NOTICE TO THE READER. 
 
 For reasons stated in the " Conclusion," the original plan for the prepara- 
 tion of the copy for the succeeding pages of this book was early changed, 
 Mrs. B. P. Boss being in no wise responsible for anything appearing beyond 
 the two or three first chapters. 
 
 THE PUBLISHER.
 
 Let not Ambition mock their useful toil, 
 Their homely joys, and destiny obscure ; 
 
 Nor Grandeur hear, with a disdainful smile, 
 J he short and simple annals of the poor. 
 
 [GKAY'S ELEGY.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS 
 
 OF A 
 
 LONG AND BOST LIFE, 
 
 1819-1890, 
 
 BENJAMIN WOOD PEARCE. 
 
 EDITED BY His DAUGHTER. 
 
 NEWPORT, R. I. 
 
 1890. 
 
 NEWPORT, E. I.: 
 
 B. W. PEARCE, NEWPORT ENTERPRISE, 
 
 PRINTER.
 
 TO THE 
 
 NOBLE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE READY TO 
 GIVE A HELPING HAND TO THOSE WHO 
 ARE WILLING TO HELP THEM- 
 SELVES, 
 
 THIS VOLUME 
 
 OF PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS IS 
 
 DEDICATED, 
 
 WITH RESPECT AND GRATITUDE, 
 
 BY 
 B . W . PEAK C E .
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 In writing this story of my father's life, I have simply ed- 
 ited his own recollections, adding such reflections of mint- as 
 seemed desirable, also many quaint stories told to amuse my 
 childhood, and which have probably passed from the memory 
 of the one who related them. In undertaking the work. I 
 have had but one fear that I should not do justice to the pa- 
 thetic childhood, the energetic manhood, the vigorous age of 
 my honored father. 
 
 CLARA P. BOSS. 
 
 2021372
 
 ILa 
 
 :/a, 
 
 > ?? 
 
 
 .^
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE BEGIXXIXr, . 
 
 Birth-Place. Parents and Grandparents. House Saved by a 15-year-old 
 Girl. Novel Method of Clearing a House of Rats. Death of Broth- 
 ers. "Zeph. "-Obeying Orders. Novel Piece' of Detective Work.- 
 " Uncle Jonathan's " Eccentricities. Humorous Ancestors. 
 
 The life of Benjamin Wood Pierce began on the ninth day 
 of April, 1819, in the town of Swansea, Mass. His father was; 
 Lewis Pierce, a son of Elder Preserved Pierce, a preacher of 
 the Baptist persuasion, whose charge was the congregation of 
 the old Hornbine meeting-house, in Rehoboth. His residence 
 was near by, and is still standing, in very much the condition 
 in which he left it. It is reported of this Elder that he was 
 "considerable of a singer," which perhaps accounts for the 
 heartiness with which his grandson has always entered into 
 social music. 
 
 This grandson was born in what might well be termed a 
 wilderness, in a humble cottage on the edge of a forest, the 
 nearest neighbor being half a mile away, and his first recollec- 
 tion was of being drawn in a little wagon through the forest, 
 and the wonder excited in his mind by an oak apple, which he 
 picked up in the cart-path. 
 
 The maiden name of the mother of Mr. Pierce was Phebe, 
 eldest daughter of Mr. Israel Wood, of Swansea, whose father 
 was an old school physician, bleeding, blistering and calomel
 
 (5 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 and jalaping the good people of Swansea and vicinity at 
 twenty-five cents a visit. 
 
 Mr. Wood was by trade a mason. He invented a mettiod of 
 setting kettles in distilleries and try-works for whalers, which 
 was in use for many years, furnishing him with constant and 
 remunerative employment during the life of the patent. He 
 would sell no rights, rejecting all propositions to that end, 
 thus losing benefits which he might have derived from that 
 source. 
 
 The few who remember Phebe Wood in her girlhood, de- 
 scribe her as having been fair to look upon, and this comeli- 
 ness she retained through all her life, insomuch that the one of 
 her granddaughters who most resembled her was accounted 
 a fortunate young person. 
 
 Nor was comeliness of person Benjamin's mother's only dow- 
 ry. She inherited from her sainted mother qualities that aid- 
 ed her largely in her subsequent life career. She possessed 
 in an eminent degree that peculiar gift which in New England 
 is termed " faculty." Her children have many times heard her 
 tell how in the September gale of 1815 she saved her father's 
 house from probable demolition. A gable window had been 
 blown in and the gale was tearing through the unfinished at- 
 tic. Phebe, then a 15-year old girl, and the eldest of the fam- 
 ily, grasped the situation and was equal to the occasion. Pro- 
 curing an old door, and removing a beam from a loom, she 
 summoned all the children of the household, placed the door 
 against the window, braced it with the beam, piled the six chil- 
 dren upon it, and kept them there until the gale had abated. 
 Her father, who was absent from home at the time, afterwards 
 said the act saved the house, and was profuse in his expressions 
 of gratitude to his thoughtful daughter. 
 
 At another time Mr. Wood's house was infested with rats. 
 They invaded everywhere and consumed everything eatable
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 7 
 
 within their reach. Phebe had heard that if a letter were 
 addressed to them, and placed within their reach, directing 
 them to some other place, they would at once go thither. She 
 accordingly wrote a letter, saying that her father, Mr. Wood, 
 had a large family and had nothing to spare ; but down the road 
 a few rods lived Mr. Daniel Mason, a bachelor, who had enough 
 and to spare, and advising them to go there. This letter 
 she took to the cellar and placed it on the meal chest, weight- 
 ing it down with a small stone. 
 
 In all this she had kept her own counsel, awaiting events. 
 Early the next morning she sped to the meal chest and the let- 
 ter was gone; and very much to her surprise and gratification, 
 almost simultaneously the rats disappeared altogether. 
 
 One day, about two weeks later, as she was washing the 
 breakfast dishes, Daniel Mason came walking in. Almost the 
 first words he said were. " Mrs. Wood, I am overrun with rats ! 
 Where they all come from I can't tell. Two weeks ago I did 
 not have one in the house ! " Phebe had to bite her lips to 
 keep from laughing, but said not a word. Of course her 
 mother could not shed any light on the subject, for she knew 
 nothing of it. 
 
 It is considered probable that the rats were well contented 
 with the change, as thirty years later they were known to be 
 numerous there. 
 
 Benjamin was the second in a quartet of sons born to Lewis 
 and Phebe Pierce. The two youngest of these four boys died 
 in infancy. The last of the two died at the age of six mouths, 
 when Benjamin was not far from five years of age. The child 
 was sickly, and spent most of its time in the cradle, which 
 Benjamin was delegated to rock during the waking hours of 
 the little one. Sitting in the lower end of the cradle, the rude 
 wooden box of those days, and oscillating it by the motion of 
 his body, it is not strange that he came to hate the very sight
 
 8 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 of that cradle, that had held him a prisoner for so many days ; 
 or that in the inconsideration of childhood he jumped for joy 
 when informed of the baby's death, shouting" O, I'm glad of 
 it ! Now I shan't have him to rock." 
 
 In striking contrast to the foregoing was the affection man- 
 ifested by this little brother toward one dying previously, 
 in which instance he would not allow the grave to be made 
 to put his little Leander in ; and to pacify him it was necessary 
 to insist that they were only digging a place in which to put 
 potatoes ; and he was sent to a neighbor's until after the fun- 
 eral. 
 
 During the first four years of Mr. Pearce's life, his parents 
 lived in Swansea, not far from the home of his maternal 
 grandfather. Of the children who had been born in the home- 
 stead, three young bachelor uncles, Israel, Zephaniah and 
 William, and a maiden aunt, Mary Ann, but six years older 
 than her nephew, remained within its walls. The young 
 uncles were as full of spirit as all well regulated young men 
 generally are; but Zephaniah, or u Zeph,"as he was familiarly 
 called, seemed to be the embodiment of the spirit of mischief. 
 On one occasion his mother gave him the not unusual admon- 
 ition, 
 
 "Now, Zeph, come straight home from school." 
 The school was about a mile away, "across lots." Zeph 
 had still fresh in his mind a scolding he had recently received 
 for not obeying literally some command of his mother's, and 
 he inwardly resolved that this time, at all events, there should 
 be no good cause for complaint on that score. That night 
 Zeph presented himself in a sorry plight. His clothing was 
 soaked with water and covered with mud from his head to his 
 feet. He had obeyed literally his mother's injunction, making, 
 as nearly as possible, a "bee-line" for home, though he had
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 9 
 
 been obliged to swim across a river and wade through a 
 swamp in order to accomplish it ! 
 
 At several different times Zeph's father had lost growing 
 vegetables from his farm under rather suspicious circum- 
 stances. After much discussion the family arrived at a rea- 
 sonable certainty as to the identity of the thief, and Zeph 
 thereupon took it upon himself to prove the offence and pun- 
 ish the offender. Sedulously keeping his secret, he went to 
 the field, and selecting the largest pumpkin he could find, 
 scooped out the interior, carved places representing eyes, nose 
 and mouth, and in the interior placed a caudle. Armed with 
 this and a short ladder, he was ready for business. 
 
 In a small house a short distance from Mr. Wood's, lived a 
 ne'er-do-well, who may be called John Wilson, since that was 
 not his name. John lodged in the second story. About 10 
 o'clock at night, Zeph took his ladder and lantern and repaired 
 thither. 
 
 Carefully raising the ladder against the side of the building, 
 Zeph brought the light of the lantern's hideous countenance to 
 bear upon John's face through the window, which was open, 
 the weather being warm, and in sepulchral tones he shouted, 
 
 u John ! John Wilson ! "' 
 
 Suddenly awaking from a sound sleep, John saw before him 
 that which caused his blood to freeze in his veins and every 
 hair on his head to stand on end. Chattering with fright, he 
 answered, 
 
 Y-y-e-s ! Who-o-o are you, and what do you want?" 
 
 "I'm the devil ! I'm after you, for stealing Mr. Wood's po- 
 tatoes ! " replied Zeph, in the same sepulchral tones. 
 
 "Oh, oh," groaned the miserable, trembling sinner, "let me 
 oft' this time, and I'll never do so again ! " 
 
 Thereupon ensued a coloquy, during which Zeph adminis- 
 tered some moral lessons and exacted promises not strictly in
 
 10 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 keeping with his assumed satanic character, and ending in a 
 compact binding John to a general line of good conduct, which 
 it is pleasing to state was quite rigidly adhered to by the old 
 man to the close of his life. Probably this' is one of the very 
 few instances in which a reformation was traced to the influ- 
 ence of the "devil." 
 
 Those best acquainted with Mr. Pierce, doubtless are not in- 
 sensible to various and sundry "odd streaks" in his character. 
 These peculiarities are certainly an honest inheritance, having 
 been derived from a race of Martins, of whom his maternal 
 grandmother was one. Probably the oddest of all these was 
 Mr. Jonathan Martin, a substantial Swansea farmer, known 
 the country around as " Uncle Jonathan." 
 
 One autumn, at the close of the harvest, Uncle Jonathan's 
 barns and granaries were full to overflowing. In his granary, 
 just above the level of the floor, was an aperture about five 
 inches in diameter, made for the cat to go in and out, to keep 
 the place clear of mice. 
 
 The old gentleman was suspicious of the depredation upon 
 his corn of some animal other than mice. He determined to 
 satisfy himself as to the identity of the animal, if possible, and 
 at the same time capture it. He accordingly set a steel-trap 
 just inside the aperture above mentioned, and taking care to 
 confine the cat within doors, retired for the night. 
 
 Next morning before daylight, as was his custom, he went 
 out to milk, and fodder his stock. Passing the crib, in the 
 gray of the morning he saw standing there the form of a man. 
 
 "Good morning, sir," ejaculated Mr. Martin, without stop- 
 ping in his walk. 
 
 The man civilly returned the compliment and Mr. Martin 
 soon disappeared inside the barn. Emerging in about half an 
 hour, he started to return to the house. Passing again the 
 granary, the man was still standing there, and in the increasing
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 11 
 
 light he recognized in him a near and well known neighbor. 
 
 " Frosty morning, Mr. Doe. Won't you go in the house and 
 warm you?" said the imperturbable Mr. Martin. 
 
 "I would be glad to, Mr. Martin, for the fact is I am quite 
 chilled through," answered Mr. Doe. 
 
 " Come along, then. Don't be bashful. Good tire in there," 
 cordially urged Mr. Martin. 
 
 "I I can't do it unless you will release my hand," was the 
 hesitating reply. 
 
 "Hand? What's your hand doing in there?" returned Mr. 
 Martin, in a tone of much amazement. 
 
 When the man had finally made humble confession of his in- 
 tended theft, he was released, nor would Mr. Martin ever di- 
 vulge his name. 
 
 Uncle Jonathan was a prominent member of the local 
 church, as was "Aunt Huldah," his wife. The piety of the 
 latter was phenomenal. Her library consisted only of a Bible 
 and a Dream Book. These were covered with green baize and 
 kept on a stand ready for reference. She consulted one as 
 often as the other, and each of them several times daily. 
 
 Uncle Jonathan's reputation for hospitality was only equalled 
 by that for eccentricity. Visiting clergymen were almost in- 
 variably quartered at his house, and he not only entertained 
 them generously, but on their departure loaded the wagons in 
 which they came with all the provisions they would contain. 
 
 On one of these occasions when he had thus laden the rever- 
 end visitor, the latter turned to him with, 
 
 "Mr. Martin, I shall begin to think you are a pretty clever 
 sort of a man ! " 
 
 " Begin to think ?" demanded the now irate Mr. Martin, draw- 
 ing his stalwart form to its utmost height and glaring at. the 
 minister; "Just begin to think ! Here I've been loading you 
 off week after week with all you could carry, and you just be-
 
 12 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LOXG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 giii to think I'm a pretty clever sort of a man ! 
 Take those things all out ! Humph ! Just begin to think ! v 
 
 The poor dejected preacher, discovering the mistake he 
 had made, began to stammer out an apology. But the old man 
 would not listen to a word. 
 
 "Out with them, every one of them ! There, now go along. 
 Don't ever come here again. Humph ! Just begin to think ! " 
 he reiterated, as the crest-fallen preacher drove down the road. 
 
 Mr. Martin had had a disagreement with one or more mem- 
 bers of a family living in the vicinity, who bore the name of 
 Eddy, or E-e-dy, as it was pronounced by the ruralists of 
 those days. It came to pass that a young gentleman of that 
 family was paying marked attention to Miss Betsey Wood, 
 one of Mr. Pierce's maiden aunts. It chanced that in one of 
 their lovers' rambles they were near Mr. Martin's, and Bet- 
 sey thought it a good opportunity to make a call on her 
 uncle, with perhaps a little intermingling of vanity in connec- 
 tion with her recent masculine acquisition. Entering the room 
 where the old gentleman was seated, he arose and gave Betsey 
 a cordial greeting, without, however, so much as bestowing a 
 glance upon her companion. Betsey lost no time in saying, 
 
 "Uncle Jonathan, shall I make you acquainted with Mr. 
 Eddy?" 
 
 The old gentleman scowled at the young man from under his 
 eyebrows, then, without uttering a word in response, took two 
 or three turns up and down the room, then pausing in front 
 of the couple, he exclaimed, 
 
 "No, Bets you can't do it; you can't make me acquainted 
 with an E-e-dy ! " (Two or three more turns up and down the 
 room, and then another pause.) " No, Bets, you can't make me 
 acquainted with an E-e-dy ! too well acquainted with them 
 now. Xo, Bets, you can't do it ! " This he reiterated, with 
 a repetition of his up-and-dowu-the-room performance, until
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 13 
 
 the mortified Miss Betsey was glad to take Mr. ' E-e-dy " and 
 beat ap unceremonious retreat. 
 
 It was during Mr. Martin's life-time that instrumental music 
 was first introduced into public worship. The old gentleman 
 was one of its most pronounced opponents, and as soon as the 
 sound of the fiddles was heard, he was accustomed to take his 
 hat and repair to the carriage shed, returning, however, in 
 time to listen to the sermon. 
 
 Hitherto little mention has been made of Mr. Pierce's mater- 
 nal grandfather, Mr. Israel Wood. He was one of a large fam- 
 ily of brothers and sisters, who were noted for their humorous 
 proclivities, which influenced their conduct all through their 
 lives. In fact the humorous vein in their dispositions caused 
 a youthful line of conduct to pervade their lives down to three 
 score and ten years, which age all of them reached and not a 
 few exceeded that, some by ten years or more. Xor has this 
 proclivity become extinct. It still exists, pre-eminently, in 
 most of the descendants of that branch of the Wood family. 
 It is related of one of these brothers, that at one time, when 
 an apprentice, he was annoyed by having articles and money 
 stolen from his trunk at his boarding place. Changing locks 
 availed nothing. At length he bethought him of a new de- 
 vice. He had a coffin made and carried to his room. He 
 placed his money and valuables in that, and thenceforward 
 they were not disturbed: The people could not be induced to 
 enter his room, even to perform necessary household duties. 
 
 The weird stories told by our great-grandparents, of occur- 
 rences in their own time or that of their parents or grandparents, 
 as told them by the latter, were such as to almost stagger 
 belief. 
 
 One of these was of a man reputed to be a " conjuror," 
 whose name we shall call "Jones." This man, who lived in the 
 vicinity of Swansea, had been a leading member of a local
 
 14 RECOLLECTIONS ON A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 church, but his worldly affairs not prospering, he became sour 
 and morose, and directly severed his connection with the 
 church, and further, became a pronounced unbeliever. His 
 worldly affairs beginning at the same time to mend, this, with 
 other concurrent circumstances, brought his neighbors to the 
 belief that he had " made a league with the devil.'" This belief 
 was strengthened by a circumstance that occurred at the fu- 
 neral of a member of his family. He had, since his declension, 
 steadfastly refused to be present at any religious service. On 
 the occasion of this funeral, Mr. Jones had gone off into 
 a meadow, out of hearing, and seated himself on a log. One 
 of those assembled, seeing him there, called the attention of 
 a bystander to the old man, saying, "What's that old devil 
 sitting away down there on that log, for?" The circumstance 
 passed from his mind, until, directly after the service, the 
 old man came up, and patting him on the shoulder, repeated 
 to him the precise words he had uttered half an hour pre- 
 viously. 
 
 On another occasion, a man whose cow had strayed away, 
 acting on advice given him, travelled eight miles to the " con- 
 juror," whom he had never seen, hoping to be by him put upon 
 the track of the animal. Arriving there, the old man came to 
 to the door, and before a word had been uttered, said to his vis- 
 itor, "You may return home; your cow has been found, but 
 she is spoiled," which was afterwards proved to have been 
 as he had said. 
 
 Many other stories like these, including those of witchcraft, 
 and the trying of tricks, were told before fires of logs in 
 the capacious fireplaces, until the youthful listeners crept 
 trembling to their beds. Those evenings on the hearthstone 
 were nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed by the little folks. They 
 read, played " cat's-cradles," " f ox-and-geese " or checkers, 
 bv the light of great, blazing back-logs, or "told stories,"
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 15 
 
 such as "An old woman went out and bought a kid; kid 
 would n't go ; see by the moonlight, *t is past midnight, time 
 kid'uTs home, 'nour'n'alf ago," and thus onward through the 
 several auxiliaries brought into play to coerce the aforesaid 
 refractory kid, etc. Juvenile books in those days were few 
 and contracted in scope, and other reading equally limited, 
 and these stories, though not always new, for they were told 
 over and over and over again, were listened to every time with 
 open mouths and optics by the little auditors. School books 
 were dry and uninteresting reading, and knowledge was con- 
 veyed through unattractive channels. Toys were mostly such 
 as could be constructed from material at hand, and sports of 
 all kinds were run on a different basis from that now prevail- 
 ing. Muscle was developed through hoeing corn, digging po- 
 tatoes, swinging the scythe, and other departments of bone 
 labor. And who shall say it was less potent in achieving the 
 desired result? 
 
 Those childhood days, how blest they were. 
 
 How full of joy, how free from care ; 
 
 How oft we with remembrance burn. 
 
 And vainly sigh for their return.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ADVANCING CHILDHOOD. 
 
 Old-Time Swanse Farmer-Mechanics. Sensible Pedestrianism. Across 
 Lots. Flint, Steel and Tinder-box. Going After Fire. Wrestling 
 with Wood that Would n't Kindle. Swansea Seventy Years Ago. 
 "Scrabbletown." "Bungtown." Other Hamlets. Doctoring "Lit- 
 tle Ben, "-Abduction Foiled. First and Last Drunk, at Four Years 
 of Age. Poetry "Uncle Bill, of the Homestead Farm." 
 
 The first impressions of life received by the subject of these 
 sketches, were derived from rural surroundings in a strictly 
 rural district. The town of Swansea, comprising a large area 
 of territory, had a population of only about thirteen hundred, 
 most of whom were engaged in agricultural or domestic pur- 
 suits. A few, however, were bricklayers, and found employ- 
 ment in Providence, Fall River, Warren, and some of them in 
 Boston. These men, except those working in Boston, visited 
 their homes on Saturday nights, after their day's work, (end- 
 ing at sunset,) was completed, returning in time to begin at 
 sunrise on Monday. These journeys were almost invariably 
 made on foot, and some feats of pedestrianism were at 
 times performed that would compare not unfavorably with 
 those at the prize contests of these days of walking matches. 
 Six miles an hour, for three consecutive hours, was not unfre- 
 quently accomplished by these sturdy farmer-mechanics. 
 
