college diplomas are to be taxed two pounds and a lawyer’s license bears a ten-pound tax. Any appointment to public office must now be written on stamped paper taxed at four pounds. Even playing cards and dice are to be taxed one shilling! I tell you, sir, it is outrageous! And Andrew Oliver has agreed to become a party to this affront against our rights, to distribute the blasted stamps in Boston!”

He took the Gazette from Hunter. opened it. and stabbed a finger at a drawing of a badge-shaped stamp. It had “America” lettered at the top and around a Tudor rose ran the motto of the Order of the Garter, “ Honi soit qui mal y pense.-”

Shame to him who thinks evil of it,” Fries translated in a sarcastic tone. “An irony indeed, considering what most people in the colonies think of Parliament’s new measure! You saw that opinion expressed today upon the Common, sir!”

“The opinion of Sam Adams and the Loyal Nine, perhaps.” said Moffat. “But do not presume these radicals speak for everyone in Boston.”

“Well, certainly not for Governor Bernard,” said Edes. sourly. “But Adams speaks for many of us. The governor wanted the effigies removed at once, yet he was advised against it by the members of his own council!”

“Only because the council felt it would be wise not to provoke an incident.” said Brown.

“Precisely my point!” Edes said. “No incident could be provoked if the public sympathy did not lie with the demonstrators! I heard that Chief Justice Hutchinson ordered the sheriff to pull the figures down, but Sheriff Greenleaf said he feared he’d be risking the lives of his men if he tried to go against the crowd! He saw their mood and knew better than to interfere!”

“Undoubtedly. our fearless sheriff saw some familiar faces in the crowd.” said Moffat. “among them Ebenezer Macintosh, that hard-nosed cobbler who leads the rowdy South End Gang, and Samuel Swift, the leader of the North End Boys, who like nothing better than to break a head or two. I saw them whipping up the crowd myself. And if those two rival. brawling gangs of hooligans have come together for this demonstration. then Greenleaf knows there could be hell to pay before this day is through. I am not surprised that he wanted no part of it.”

At that moment. someone came running into the tavern to announce that the demonstrators were going to march on the stampman’s office.

This I’d like to see.” said Edes, pushing back his chair and heading for the door.

Hunter followed with the others as they hurried toward the Common. It was growing dark as they arrived and the crowd had grown quite large. The demonstrators had pulled down the effigies and nailed them to boards. They hoisted them up onto their shoulders and paraded shouting through the town, followed by the growing crowd of onlookers. Hunter went along as Ebenezer Macintosh led the noisy march to Kilby Street. where Andrew Oliver. the stamp distributor, had established his new office. It took them less than five minutes to demolish it completely.

“And they shout about liberties and rights.” said Moffat. shaking his head as he watched the demonstrators ripping down the building. “Well I’ve seen quite enough.” He turned to Hunter. “I fear that you have pot found Boston at her best, sir. Good fortune to you.”

When the demolition was completed. the crowd moved on to Oliver’s home. The stamp distributor had fled when he heard the crowd approaching, but if he thought they would disperse when they didn’t find him home, he was tragically mistaken.

The rioters used rocks and clubs to smash out all his windows of imported English glass, then they broke open the stables and vandalized his handsome coach. They tore down the garden fence and started a fire in the yard. Most of the onlookers just watched, but a good number of them joined the rioters as they stripped every single fruit tree on the grounds, tore off all the branches, and fed them to the flames. Then they broke into the house itself.

Hunter followed them inside, where they smashed all the furniture to kindling and scattered Oliver’s possessions all about the house. Many of them helped themselves to whatever valuables they found, and not one to waste an opportunity, Hunter stuffed his pockets with jewelry and cash. When in Rome. he thought, do as the Romans do.

There was a lot of celebrating in the taverns on the waterfront that night and Hunter cemented some new friendships by standing men like Ben Edes and Ebenezer Macintosh to drinks, in some cases with money he had picked from their own pockets. He took a small room at an inn and the next day he joined some of his new friends in a delegation of “concerned citizens” who went to visit Andrew Oliver in his shambles of a home, where they convinced him, “for the good of the public.” to resign his royal commission as the distributor of stamps.

Buoyed up by their success, these concerned citizens then decided to further influence their local officials by trashing some more houses. They built a huge bonfire on King Street. the better to attract a crowd, and in a proper festive spirit, they then proceeded to lay waste to the home of William Story, an officer of the vice admiralty court. A few of the more festive souls among the crowd cried out for Story’s life, but he had made good his escape, and they were forced to settle for burning the admiralty records and stealing all his valuables. After Story’s house was burglarized, the mob proceeded to the home of Ben Hallowell, a customs official, where once again they smashed a lot of doors and windows, broke up a lot of furniture, scattered all the books and papers, helped themselves to the contents of the wine cellar, and took away whatever valuables they found. Hunter came away with about two hundred pounds in cash, which he had discovered locked in Hallowell’s desk. He decided that things were going along quite nicely, but they went even better at the home of Chief Justice Thomas Hutchinson.

Hutchinson fled with his family just in time. Shouting “Liberty and property.” the demonstrators demonstrated their respect of same by working diligently through the night to demolish the entire mansion. They first broke open the wine cellars, for it was thirsty work, and while most of them were busy getting drunk and smashing up the furniture. Hunter and Macintosh made a quick search of the house. Their efforts rewarded them with some jewelry and nine hundred pounds sterling, which they divvied up between them.

“Patriotism is its own reward, eh?” said the grinning Macintosh. clapping Hunter on the back. In the short time they had known each other, they had become fast friends. Amazing what a little civil disobedience and alcohol can do. thought Hunter. After the mob finished demolishing the furniture and smashing out the windows, they started tearing up the floors. There was no stopping them. Sheriff Greenleaf arrived and made a token effort at exerting his authority. but a barrage of rocks and bricks made him decide that he had more important things to see to at the office. Having thus repulsed the sheriff, the rioters celebrated their victory by smashing all the dishes and the crystalware. then tearing up the library. They destroyed the books and ripped up all the documents, including the manuscript for

Hutchinson’s history of the Massachusetts colony, which he had been working on for thirty years. Throughout the house, the rioters were going berserk like piranhas in a feeding frenzy. slashing all the mattresses and pillows, tearing down the drapes, smashing through the walls, and ripping down the chandeliers. When the interior of the mansion was completely gutted, the rioters tore the slate shingles off the roof and even dismantled the cupola. which took about three hours, but provided them with no end of satisfaction.