 In one instance a Swansea farmer had regular employment 
 in Norton, twenty miles distant, and it was his custom
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 17 
 
 to walk to his home after the completion of his week's work, 
 reaching there at about midnight. The next day was occu- 
 pied in farming, and again at midnight he set out on his 
 twenty-mile walk to his employment. This he followed for 
 months, until he sickened and died, at the early age of thirty- 
 five. There is a well authenticated instance of one of these 
 Swansea farmer bricklayers starting from his home at mid- 
 night, walking fifty miles to Boston, which he reached at four 
 o'clock, P. M. Finding a job, he went upon a building and 
 finished the day at work until sunset. 
 
 Many of these journeys were considerably abbreviated by 
 across-lot paths, as familiar to these pedestrians, and as well 
 beaten as the carnage roads. No more positive evidence ex- 
 ists of the change of habit on the part of people from walking 
 to riding, than the circumstance that these paths have long 
 since become obliterated and overgrown with vegetation. 
 
 One of the last duties in well regulated families, before re- 
 tiring fflr the night, was to "rake up the fire;" which meant 
 to cover the huge blazing backlog with ashes to keep fire for 
 the morning. Generally this was successful. But in case it 
 failed, and the log was reduced to ashes, there was the next 
 morning a wrestling with flint and steel and tinder-box, with 
 the temperature, perchance, close down to zero ; or a skur- 
 ryiug to the nearest neighbors for a few coals of fire, followed 
 by half an hour kneeling on the cold hearth, manipulating the 
 bellows to coax the refractory wood into a burning mood. 
 
 Notwithstanding its sparsity of population, Swansea was 
 by no means lacking in picturesque hamlets, some of them, 
 however possessing not very high sounding titles. Swauzey 
 Village, where was located the Post Office, was "Scrabble- 
 town." North Swansea was "Bungtown;" later, when the 
 late Mason Barney carried on a large ship-building interest 
 there, the place was dignified with the title of "Barueysville,"
 
 18 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 which appellation it continued to sustain until a Post Office 
 was established there, at which time it was given the ^present 
 name of North Swansea. Hortonville was for many years 
 called " Swanzey Factory." Here was located, until destroyed 
 by fire, many years ago, one of the first cotton factories built 
 in New England, which gave to the hamlet its name. Swansea 
 Centre, where has been recently established a Post Office, was 
 for many years "Luther's Corner." J. G. Luther, father and 
 son, respectively, have kept a store there almost from the be- 
 ginning of the present century. The old brick store is a land- 
 mark that will probably exist as long as the bricks and 
 mortar hold together. Here are four corners. On one of 
 these still remains the large mansion which, in old stage- 
 coach days, was an " Inn," where, also, were baited the horses 
 attached to the stage coaches, and those of travellers. The 
 locality has quite the same look that it bore in the early part 
 of the present century. The buildings have a " spick-and- 
 span" appearance, as though they might have beew painted 
 yesterday. Only one corner has been materially changed; 
 there three-quarters of a century ago, a venerable cord- 
 wainer, himself a Luther, occupied a little shanty, and made 
 and mended shoes for the country around. He long since . 
 passed to the great majority, and where the shanty was is now 
 a store and Post Office, kept by Mr. Seth W. Eddy, who has 
 also beautified the corner by the erection of a neat cottage. 
 Half a mile north from Swansea Center Post Office, on the 
 "stage road" to Providence, is the neat church edifice of the 
 Christian Baptists. It is painted white, was built in the early 
 part of the present century, in the fashion of village church 
 architecture then prevailing, and is one of very few of that style 
 now remaining. In addition to the above designated localities, 
 there were "Milford," where once was a mill, and "Sharps- 
 lots," an appellation from whence derived no man kuoweth.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 19 
 
 Thus it was that Swansea was compensated in part for its lack 
 of population by its wealth of abiding places and singularity 
 of appelations. 
 
 Two miles north from Swansea Center was the home of Mr. 
 Israel Wood, grandfather of the subject of these sketches. 
 And in speaking of the days when, living in the near vicinity, 
 his brother Alfred and himself were privileged to make 
 visits to the farm, Mr. Pierce has always characterized them as 
 being among the very happiest of his life. And often amid 
 the hardships to which he was exposed ere he had entered 
 upon his teens, did he look back to them with pleased remem- 
 brance. 
 
 While both the boys, being the only grandchildren, were 
 ever welcome visitors, the approach of u Ben " was hailed by 
 his aunts and uncles, but little removed from him in age, with 
 much rejoicing. While Alfred was grave and quiet in his dis- 
 position and demeanor, so much so as to have gained for him 
 the appellation of" the Elder," Ben was strikingly the reverse, 
 full of fun and frolic, and ready to join them in their sports. 
 
 Perhaps the most enthusiastic of the family in admiration of 
 Ben, was his maiden aunt, Mary Ann, a girl of twelve years. 
 Always the first to greet him as he came toddling across the 
 fields, so she was the most assiduous in her attentions. Did 
 he have a sore throat? It was butter and molasses, simmered 
 over the fire. And so welcome was the remedy, that it was 
 noticed that the crafty little Ben was never after without a 
 "sore throat" when visiting at his grandfather's, and when 
 his Aunt Mary Ann was about he never failed in getting the 
 butter and molasses. 
 
 Mary Ann, of all the others, exercised an implied claim of 
 proprietorship in Ben, during his visits at the homestead. She 
 met him with a " D-o-r-d-d-e-but-it-e-bub ! " which being trans- 
 lated, meant " Lord bless little bub ! " and took general and
 
 20 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 particular charge of the four-year-old boy, even to taking him 
 to share her sleeping couch at night. 
 
 No one arose to dispute this claim, save the redoubtable 
 Zeph, who was ever open to an opportunity to tease his young 
 sister. He set to work to break up the monopoly on the 
 part of Mary Ann, and forthwith a lively competition sprang 
 up between them. Ben, young as he was, had an eye to busi- 
 ness, and was open to bids. With Mary Ann it was generally 
 butter and molasses, for the ever present " cold ," with Zeph, 
 an offering of fruits, or a ride on the horse. 
 
 On one occasion Mary Ann was nattering herself that she 
 had secured the prize, when at the last moment Zeph overbid 
 her. When bed-time came, Zeph, taking Ben by the hand, 
 with a look of triumph at Mary Ann, retired to his couch, 
 which was situated at the extreme farther end of an open 
 attic. The rooms of Mary Ann and the other members of the 
 family were on the floor below. 
 
 Towards midnight, when all apparently were wrapped in 
 slumber, the whole household were awakened by sounds of a 
 scuffle in the attic. As soon as candles could be lighted, they 
 armed themselves with whatever was available and proceeded 
 to the apartment, expecting to find Zeph in deadly conflict with 
 a midnight robber. Instead, there was opened to their gaze 
 a scene that was worthy of the pencil of a Hogarth. In the 
 middle of the room were Zeph and Mary Ann, neither of them 
 overdressed, being both of them as they emerged from their 
 beds, each having fast hold of Ben, Mary Ann at his head and 
 Zeph at his heels, each striving for the mastery. If ever mor- 
 tal had occasion to pray for deliverance from his friends, it 
 was Ben, then and there. A court of inquiry was convened 
 by Ben's mother on the spot, at which it appeared in evidence 
 that Zeph was rightfully possessed of the body in dispute, and 
 that Mary Ann had surreptitiously crept up and stolen it
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 21 
 
 away, getting half way across the attic before Zeph, who al- 
 ways " slept with one eye open," was aroused and gave chase. 
 It is needless to add the case was decided in favor of Zeph, and 
 he a second time bore off his prize in triumph. 
 
 It was during this visit that Mr. Wood and his sons were en- 
 gaged in haying, and Ben had wandered to a distant part of 
 the meadow in search of wild strawberries. Directly he came 
 running back, crying, "Grandfather, there's something black 
 out there in the grass ! " 
 
 Xonsense, boy," was the response, "go away and play." 
 
 Not to be thus put down, Ben made another trip to the spot, 
 and quickly returned, reiterating, "O, grandfather, there is 
 something black out there in the grass!" 
 
 " Israel," said Mr. Wood, addressing his eldest son, " do go 
 and see what the boy has got, out there." Israel did as he was 
 bidden, and no sooner had he reached the spot, than there sprang 
 upon him with lightning-like velocity a black snake with a 
 white ring around its neck, and winding itself around his legs, 
 was rapidly working towards his neck, when Israel took from 
 his pocket a knife aud cut the reptile asunder. It measured 
 five feet, and Mr. Wood said that had it attacked the boy when 
 he was alone well, this book might never have been written. 
 
 Those were days when the temperance reformers were not 
 abroad in the land. Leading members of churches, and even 
 deacons, and all keepers of grocery and country stores, sold in- 
 toxicating drinks, without restraint from law or gospel ; and 
 few, indeed, were the total abstainers, even clergymen accept- 
 ing it as a token of hospitality and good will, while their own 
 sideboards, in common with those of their parishioners, were 
 brilliant with cut-glass decanters and wineglasses. An au- 
 thentic story is related of a "hard-shell" Baptist minister in 
 Swansea, whose invariable custom it was to fortify himself 
 with a drink of hard cider before leaving home for church.
 
 22 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 The time arrived when he considered that nothing short of a 
 pint dram would impart to him the requisite exuberance of 
 spirits. A consequence was, that his spirits exuberated to 
 such an extent as to cause him to introduce into his sermons 
 topics not wholly in keeping with any received rule for gospel 
 ministrations. It occasioned much merriment on the part of 
 "the world's people," and corresponding mortification among 
 members of the church. The offending party was "in the sere 
 and yellow leaf," and extremely "set" in his way, and to 
 properly deal with him was a matter of no little difficulty. 
 The members of his family were sorely perplexed. Finally, 
 after due deliberation, they hit upon the following expedient : 
 They drew half the cider from his barrel and replaced it with 
 water. The remedy was effectual. If the old gentleman noted 
 the change, he made no sign, other than a noticeable elimina- 
 tion of the objectionable features from his sermons. 
 
 It was well nigh fatal to the social standing of a household- 
 er, not to be provided with a variety of liquors to set before 
 his callers, and it was not regarded particularly disreputable 
 for a visitor to become partially demoralized through partak- 
 ing of the "good cheer" thus set before him. Mr. Israel 
 Wood was no exception to this rule of hospitality. His callers 
 were numerous, and the children were accorded the privilege 
 of eating with a spoon the sugared rum, or rummed sugar, left 
 in the bottoms of the tumblers. It will not be considered 
 strange, that with this decoction the children came to love the 
 taste of liquor and to eagerlv embrace the opportunities thus 
 given them. 
 
 One hot summer day, the boys were in the field, hoeing, 
 and of course little Ben was there. He was then about three 
 months past four years of age. At 11 o'clock the usual rum 
 and sugar was brought upon the field for the workmen. The 
 spirit of mischief at once entered into Zeph, and he conceived
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 23 
 
 the idea of having what he regarded as a little fun. Ad- 
 dressing Israel, he said, "Let's give Beu all he will drink." 
 Israel was himself scarcely a remove from a boy, and readily 
 agreed to it. Ben was called and a tumbler filled to the brim 
 handed him. He drank it off, and in the innocence of his heart 
 would have drank more, but they dared not give it to him. 
 Instead, they put a hoe in his hands and set him at work, 
 hoping he would work it off. The little fellow, proud to be thus 
 set to do a man's work, for a time withstood the effects of 
 the fluid, but soon began to reel, and then fell prone beside 
 his hoe in helpless intoxication. He was carried off the 
 field and taken in charge by the indignant Mary Ann, and by 
 her put to bed to sleep off the effects of the liquor. 
 
 When he began to come to his senses, the afternoon was far 
 advanced. The liquor he had drunk made him for the time be- 
 ing a raving maniac, so that it took the combined strength of 
 two persons to hold him. " Old Lyd. Cook," as she was called, 
 a family servant of mature years whose mind had never out- 
 grown its childhood, in the goodness of her heart spread her 
 playthings, generally so attractive to him, on the bed in tempt- 
 ing array. In a twinkling they were swept with the besom 
 of destruction. 
 
 Exhaustion finally accomplished its work, and a good night's 
 rest restored Ben to his normal condition. It was his first, 
 final and only drunk, though he carried through all the subse- 
 quent sixty-five years of his life that love for the taste of liquor 
 imbibed in his childhood, and which only the temperance 
 pledge taken in after years prevented becoming a consuming 
 and controlling appetite. 
 
 William H. Wood, the youngest son of Israel Wood, was but 
 four years the senior of the subject of these sketches : hence 
 was seemingly more of a brother than an uncle to him. He 
 was a sharer in his boyish pastimes, and the happy hours
 
 24 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 they spent together on the farm formed the subject of many 
 pleasing meditations on the part*of Mr. Pierce in later years. 
 
 On one of the visits to the farm by the nephew after both 
 had passed the age of childhood, it was proposed between 
 them that they should together make an apple bake. Down 
 by the side of a spring, a short distance from the house, grew 
 a buttonwood tree, beneath the spreading branches of which, 
 with some flat stones selected for the purpose, they construct- 
 their oven and baked and ate the apples. 
 
 This, without any intention on their part, proved to be the 
 finale of their boyish pastimes together. Ere another summer 
 came around, the uncle had trodden upon the first stepping 
 stone of the long road that leads away from childhood. But 
 in after years, when Will Wood, the uncle, had become owner 
 of the farm, and both were fathers, Mr. Pierce with his fam- 
 ily made occasional pilgrimages to the old roof -tree. These 
 visits were ever viewed by the children of both in the light of 
 picnics, and celebrated as such, always including a ceremonial 
 visit to the scene of the apple-bake in the shade of the button- 
 wood tree. 
 
 It was years after, when at work in Boston, that Mr. Pierce, 
 moved upon by a remembrance of by-gone days, went to his 
 case in the printing office where he was employed, and without 
 any copy save what lay hidden in the recesses of his brain, put 
 in type the following : 
 
 The bright Spring days have come, Will Wood, 
 
 The cold, bleak winter is past, 
 The husbandman speeds his plow once more, 
 
 The Frost-Bang's gone at last. 
 The fields have cast their mantle of white, 
 
 And are donning their carpet of green, 
 The cattle e'en now on the hill-side graze, 
 
 And the green bursting buds are seen. 
 
 My thoughts go back to the farm.Will Wood, 
 The farm with its meadows and trees,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 25 
 
 Where, in years gone by bright bpyhood's years 
 
 Our hearts were light as the breeze. 
 The house by the road, where years it has stood. 
 
 Unscathed by the hand of decay, 
 The peach and the pear trees 'neath whose shade 
 
 We went in the sunshine to play. 
 
 The hand that set them is cold, Will Wood,- 
 
 Ajid lies 'neath the white marble stone ; 
 But the trees he left bright monuments stand, 
 
 To tell of the patriarch gone. 
 The old w'ell-sweep you have taken away, 
 
 And a " new-fangled " pump in its stead, 
 Brings to your hand the pure, cooling draught 
 
 From the well that our good sire made. 
 
 And don't you remember the oven, Will Wood, 
 
 We built 'neath the buttonwood tree? 
 And how in that oven the apples we baked, 
 
 AJK! none so happy as we? 
 Full thirty years have passed since then, 
 
 But the oven remains there still, 
 Though the soft green sward now covers its sides, 
 
 That oven close under the hill. 
 
 There is one gentle voice now hushed,. Will Wood, 
 
 That we all so delighted to hear: 
 Her form lies cold in the embrace of death 
 
 That was wont the household to cheer ; 
 But her memory lives in the hearts of those 
 
 Who joyed in her presence then : 
 She'll mingle no more with the scenes of earth, 
 
 But, anon, we shall meet her again. 
 
 We're scattered all hither and yon, Will Wood, 
 
 We ne'er again shall meet 
 Around the board 'neath the old roof-tree, 
 
 With kindly words to greet. 
 But our hearts cling fondly around that spot 
 
 Where we never knew aught of harm, 
 And we joy to grasp thy hard, brown hand. 
 
 Will Wood of the homestead farm.
 
 CHAPTER III. . ; 
 
 THREE YEARS OF SCHOOL LIFE. 
 
 Some Quaint Ways " Big Boys "and "Big Girls." First Whipping in 
 School. "The Child the Father of the Man." Old-Time School 
 Reading. Test Word of Spelling. Some Early Recollections. Two 
 Belligerent Sexagenarians. "Zeph," Again." Rigid Disciplina- 
 rian. An Historic Edifice. A Cradle of Churches. Father Taylor. 
 The quaint ways and stereotyped expressions of people in the 
 rural districts in the early part of the century, would be amus- 
 ing in these later days of more refinement in thought and ex- 
 pression. Mr. Pierce has often been heard to relate instances 
 of this. Among the most amusing of these was the following : 
 In his early school days, Benjamin's way to and from the 
 schoolhouse took him past the dwelling of a lady who was an 
 acquaintance of his mother. Every morning in the week this 
 woman was en the lookout for Benjamin, and the moment the 
 boy made his appearance around the corner she was out at the 
 gate, and her stereotyped salutation was,"W-a-a-ll, Beujam-i-u, 
 h-e-o-w is yer mother is she purty well, or aint she or 
 h-e-o-w is it ? The peculiar whine in which it was uttered, and 
 which added greatly to-its ludicrousness, cannot be reproduced 
 on paper. And not the least remarkable circumstance in this 
 connection, was the tenacity with which these old people 
 clung to their quaint manner of expressing themselves, even 
 with a change of surroundings. Sixteen years later, Mi- 
 Pierce called on this lady, who had then removed to Provi-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 27 
 
 dence. Almost her first utterance was, "W-a-a-11, Benjam-i-n, 
 h-e-o-w is yer mother is she purty well, or aint she, or h-e-o-w 
 is it?" 
 
 The school days of Mr. Pierce commenced while his parents 
 resided at " Swanzey Factory," now Hortonville. That he has 
 hut slight recollection of them will not be considered strange, 
 when it is understood that he was but a few months past four 
 years of age. He remembers the "big boys," of whom he 
 stood in fear, the u big girls," of whom he was the pet and 
 plaything, and last, but not least, his teacher, Miss Angeline 
 Barney, who is still living. He has likewise a vivid remem- 
 brance of his first whipping in school. His mother had fitted 
 him out with a new book, and given his teacher, in his hear- 
 ing, special instructions to punish him if he should mutilate it. 
 It may be believed that he was very careful with that book. 
 But in an unlucky moment, before he had had it an hour, a 
 drop of saliva from his mouth fell upon one of its pages, and 
 he, trembling in fear of the threatened punishment, essayed to 
 repair the damage by rubbing it with his finger ; and it was so 
 that the longer he rubbed, the worse it became, observing which 
 he began to cry. This betrayed him to the teacher, and forth- 
 with that which he greatly feared came upon him the before- 
 mentioned whipping. 
 
 So rapid was his progress in learning, that at five years of 
 age he not only could read 'readily, but had developed a phe- 
 nomenal taste for that branch of literature with which he was 
 destined to in after years become so closely identified. It is 
 related of him, that at five years of age, journeying with his 
 mother, he took the opportunity while the stage stopped at 
 a store, to run in and beg a newspaper to read on the journey. 
 
 Of the reminiscences of his brief school life, Mr. Pierce has 
 been most fond of dwelling on the unique manner of pronun- 
 ciation encouraged or permitted in the schools of those days.
 
 28 RECOLLECTIONS OP A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 The first requisite was for a pupil to " speak up loud." Then 
 in naming the letters of the alphabet were heard i ringing 
 tones, " A-a-yer, B-e-yer, C-e-yer," and thus forward, to Z. 
 The first word of two syllables wrestled with, was "Baker.'' 
 This was rendered, with great unction, "B-yer a-yer, Ba-yer, 
 k-yer, e-yer, r-er, ker-er, Baker-er. The boy or girl for the 
 first time mastering this word, was regarded as having made a 
 giant stride toward graduation in spelling. 
 
 The word of all words, however, and that which sent its con- 
 queror to the top notch of fame, was the manufactured one, 
 " KadorosoroMuskogee." As has been said, it was a fictitious 
 word. It was formed of two words crowded together without 
 intervening space, in Webster's Spelling Book then in use. 
 The pupil w y ho succeeded in mastering this u word," was 
 regarded as at the pinnacle of fame as a speller. 
 
 The next move in the life of Mr. Pierce, was being trans- 
 planted to Troy, Mass., now Fall River, where his father, Mr. 
 Lewis Pierce, was engaged in cutting stone for the Annawan 
 factory, then in process of construction. 
 
 This change occurred in 1824, and the family located in 
 the then suburbs, in what is now the thickly settled Bow- 
 enville. It was on the stage road, and all the traffic between 
 Troy and places northward passed his parents' residence, 
 which was in a house then owned by Captain Aaron Borden. 
 The house is still there, though greatly enlarged from what it 
 was then. Mr. Pierce remembers the stages passing one June 
 morning, crowded with passengers, on their way to Boston, to 
 see Lafayette, then there, and to witness the laying of the 
 corner stone of Bunker Hill Monument. He likewise remem- 
 bers the late Rufus B. Kinsley, the founder of the Kinsley 
 Express Company, driving past the house on his semi-weekly 
 trips, with his ponderous baggage-wagon, between Newport 
 and Boston. He has also a distinct recollection of being one
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 29 
 
 of the wondering spectators from the shore of the first trip of 
 a steamboat in Mount Hope Bay. She was a small and crude 
 affair, and was used in carrying bricks and passengers, run- 
 ning between Taunton and Providence, touching at Troy on 
 her tri-weekly trips, each one of which occupied nearly the 
 entire day. 
 
 Captain Borden, who with his wife occupied the first floor of 
 the house where Benjamin's parents lived, was an average 
 specimen of the genus sea-dog, and was by no means choice in 
 the use of language, particularly when irritated. A short dis- 
 tance north from Captain Borden lived Thomas Freelove. Mr. 
 Freelove was no admirer of Captain Borden, and the feeling 
 was largely reciprocated on the part of the latter; and as 
 Freelove, likewise, was not choice in his utterances, and both 
 being of belligerant dispositions, whenever they came within 
 hailing distance the air was generally quite blue in their vicin- 
 ity. Freelove always journeyed to town on horseback. His 
 way lay past the captain's door, and if the latter were not in 
 sight, a word from Freelove quickly brought him there, and 
 then ensued a war of words, in which profanity, criminations 
 and recriminations were closely intermingled, Freelove on his 
 horse and the capta*in inside his gate, mutually challenging 
 each other to a nearer approach. But fortunately for the 
 " peace and dignity of the state," they proved to be "barking 
 dogs," their manifold duels always being fought with tongues. 
 
 Zeph paid them a brief visit while they lived in Captain Bor- 
 den's house, and he had not been there half a day before he 
 inaugurated a series of sports about the place that brought 
 him into immediate wordy collision with the "lord of the 
 manor," and had it not been for the timely intervention of 
 Mrs. Pierce, somebody would have been badly whipped, but 
 it would n't have been Zeph. 
 
 In the early part of the present century the strong ruled the
 
 30 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 weak through the exercise of brute force, and a few blisters 
 on the hands, or a few black-and-blue marks on the,person, 
 were not regarded by parents, school committees and others, 
 as evidences of brutality, but rather as indicative of whole- 
 some discipline. Hence the tender hands of girls were fer- 
 ruled and the backs of boys rattanned, almost without stint, 
 and with small provocation ; and if the victim made complaint 
 at home, the result was generally a supplemental punishment 
 there. 
 
 A few rods south from Captain Borden's was a schoolhouse, 
 in which Mr. Stephen K. Crary was at one time knight of the 
 birch and ferrule. Mr. Crary was regarded as " a good teach- 
 er," though he at times enforced discipline by breaking a ruler 
 over the head of one, lifting another from his seat to the aisle 
 by his hair, ferruling girls' hands to a blister, and such acts of 
 u gentle" discipline. This man was a citizen of the town, and 
 afterwards for many years town clerk, one of whose duties it 
 was to make proclamation in church, for three consecutive 
 Sabbaths, of the names of parties intending matrimony, who 
 were by this act placed "under fire" during that length of 
 time. 
 
 In the spring of 1825, Benjamin's parents removed to New 
 Bedford. Here, after a few months, he was deprived of his 
 father. The widowed mother sorrowfully gathered up her 
 effects, and with her two boys returned to Troy, (Fall River) 
 to engage in a struggle which was to put to the test all the 
 moral and physical resources of her nature. It was a strug- 
 gle for existence, with the odds largely against her. 
 
 Her boys were aged, respectively, eight and six years. Her 
 father came forward and offered to take them off her hands, 
 assuming the charge of their maintenance and education ; and 
 it was in most respects a tempting offer ; but after measuring 
 the contingencies she declined with thanks.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 31 
 
 Procuring apartments within her slender means, her boys 
 were placed in school, and this Spartan mother prepared to 
 maintain herself and children by her needle aud through tak- 
 ing boarders. 
 
 The temple of learning was on the corner of Annawau and 
 South Main streets. It is still in existence, though in another 
 locality, and occupied for a different purpose. No building 
 of that period now remaining in Fall River has a more event- 
 ful or interesting history. It was the cradle of at least two 
 churches that are now flourishing in that city the Metho- 
 dist and the Unitarian. There are those who can remember 
 Rev. Edward Taylor, afterwards the celebrated sailor preacher 
 in Boston, being stationed there. He was the pioneer preacher 
 in Fall River of the Methodist denomination. The fire which 
 in after years helped to make him the renowned preacher that 
 he was, had already commenced to kindle in his soul. Mr. 
 Pierce, who thirty years later was privileged to listen to him 
 in his Seamen's Bethel in Boston, was wont, at times, to recall, 
 with much satisfaction, exciting incidents attending the Sailor 
 Preacher's ministrations in his early field of labor. People 
 attended his meetings as they would go to a circus, for the 
 amusement derived from it. Mr. Tavlor was possessed of a 
 well trained voice, backed by very strong lungs, and he " led 
 off" with great unction in the crude hymns introduced to liven 
 up the meetings, pacing, meanwhile, to and fro in the single 
 aisle, wringing his hands in the fervor of his excitement. 
 The following will serve as a specimen of the livening hymns : 
 
 " O, brethren, don't get weary, get weary, get weary, 
 
 O, brethren, don't get weary, we're on our journey home. 
 CHORUS : O, we'll feast on milk and honey, O, 
 We'll feast on milk and honey, O, 
 With glory in our souls." 
 
 Not a few who went to laugh, were melted to tears before
 
 32 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 the close of the service, and were not infrequently brought to 
 their knees at the altar. And so well rewarded were his 
 fervent efforts, that he had the satisfaction, in a year or two, 
 of seeing a flourishing church established in a new edifice. 
 
 The schoolhouse likewise had the honor of cradling the first 
 Sunday school gathered in the town. It was under the aus- 
 pices of the Methodist church, and Mr. Gilbert Ricketsou was 
 its first superintendent. Among its teachings were the first 
 rudiments of reading, from Webster's spelling book, and its 
 library was composed of books contributed from the homes of 
 members of the congregation. Some of them were works that 
 would hardly pass muster in the schools of the present day, 
 being stories of the exploits of noted pirates, etc. 
 
 After it had been abandoned for the above mentioned uses, 
 it did duty by turns as a grocery store, carpenter shop, etc., 
 escaped the great fire of 1842 by the width of a street, and was 
 subsequently removed to its present location on North Main 
 street, where it has since been used for trade purposes. 
 
 It was to this temple of learning that Benjamin and his 
 brother were sent. Its presiding genius was one Joseph Lu- 
 ther. He was a disciplinarian without a particle of discount. 
 His was of the variety born of and nurtured by the giu bottle, 
 which he kept conveniently secreted in a recess of the school- 
 house, sending out occasionally during school hours, to get it 
 replenished. 
 
 No child was ever in danger of being spoiled through his 
 sparing the rod, nor could King Solomon have had him in mind 
 when he penned his oft-quoted proverb. There was scarcely 
 a moment during school hours when the rod was not in use, 
 to the terror and dismay of the entire school. A favorite 
 mode of punishment with him, was to compel the victim to 
 stand upon one foot, and bending forward place the forefinger 
 of his right hand upon a letter R in the centre of a ring
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUST LIFE. 33 
 
 chalked upon the floor, remaining in that position from five to 
 fifteen minutes, according to the extent of punishment de- 
 signed. 
 
 Among the pupils was William Crary, son of the pedagogue 
 Crary previously mentioned. Young Crary was a good 
 scholar but an inveterate truant. All ordinary modes of pun- 
 ishment having failed in effecting a reform, Luther complained 
 to Crary senior, and \vas by him given carte blanche in the 
 matter of punishment. This was sufficient for Lu'ther. The 
 next time young Crary absented himself, Luther sent into the 
 woods and had cut and brought to him a stout hickory stick ; 
 This he slit into three parts, leaving sufficient for a handle ; 
 these three parts he braided, confined with a string at the 
 end, and set the stick beside his desk in full view of the entire 
 school. 
 
 In the afternoon Crary put in an appearance, and was called 
 up and inquired of as to his absence ; failing to give a satis- 
 factory account of himself, he was ordered to strip oft' his jack- 
 et, then his vest, and standing off at a convenient distance, 
 Luther rained blows upon him until his shirt was cut 
 through and the instrument of torture worn half up to the 
 handle. 
 
 This was severe punishment, and in these days such treat- 
 ment would consign the brutal pedagogue to a felon's cell. 
 But it attracted little attention outside the school, not even 
 Crary's father regarding it as a case for interference. 
 
 Luther was not popular with his school, and many were the 
 threats on the part of the boys to " get even " with him when 
 they grew up; but they did not have to wait for that. 
 One evening he was found by the roadside in a condition of 
 unconsciousness from intoxication, tumbled into an empty 
 crockery crate, to which a rope was quickly attached, and fif- 
 teen or twenty boys taking hold, he was given a free ride
 
 34 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 through the town. The boys thus had their revenge, and Lu- 
 ther's sun soon after disappeared beneath the horizon, 
 
 Benjamin's school days ended in the old schoolhouse on the 
 corner of Annawan and South Main streets. In reading and 
 spelling he had become quite proficient; in writing he had 
 only attained to the first rudiments, in arithmetic he had mas- 
 tered the multiplication table, but geography and grammar 
 were to him unexplored fields. Thenceforth instruction to 
 him was to come incidentally. He had a taste for reading 
 which he gratified through the limited channels open to the 
 youth of those days, chief of which were the Sunday school 
 libraries.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AN ERA OF CRUEL SERVITUDE. 
 
 Eighty-four Hours for Fifty Cents. The First Day's Work. Terrible 
 Experience of a Day. Bleeding Fingers and Brutal Blows. A Mo. 
 ther's Solicitude. Brutal Bisbee. A Boy Perils His Life to Escape 
 Punishment. More than He Bargained For. How a Boy Got Even 
 with a Superintendent. 
 
 Before Benjamin was eight years of age, his mother, finding 
 the maintenance of her family and " providing things honest be- 
 fore all men," a matter of extreme difficulty, if not impos si- 
 bility, with any other plan which she could devise, decided, 
 with almost heart-breaking reluctance, to withdraw Benjamin 
 from school and place him hi a factory. The latter was 
 nothing loth, seeing in it an avenue of escape from the brutal- 
 ity of the pedagogue Luther. 
 
 The wages were fifty cents for a week of eighty-four hours. 
 His elder brother Alfred had already been at work several 
 months in the same factory at the wages of seventy-five cents 
 a week. 
 
 Bright and early on a Monday morning in March, 1827, Ben- 
 jamin, with his clean apron on and head erect, trotted off to 
 the factory. When, an hour and a half later, he went home 
 to his breakfast, he was enthusiastic over his new employment ; 
 at noon it was noticed he was a little less so. It was a woolen 
 factory for the manufacture of sattinet, the first remove from
 
 36 RECOLLECTIONS OP A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 the old-time method of carding, spinning and weaving wool by 
 hand. His employment was splicing the rolls, and Kept him 
 upon his feet and walking to and fro through the thirteen 
 hours of the day. Hence it was not strange that as the day 
 began to wane, and his knuckles to bleed from constant abra- 
 sion in splicing the rolls on a rough apron, himself ready to 
 drop upon the floor from weariness, that his spirits began to 
 flag and his work to get away from him. For this the only 
 evidence of pity on the part of the man in charge of the work, 
 was a stunning blow with the flat of his hand on the ear, with 
 an admonition to " wake up." 
 
 When, at the expiration of thirteen hours, Benjamin went 
 out of that factory, it was with less exuberance of spirits than 
 when he entered it in the morning. All the knuckles of his 
 right hand were bleeding, his face and flaxen hair were be- 
 grimed with the dye-stuff and oil from the wool he had been 
 handling, the spirit had all gone out of him, and he was any- 
 thing other than the bright, cleanly boy who went forth with 
 such towering ambition in the morning. He related, amid bit- 
 ter sobs, the brutal treatment he had received at the hands of 
 Durfee, the young understrapper under whose charge he had 
 been placed. His mother consoled him as only a mother can, 
 and he sat down to his well earned supper. He had not, how- 
 ever, finished the meal, when he leaned forward sobbing upon 
 the table and in a moment was asleep, sleeping soundly until 
 the next morning, his mother having removed his clothing and 
 put him to bed. 
 
 This day and its events were destined to be measurably du- 
 plicated fifteen hundred times in the subsequent five years, 
 except that he increased in years and strength, and was con- 
 sequently better fitted to endure it. His sympathetic mother, 
 while she was unable to lift from his young shoulders the bur- 
 den, felt keenly his woes, and on many occasions when he had
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 37 
 
 come home at night broken down with toil and smarting under 
 the treatment of his unfeeling taskmaster, would she take the 
 little fellow in her lap and soothe him to sleep, and this even 
 when he had so grown that his feet, as she held him, touched 
 the floor. 
 
 While few, perhaps, commenced work in the factory 
 earlier in life than the principal of these sketches, his was not 
 by any means an isolated case. Scores of children of both 
 sexes w r ere employed when under ten years of age, and were 
 subjected to similar treatment. Parents with large families, 
 yet with slender means, found even the paltry amounts paid 
 their children in the mills a welcome assistance in defraying 
 the expenses of their maintenance. 
 
 With the factory managers there existed a union to protect 
 themselves from prosecution in cases of maltreatment of help 
 by overseers, parties bringing suit for assault being blacklist- 
 ed through all the mills and deprived of further employment. 
 
 The factory where Benjamin and his brother were employed 
 was constructed of granite blocks weighing several tons each, 
 and being on descending ground, was three stories on the front 
 and five in the rear. The looms were in the third story and 
 swung laterally of the mill. At times during the x day, these 
 would assimilate the lock-step of marching, and swinging in 
 unison would cause the huge structure to sway perceptibly at 
 the top. At one time the help left the mill in a panic, fearing 
 that it was about to fall. It continued, however, to hold its 
 own for twenty years, when it was demolished to give place 
 to a larger and more modern structui-e. 
 
 There were a number of machines similar to the one which 
 Benjamin was attached to, each operated by one man having 
 in charge two boys. Probably plantation slaves of similar 
 age were treated with more humanity, or less cruelty, at 
 least, than were many of the boys in this instance. The
 
 38 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 men operating these machines were supreme rulers of those 
 in their charge, with none to supervise their discipline or 
 to question their authority. Their chief instrument of torture 
 was a strap of belt-leather, a yard in length and an inch wide, 
 knotted at the end. This they plied with all their vigor with 
 their right hand, while with their left they held the victim by 
 his collar, and instances were not rare in which the boy car- 
 ried on his person for days the marks of the brutality. 
 
 There were two men who of all the others were noted for 
 their savage dipositions. One of these was Hazard Bisbee. 
 Naturally of a morose nature if anything went wrong out- 
 side the factory, he vented his spite on his helpless charge 
 within it. He was a terror to all the boys in the mill. Ben- 
 jamin and his brother Alfred were detailed to him, as the 
 most likely of all others to remain. Alfred was inclined to be 
 a trifle stubborn and unruly, to cure him of which Bisbee 
 raised him by his hair and held him at arm's length clear from 
 the floor. So good a hold did he take, that when the boy wa s 
 released,a bunch of hair extracted from the boy's head by the 
 roots fell from his hand. Alfred was bald in that spot through 
 the forty remaining years of his life. There will be no wonder 
 that in after years the remembrance of the terrible Bisbee at 
 times was present in his dreams. 
 
 On one occasion Bisbee came in with a cloud on his brow, 
 and the two brothers knew what to expect should anything 
 about their work go wrong. For an hour the contest went 
 on, he watching for some defect, however slight, in their 
 work, as a pretext for violence, and they as fully determined 
 that he should not find it. 
 
 At length his opportunity came. Benjamin in an unlucky 
 moment let the end of a roll slip through, an occurrence that 
 ordinarily attracted little attention. Quick as a flash Bisbee, 
 snatching from the frame one end of a wooden roller ten feet
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 39 
 
 long and an inch and a halt thick, hurled it with all his might 
 at the boy, striking him in the eye and effectually closing that 
 orb for several days. Seeing the result of his brutality, Bis- 
 bee grunted out, "Didn't mean to hit you in the eye." 
 
 The boys were wont, in order to relieve the tedium of 
 their situations, to sing and whistle while at their work, the 
 noise of the machinery being such as to prevent any annoy- 
 ance to others. But Bisbee in his ugly moods, which were 
 nearly perpetual, was not disposed to grant them even this 
 trifling amelioration of their condition. On one occasion 
 when a boy was indulging in his favorite pastime, the man- 
 date came from the despot on the other side of the frame, 
 " Stop that whistling ! " The boy obeyed, but the situation 
 becoming irksome to him, he puckered up his mouth and 
 " went through the motions " of whistling, without making 
 any sound. This was a poser for Bisbee; he listened intently, 
 but not a " whistle" could he hear, while the lad was with all 
 his might "going through the motions." At length Bisbee 
 could stand it no longer, and thundered out, " Stop that puck- 
 ering ! " The lad knew what would be the next thing if he 
 persisted, and he therefore ceased to "pucker." 
 
 The terror inspired in the minds of the children through the 
 tyranny of these young men clothed with a little brief author- 
 ity, will be best illustrated by the following narrative of an 
 occurrence in one of the mills in Fall Elver during Benjamin's 
 factory servitude : 
 
 A boy was overtaken by his overseer in some trifling indis- 
 cretion and took refuge from his wrath in a closet opening out 
 of the room, the door of which he hooked on the inside. 
 He reasoned within himself that he was by this move only de- 
 laying by this masterly stroke of policy the punishment that 
 was sure to come, as his persecutor was already pounding at 
 the door, and he looked about him for a way of escape. In
 
 40 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 the floor was an aperture beneath which was a deep and swift 
 running stream. Beside this stream was a bulkhead of earth, 
 faced with timber. By letting himself down through this ap- 
 erture, he might possibly be able to swing by his hands so as to 
 alight upon the bulkhead ; but in case of failure to do so, he 
 must inevitably drop into the stream, be swept away and 
 drowned. He decided to take the chances ; and haply lauding 
 on terra flrma, he made the best of his way home, and creep- 
 ing stealthily up stairs, hid himself under the bed. 
 
 At length the overseer, who had been all the time angrily 
 waiting outside, and getting no response to his frequent calls, 
 became alarmed and broke the fastening of the door. His 
 alarm was increased when the boy was no where to be found, 
 and the inference was, that he, preferring death to the punish- 
 ment that was in store for him, had dropped into the water and 
 been inevitably drowned. An alarm was given, the stream 
 drawn down, stopping all the factories, and it being evening, 
 men were sent with lanterns to search up and down the canal 
 for his body. While this was progressing, tidings of the event 
 had been conveyed to his home, and the lamentations of the 
 family, wafted to him in his hiding place, were the first inti- 
 mation he had of what a commotion he had created. When 
 he crept down and showed himself, the family could scarcely 
 credit their senses. Word was at once passed along the line 
 and the searchers recalled. It is needless to add that the little 
 fellow enjoyed his well earned exemption from punishment, 
 and the mill hands their two hours' recess. 
 
 There was one instance, however, in those days of the tri- 
 umph of the strong over the weak, in which the former came 
 off second best. In a New England factory the superintend- 
 ent in passing through one of the rooms, detected a lad in some 
 trifling misdemeanor, and going to him said, " Young man, I 
 will see you again!" The "young man" had been "seen"
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 41 
 
 by this superintendent on at least one occasion, previously, 
 and he determined that in this instance he would have his 
 share of the "fun." He accordingly procured a piece of belt 
 leather about five inches square and drove a number of tacks 
 through it so that the points protruded about one-eighth of an 
 inch on the opposite side. This he placed on the inside of his 
 clothing at the expected place of attack, the points projecting 
 outward. Thus prepared he awaited events. 
 
 At length the superintendent came back and calling the lad 
 to him said, " Now, young man, I'll attend to your case," and 
 suiting the action to the word, proceeded to lay the youngster 
 across his knee. Down came his hand with all the force he 
 could muster, but as quickly it came up again. Giving it a 
 hasty examination, he exclaimed, "You rascal!" and down 
 again went the hand, with accelerated force. The second time 
 it came up blood was starting from a dozen places. Quickly 
 relinquishing his hold on the boy, he ordered him to put on his 
 coat and leave the mill, at the same time wiping the blood 
 from his hand. The lad did as he was bidden, but he had the 
 satisfaction of seeing the superintendent on the street the next 
 four or five days with a white cloth around his hand.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SLIGHT CHANGE FOB THE BETTER. 
 
 The First Strike in Fall River. Improvised Sun Dials. A Change for 
 the Better Two Model Employers. A " Barberous " Transaction. 
 Some Gymnastic Exercises. Playing Indian. "Cotton Bugs "and 
 "Blue Niggers." Snow-Ball Campaigning. "David and Go- 
 ilath." 
 
 At one time during Benjamin's employment in the sattinet 
 mill, in the winter of 1832 t a strike occurred. The owners, 
 Messrs. J. & J. (Jesse and John) Eddy, had a large order 
 for goods to fill within a given time, to accomplish which 
 they found it necessary to increase the time of labor, (the 
 help were already working thirteen hours) and without pre- 
 vious consultation with the overseers, they added another 
 half hour to each day, by which arrangement the operatives 
 worked until 8 o'clock P. M., making an interval of seven 
 hours between dinner and supper and an addition to their 
 hours of labor when their systems were already overtaxed. 
 
 After the lapse of several days, the overseers held a mee t- 
 ing, at which it was decided to proceed in a body to the office 
 and tendering their resignations, demand a settlement. Their 
 appearance before the Messrs. Eddy on such an errand, struck 
 consternation to the hearts of the latter. Aside from the cir- 
 cumstance of their services being indispensable at that time, 
 there was due them a considerable amount of money the 
 payment of which then would cause the Messrs. Eddy no
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 43 
 
 slight inconvenience. The matter was therefore amicably ar- 
 ranged and the men returned to their work. This is believed 
 to have been the first strike inaugurated in Fall Eiver. 
 
 If ever time passed slowly it was with the boys employed in 
 the mills. Clocks were a rare commodity, and very few of 
 them found their way into the operating rooms of the facto- 
 ries. But the boys improvised sun-dials by means of which 
 in pleasant weather, they noted the mar ch of time. This 
 was by means of chalk marks on the floor, denoting certain 
 hours of the morning or afternoon. N"o man then so much as 
 dreamed of a ten hour system : mechanics worked from sun to 
 sun; the factories by artificial light at both ends of the day 
 in winter, and from sun to sun in summer, thus making a day 
 of fourteen hours in mid-summer. This was oppressive and 
 the health of very many was perceptibly impaired thereby. 
 At length there came a slight amelioration. A four teen- 
 year-old girl operative in one of the mills sickened and died 
 during the long days of summer, and at a consultation of phy- 
 sicians it was decided that it was caused by overwork. (The 
 symptoms were those of cerebro spinal meningitis.) The 
 mill owners thereupon held a meeting, at which it was 
 decided to reduce the time during the summer months one 
 hour a day, commencing at 5 A. M., and closing at 7 P. M. 
 In accordance with the habit of all his life, instead of using 
 the time thus gained in the morning for sleeping, Benjamin 
 was up when few others were stirring, and before the sun 
 had risen, exploring the town, and so well was his work hi that 
 direction done, that he was able to draw from memory a cor- 
 rect map of the town. But what he enjoyed more than any- 
 thing else in this connection, were the opportunities it gave 
 him for rambles around the wharves and among the shipping, 
 and scarcely a vessel entered the port that he did not learn the 
 name of.
 
 44 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 Benjamin's employers, Jesse and John Eddy, were in many 
 respects different from a majority of the mill owners* 1 of the 
 present day. They were both working men, Jesse doing the 
 buying and selling, and attending to the finances, and John 
 attending to the manufacturing department, not hesitating to 
 take off his coat, roll up his sleeves and don an apron, when 
 occasion required. 
 
 But it was in their close terms of intimacy with their men 
 that they were most conspicuous. They treated them more as 
 equals than as men in their employ. The finishing room was 
 the place of resort in the long Saturday evenings in winter, 
 and around the stove the male help, men and boys, assembled, 
 the first to talk and the latter to listen, and nothing was ever 
 said there that any parent might not wish his child to hear. 
 The gatherings were informal, and one or both the Messrs. 
 Eddy generally dropped in during the evening, and joined in 
 the conversation. 
 
 One of the employes, Jireh Pettey, acted as hair dresser to 
 such as desired it, and generally gave the best of satisfaction. 
 On one occasion, however, he came short of this desired end. 
 William Winter, a finishing room hand, was a steward in the 
 Methodist church, which was having a revival season, and 
 Winter being detailed for duty at the altar, desired to be 
 " touched up a little." " Now do me up in good shape, Jireh," 
 said Winter, as he seated himself in the tonsorial chair. 
 "Never you fear," replied Pettey, " I will give you an extra 
 touch." And he did. When Winter left that chair well, he 
 didn't swear, but he looked and acted as though he might be 
 glad if some one would utter a little profanity on his account. 
 Such a looking head ! Of all lengths and no length at all, the 
 hair looked as though the rats had been gnawing it. A " pine- 
 apple cut "might have remedied it, but those were not in fash- 
 ion, and poor Winter could do no more than accept the situa-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 45 
 
 tion. He was at his post at the altar the next evening, but 
 did not remove his hat, and this leading to inquiry as to the 
 cause, resulted in Pettey's condemnation by the general re- 
 ligious community. 
 
 Most of the adult members of that company have passed 
 over to the majority, and but few of the boys remain. Among 
 the former are the Messrs. Eddy, Captain Benjamin Simmons, 
 Hon. James Buffintoii, and others. Among the latter are 
 Messrs. Theodore Warren, late superintendent of the Newport 
 and Wickford Steamboat and Bailroad Company, Asa Pettey, 
 a leading 'merchant of Fall Eiver, Samuel Warren, Elkanah 
 Whiteley, and the principal of these sketches. 
 
 It may be said of those of both sexes employed by the 
 Messrs. Eddy in that mill, that nearly all made honorable, 
 records, more so, perhaps, than an equal number from any 
 other manufacturing establishment in New England. And 
 however brutal may have been their treatment by overseers, 
 the Messrs. Eddy were always remembered and spoken of by 
 them with kindness and respect. 
 
 Going to work at daylight, given but half an hour for break- 
 fast, three-quarters of an hour for dinner, and working until 
 half-past seven at night, one would not naturally suppose that 
 the boys could find much time to devote to out-door sports. 
 But these boys arranged to get from sixty to ninety minutes 
 for out-door sports on each pleasant day. Ten minutes was 
 enough for them for either breakfast or dinner, when they 
 would hasten to the mill and enjoy themselves in play until 
 summoned to work by the bell. Gymnastics were informally 
 engaged in with such appliances as were available. Among 
 these were a hoisting rope dangling from a beam forty feet 
 from the ground, to the end of which was attached an iron 
 hook. On one occasion, when the hook was ten or twelve feet 
 above the ground, the boys were exercising on it, when Sam-
 
 46 BECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 uel Warren t a twelve-year old lad, thought to outdo the others 
 by executing a summerset from the hook, in which 1 he suc- 
 ceeded so far as to get his heels over his head, when his hold 
 on the hook gave way, and he struck on his head on a solid 
 rock. He was taken up vomiting blood, and carried to his home 
 near by. It was thought that his injuries would prove fatal; 
 but in a week or two he was back again to his work, appar- 
 ently none the worse for his gymnastic experience. On an- 
 other occasion when his brother Theodore was personating an 
 Indian, with a dull axe used in cutting dye stuffs, for a toma- 
 hawk, the weapon got the better of him and penetrated the 
 scalp of a boy named Stafford, causing blood to flow quite 
 freely. There was considerable excitement for a time, but as 
 it was ascertained that the hurt was not serious, and as the 
 event was purely an accident, no further notice was taken of 
 it, and the boys were the next day playing together as usual. 
 
 Of all the sports engaged in by the factory help at that 
 time, none were so exciting or more roughly conducted, than 
 that of snowballing. The factory operatives were divided 
 into two classes, respectively designated as "Cotton Bugs'" 
 and " Blue Niggers." The former were the most numerous, 
 but the latter made up in pluck and other advantages what 
 they lacked in numbers. Besides these, there were the opera- 
 tives in Eobeson's print works, numbering about the same as 
 the sattinet operatives. These maintained mostly an "armed 
 neutrality," though they sometimes appeared as allies of one 
 or the other party, according to circumstances. 
 
 The first appearance of snow was the signal for the com- 
 mencement of hostilities, inaugurating a campaign that was to 
 end only with the disappearance of the last vestige of snow in 
 the spring. At first only a desultory warfare was maintained, 
 but as the season advanced the boys became warmed up to 
 their work, and regular pitched battles were fought. Still
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUST LIFE. 47 
 
 further on, the overseers and other adult operatives, from 
 being mere spectators, became active participators in the con- 
 flicts. 
 
 One peculiarity about these snow-ball battles was, that they 
 were seldom fought to a finish, the inevitable and inexorable 
 factory bell being the final arbiter in most cases. And herein 
 lay a material advantage to the Blue diggers, that their em- 
 ployers were not disposed to find fault with a tardiness of five 
 minutes or so in getting to their work if thereby an advan- 
 tage was to be gained over the enemy, while with the other 
 side a like tardiness called forth reprimand or something more 
 serious. Hence if the Blue Niggers could manage to hold out 
 until the sound of the factory bell, they had the others at their 
 mercy, and frequently would pursue them to the doors of the 
 factories. On one occasion the Cotton Bugs of one of the 
 mills having tarried too long on the field of battle, found the 
 doors closed against them, and being sorely pressed by the 
 enemy, took refuge in the picker house adjoining, the windows 
 of which were all broken in by the pursuers. When the excite- 
 ment was past, the conquerors were trembling in expectation 
 of being called to account for damage done to property, but 
 as nothing more was ever heard from it, the presumption was 
 that the Messrs. Eddy, glorying in the spunk of their " boys," 
 quietly settled the bill. On another occasion, when reinforced 
 by the calico works people, the Blue Niggers drove the Cotton 
 Bugs into the woods and held them so long as to make them 
 late at the mill. 
 
 This warfare was all waged in the twenty minutes snatched 
 from meal hours. As spring advanced and the snow began to 
 disappear, each side was naturally anxious to be victorious at 
 the close, and to that end extraordinary means were resorted 
 to. When the snow had disappeared, except what remained 
 on the shady side of walls, little fellows too small to be effect-
 
 48 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 ive fighters, were detailed as "powder monkeys," whose duty 
 it was to operate beside the walls, working in two parties, one 
 to manufacture the "ammunition," and the other to carry it 
 in their aprons to the front. 
 
 On one occasion the calico works gang, which had allied it- 
 self with the Blue Niggers, turned traitor in the midst of a 
 battle, and went bodily to the other side, thus turning the 
 battle in favor of the enemy, to whom they attached themselves 
 for the remainder of the campaign. 
 
 At one time, as the end of the season was drawing nigh, one 
 of the belligerent parties made up a quantity of snow-balls at 
 night, soaked them in water and barreled them up to freeze. 
 In the morning they were like stones, and were hurled at the 
 enemy with damaging effect, to be by them picked up and 
 thrown back again with interest. Luckily some of the over- 
 seers discovered the work that was going on, got the barrel of 
 ammunition and destroyed it, or there might have been serious 
 results. As it was, quite a number of boys on both sides re- 
 quired the aid of a physician to patch and plaster up their 
 hurts. 
 
 Employed in the sattinet mill as a spinner, was Alpheus Jef- 
 ferson, a man who stood six-foot-three in his stockings, and 
 who was known as "Tall Jeft'." Employed in one of the cot- 
 ton mills was a little five-footer named Nickersou, who had 
 achieved a local reputation as a fighter. On a day in early 
 spring, when the snow had quite disappeared, and the young 
 men had joined the boys in their efforts to carry off the cham- 
 pionship, the contending forces had drawn up opposite each 
 other, and by accident or design, probably the former, Jeff 
 and Nickerson were directly facing one another. Snow was 
 scarce, and there was a lull in the battle. Directly Nickerson 
 discovered Jeff opposite him, and forthwith proposed that the 
 two should decide the fate of the battle, to which Jeff at once
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE.' 49 
 
 acceded. It was the old scene of David aud Goliath reproduced, 
 while both "armies" stood as interested spectators. The 
 balls were hurled with great force and accuracy, and dexter- 
 ously dodged on each side. At length, seeing that neither 
 side was likely to gain an advantage, it was proposed by Xick- 
 erson that they should decide the matter with their fists. 
 This Jeff likewise acceded to, and the parties were preparin g 
 for the contest, when the bell rung them in to work. A rain 
 came that night, swept away the last vestige of snow and 
 ended the contests Her that season.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FORGOTTEN EVENTS BROUGHT FORWARD. 
 
 Intense Denominational Differences. Quarrel over a Church Edifice. 
 Remarkable Doctrinal Dispute at a Baptizing. A Blind Preach- 
 er. Rev. Arthur Ross. A Mason with Backbone Interesting Facts 
 concerning the Early Life of Perry Davis. Rev. Asa Bronson. A 
 Stalwart Preacher, Trials and Tribulations. 
 
 In the early part of the present century, sectarianism was 
 rank and bitter. Ana-Baptists and Pedo-Baptists, represent- 
 ed, respectively, by the Baptists and Congregationalists and 
 Presbyterians, while they were mostly agreed on the doc- 
 trines of Calvin, were bitterly opposed on the questions of im- 
 mersion and sprinkling, and particularly on infant baptism, 
 and the Methodists, then become quite numerous, while they 
 accepted alike the tenets of both on baptism, opposed each 
 in the matters of Predestination and Final Perseverance of 
 Saints, and the disputes of leading members of these sects 
 rivalled in bitterness the warmest political discussions of these 
 or any other times. A prevailing practise with heads of fam- 
 ilies who were members of churches, was to take their children 
 to divine service with them from the eldest down, a family not 
 infrequently occupying an entire pew. Children were expect- 
 ed, as they reached the years of understanding, to follow in 
 the footsteps of their parents in the matter of doctrinal belief, 
 and failure on their part to do so sometimes subjected them to 
 treatment bordering on persecution.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 51 
 
 There were occurrences growing out of differences in 
 religious belief, which if enacted in these days of sensational 
 journalism would be heralded throughout this and other co un- 
 tries, but which in those times, though causing more than a 
 ripple of excitement in the community where they transpired, 
 were not even mentioned in the local paper. Some of these 
 are worthy of special notice at this late day, and likewise of 
 preservation as matters of history. 
 
 At the commencement of the present century, when what is 
 now the flourishing city of Fall River was but a small village 
 of a few hundred inhabitants, the religious element were 
 mostly concentrated in two denominations the Baptists and 
 Presbyterians. At a time when there was no house of wor- 
 ship in the place, the two sects so far ignored their differences 
 as to unite in building a church edifice. It was located 
 on the line between Massachusetts and Rhode Island, equal 
 portions being in each state, and was after the style of meet- 
 ing-houses in those days, two stories, with a gallery on three 
 sides, the front of which was painted white, as was also that 
 of the pulpit. It had no conveniences for warming, and being 
 innocent of laths and plastering, was a delightfully cool place 
 in summer, but far from being comfortable in the winter. 
 It was not to be expected that two religious peoples so diamet- 
 rically opposite in their creeds, and who were warring against 
 each other all the week, should worship under the same roof 
 on the Sabbath. They arranged it that the two denominations 
 should occupy it on alternate Sabbaths. There was no settled 
 pastor to either church, each depending on a chance supply. 
 On one occasion the Presbyterians being without a supply on 
 the Sabbath, and the Baptists at the same time having a 
 preacher whom they were anxious to hear, they asked of their 
 brethren the Presbyterians the privilege of using the house for 
 that day. It was denied them, and determining, under the
 
 52 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 circumstances to occupy the church, and having no other 
 means of entrance, forced open the door and held tlfeir ser- 
 vice. The Presbyterians resorted to litigation, and the matter 
 was not finally put to rest until a quarter of a century later. 
 
 The next episode occurred a number of years later, when 
 the Baptists and Methodists were each occupying houses of 
 their own. There was a special religious interest pervading 
 both churches, and each had arranged for baptismal services 
 on the shore at the foot of Central street, on a calm, pleasant 
 Sabbath morning in summer. Whether by previous design or 
 accident, both congregations assembled on the shore at the 
 same hour, and it was arranged that the clergymen should alter- 
 nately enter the water. They were Ilev. Arthur Ross, Bap- 
 tist, and Rev. Edward Taylor, Methodist, both men of fiery 
 temperaments and liable to proceed to extremes on occasion. 
 Matters were progressing with the solemnity and smoothness 
 usual on such occasions, until Mr. Ross, in conducting a can- 
 didate into the water, took occasion to say, that "here was a 
 person who having been previously sprinkled, had come for- 
 ward and desired to be immersed, not considering that sprink- 
 ling was sufficient to answer the requirement, whereas he had 
 yet to learn of an instance in which a person having been im- 
 mersed, subsequently desired sprinkling." Mr. Taylor, stand- 
 ing upon the shore, retorted that not only had he heard of 
 such an instance, but he could produce one on the spot, and 
 thereupon brought forward a fifteen-year-old girl, a member 
 of his church. The baptismal services being suspended, a 
 warm debate ensued, during which Mr. Ross applied to Mr. 
 Taylor the startling epithet of " sheep-stealer ! " This ended 
 the discussion and the baptismal service as well, the unpleas- 
 ant episode furnishing food for conversation for many days, 
 and widening a hitherto existing breach between the two 
 churches.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND >BUSY LIFE. 53 
 
 Elder Job Borden was one of the early preachers of the 
 Baptist denomination in Fall River. Although totally blind, 
 he held the pastorate of the church for many years. He was 
 a Calvanist of the most rigid sort, and anything in religious 
 belief not savoring of that was in his estimation the rankest 
 heterodoxy. He was esteemed one of the most able preachers 
 of the denomination, and notwithstanding his infirmity was 
 assiduous in his pastoral duties. He died among his flock at 
 an advanced age and full of honors. 
 
 In Elder Borden's declining years, Rev. Arthur Ross, pre- 
 viously mentioned, was engaged as assistant, and subsequent- 
 ly became settled pastor. It was during his pastorate that 
 the famous anti-Masonic excitement that rended society and 
 churches, was in being at that time, and Elder Ross was a 
 member of that order. A large number of his church were 
 anti-Masons, and a committee waited on him with a re- 
 quest that he should renounce Masonry. He listened respect- 
 fully to what they had to say, then rising from his chair and 
 standing before them, he said, " Not, brethren, if my refusal 
 were to lead to my being cut into inch pieces ! " They had 
 already learned sufficient of the man to be satisfied in their 
 minds that further effort in that direction would be useless, 
 and they retired from the field. Elder Ross held to his re- 
 solve, but it eventually lost him his pastorate. 
 
 Among the members of the Fall River Baptist church was 
 Perry Davis, whose name was a few years later made famous 
 through his discovery of the " Pain Killer" which bears his 
 name. Few men ever began life under more disheartening 
 circumstances than Mr. Davis. A shoemaker by trade, he was 
 yet possessed of an inventive turn of mind, which he was con- 
 tinually exercising in the bringing forward of some new pro- 
 ject that he felt certain was to lead to success and a fortune. So 
 sanguine was he in these ventures, that he put into them all
 
 54 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 his earnings, leaving his family dependent on the neighbors 
 for the necessaries of life; and so serious had this at one 
 time become, that a brother-in-law of his was constrained to 
 remind him that " when he married his sister he did not ex- 
 pect he was marrying the entire family ; " and the church of 
 which he was a member felt called upon to admonish him for 
 his shortcomings in that direction. On more than one occa- 
 sion was he put in jail for debt, taking with him his bench and 
 kit of tools to make and mend shoes for the maintenance of 
 his family during the period of his incarceration. At times he 
 was so reduced in finances as to be without a change of cloth- 
 ing, and, as he afterwards told in his prosperous days, in order 
 to secure clean linen he at one time went to a brook in a se- 
 cluded locality, took oft' and washed his shirt and waited in the 
 bushes for it to dry. Yet through all these trying circumstan- 
 ces he never lost faith in God, nor in his ultimate triumph 
 over adversity. 
 
 One of the early pastors of this church was Rev. Asa Bron- 
 son, who came to Fall River in 1835. He was a young man, 
 with a disposition and ability to work in the cause of the Mas- 
 ter, and he found plenty of employment. His aim was to 
 make himself useful, not only in the pulpit but outside. At 
 fires he did not regard it as beneath his dignity and standing to 
 take his place with the firemen and do a fireman's work. Be- 
 side the bed of suffering he acted in the dual capacity of 
 minister and nurse, and on one occasion, when a young lady 
 afflicted with St. Anthony's dance had tired out all the fiddlers 
 in town, Mr. Brouson made use of knowledge in that direction 
 acquired in his younger days, thus acting as a relief to the 
 professional players. At another time a man was caught in 
 the machinery of a rolling mill and a leg was crushed off at 
 the thigh, and singularly enough Mr. Bronson was at hand 
 and in his Docket a bottle of camphor, which being admin-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 55 
 
 istered at once, sustained the injured man until medical aid 
 could be procured, and he recovered, united with Mr. Bran- 
 son's church and lived for many years. Such acts and cir- 
 cumstances as these went far toward endearing Mr. B. to 
 the people and bringing them under religious influences. lie 
 had not labored in Fall River many months before the good 
 seed thus sown began to bear fruit, ancf during a special 
 religious interest extending over a brief period, there were 
 about four hundred additions to the church membership. On 
 one of the baptismal occasions connected; with this revival, 
 the temperature was at zero, and ice five inches thick was cut 
 through in order to reach the water, in whichMr. Bronson 
 stood waist deep, (there were no rubber baptismal suits, then) 
 for fiftee*h minutes, while the candidates were handed in and 
 out, quoting the lines of the hymn, 
 
 " Brethren, if your hearts are warm, 
 Ice and snow can do no harm." 
 
 On another babtismal occasion, he immersed seventy candi- 
 dates, leaving the water only at the close. 
 
 Contemporary with Mr. Bronson in the ministry in Fall 
 River, was Rev. Oriu Fowler, pastor of the Congregational 
 church. He had come at about the same time, and like Mr. 
 Brouson, was a stalwart in stature and in tellect. He took 
 issue with the latter, on the baptismal question, and for 
 several months the reverend gentlemen discussed the matter 
 in the columns of the local paper. Mr. Fowler introduced 
 into the controversy the subject of the forcible entry and oc- 
 cupation of the old church edifice by the Baptists, as previ- 
 ously narrated, passing severe strictures upon it, to which Mr. 
 Bronson replied. The population of Fall River was but a few 
 thousands, and the community became thoroughly stirred up 
 in the matter. At length Mr. Bronson silenced his opponent, 
 and the next phase of the subject was a Sunday evening union 
 meeting of the two congregations in Mr. Fowler's church, at
 
 56 RECOLLECTIONS OP A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 which Mr. Bronson delivered a discourse. This was succeeded 
 by a similar meeting in the Baptist church, at which Mr Fow- 
 ler preached, and thereafter matters moved on harmoniously 
 between the two churches. 
 
 But Mr. Bronsou was destined to encounter tribulation such 
 as he never before dreamed of. In an evil hour he was in- 
 duced by a brother of his to embark with him in the grocery 
 business. Neither of them had any moneyed capital, but Mr. 
 Bronson was known far and wide, and his name \vas a 
 "tower of strength." They bought largely, giving time 
 notes, and opened the largest, most elegant and best stocked 
 grocery and general variety store in Fall River. From the 
 outset there was no lack of custom, as they not only sold 
 cheap, but Mr. Bronsou, in the benevolence of his heart, gave 
 credit to everybody who asked for it. Old tradesmen looked 
 on and shook their heads, but said little, the Messrs. Bronson 
 meanwhile congratulating themselves on their " success in 
 business." But ere six months had passed notes fell due 
 which they found difficulty in meeting. Their splendid stock 
 ran out, collections were slow, and there was no means of re- 
 plenishing. At length the crash came. A Providence whole- 
 sale dealer with a protested note came down on the afternoon 
 boat and demanded payment. Rev. Mr. Bronson, to whom he 
 applied, bade him come around at 7 o'clock in the morning 
 and he would settle with him. The creditor appeared as di- 
 rected, to find the store closed and on the door a notice of as- 
 signment that had been effected at midnight. The creditor, 
 before leaving town, related the story of the transaction, 
 which gaining currency gave rise to much comment, not 
 all of which was favorable to the clergyman. To still fur- 
 ther complicate matters, Mr. Bronson had been announced 
 to lecture before the local lyceum, the succeeding week, and 
 the subject chosen by him was "Truth." Speculation was
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OP A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 57 
 
 rife as to how he would treat the subject, if, indeed, he should 
 appear at all. The evening arrived, and the hall was filled to 
 its utmost capacity. Mr. Bronson was there at the appointed 
 time, and proceeded with his lecture as though nothing 
 had transpired to eft'ect a change, except that he introduced 
 the unfortunate circumstance that was so much agitating the 
 community, treating it in so apt a manner as to wholly vindi- 
 cate himself and in the view of a majority of his hearers fully 
 justify the action he had felt called upon to take in the 
 matter. 
 
 But Mr. Bronson had only commenced to realize the hitter- 
 ness of the cup he was destined to drain to the dregs. He had 
 contracted local debts of a considerable amount, and was 
 not exempt from the "duns" incident to such a situation, 
 some of which were of a most mortifying nature to a person 
 occupying the position he did as a minister of the gospel. He 
 was subjected to insults which lie was helpless to avert, and 
 life became a burden to him. Once, when in the place of 
 business of a creditor, the latter locked the door and told him 
 he should not go out until he had arranged for a settlement, 
 thus instituting on his own responsibility a law for imprison- 
 ment for debt. The debtor did not propose to submit quietly 
 to this illegal method of treatment, and seizing the improvised 
 jailor by the shoulders, placed him in a chair, bidding him 
 not to stir from there until he had left the shop ; he then un- 
 locked the door and quietly walked out. Another creditor 
 proposed to him to work out his debt with pick and shovel. 
 He was at length freed from these annoyances through a sub- 
 scription by his church. After a variety of vicissitudes, 
 through all of which he maintained his integrity and Christian 
 standing, his days were quietly ended at an advanced age, 
 while he was serving as city missionary.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ODDS AND ENDS. 
 
 Trials of a Preacher. A Dip into the Fountain of Learning. Israel's 
 Boots. Other Changes for the Better. Learns to Write. Epistolary 
 Correspondence. Lessons in Self Denial. Sickened of Smoking - 
 First Appearance of Cholera. Quarantine. Ephraim K. Avery. 
 Saving Windows and Stairs and Losing the House. 
 
 When Mr. Pierce was about twelve years of age, his mother 
 sent him to an evening school for instruction in writing. But 
 it may be supposed that a lad of 12 years who had been toil- 
 ing thirteen hours in a factory would not be in a condition 
 to devote much energy to the acquisition of learning. The 
 experiment was a failure, for no sooner did the boy bend to 
 his task than drowsiness overtook him, his head fell for- 
 ward upon the desk, and he was lost in slumber. He did not 
 learn to write until self taught, five years later. 
 
 On his occasional visits to the country, Benjamin gathered 
 incidents which he often, in after years, recounted with no 
 little glee, the following being of the number : 
 
 The isolation of many New England farms is too well un- 
 derstood to require elucidation here. Anything to break the 
 monotony of farm life is regarded as a godsend ; hence an op- 
 portunity to perpetrate a practical joke is seldom permitted to 
 pass unimproved. 
 
 On a New England farm, in haying time, there came along 
 a rough specimen of humanity and applied for work. He was
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 59 
 
 engaged and placed in the field with half-a-dozen other men, 
 who were eager for a subject on which to exercise their pro- 
 pensities for fun. The only name he vouchsafed to disclose 
 to them, was that of " Israel." 
 
 Among the oddities of dress in this new recruit, was a pair 
 of Xo. 12 cowhide boots which lie persisted in wearing into 
 the field, notwithstanding that the temperature was w-ell up 
 among the nineties. These boots constituted a most capital 
 subject for their jokes, and so persistently did they play them, 
 that Israel, to rid himself of the annoyance, threw them on 
 the hen-coop and went to the field barefoot, thus blocking 
 their fun for the time being. 
 
 There was one among them, however, who was fertile in ex- 
 pedients and was not slow in formulating a new plan of ope- 
 rations. The hencoop was directly under his window. One 
 morning at the breakfast table he gave evidence of having 
 passed a somewhat sleepless night. 
 
 "Tom,"' said his employer, who was in the secret, " what's 
 the matter with you? You don't look and act yourself, this 
 morning. Are you sick?" 
 
 " N-n-u-o, I'm not sick," was the response." 
 
 "Then what is the matter?" 
 
 " Well, the hens kept up such a racket, all uight." 
 
 "The hens? What was the matter with them?" 
 
 " Well, I'll tell you. The hens made such a din that I 
 couldn't sleep, and I turned out to see what the matter was. 
 Looking down, I saw them stepping 'round, first this way, 
 then that, very much excited, and hovering 'round some one 
 object. Directly the old rooster stretched himself up, flapped 
 his wings, and exclaimed, 
 
 These were Israel's b-o-o-o-o-ts ! " These were Israel's 
 
 h-n-n-o-O-tS /" 
 
 The whole table was at once in a roar, and amid the excite-
 
 60 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 ment rose, and hurling a fork, which just missed Tom's head, 
 was seen no more on that farm. 
 
 About the year 1833, there was a new invention in woolen 
 machinery by means of which the evils portrayed in a previous 
 chapter were almost entirely eradicated, and the system which 
 fostered Bisbee and kindred tyrants gave place to another in 
 which the whole routine of labor was changed for the better, 
 and the entire room placed in charge of a single overseer, to 
 whom, alone, the boys were held accountable. They were 
 thenceforward destined to be treated as human beings, and 
 Mr. Pierce, in looking back upon that period, is wont to view 
 it as the commencement of a new era in his existence. True 
 he was still a slave to the bell, nor were his hours of labor 
 shortened ; but there were minutes during the day when, his 
 work running well, he could sit by his frame and rest, and he 
 was even allowed to take a book to read, though the over- 
 seer was supposed not to know of it. 
 
 For three years this continued, when another change was 
 effected, and the remainder of Benjamin's factory life was 
 chiefly out of doors, giving him still further freedom of action. 
 It seemed, he has since been heard to say, like a release from 
 prison, after having been cooped up for eight years inside the 
 walls of a factory. 
 
 It was during these latter two years, after Benjamin was 
 seventeen years of age, that he first learned to write his name. 
 He had been accustomed when receiving his pay each mouth, 
 to receipt with a cross, until one day, when Mr. Jesse Eddy 
 being alone in the office, questioned him in regard to it, and 
 ascertaining the truth, proposed that he should try to write, 
 and Mr. Eddy guiding his hand, for the first time in his 
 life he wrote his name. He never after that signed with a 
 cross, but becoming possessed of an ambition to learn to 
 write, he sought out some books that had been used by his
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 61 
 
 elder brother, and copying from them, formed and joined 
 together letters after the manner of printers setting up type. 
 But what, probably, gave additional impetus in the matter, 
 was similar to what has influenced young men on many occa- 
 sions before and since there was a girl in the case. Wishing 
 to invite a young lady to whom he was ''partial,'' to accom- 
 pany him to a party, he put together and despatched to her a 
 letter of invitation. As he never heard from it, and could not, 
 when afterwards he met her, muster up courage sufficient to 
 inquire concerning it, its precise fate he never knew, but the 
 presumption was that she received but was not able to deci- 
 pher the epistle. 
 
 In no wise disheartened by the failure of this his maiden ef- 
 fort, he pushed ahead in his epistolary correspondence, and 
 friends far and near endured a siege of letters, and with all 
 the more readiness on his part because no prepayment of post- 
 age was required. Few replies were received, perhaps for 
 reasons before hinted at ; but still he was not dismayed. He 
 was not only getting 1 an education, but epistolary writing had 
 become a passion with him, he having been able to dispense 
 with the aid of the copy books, though occasionally accepting 
 that of friends. 
 
 Though in his ten years of factory drudgery Benjamin earned 
 hundreds of dollars, his wages were to a cent turned over to 
 his mother, while the amounts given him by her as spending 
 money was limited to a few cents occasionally, which were 
 invested chiefly in materials for landscape painting, of which 
 he was extremely fond, devoting to it all his spare moments 
 on winter evenings. While other lads of his age were given 
 fifty cents or a dollar with which to celebrate, on the Fourth 
 of July, Benjamin felt rich if he had six cents. This policy 
 on the part of his mother towards her " two boys," as she was 
 always pleased to term her sons, Mr. Pierce has never regret-
 
 62 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 ted, as through it he received training in self-denial that has 
 has been of inestimable value to him through life. 
 
 To the strict surveillance of his ever watchful mother may 
 be ascribed the circumstance of his never having been heard 
 to utter an oath. She made it a point always to know where 
 her boys were and who they were with, when out of her sight, 
 and they understood that any misconduct on their part would 
 meet with prompt and proper punishment. 
 
 No person ever saw Mr. Pierce with a cigar or tobacco in 
 his mouth. Mis first experience with a cigar was his last. 
 His Uncle Zeph, on one of his visits to Benjamin's mother, 
 laid down on the window sill a half smoked eigar, and the 
 nine-year old boy took it up and finished it. He having 
 no knowledge of the operation of tobacco upon a novice, the 
 effect of it upon his system, and particularly upon his stom- 
 ach, filled him with consternation, and sickened him, once for 
 all, of tobacco, though years after he dallied with it in another 
 form, as will appear later. 
 
 It was during the early life of Mr. Pierce that Asiatic chol- 
 era first appeared in America, diffusing terror and dismay all 
 through the country. When it made its appearance in New- 
 port, a rigid quarantine was instituted against everything 
 coming from either that place or New York. The stage road 
 between Fall River and Newport was roped off at the State 
 line, and nothing from Newport was suffered to pass without 
 first being subjected to thorough fumigation. A quarantine 
 was likewise instituted on the water front, and rigid fumiga- 
 tion was enforced upon everything approaching the wharves 
 from the two infected places. One moruiug a steamer ap- 
 peared oft' the town having on board a large number of New 
 York refugees fleeing from the cholera. The steamer was 
 hailed by the health officer and forbidden to approach the 
 lauding. All entreaties on their part were in vain, not a per-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OP A LONG AND BUST LIFE. 63 
 
 son beiiig permitted to land, and the party steamed on to Som- 
 erset, four miles up the river, where they found an asylum, 
 remaining there until the disappearance from New York of 
 the epidemic, much to the pecuniary advantage of the thrifty 
 Somerseters, not one of whom took the cholera, which Fall 
 River likewise escaped. 
 
 It was in the '30's, likewise, that the famous Avery case 
 transpired. One morning in December, 1832, Sarah Maria 
 Cornell, a factory operative and a member of the Methodist 
 church in Fall River, was found hanging by the neck to a 
 stack-yard stake, under circumstances that pointed strongly 
 to Rev. Ephraim K. Avery, a former pastor of hers, as her be- 
 trayer and murderer. The greatest excitement pervaded the 
 community. On the next day. Sunday, a special steamer witli 
 officers on board was despatched to Bristol, where he was sta- 
 tioned as pastor of the Methodist church, to arrest and take 
 him to Fall River, where on his arrival he was lodged in 
 the Exchange Hotel. The fact of his arrival there becoming 
 known, nearly the entire male population of the town gath- 
 ered around the hotel with the avowed purpose of lynch- 
 ing him, until finally they were dispersed by the reading of 
 the riot act. "Avery made his escape while awaiting transpor- 
 tation to the Newport county jail, the offence having been 
 committed in Tiverton, just over the line from Fall River, and 
 after the expiration of several days was captured in New 
 Hampshire, where he was secreted in the house of a leading 
 member of the Methodist church of the place. The Metho- 
 dists of Fall River and elsewhere in New England were 
 charged with aiding in his escape, and that, with subsequent 
 events, brought the denomination into disrepute, and for a 
 time almost threatened its annihilation in this section of the 
 country. At his trial he was defended by the best counsel to be 
 obtained, and was acquitted. He soon after disappeared from
 
 C4 RECOLLECTIONS OP A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 New England, and was subsequently heard of in the West a? 
 having left the ministry and become engaged in horse trading. 
 There were many who held to the belief that he was the mur- 
 derer of Miss Cornell, the verdict of the jury to the contrary 
 notwithstanding. 
 
 The manner of extinguishing fires in the early history of 
 Fall lliver, was as unique as it was in some instances amusing. 
 All insured householders were required to be the possessors 
 of two leather fire-buckets, suspended from hooks in the front 
 hall of their residences, and with these, in case of alarm, to 
 make the best of their way to the place on fire, where a double 
 line of men with buckets was formed between the engine and 
 the nearest well, and when that was exhausted go on to the 
 next, if any there were. About the year 1830, early on a win- 
 ter evening, the residence of Mr. Samuel Chase, on the corner 
 of North Main and Cherry Streets, was discovered to be on 
 fire. Jt was a two-story house with an L, in which the fire 
 originated. When the first water was put on, the main building 
 had not been reached by the flames, and it looked as though 
 the house might be saved; but some persons who thought 
 differently and wished to rescue all they could, removed the 
 windows and front stairs, thus opening a draft and destroying 
 all communication with the upper stories. The next morning 
 nothing of the house remained but the foundation walls, though 
 the front stairs and windows made a good showing on the op- 
 posite side of the street, while in the cellar among the embers 
 were the charred remains of a woman whom they had been 
 unable to rescue from the attic. 
 
 Prominent among the mill owners of Fall River was David 
 Anthony, a "blue-law" Presbyterian, bringing up his two 
 sous, Jim and Fred, in strict conformity with that belief, 
 they not being allowed outside the door of their father's house 
 on the Sabbath except when going to and from church,. In-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 65 
 
 stances were related of their escaping, when under strong temp- 
 tation, by way of a window, to be the next day " interviewed " 
 by paterfamilias in the traditional wood-shed, concerning it. 
 Mr. Anthony, instead of giving his boys liberal educations, as 
 he was amply able to do, set them to work in his mill, on the 
 same footing as his other help. That the boys did not take 
 kindly to this arrangement will doubtless readily be conceded; 
 but being a rigid disciplinarian after the old school, he was 
 determined to hold the reins of government until they should 
 become free by due course of law. But in this matter there 
 was a slight difference of opinion between father and sous. 
 One day Fred asked his father's permission to "stay out,'' 
 as the saying was, and the old gentleman refused. That fore- 
 noon Fred went down into the wheel pit and cast a large spike 
 into the gearing, the repairs to which occupied three or four 
 days, and the mill being idle, Fred had his vacation, which, 
 however, was inaugurated with the usual wood-shed perform- 
 ance on the part of his father. At another time Fred ran 
 away to Boston, and Mr. Anthony sent Jim with a chaise- 
 to take him home. Jim found him in Boston and the two 
 set out for home. A short distance out of the city, Jim asked 
 Fred to drive on to the next tavern, a fer rods ahead, saying 
 that he would meet him there in a few moments. Fred did 
 as he was directed, but no more did he see of Jim, and after 
 waiting a reasonable time drove home without him. The 
 next heard from Jim was through a letter which he wrote 
 to his father from China, whither he had gone as foremast 
 hand on a Boston merchantman, and from whence he returned 
 in a few months. 
 
 Fall River has first and last had quite a number of postmas- 
 ters, most of whom have honored the position. But one, Ben- 
 jamin Anthony, an appointee of Andrew Jackson, would 
 not exactly fill the bill in these days. He appeared disposed
 
 66 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 to run the business in a manner to create the least possible 
 friction, so far as concerned himself. Mr. Pierce, when & boy, 
 had an experience with him the remembrance of which has 
 ever remained fresh in his mind. His mother had permitted 
 him to subscribe for a juvenile magazine, and the first number 
 being overdue, he went every morning to the post office to in- 
 quire if it had come, and was always answered with a curt 
 " No." One morning he found the post master sweeping out 
 the lobby, and meekly put to him the question, " Mr. Antho- 
 ny, has my book come, yet?" The pompous official, glaring 
 at him and raising his broom menacingly, snapped out, " No ! 
 And if you don't clear out I'll kick you out ! " The boy did n't 
 " stand upon the order of his going," but went ; nor did he 
 stand off at a safe distance and " sass " him ; his mother had 
 taught him differently ; he felt that because his skin and 
 clothing were begrimed with the grease and oil accruing from 
 his labor he had been insulted. He took good cave not to af- 
 ford the "gentlemanly" postmaster an opportunity to repeat 
 the insult, but his brother went a week or two later and got 
 the book. Perhaps this will serve to illustrate what many of 
 that day had occasion to know, that boys had no rights that 
 older people were bound to respect.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CHANGE O F BASE. 
 
 A Jacksonian Postmaster. Change of Name. Learning the Printer's 
 Trade. How they Taught it Fifty Years Ago. Early Providence.- 
 Life on the Ocean Wave, 
 
 It doubtless will have beeu noticed that thus far in this 
 book, with one or two inadvertant exceptions, Mr. Pearce's 
 name has been spelled P-i-e-r-c-e, which was the family meth- 
 od of spelling it, and was pronounced as in "purse/ 1 At 
 length there came a clergyman to Fall River, when he and 
 his brother were in their early 'teens, who persisted in pro- 
 nouncing it as it was spelled, "pierce," which grated so harsh- 
 ly on their unaccustomed ears, that they decided, u in conven- 
 tion,'' to change the spelling to P-e-a-r-c-e, which has been 
 followed to the present time. 
 
 When Mr. Pearce lacked but a few weeks of being eighteen 
 years of age, and had beeu in the employ of the Messrs. Eddy 
 for ten years, the question came up for him to decide, as to 
 whether he should fill out the measure of his days as a factory 
 operative, or select one from the few occupations within his 
 reach outside the mill. He decided upon a printer's trade as 
 best adapted to his tastes, and in the mouth of March, 1836, ten 
 years to a day from the time he started upon the drudgery of 
 factory life, he entered the office of the Fall River Patriot for 
 three years as a bound apprentice to the printing business,
 
 68 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 during which time he was to receive an amount barely suffi- 
 cient to pay for his board and clothing. And here let, it be 
 said, that " learning the printing business" in country offices 
 in those days was a snare and delusion, a device on the part 
 of newspaper publishers to get, as it were, a dollar and a half's 
 worth of work done for fifty cents. Six months' time was 
 generally sufficient for a lad to gain all the knowledge of the 
 business at that time. obtainable in a country printing office, 
 and then he had mastered only the merest modicum of the art, 
 as he was quite certain to ascertain to his discomfiture when 
 at the expiration of his term of apprenticeship he was turned 
 adrift to give place to another dupe, later obtaining em- 
 ployment iu some city office, only to find himself an utter 
 failure as a printer, having not even been properly instructed 
 in the single branch of the business to learn which he had 
 given three or more of the best years of his life. New York, 
 Boston and other large cities fifty years ago had scores of such 
 cases, " two-thirders," termed such from receiving only two- 
 thirds the regular pay of journeymen printers, thus being 
 required to undergo a second term of apprenticeship. 
 
 Mr. Pearce boarded with his employer, and sat at a table by 
 himself, with a menu of bread, butter and water. On evenings 
 before publication days he worked until midnight, turned out 
 at four o'clock in the morning to carry a route of papers, the 
 balance of the day being divided between work in the office 
 and such employments about the house as suggested themselves 
 to his employer or that worthy's wife. On one occasion he 
 was sent to the bottom of a thirty-foot well to clean it. out; 
 and on another was despatched oil a journey of ten miles into 
 the country on foot, on a hot summer day, to collect among 
 four or five scattered farmers some subscription bills of two 
 dollars each. He succeeded in getting fifty cents, in old fash- 
 ioned " cart-wheel " coppers, which to avoid lugging home, he
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUST LIFE. 69 
 
 invested in stage-fare, and received from his employer a two- 
 fold scolding for his lack of success and extravagance in ex- 
 penditure. It was through occurrences of this nature, the 
 frequency of which was keenly suggestive, that Mr. Pearce 
 was glad to avail himself of an opportunity afforded by a 
 change of proprietors to effect a "change of base." 
 
 In August, 1837, he carried into effect a long cherished de- 
 sire to locate in Providence, then a young city of twenty 
 thousand inhabitants, with almost its entire mercantile busi- 
 ness on the east side of the river. Xearly all the dry goods 
 trade outside the Arcade was located on the east side, and not 
 all the stores in that structure were occupied. The printing 
 offices were likewise on the east side. The Providence Jour- 
 nal was published and printed in a dingy building on College 
 Street, on an old wooden power press, circulation one thous- 
 and copies; the Daily Morning Courier was printed on a 
 hand-press in the southeast corner, fourth story, of the Gran- 
 ite Building, Market Square; William Simons printed the 
 Republican Herald, a red-hot Democratic paper, in the same 
 building, further west ; Knowles, Vose & Company occupied 
 several rooms there, likewise, printing Rhode Island School 
 Fund Lottery tickets and miscellaneous jobs; Mr. Cranston 
 executed job printing in another part of the building, and B. 
 T. Albro printed ballads and cheap jobs on Xorth Main Street, 
 near the First Baptist church. This comprised all the printing 
 offices at that time in Providence ; and it is safe to add that 
 more printing is done now in one day in Providence than was 
 then in a year. 
 
 Mr. Pearce engaged with Knowles, Vose & Company at 
 three dollars a week, and they were to teach him the business 
 in all its branches. Aside from the printing of lottery tickets, 
 which kept in employment half-a-dozen men and boys, the job 
 printing of the office was light, being mostly done by Mr.
 
 70 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 Knowles, with the occasional assistance of a boy. Mr. Pearee 
 was set at work in the ticket department, and proving himself 
 an adept at the hand-press, was assigned permanently to that 
 branch of work. Xow the running of a hand-press on lottery 
 tickets has about the same relation to the printer's trade as 
 does the sawing of boards to that of carpentering ; hence when 
 six months had elapsed and the pressing arrangements of 
 Messrs. Kuowles, Vose & Co. seemed destined to an indefinite 
 perpetuation, Mr. Pearce felt constrained to seek an under- 
 standing in the premises, the outcome of which was an assump- 
 tion on the part of Mr. Vose of the right to conduct the mat- 
 ter in the interest of the firm, regardless of those of the other 
 party, and giving no encouragement for any future change 
 for the better, Mr. Pearce inaugurated an individual strike. 
 
 Mr. Pearce had long cherished a desire to see something of 
 the world, which his confinement in the factory had pre- 
 vented him realizing. Particularly was this the case as re- 
 garded New York and the to him wonderful Hudson River, 
 coupled with which was a longing for the life of a sailor. 
 These he proceeded to gratify by shipping in Providence on 
 board an Albany trader as cook, at five dollars a month. The 
 salary was not munificent, but then it must be borne in mind 
 that he was not much of a cook, never having essayed to so 
 much as boil a potato. A sailor on board undertook to instruct 
 him, and between them they managed the first day to concoct, 
 cook and serve a dish bearing the euphonious title of " lob- 
 scouse," the principal ingredients of which were pork, pota- 
 toes and onions. The captain and crew ate it, but they didn't 
 give evidence of "hankering" for more. Instead of a stove, 
 there was an open fireplace in the cabin, where the cooking 
 was done. The second day out a boiled dinner was ordered, 
 and the kettle containing it had been hung on the crane over 
 the fire, when the vessel was passing the Dumplings ; a swell
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 71 
 
 was rolling in from the ocean, and "Ben," as he was called by 
 captain and crew, ran out upon deck and began to get hilari- 
 ous through this, his first experience of "life on the ocean 
 wave," so fondly dreamed of in hours when he \vas toiling in 
 the factory. Soon, however, he began to yield to the inevita- 
 ble in such cases, and all at once found somewhat over the 
 side of the vessel to attract his attention, while the captain 
 and crew were rehearsing at his expense the stale joke about 
 the fat pork tied to a rope-yarn, dipped in molasses, swallowed 
 and hauled up again. While this was going on, the mate, who 
 was at the helm, sang out, " Ben, your dinner has fetched 
 away!" "Ben "was just then in a state of mind when any 
 change would have been considered for the better, even to a 
 place in the factory, under the tyrant Bisbee : that his break- 
 fast had " fetched away," and gone to feed the fishes he had 
 ample proof: but this "dinner" business must now be looked 
 after. Going below, he found the "dinner' 1 ' very much in 
 the condition of his stomach, "at sixes and sevens," the ket- 
 tle, impelled by the motion of the vessel, waltzing over the 
 floor, and beets, turnips, potatoes, etcetera, in hot pursuit. 
 This was a state of things not in the highest degree consoling 
 to a seasick cook, but there was the dinner, in an evident state 
 of mutiny that must be quelled, and he was the boy to quell 
 it, though himself in a decidedly demoralized condition. 
 Down on his hands and knees he went, and those refractory 
 elements were shortly reduced to subjection and returned to 
 their place in the kettle. Did he wash them? not much! any 
 dirt adhering to them went to help make up the traditional 
 " peck" that every member of the human family is supposedly 
 doomed to eat. Thus adjusted, the kettle was again placed in 
 position on the crane and set to boiling, this time securely 
 braced, to avert further disaster. Having accomplished this, 
 the disgusted cook " turned in" on a locker to sleep off, if pos-
 
 72 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 siblo, his woes, and the next he knew of that dinner it was on 
 a platter secured to a sea-chest with four forks, and the mate 
 sitting astride the chest eating from the platter. 
 
 The next day, having cleared from the domains of old ocean , 
 there was smoother sailing, and our amateur cook, recovering 
 his wonted spirits, was on deck every moment he could snatch 
 from his culinary duties, making new discoveries and noting 
 them down in his journal ; and when the vessel sailed into 
 New York, he was as proud as Christopher Columbus must 
 have been when he discovered America. Contrary winds de- 
 tained the vessel the next day, and getting leave to go on shore, 
 though it "rained pom-ing," the cook of the good sloop Fame 
 put in five hours on foot and alone exploring the city, visiting 
 every point of interest he had heard or read about, returning 
 to the vessel drenched to the skin. The week's sail up the 
 Hudson was to him another source of delight, opening up new 
 beauties with every mile of advancement. Meanwhile he was 
 making rapid strides in learning the art of cookery. On one 
 occasion the captain ordering codfish and potatoes for dinner 
 the next day, our cook put his dried fish to soak over night in 
 the kettle, and the next day boiled fish and potatoes in the 
 same water, the outcome being that when dinner came to be 
 served the fish could be taken out only with a skimmer, and 
 the potatoes were " black as your hat,'' as the saying is. It is 
 needless, perhaps, to add that he was not complimented very 
 highly on the production of that menu. The toughest job 
 that he ever had in the way of cooking, and one that would 
 have caused a Jew to laugh, was the frying of pork when he 
 was sea-sick, which was given him to do, the captain said, as 
 a " cure " for the disorder : perhaps it was, but he never after- 
 wards felt like recommending it for that disorder. The next 
 trip the captain procured a second-hand stove that somebody 
 had tried and could n't use, and set it up on deck without any
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUST LIFE. 73 
 
 protection from wind or weather, to cook with. The trials 
 that Mr. Pearce underwent with that old stove would have 
 driven the average cook to suicide. Located on the port bow, 
 directly aft the u traveller," it was washed by seas and spray in 
 rough weather, and its draught hindered by wind, so that be- 
 tween the two, meals were delayed and badly cooked, the 
 cook was the recipient of more curses than coppers, and in 
 consequence left the vessel on her arrival in New York.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A SHORT, BUT "MKATY" CHAPTER. 
 
 Locates in New York. -John Jacob Astor. Joins a New York Fire Com- 
 pany. More Fight than Fire. Gets Out.-Starts the first Sunday 
 School Paper in New York "The Sunday School Monitor." Bread 
 and Water Diet and Bunks on the Floor. Morse, Inventor of the 
 Telegraph. Afloat and Ashore. Removal to Pawtucket. Jacob 
 Dimnell. Controlling Votes. Fight with an Employee. Long 
 Hours and Small Pay, 
 
 Mr. Pearce here determined to combine employment with the 
 gratification of a long cherished desire to verify by observation 
 the many, to him, wonderful things he had read and heard of 
 in relation to the Empire City. He found employment as a 
 " two-thirder," and like all new beginners of that class, came 
 to grief at the outset, as a result of his previous instruction, 
 being brought to a realization of the fact that it was not all of 
 a printer's trade to be able to set type for a newspaper, or to 
 run off ever so well on a hand-press Ehode Island School Fund 
 Lottery tickets. The first "proof" of his work was simply 
 appalling, so much so that no man in the office would correct 
 the mistakes for the price it would bring, and work as he 
 would, it was with difficulty that he earned sufficient to pay 
 his expenses. But he found opportunity at intervals between 
 working hours to explore the city, and, most of all, to go on 
 board the "packet liners'" running between New York and 
 London, and other places. 
 Mr. Pearce enjoys the distinction of being one of the compara-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 75 
 
 lively few persons who remember having seen the original John 
 Jacob Astor. The old gentleman's residence was an unpre- 
 tentious brick mansion, next north of the Astor House, then, 
 by the way, the leading hotel in the city. Mr. Astor was up 
 with the sun, even in his old age, and was seen at an early 
 hour in the morning, sitting by a front window, reading. He 
 was even then the wealthiest person in America, though rated 
 only at $10,000,000, which, however, was then regarded as a 
 colossal fortune, almost beyond enumeration. A story was 
 rife of his having "disinherited" a daughter for wedding 
 contrary to his wishes, and afterwards selling her husband 
 the Astor House property "for one dollar and other valuable 
 considerations." His residence, a modest three-story brick 
 edifice, then constituted the southern boundary between the 
 business houses and what were regarded as the palatial dwell- 
 ings of the wealthy merchants, on Broadway. 
 
 In order to "take in" as much as possible of what was re- 
 putable iu New York life coming within his reach, Mr. Pearce 
 connected himself with the fire department, and "ran mit der 
 masheen." The engine to which he became attached was the 
 Number Two, located in Ann street, near the City Hall. His 
 first experience was with a fire in Bleeker street, a mile or two 
 up town. Soon after the company had pulled out from the 
 engine house, another machine drew up and a race was in- 
 augurated ; for a mile the two companies were literally shoul- 
 der to shoulder and going at a speed of at least eight miles an 
 hour. This being a rate to which the new recruit had never 
 been accustomed, he felt disposed to dropout; but unfortu- 
 nately for his purpose, he was on the inner side of the rope, 
 and to have left would have been to be trampled by the men, 
 and crushed under the wheels of the engine, therefore he held 
 out to the end, where he found himself completely "blown." 
 His next experience, which was at a Sunday fire, convinced him
 
 76 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 that flames were not the only element the New York firemen 
 sought to contend against. A slight dispute as to a riglit to 
 certain water, on the part of the officers, led to blows, trum- 
 pets and hose wrenches being made use of in that capacity, 
 and the engagement soon became general all along the line, 
 the matter of extinguishing the fire being treated as an after 
 consideration. This was the winding up of Mr. Pearce's run- 
 ning u mit der masheen," and likewise of his connection with 
 the New York fire department. 
 
 Mr. Pearce, while in New York on this occasion, commenced 
 the publication of the u Sunday School Monitor,'' which is by 
 him believed to have been the first Sunday school paper pub- 
 lished in New York, if not in America. He was editor, pro- 
 prietor, foreman, compositor, carrier, etc., and worked hard 
 to make it a success, literally living on bread and water and 
 making his lodging, nights, on the "soft side" of the office 
 floor, with no other covering than a coat or two, until one 
 night he was taken suddenly ill. Mr. Morse, who later 
 achieved fame as the inventor of the telegraph beai-ing his 
 name, was then "burning the midnight oil" evolving the 
 details of the invention which was to revolutionize the world, 
 occupying an adjoining room, heard his moans of distress, 
 and going to his assistance, provided him with a mattress 
 and necessary medicines. 
 
 With all his labor and privation, Mr. Pearce was not able to 
 make his first venture a paying one, though it was afterwards 
 taken in hand by men officially connected with Sunday schools 
 and became a financial success, Mr. Pearce thus, as in other 
 instances in his "long and busy life," "shaking the bush," 
 while others following after, "caught the birds," enlarging 
 upon and profiting by the work he had so crudely begun. 
 It seems the times were not ripe for the successful issuance 
 of Juvenile papers such as now abound in the country.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LOXG AND BUST LIFE. 77 
 
 Returuiug to Fall River, Mr. Pearce divided up two years 
 between running in a freighting sloop and work on shore, em- 
 ployment at the printing business being neither brisk nor re- 
 munerative, the work being mostly done through apprentices : 
 indeed the country was flooded with imperfectly instructed 
 " tramping jours," as they were termed, men graduated from 
 country printing offices with not even a correct knowledge of 
 the simplest branches of the business. 
 
 Mr. Pearce had a natural aversion to idleness, to which was 
 coupled a disposition to do with his might whatsoever his 
 hands found to do. Failing to obtain employment at his 
 trade, and disdaining to "eat the bread of idleness," in June, 
 1840, he went to Pawtucket and obtained employment in the 
 Franklin Print AVorks, operated by Jacob Dunnell. He how- 
 ever engaged in this employment only until an opening for 
 him should occur in the printing business. On the 9th of the 
 previous April he had entered upon his 21st, or "freedom" 
 year, and this move was destined to prove a stepping stone, 
 in more senses than one, toward a permanent lodgment of 
 the hitherto " rolling stone." 
 
 Jacob Dunuell, or " Jake," as he was called by his employees, 
 when spoken of in his absence, (he having formerly been a 
 clerk in the establishment,) was an autocrat in the manage- 
 ment of his " help," though a man of generous impulses. In 
 politics he was a Whig, and controlled the votes, if he could 
 not the principles, of those in his employ, and the man whose 
 vote he could not direct, if opposed to him in politics, he had 
 no use for about his place, nor was he tardy or bashful in 
 telling him so. There was no dodging the issue by ref raiuiu g 
 from voting, as at a certain hour the voters in his employ 
 were summoned to the counting-room and inarched in a body 
 to the place of voting, Duuuell taking position and walking at 
 the head of the column, while his chief clerk brought up the
 
 78 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 rear, to prevent straggling. On arriving at the voting _plaee 
 Duimell put a ballot into each man's hand, stationing himself 
 at the polls for them to pass in review before him and place 
 their ballots. One of his oldest and most faithful em- 
 ployees was discharged by him for standing by his principles 
 and voting the "loco-foco" ticket, the Democratic party be- 
 ing thus nicknamed by the opposition. Instances were not 
 wanting where Mr. Dunnell enforced his commands through 
 the exercise of muscle. On the occasion of a strike in one of 
 the departments, a man returned for a garment he had forgot- 
 ten, and as he was passing through the yard he was seen by 
 Mr. Dunnell and ordered to halt ; the man explaining the na- 
 ture of his errand, essayed to keep 011, when Dunuell drove 
 him from the yard with a bar of iron. On another occasion, 
 when passing through the dye-shop Mr. Duunell saw a man in 
 the act of lifting a piece of goods from a kettle of hot dye- 
 stuft' with his thumb and linger: uttering some strong lan- 
 guage, he thrust his own hand in to grasp the piece, the result 
 of which was a severe scalding of that member, whereupon he 
 turned to the man and bade him put on his coat and leave the 
 works, which the latter did at once. As soon, however, as he had 
 time for reflection on the injustice of the act, Mr. Duuuell sent 
 for the man, and before night had him reinstated. In another 
 instance he discharged an entire family from the works in 
 consequence of misconduct on the part of their mother, who 
 was a domestic in his family, but had them at work again the 
 same day, it having been suggested to him that they were in 
 no wise responsible for their mother's behavior. On one occa- 
 sion, however, Mr. Dunuell " found a foeman worthy of his 
 steel," and was brought to acknowledge himself conquered. 
 He was, during the dinner hour, making, in company with the 
 manager, his daily rounds of the establishment, when in one 
 of the rooms he came upon a scene that led him to pause and
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AXD BUSY LIFE. 79 
 
 make inquiry. A young girl stood weeping, and near by a 
 young fellow, the two having been engaged in skylarking, 
 during which he had thrown some water upon her from a 
 basin. " Jake " at once took in the situation, and with a tiger- 
 like spring pounced upon the young man, exclaiming, " I'll 
 learn you to be throwing water upon the girls ! *' Though 
 taken wholly by surprise, the young man quickly rallied, they 
 clinched, and the result of the liveliest sort of a scuffle was, 
 that u Jake " measured his length on the floor, with his legs 
 across a low bench, over which he had been adroitly tripped, 
 with "the other fellow" uppermost and a good grip upon his 
 adversary's hands and front hair. Here was a dignified situa- 
 tion, truly, for the " ruler*' of a hundred people, and the man- 
 ager thought so, for he offered his assistance, which was in- 
 stantly declined by the now thoroughly irate Jake, saying that 
 he could manage him. "Can you!" said the young man, 
 taking a firmer grip on his wrists and giving his head two or 
 three extra bumps on the floor. In vain the prostrate ruler 
 struggled, and kicked, and stormed, the "other fellow" had 
 him where he wanted him, and was disposed to make the most 
 of his advantage, and was only induced to release him on a 
 promise of a cessation of hostilities, which promise Jacob ad- 
 hered to, though he gave the young man what the latter ex- 
 pected, a prompt discharge. Two or three weeks later, it 
 being represented to Mr. Duuuell that the young man's father 
 was sick and the family in destitute circumstances, he sent 
 them five dollars, with a request for the sou to return to work, 
 which the latter did, being given his former job. Mr. Dun- 
 nell had evidently been taught a lesson or two as regarded 
 that young man, for passing through the room a week or two 
 later and surprising the same couple skylarking again, he 
 kept right on, simply remarking, "Ah, at it again, are you?" 
 Notwithstanding that twelve hours constituted a day's
 
 80 RECOLLECTIONS OP A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 work, the pay was by no means such as one could build hopes 
 of reali/ing a fortune on, five dollars a week being the highest 
 paid by Mr. Dunnell, except for skilled labor ; yet there were 
 men in his employ who managed to not only support their 
 families on that sum, but to build for themselves homes. 
 Fifty years have wrought a great change in the establish- 
 ment: not only has it been greatly enlarged and improved, 
 but there is not an individual remaining that was employed 
 there fifty years ago.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Meets "his Fate." A "Perilous" Ride. Marriage and Wedding Tour 
 Quaint Epitaph. Harnessing a Horse. A Brief Idyl. Sickness 
 and Death of Mrs. Pearce. 
 
 Mr. Pearce's life in Pawtucket had a commencement that 
 was far from unpleasing and that was destined to "improve 
 with age." He was " a stranger in a strange land," and being 
 of a social disposition, his first few days in that place were 
 not among the most agreeable of his life ; but one day, passing 
 through the yard, he encountered a pair of eyes that attracted 
 his attention, and awakened feelings that prompted him to 
 search out and make the acquaintance of their owner. This 
 he succeeded in doing, and but why particularize? It was 
 the same old story summer season moonlight walks love's 
 young dream, etcetera, etcetera. There was a year of this, 
 during a portion of which time Mr. Pearce was employed in a 
 Providence printing office, but made semi-weekly nocturnal 
 visits to Pawtucket "on business," trudging into Providence 
 on foot over the turnpike at midnight, while Uncle Sam's mails 
 were made to duty in the interim. The name of his inamor- 
 ata was Miss Clarissa Gary Carpenter, but before this business 
 had been going on a year Mr. Pearce was negotiating for a 
 change, in the interest of economy in shoe-leather, &c. After 
 sundry conferences, in which prudence is not supposed to have 
 exerted an undue influence, the consummation of the moment-
 
 82 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 ous event was decided upon. The arrangements having,been 
 perfected, we will leave it for Mr. Pearce to tell in his own 
 words the story of the few following days : 
 
 "On the auspicious morning," relates Mr. Pearce, "I hired 
 a horse and chaise in Providence, for three days. Jt was with 
 much fear and no little trembling that I took charge of the 
 "craft," as my experience with equines had been of the most 
 limited order, scarcely covering the requisite knowledge for 
 one's direction. By selecting the less frequented streets, I 
 managed to navigate the team out of Providence and headed 
 it for Pawtucket : but the turnpike portion of the " voyage " 
 came near resulting in a disastrous culmination, and leading 
 to a postponement of the nuptial ceremony. Matters proceed- 
 ed finely for a short time, the horse taking the road without 
 much guidance, until I had occasion to lay the reins down for 
 a moment, and neglecting to properly secure them, they fell 
 around the horse's heels. The animal starting to run, there 
 was opening up a situation far from pleasing to a novice 
 in driving, and a prospective bridegroom on the morning of 
 his wedding day. With a courage born of the occasion, I 
 crawled out upon the back of the equine, seized the reins, 
 and checking the horse up, averted the threatened catastrophe. 
 It is unnecessary to add that those reins did not again leave 
 my hands until I drew up in front of the bride elect's residence. 
 
 Having taken on 1 board Miss Carpenter to assist in naviga- 
 ting the craft, I drove out across Seekonk Plains to the resi- 
 dence of Rev. Mr. Barney, where, on the second day of Au- 
 gust, 1841, we " twain were made one flesh," a quiet and un- 
 ceremonious wedding, such as accorded with the wishes and 
 tastes of both parties. The morning was fine and there be- 
 ing no occasion for haste, the motive power of the turnout was 
 suffered to go as he listed, even to an occasional pause for the 
 purpose of cropping a little grass.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 83 
 
 When the time came to resume the journey, the " men folks " 
 of the bride's relatives where we were stopping, were ab- 
 sent in the field, and it devolved upon me to harness the horse, 
 the result of which was, that the equine was driven a distance 
 of seven miles with the bits dangling beneath his chin ! "What 
 that horse thought of me he never disclosed, in my hearing, 
 but certainly he could uot have entertained a very exalted 
 opinion of my capabilities as a driver/' 
 
 The details of this wedding tour consisted of a brief visit 
 among the bride's relatives in the ancient atid sparsely settled 
 town of Rehoboth, in Massachusetts, which place does not 
 abound, by the way, very extensively, in points of interest 
 such as would be likely to attract an enthusiastic young ex- 
 plorer while on his wedding tour ; but the hospitable enter- 
 tainers of the young couple, disposed to make the most of 
 the limited advantages of their abode, in that particular, es- 
 corted them to a neighboring grave-yard to explore among the 
 quaint and curious epitaphs to be found there. If there was 
 a degree of incongruity in thus introducing a young couple in 
 their honeymoon, to the home of the dead, Mr. Pearce, with 
 liis life-loiig proclivity to make the best of any situation, was 
 able to find there much to entertain him. Among the epitaphs 
 adorning the rude grave-stones, was the following, which he 
 treasured in his mind as a rare specimen of country grave-yard 
 literature : 
 
 " A pious, loving consort here lies by my side, 
 
 With four loving children, who were in the tire fried." 
 
 This stone and this epitaph were placed by a bereaved h us- 
 baud to mark the resting place of a deceased wife and four 
 children, who had been burned to death. The ; ' here lies by 
 my side " clause was doubtless the outcome of a belief on the 
 part of the surviving partner, that he should soon go to join 
 the dear departed on the other shore : but as has often hap-
 
 84 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 peued before and since, he later decided not only to remain 
 longer on this mundane sphere, but to take to himself another 
 partner in his joys and sorrows ; and at the time of Mr. Pearce's 
 visit had been for a score of years basking in the smiles of the 
 beloved decedent's successor, seemingly in no haste to join 
 the former in her quiet resting place. 
 
 Upon this wedding followed a married life as beautiful as it 
 was brief. It has been said that a man should love his wife 
 with mind as well as heart, that if love fail him friendship may 
 remain. Between this young couple love never failed, but 
 friendship stood hand in hand with it. A letter written by 
 Mr. Pearce to his young wife, during a brief absence from 
 home, is addressed " Dear Wife, dearest friend." This let- 
 ter, closely written over three pages of foolscap paper, double 
 the size of any now in use, contains the almost prophetic sen- 
 tence : 
 
 "My dearest friend, if we no more meet each other on 
 earth I have loved thee in life, and I will meet thee in heaven!" 
 
 On the 23d of December, 1842, a daughter was born to the 
 young couple. The little pre-Christmas present was given the 
 quaint double name of Clarissa Phebe, from those of her ma- 
 ternal and paternal grandmothers, which had descended 
 through honored generations of Kents and Woods. 
 
 But the young mother, never of a robust constitution, did 
 not recover from the illness consequent upon the birth of this 
 her only child, and because of her delicate health, the little 
 family were domiciled for a few months with the wife's 
 parents. At length, however, they essayed the long delayed 
 step of planting their own roof-tree, and in a humble way 
 commenced housekeeping in apartments adjoining those of the 
 wife's parents. It was here that the little daughter enjoyed a 
 brief realization of an own mother's love and tender care. 
 Perfectly does she remember when her father sent home the
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 85 
 
 new-fangled notion of a stove, to replace the fireplace still in 
 common use iu many New England families, and what a 
 "box" it was to her wondering eyes, said wonder being 
 heightened when the " box" commenced to grow warm nuder 
 the influence of a coal fire. Even then her unfledged mind 
 was unable to fully grasp the situation, as eyeing it curiously 
 from her perch on his knee, she asked 
 
 "What is it for, papa?" 
 
 "To warm papa's little darling's toes," was the laughing re- 
 sponse, while the tiny feet were stretched toward it. 
 
 But the happy home-keeping was all too brief. In a letter 
 written at that time to a friend, Mrs. Pearce says " We have 
 been married almost five years, and yet feel as though we had 
 just commenced to live." Then follows the pathetic story of 
 the cough, succeeding an attack of influenza, then prevalent, 
 defying all known remedies, of the delusive hopes which com- 
 fort the consumptive's life, the " pull-backs " which keep her 
 always "feeble," each bringing her nearer to death's door. 
 Life was sweet to the failing invalid. Blessed with a fond 
 husband's love, with a young daughter whom she hoped to 
 rear in the ways of righteousness and truth, and with an abid- 
 ing love for the work of religion and tempei'ance with which 
 she was closely identified, she fought the fell destroyer step 
 by step, clinging to hope that others felt was delusive. Mr. 
 Pearce made with her a day trip through Long Island Sound 
 to Xew York, hoping she might derive benefit from the 
 change. And here occurred an incident strikingly suggestive 
 of the mutability of human judgment. On board the steamer 
 was an invalid lady whose husband was taking her to Saratoga 
 for her health, and who was apparently in a rapid decline. 
 Mrs. Pearce remarked to her husband concerning her, " If I 
 were as sick as that lady, I should not expect to recover." 
 And yet the lady not only outlived Mrs. Pearce, but her own
 
 86 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 husband, and forty years later discussed the event with Mr. 
 Pearce after she had been married to a second husband thirty 
 years. 
 
 Mrs. Pearce returned home little, if any, benefited by the 
 journey, and the warfare with the fell destroyer was renewed. 
 For four months there was hoping against hope, and then the 
 attending physician bade her husband and friends prepare 
 for the worst. Calmly she received the intelligence, gently 
 conveyed to her by nearly heart-broken relatives, and with 
 a fortitude born of the spirit made her arrangements for de- 
 parture. On the morning of the 13th of February, 1847, she 
 passed peacefully away, her dying utterance being, "The 
 Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away." Rarely has there 
 been a more triumphant death. She had let go of earth and 
 taken hold on heaven days before the final event came, and 
 when, in answer to a question, her pastor informed her that 
 the end would come within twenty-four hours, her counten- 
 ance was illumined with joy, and she counted the hours and 
 minutes that intervened ere death should release her from pain 
 and suffering. It was not for her bereaved husband and 
 relatives to repine, feeling, as they did, assured that their loss 
 was her eternal gain, and they felt to adopt to themselves the 
 sentiment of the beautiful lines which close this chapter. 
 
 The funeral of Mrs. Pearce was one of the most fully at- 
 tended ever solemnized in Pawtucket. The services were held 
 on the Sabbath, in the spacious Congregational church, of 
 which deceased was a member, every seat in which was occu- 
 pied by sympathizing friends, her pastor Rev. Dr. Blodgett, 
 conducting the services, and as he told the story of 'her Chris- 
 tian life and calm and peaceful death, many eyes unused to 
 weeping were suffused with tears. Perhaps in no department 
 of life outside her own immediate family was her loss more 
 deeply felt than in the temperance ranks, in which with her
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 87 
 
 husband she was an active and efficient worker, sharing with 
 him cheerfully and without a murmur the labors and priva- 
 tions incident to the work. 
 
 Weep not for her ! Her span was like the sky, 
 Whose thousand stars shine heautiful and bright : 
 
 Like flowers, that know not what it is to die ; 
 Like long-linked, shadeless months of polar light, 
 
 Like music floating o'er a waveless lake, 
 While echo answers from the flowery brake ; 
 Weep not for her. 
 
 Weep not for her! She died in early youth, 
 
 Ere hope had lost its rich romantic hues: 
 When human bosoms seemed the homes of truth. 
 
 And earth still gleamed with beauty's radiant dews. 
 Her summer prime waned not to days that freeze ; 
 
 Her wine of life was run not to the lees : 
 Weep not for her. 
 
 Weep not for her! By fleet or slow decay, 
 
 It never grieved her bosom's core to mark 
 The playmates of her childhood wear away ; 
 
 Her prospects wither ; or her hopes grow dark ; 
 Translated by her God, with spirit shriven, 
 She passed as 'twere in smiles from earth to heaven ! 
 Weep not for her. 
 
 Weep not for her ! It was not her's to feel 
 
 The miseries that corrode amassing years, 
 'Gainst dreams of baffled bliss the heart to steel, 
 
 To wander sad down age's vale of tears, 
 As whirl the wither'd leaves from friendship's tree, 
 
 And on earth's wintry world alone to be : 
 Weep not for her. 
 
 Weep not for her ! She is an angel now, 
 
 And treads the sapphire floors of paradise ; 
 All darkness wiped from her refulgent brow, 
 
 Sin, sorrow, suffering, banished from her eyes : 
 Victorious over death, to her appear 
 
 The vista'd joys of heaven's eternal year : 
 Weep not for her.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 Weep not for her ! Her memory is the shrine 
 Of pleasant thoughts, soft as the scent of flowers, 
 
 Calm as on windless eve the sun's decline, 
 Sweet as the song of birds among the bowers, 
 
 Ri ch as a rainbow with its hues of light, 
 Pure as the moonshine of an autumn night: 
 Weep not for her. 
 
 Weep not for her ! There is no cause for woe ; 
 
 But rather nerve the spirit, that it walk 
 Unshrinking o'er the thorny below, 
 
 And from earth's low defilements keep thee back : 
 So, when a few fleet severing years have flown, 
 
 She'll meet thee at heaven's gate and lead thee on ! 
 Weep not for her.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 PAWTUCKET CONTINUED. 
 
 Some Pawtucket Reminiscences. First News Depot. Some old Paw- 
 tucket Newspapers and Publishers. -Elder Ray Potter and his 
 Peculiarities. A Teetotal "Boom." A "Dream," and its Sequel. 
 
 In the foregoing continuous narrative, events have been 
 passed which were among the most stirring of those that go 
 to make up the sum total of Mr. Pearce's eventful life. In 
 his plans for business, it was his desire, on account of the 
 feeble condition of his wife's health, to locate near the home 
 of her parents. At that time there was not in Rhode Island 
 an establishment for the sale of newspapers. John Green 
 served the New York Herald daily to customers about the 
 city of Providence, and on Sundays in summer sold the 
 "Brother Jonathan," "Xew World," and other "blanket" 
 Weeklies of that time under the mammoth horse chestnut tree 
 that some will remember as having stood in the yard of the 
 Manufacturers Hotel, on the site of the Whatcheer Building, 
 on Market Square. Mr. Pearce thought he saw an opening 
 for the business in Pawtucket and vicinity, and accordingly 
 started the first news depot in the history of the place, among 
 the goods in a stove store kept by Gabriel Priest, on Main 
 street, near the bridge, where, also, he established a bulletin 
 board, on which he placed the most important news as it ap- 
 peared in the papers. All this was new to the Pawtucketers,
 
 90 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 who looked on and marvelled, and now and then bought a 
 paper. Saturday was his greatest day for trade, but at best 
 it was not such as to inspire in his mind visions of an imme- 
 diate competence : yet he pioneered the business, and Paw- 
 tucket was never after without its news depot, though the 
 business changed hands a number of times ere it attained a 
 paying basis. Thus quite unwittingly did Mr. Pearce still 
 further pursue his manifest destiny of shaking the traditional 
 "bush," while others followed after and gathered in the 
 "birds." 
 
 There were at this time two printing presses in Pawtucket. 
 On one of them Eobert Sherman and Shubael Kiunicutt printed 
 the Gazette and Chronicle, then in the morning of its exist- 
 ence. Mr. Sherman, who was a man after his own heart, was 
 busiuess manager, and Mr. Kinnicutt was editor. Both were 
 practical printers, doing all the work of the office, with the 
 help of apprentice labor. Mr. Kinnicutt, by the way, was 
 exceeding deaf, and thus was spared being subjected to the 
 hearing of language that would not have sounded well within 
 the walls of a Sunday school. On the other press was printed 
 "Truth's Advocate,*' the organ of Elder Bay Potter, who 
 likewise printed " John the Baptist," the organ of Elder John 
 Tillinghast, which papers were issued on alternate weeks, and 
 neither of which had a burdensome circulation. Both men 
 were rigid and aggressive Calvinists, though differing from 
 each other just sufficient to maintain a constant warfare in 
 their respective papers. These were the days of the Millerite 
 excitement, and Elder Potter being arrayed on the opposite 
 side, his readers were regaled with whole columns of disquisi- 
 tions on "The Little Horn of the He Goat," and such like 
 newsy and entertaining topics. On Sundays, Elder Potter 
 discoursed, in a 15x20 church, on the cheerful doctrine that a 
 certain portion of the human family were predestined to dam-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LOXG AND BUSY LIFE. 91 
 
 nation, and that "hell was paved with infants' skulls!" His 
 printing office was in his dwelling, on what was then known 
 as the Valley Falls 'Pike, and appropriately in the northwest 
 corner. It is just to say that his paper was not a formidable 
 rival of the Gazette and Chronicle. The staff of the office 
 consisted of the Elder, his son Ray W., and Ansel D. Xick- 
 ersou, the last named an apprentice boy. The latter two did 
 the composition and the Elder the press work. 
 
 At the same time, printed in Providence, was the " Christian 
 Soldier," an exponent of the principles of religion, temper- 
 ance, anti-slavery and non-resistance, being likewise the organ 
 of the Freewill Baptists in Rhode Island. Its publisher was 
 Elder Tappan H. Bacheller, pastor of the Freewill Baptist 
 church in Pawtucket, a man who above most others was finan- 
 cially equipped for wrestling with the publication of a paper, 
 being in receipt, from his church, of the munificent salary of 
 two hundred dollars a year. The Freewill Baptist Church of 
 America at that time occupied advanced ground in works of re- 
 form, and had for its exponents such giants as Elders Martin 
 Cheney, Mai-tin J. Steere, Reuben Allen, James A. McKenzie, 
 M. W. Burlingame, Hosea Quinby, Benjamin Phelon, J. S. 
 Mowry, John TV. Colwell, and others. Few of these men had 
 more than a common school education, coming mostly from 
 their farms and merchandize, (Colwell graduated from a cot- 
 ton mill,) but they were of the stuff from which true preach- 
 ers are made, and left their impress for good in the communi- 
 ties where they resided. 
 
 Mr. Bacheller became desirous of removing his paper to 
 Pawtucket, and Mr. Pearce being at the same time glad 
 of the opportunity offered to settle down to steady employ- 
 ment in his adopted town, Mr. Bacheller and himself com- 
 bined in the purchase of a plant, consisting of a second- 
 hand printing press and type sufficient to print a small paper,
 
 92 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 and Mr. Pearce was installed as assistant editor, foreman, 
 compositor, printer's devil, etc., of the "Christian Soldter." 
 
 Those were the days when Temperance may be said to have 
 been " walking in silver slippers." The great Washingtonian 
 wave set in motion by John Hawkins and his compeers, which 
 was sweeping over the country, had reached Pawtucket and 
 was pervading all classes of the community. Meetings were 
 held nightly, at which old topers of years' standing came for- 
 ward and affixed their names to the temperance pledge. Four 
 distinct temperance organizations almost simultaneously 
 sprang into being in Pawtucket, enlisting all classes of the 
 community. These were the Washingtonian, for the reformed 
 topers, the Young Men's, for those who had been moderate 
 drinkers, the Martha Washington, for the ladies, and the 
 Cold Water Army, for the children. In November, 1841, 
 there was a monster parade of all the temperance societies, 
 Robert Sherman appearing at the head of the column on horse- 
 back, as chief marshal, which circumstance was of itself a suf- 
 ficient evidence of the popularity of the movement. 
 
 Among the prominent leaders in the Washiugtonian move- 
 ment, were Jerahmeel Dexter, John B. Lecraw, Joseph 
 Waugh, and Thomas Boyle. Dexter was for many years 
 president of the society. He had a voice like a trumpet, and 
 was an admirable leader, both in speaking and singing, besides 
 being a most unique presiding officer. On one occasion, at a 
 large gathering, he introduced a speaker as follows : " Ladies 
 and gentlemen, I now introduce to you Mr. Kellogg, who will 
 address you from Ohio ! " Dexter, Lecraw and Waugh were 
 the orators, particularly the two first named. There was also 
 a James Murphy who sometimes held forth and amused his 
 hearers by speaking of "obsteecles" in the way of the work. 
 Other local "orators" entered the field from time to time, 
 the music of whose voices was heard not only in Pawtucket,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 93 
 
 but Central Falls, Valley Falls and Lonsdale. The inspiriting 
 songs that they sang, in which the audiences joined, tended in 
 a great measure to keep alive the enthusiasm. Among these 
 was one composed by Rev. John Pierpont, and set to the tune 
 of "Northfield," that was a great favorite, the first verses of 
 which were as follows : 
 
 "We coine, we come, that have been held 
 
 In burning chains so long, 
 We're up, and on we come, a host 
 
 Full fifty thousand strong. 
 
 We come from Belial's palaces, 
 
 From dram-shop and from bar, 
 And as we march, those gates of hell 
 
 Feel their foundations jar." 
 
 It will not be considered strange that under the inspiration 
 of such hymns, sung by hundreds of voices, numbers came 
 forward and signed the pledge of total abstinence. Another 
 favorite hymn of the time commenced as follows : 
 
 " Well, tho blest period soon will come 
 When men no more shall deal in rum, 
 
 By license or by stealth ; 
 When water, pure, and free as air, 
 Shall bless the drinker everywhere 
 
 With happiness and health." 
 
 That Mr. Pearce rapidly drifted into this temperance move- 
 ment, goes almost without saying. Though theoretically and 
 practically a total abstainer from childhood, he united himself 
 with the Washingtonians in Pawtucket, as affording the most 
 active field of labor. He entered heart and soul into the 
 work, and his voice was heard at all their gatherings, his pen 
 and types were vigorously employed in the same direction, so 
 that he was soon one of the best known temperance workers 
 in the vicinity. He composed temperance songs and temper- 
 ance rhymes by the yard. He shared the prevailing senti- 
 ment, that the "hand-writing on the wall" was already ob-
 
 94 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 servable as regarded the liquor traffic, judging from indica- 
 tions everywhere abounding. 
 
 One of his temperance rhymes, which was in the form of a 
 dream, is among the very few of his poetical productions pre- 
 served by him, and is given below. It depicts a state of pub- 
 lic sentiment as at that time existing regarding the liquor 
 traffic, not widely dissimilar to that of the present day : 
 
 PART I. A DREAM. 
 
 Twas on a sultry summer day, the heat had overcome me ; 
 I sought a cool retreat, and there, the cares of life put from me. 
 I dozed, and as the dreamy god came in and took possession, 
 Strange fancies flitted through my brain along in dim procession, 
 Yet plain enough for me to find somewhat of meaning in it, 
 And if you would the story hear, I straightway will begin it : 
 
 I sojourned in a busy town, or, I should say, a city; 
 
 And what I witnessed there and then is set forth in this ditty. 
 
 I strolled along the streets, and lo ! as I beheld before me 
 
 A flaming bill in letters large, a curious streak came o'er me ; 
 
 So I walked up, the same to read, (the work of but a minute,) 
 
 The words upon its face were few, and this was what was in it ; 
 
 A man had come from o'er the sea a prestidigitator, 
 
 And he most wondrous things would show, surpassing human nature. 
 
 'Twas at a hall, admission free, the people were invited, 
 
 Male and female, young and old, none, indeed, were slighted. 
 
 The hour arrived, the hall was filled from outside to the center, 
 Indeed, so many crowded there that hundreds could not enter. 
 Prompt to the hour the man came in, most pleasantly did greet them, 
 And begged that they would understand how glad he was to meet them. 
 The tiriie was short, the place was warm, he did not wish to bore them, 
 And so he would at once proceed to spread his work before them. 
 
 He held a bottle in one hand, a glass was in the other, 
 
 And thus he stood and looked around fr >m one unto another. 
 
 Said he, "This bottle that I hold contains a panacea 
 
 To benefit the one that drinks, beyond all doubt or fear. 
 
 Should you feel cold, 'twill make you warm, or warm, forsooth, 'twill 
 
 cool you ; 
 
 'T will cure you of your aches and ills, I surely would not fool you. 
 Should you feel gay, 'twill keep you so, and if you're sad, 'twill cheer 
 
 you:
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 95 
 
 And if you freely drink of it, no trouble will come near you. 
 
 Unto the weak 'twill strength impart, to old age will give vigor, 
 
 'T will make you proof 'gainst summer's heat, or winter's sternest rigor . 
 
 'Tis nice and pleasant to the taste, come up, my friends, and try it; 
 
 If 't is not what I represent, you surely need not buy it." 
 
 At length came forward one to taste, and then a second followed, 
 Till scores li'id, ere the evening closed, the wondrous liquid swallowed. 
 Thus, when two hours had passed away, t he entertainment ended, 
 And some took bottles to their homes, the taste, they said, was splendid. 
 
 The morning came; all round the town the news new thick and faster, 
 
 Of fearful mischief in the night, of trouble and disaster. 
 
 Two men had quarelled, come to blows, the head of one was broken, 
 
 Indeed, so fearful were his wounds, that he had scarcely spoken. 
 
 Another went forth from the hall unto his home, demented, 
 
 Attacked his wife and murdered her, ere he could he prevented. 
 
 And still another, going home, had wandered by the river, 
 
 Had fallen in, and thus his life had been wiped out forever. 
 
 There spread through all that quiet town dismay and consternation, 
 
 And 'twas not long ere there began a strict investigation. 
 
 And when 'twas found that all these men had drunk the stranger's 
 
 liquor, 
 
 They ascertained his whereabouts and pounced upon him quicker 
 They found him snug within his bed, from which he had not risen. 
 But strong arms dragged him forth, and then they thrust him into 
 
 prison. 
 
 The women most indignant were, they tried to scratch and pinch him, 
 While men shook fists at him, and said, " Confound him, let us lynch 
 
 him!" 
 
 For many months they kept him caged, and then he left the city, 
 Without a friend to say Good bye, or speak a word of pity. 
 
 PART II. THE SEQUEL. 
 
 The dream passed off, the sun was low, I'd had the rest I needed, 
 
 To scorching heat of summer day a coolness had succeeded. 
 
 I walked abroad into the park, to snuff the cooling breezes : 
 
 One sees in places such as these oft times somewhat that pleases. 
 
 The place was one of busy life, and people out for pleasure 
 
 Were seen at every turn one made, in numbers few could measure ; 
 
 And dashing teams came prancing by, creating a sensation ; 
 
 Behind them parties gay were drawn, all life and animation. 
 
 But who is this that comes along, with coach and four so grandly, 
 
 With golden harness, prancing steeds, and smile that beams so blandly? 
 
 He sports, besides, a diamond pin, you see his wife and daughters
 
 96 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 Dressed up in silks and satins fine that came across the waters. 
 As he rides by, men touch their hats and bow in recognition : v 
 He surely must be some great man, one holding high position. 
 I stopped a passer-by and asked" Pray, tell me, who is that, sir, 
 In yon swell carriage, dressed so fine, such polish on his hat, sir? " 
 "Why, that is Mr. Soandso, who deals wholesale in liquor* 
 Few men in this our city, sir, have gained their riches quicker. 
 He owns large blocks upon the street, and out of town broad acres, 
 His wife and daughters rule the "ton," and are the fashion makers. 
 Besides all this he's mortgages on lands all through the county, 
 And many are the people, too, subsisting on his bounty ; 
 For much he gives in charity, he owns a pew in church, sir, 
 For standing in society he leaves most in the lurch, sir." 
 
 Another man hn d overheard this little conversation : 
 "And now," said he, " let me give you a bit of information: 
 The man you saw is a rumseller, one of the meanest kind, sir ; 
 He's caused more want and wretchedness than any you will find, sir. 
 At first he ran a low gin-mill, and sold mean rum and whiskey ; 
 For one to pass there in the night was thought to be quite risky : 
 For drunken rows and bloody fights were 'round his place quite fre- 
 quent, 
 
 And broken bones and broken heads were generally a sequent. 
 A murder once occurred in town, a man had killed his wife, sir, 
 She chided him for drunkenness, and then he took her life, sir. 
 'Twas clearly proved that he was drunk, and from this place was 
 
 driven, 
 
 Went straightway to his home, and then the fatal blow was given. 
 The man was tried, found guilty, hung, and few for him had pity : 
 But he who made him drunk was he not licensed by the city? 
 Was it not posted on his bar? If any made objection 
 To what was done inside his den, was this not his protection? 
 No end of crimes were traced to him, or to the stuff he peddled, 
 But he was licensed, as I said, and no one with it meddled. 
 And when he'd gathered stamps enough, was up to a big figure, 
 He sold his wicked gin-mill out, and started something bigger. 
 And now he's in a wholesale trade, bettered his condition, 
 As some would say, and in the world holds now a high position. 
 And men impoverished by his trade are seen all o'er the city ; 
 Grown poor through what he's sold, and now he spurns them without 
 pity. 
 
 The hour was getting late, and so our interview was ended ; 
 I thanked the man, bade him "good-night," and home my footsteps 
 wended.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 97 
 
 But long I sat and mused upon the way laws are constructed, 
 
 And how to punish crime the courts by people are conducted. 
 
 The dealers who, through selling rum, cause crime to be committed, 
 
 Though 'tis directly traced to them, are of all blame acquitted. 
 
 'Tis true they may not guilty be by law's constructed letter, 
 
 But then they all are criminals, as aiders and abettors. 
 
 They know that when they make one drunk, they rob him of his senses, 
 
 Why, then, should they not holden be for all the consequences? 
 
 Why place laws on statute books to only foster evil? 
 
 Why legalize a traffic which sends men straight to the devil? 
 
 Such laws should be expunged at once, their place supplied by better, 
 
 And when they're 011 the statute books, enforce them to the letter.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 PAWTUCKET CONTINUED. 
 
 A Temperance Paper, by Intemperate Men. "Clem" and "Cornele." 
 The "Sparkling Fountain.". Sacking a Printing Office. A 
 "Horse-whipping" that didn't Materialize. Bombarded and 
 Threatened. The "Fountain" ceases to "Sparkle." Change of 
 Base. " Christian Example and Religious Training." Second Mar- 
 riage. Some Sea Cooking. Eccentric Bridal Tour, A Housekeep- 
 ing Outfit. 
 
 During the time Mr. Pearce was printing the " Christian 
 Soldier," there drifted into Pawtucket, one morning, a printer 
 known among the craft as " Clem." He was a man of recog- 
 nized jouruslistic and oratorical abilities, which he had exer- 
 cised to a considerable extent, handicapped only by an unfor- 
 tunate propensity for drinking. He had enrolled himself in 
 the ranks of the reformed, and was doing good service in 
 Rhode Island as a lecturer at the time of his appearance as 
 above. Soon after his arrival in Pawtucket, this apostle of 
 reform started a temperance paper, calling it " Lily of the Val- 
 ley," and with the assistance of a Rhode Island printer known 
 as "Cornele," also a "reformed drunkard," issued the paper 
 weekly from Mr. Pearce's office, using his press and types. 
 But most unfortunately for these two journalistic typos, they, 
 like many others of that day and since, were not possessed of 
 sufficient will power to enable them to stay reformed, and 
 they accordingly divided the time up about equally in printing
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 99 
 
 the temperance paper and "painting the town red," often 
 working night and day to make up for time occupied in their 
 revels, which sometimes continued for two or three days. On 
 one of these occasions the pair drifted into a temperance meet- 
 ing, " Clem " staggering drunk, aud " Cornele " likewise " full," 
 but one of the kind that liquor seldom affects to staggering. 
 During a lull in the proceedings, " Clem " struggled to his feet 
 and delivered himself of the following: "Ladies and gentle- 
 men, (hie) I rise to speak a word in behalf of my (hie) friend, 
 here. For myself, (hie) I am strong, and can (hie) stand 
 alone; but he, my friends, (hie) is weak, and ladies and 
 gentlemen, (hie) I want you to put your protecting arms 
 around him ! " " Cornele " was bashful in the extreme, and the 
 effect upon him of this little episode may easily be imagined. 
 He was heard to say the next day in regard to it, that he had 
 a strong desire to pitch " Clem " through the window into the 
 street below. Of course this living a double life on the part 
 of "Clem" could not always continue. It was delirium tre- 
 mens, loss of position, aud a discontinuance of the paper. It 
 is pleasing to record of both of these men, that they after- 
 wards permanently reformed and filled honored positions in 
 their respective callings. 
 
 But Pawtucket was not destined to remain long bereft of the 
 benefit of a temperance paper, and thenceforth it was to be of 
 the aggressive kind. There was in one respect, at least, an 
 opening for such a paper, and Mr. Pearce boldly stepped in to 
 fill it. Xo syndicate stood behind him in the matter, but un- 
 aided and alone he commenced the publication of the " Spark- 
 ling Fountain." It was a wee bit of a paper, two columns to 
 a page, aud four small pages, issued once a week. One w r ould 
 think that with its multitude of temperance people, Pawtucket 
 would have given the enterprise a warm and hearty support. 
 But they did not. A few of them paid their fifty cents a year
 
 100 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 subscription, and all "gloried in his spunk," but this d\d very 
 little toward "keeping the pot boiling," and Mr. Pearce soon 
 found that success depended in a most uncomfortably large 
 measure upon his almost unaided exertions. 
 
 Pawtucket proper was then in Massachusetts, the dividing 
 line between that and Rhode Island being the river. There 
 were three rum-shops in Pawtucket, run respectively by John 
 Crain, Robert Abell and James Graham. There was also one 
 in Valley Falls, and several in Woousocket, all selling openly 
 in violation of law. Against these Mr. Pearce, with a reckless 
 daring that has since surprised him, waged a constant and un- 
 compromising warfare through the columns of his paper, now 
 increased in size to 3-column pages. Incidents and names 
 were given, and the misdeeds of the rum element paraded be- 
 fore the public in a manner not particularly flattering to the 
 former. It is not necessary to add that the parties thus as- 
 sailed were indignant; "curses not loud, but deep," were 
 launched against "that Pearce, of the Sparkling Fountain." 
 A Woonsocket rumseller sent him notice that he was coming 
 down some day to give him a horsewhipping. Mr. Pearce ad- 
 vertised the event to take place at 10 o'clock in the morning 
 of a certain date, on a piazza in front of his office, and sent the 
 other party a copy. Mr. Pearce was on hand as stated, but 
 the toddy-mixer wasn't, and no more was heard from him. 
 At another time the office was broken into in the night-time 
 and the types thrown into the Blackstone river. It was the 
 custom of Mr. Pearce to work late nights, and his office being 
 on the ground floor, he worked with barred door and closed 
 oak shutters ; nor was this a vain precaution, for more than 
 once while thus at work, were the windows and doors assault- 
 ed with heavy boulders. Mr. Pearce's residence was in the 
 suburbs, and on one occasion, about midnight, he was followed 
 from his office to his home by half-a-dozen men armed with
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 101 
 
 cudgels, breathing out threatenings every rod of the way. Mr. 
 Pearce paid no attention to them, not even quickening his pace, 
 though every moment expecting the club of the one nearest 
 him to descend upon his head. They thus continued to dog 
 his steps until he disappeared inside his door, giving him a 
 parting curse as he entered. 
 
 Thus matters progressed for two or three years, and then 
 some prominent temperance men persuaded the publisher that 
 the paper was in need of not more dollars, but dignity, and 
 proposed to relieve him of the editorial charge, and " lift it to 
 a higher plane," as they expressed it. Glad of any change 
 that might prove for the better, the publisher acceded to their 
 views, and they assumed the editorial charge, the consequence 
 of which was, that the circulation fell off rapidly, so much so 
 that in less than two months the Sparkling Fountain was a 
 dead paper and the plant had passed into the hands of the 
 mortgagee. 
 
 After four years' " schooling " as publisher, editor, etc., 
 with such unsatisfying financial results, Mr. Pearce was quite 
 happy in accepting a position as foreman in the printing of- 
 fice of Ray Potter & Son, (subsequently R. W. Potter,) which 
 position he held for seven years. This was the second office 
 for book and job printing started in Pawtucket, and was the 
 rival for some years of the Gazette and Chronicle office, the 
 principal business being the counterfeiting of Coats' thread 
 tickets, which was quite extensively practised by thread man- 
 ufacturers in America at that time. The business was under 
 the management of the junior partner, and a peculiarity of 
 the establishment was the number and "training" of the 
 "devils" employed there. First and foremost among these 
 was Ansel D. Nickerson, whose parents w r ere gratified at the 
 prospect of the "Christian example and religious training" 
 their sou would receive in the office of Elder Potter. The
 
 102 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 " religious" training was invariably proceeded with in the ab- 
 sence of the Elder, and its exalting nature may be judged of 
 from the formula of his initiation, in which he was reduced to 
 the uniform of the Georgia Major, minus the hat and dickey, 
 anointed from head to feet with lamp-black, and in that con- 
 dition compelled to sit perched for a quarter of an hour on the 
 apex of a hand-press. Further " religious " training was con- 
 ducted on much the same principle. One of the fixed rules of 
 the office was to secure a lock of an apprentice's hair immedi- 
 ately on his entering and affix it, duly labelled, to the walls of 
 the establishment, to serve as a memento, in case of the lad's 
 abrupt withdrawal, which was a common occurrence, inso- 
 much that no apprentice is remembered to have served out his 
 full time there. This will readily be believed, when it is stat- 
 ed that about sixty locks of hair were thus affixed there at 
 the close of R. W.'s administration, covering a period of about 
 five years. One fact was, that while they learned a few things 
 that might be useful to them, they learned many others the 
 knowledge of which they could have dispensed with without 
 any serious detriment to their interests. Sometimes the Elder 
 would by accident " get on " to some of young Ray's games, and 
 the latter would be reprimanded in no gentle terms for his folly. 
 Among those from first to last apprentices in the office, be- 
 sides Mr. Nickerson, were Hon. E. L. Freeman, Captain Geo. 
 O. Willard, Mr. S. S. Tompkins, Mr. Erastus M. Hunt, and Mr. 
 P. H. Massie, all of whom, except Mr. Hunt, finished their 
 apprenticeship elsewhere. 
 
 During the years of his sojourn in the office of R. W. Potter, 
 Mr. Pearce contracted a second marriage. His new bride was 
 Miss Mary Ann Bragg. Miss Bragg had been an intimate 
 and devoted friend of the first Mrs. Pearce, was with her in 
 her dying moments, and from her received her husbands little 
 daughter as a sacred charge.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 103 
 
 On this occasion the matrimonial knot was tied beneath 
 his own roof-tree, and like the previous one was quiet and 
 unostentatious. The " wedding breakfast " was served the 
 following morning, the "guests" comprising the newly made 
 Mrs. Pearce and her husband, which was perhaps well, for 
 ambitious to show off his acquirements in the cuisine line, he 
 had bargained that he should prepare the first meal, which he de- 
 cided should be the simple one of griddle-cakes. When those 
 cakes came to be eaten, it became a matter of debate, whether 
 it would not be better to offer them to some shoemaker as an 
 admirable substitute for leather. A breakfast was finally 
 made from them, but by mutual consent it was the last of Mr. 
 Pearce's endeavoring to run the cuisine ; the glory of his cook- 
 ing had departed. 
 
 As the couple were enjoying their " wedding breakfast," 
 the idea suggested itself to them that a "wedding tour" 
 would be in order. Mr. Pearce had not thought of that, but 
 on reflection agreed that it would be quite the thing, providing 
 it would not interfere too much with business. Accordingly 
 they took an early omnibus and went to Providence, where 
 they spent the day, returning home at night. 
 
 The housekeeping outfit of Mr. and Mrs. Pearce in this in- 
 stance would never have been condemned on the score of ex- 
 travagance, inasmmuch as the whole plant would have been con- 
 sidered as dear at fifty dollars, and their rent was $12 a year. 
 And yet Mr. Pearce has frequently been heard to say, that 
 the happiest days of his life were when thus " sailing under 
 short canvas," as he terms it. 
 
 Meanwhile the " irrepressible conflict " with the rum power 
 continued to be waged by the opponents of the liquor traffic, 
 and Graham, Grain and Abell had all they could take care of 
 in defending the innumerable cases brought against them in 
 the county courts sitting in Taunton or New Bedford, which
 
 104 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 at one time had on the docket one hundred and fifty cases 
 against Pawtucket violators of the liquor law, in a majority of 
 which convictions resulted. Kitchen barrooms also existed to 
 a considerable extent, and received their share of legal atten- 
 tion. Of those engaged in the liquor traffic at that time it 
 might truly be said, "the way of the transgressor is hard." 
 
 What has been the experience in all reformatory move- 
 ments, was true, likewise, of the Washingtonians there were 
 many " backsliders," not only in Pawtucket, but all through 
 the country. This declension, it is sad to say, extended in 
 many instances to the leaders, some of whom went back to 
 their cups, and rapidly down to drunkards' graves. Among 
 those who maintained their integrity to the last, were the vet- 
 erans Thomas Boyle and Joseph Waugh. 
 
 In addition to the temperance organizations previously 
 named as existing in Pawtucket, were the Rechabites, the 
 Sons of Temperance and the Daughters of Temperance, insti- 
 tuted in the order named. The Division of the Sons of Tem- 
 perance was No. 1 in the State. Each of these organizations 
 had a varied existence, and all perished within a decade, Wil- 
 liam Penn Division No. 10 having meanwhile been instituted, 
 and has maintained its existence with varied fortunes to the 
 present time.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 FOUR YEARS AT THE " HUB." 
 
 Removal to Boston. "Pleasures" of Tenement Hunting. Explora- 
 tions. Revolutionary Reminiscence. Rainsford Island Hospital. 
 Physical and Moral Wrecks. Deer Island. How the Stoves were 
 Put Up. Amusing Court Incident. Locate in Charlestown. Om- 
 nibus Rides. Incidents. Taking Snuff. Ma'am Dunlap.-Fetch 
 Up in State Prison. A " Backslider." Assassination. Cholera. 
 Ghostly Visitation. Composing without Writing. 
 
 A change of proprietorship and conditions led to the sever- 
 ance of Mr. Pearce's connection with the Pawtucket printing 
 office. He had for many years viewed Boston through rose- 
 colored glasses, regarding it with a degree of veneration in 
 consequence of its interesting historical associations connect- 
 ed with the early settlement of the country, and he deter- 
 mined to avail himself of the opportunity now presented to 
 locate there with his family. 
 
 Having previously made an engagement with Messrs. J. E. 
 Farwell & Co., one morning in June, 1852, found him, with his 
 family and household belongings, in Boston. Having neg- 
 lected to previously secure a house, the first day was occupied 
 in the not agreeable occupation of tenement hunting. After a 
 weary tramp of several hours through tortuous streets a house 
 was secured near the Common. During the months of that 
 summer, Mr. Pearce used the hours before and after his day's 
 work in visiting the famed localities he had in his youthful
 
 106 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 days read about in books. Bunker and Copp's hills, the Navy 
 Yard, Province Street, and Dorchester Heights, were among 
 the first places visited. In these excursions he was almost in- 
 variably acccompanied by his wife and daughter, the latter 
 then eight years of age, and it was with much interest that he 
 pointed out to them the hill in Dorchester, since modernized, 
 from the summit of which the army under Washington, as re- 
 lated by history, sent the irresistible hogsheads of stones 
 crashing through the ranks of the advancing enemy. There 
 was not a reputable nook or corner of Boston that was not 
 thus explored; he appeared to be favored with the i; open 
 sesame " to all sorts of places. He made nothing of going up 
 the two hundred and twenty-two steps to the top of Bunker 
 Hill Monument, ascending to the cupola of the State House, 
 to enjoy the view it afforded, or climbing the rickety stairs in 
 a church belfry to study the modus operand! of the chimes, 
 always with his strangely assorted companion, at that time 
 his only daughter, who regarded no place as inaccessible if 
 her father led the way. Among her well remembered excur- 
 sions with him was one to Raiusford Island Hospital, when he 
 was the guest of some visiting officials. It was on a crisp 
 November day, the trip was made on the deck of a small sail- 
 ing yacht, and was not quite so pleasant as if it had been 
 summer, but Mr. Pearce was amply repaid for the trip, by be- 
 ing permitted to make the rounds of the wards with the su- 
 perintendent, among the unfortunate wrecks of night-walkers 
 gathered from the streets of Boston and sent there for re- 
 pairs, and in learning from the kind hearted doctor and super- 
 intendent interesting scraps of their individual history, gath- 
 ered from their own lips, and which would be valuable as 
 warning signals to those of their sex just starting out in life. 
 Most of these unfortunates were from the rural districts of 
 New England, the daughters of respectable and well-to-do
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 107 
 
 farmers, who were careful to keep their parents in ignorance of 
 their lives and condition. 
 
 Oil the occasion of a visit to Deer Island, one of Boston's 
 penal institutions, Mr. Pearce had an opportunity to gain a 
 partial insight into the workings of police justice in that city. 
 It was in the season when people were putting their stoves up 
 for the winter, and the superintendent remarked to a police- 
 man who had come down on the boat, " I wish you would 
 keep a sharp lookout, and the first stove man you pull in 
 drunk, have him sentenced here for thirty days; it is high 
 time our stoves were up. The plasterer and carpenter you 
 brought me were capital fellows and fixed things up first 
 rate." 
 
 While we are in this line of narration, there is a story that 
 Mr. Pearce has been heard to tell, which will bear repeating 
 as exhibiting the humorous side of court life. One of the mu- 
 nicipal courts of Boston had a crier who was past the years of 
 three-score-and-teu, but who nevertheless had a large humor- 
 ous streak in his mental make-up. Those at all conversant 
 with court machinery, will recognize the duties of the court 
 crier, one of which is to act as mouth-piece to the court clerk 
 in the calling of defaulting cases. The clerk and crier were 
 thus engaged, on the occasion referred to, when the former 
 struck a specimen of chirography which was a staggerer, to 
 even his practised eye. Slowly he pondered in subdued tones, 
 but sufficient to be overheard, " Paul, Paul, Paul, what in 
 thunder's that ?"' Quick as thought the venerable crier burst 
 out in stentorian tones with, " Paul, what-in-thunder's-that 
 Paul, what-iu-thuuder's-that, come into court and answer, or 
 your default will be recorded ! " Both clerk and court were 
 unable to refrain from joining in the merriment which pervad- 
 ed the bar and spectators. 
 
 After a few mouths' residence in Boston, Mr. Pearce availed
 
 108 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 himself of an opportunity of locating his abode in Charles- 
 town, beneath the shadow of the venerated Bunker Hill Monu- 
 ment. This was before the day of horse-cars, and lumbering om- 
 uibusses served those who preferred that mode of conveyance 
 'to " Shanks' mare." These vehicles were allowed to carry all 
 who could get into or upon them, and on some trips they 
 were more than crowded. On these occasions the gentlemen 
 had the rare politeness to allow the ladies, particularly when 
 young and good looking, to sit in their laps, and it was no- 
 ticed that no lady entering a' crowded omnibus was obliged to 
 remain standing any length of time, unless in instances where 
 every gentleman's lap was occupied. From constant associ- 
 ation on the part of those patronizing these coaches, generally 
 at about the same hours every day, acquaintances were 
 formed, ripening into friendships, and in the case of the op- 
 posite sexes, love, so that in many instances intimacies 
 thus haply commenced culminated at the altar. 
 
 There are doubtless many persons who will remember Mr. 
 Pearce as having been at one time and for some years, a most 
 inveterate snuff-taker. This habit he originated on the Charles- 
 town stages : on one occasion he chanced to be a fellow pas- 
 senger with an old gentleman who drew forth a snuff-box, and 
 after helping himself to a pinch, politely passed it to his fel- 
 low passengers. It was pleasantly flavored, without any taint 
 of tobacco. Mr. Pearce being affected with catarrh, inquired 
 if it was a remedy for that, and was informed by the old gen- 
 tleman that he used it for that alone; that it was made from 
 black-birch bark, and could be procured only at an establish- 
 ment kept by Ma'am Dunlap, on Province House Court, Bos- 
 ton. Procuring a snuff-box, to that place he went, and found 
 it was sold by that lady under the name of " Swiss Rappee." 
 Ma'am Dunlap was a prim lady of about fifty years, neat in 
 appearance, and dressed much after the style in vogue in the
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 109 
 
 early part of the century. Snuff-taking was indulged in then 
 to a much greater extent than at the present time, and gover- 
 nors, judges, and other dignitaries, repaired to Ma'am Dun- 
 lap's to have their boxes replenished. 
 
 Mr. Pearce, in the course of his business, became intimately 
 acquainted with Kev. Mr. Hempstead, chaplain of the state 
 prison in Charlestown, and was by that gentleman invited to 
 take charge of a class in the prison Sabbath school. Mr. 
 Pearce the more readily accepted of this invitation, for the 
 reason that it would afford him opportunities of becoming ac- 
 quainted with the workings of the institution, and its bearing 
 upon the present, and, so far as could be ascertained, the sub- 
 sequent well being of those brought under its influence. His 
 relations with the men were most intimate and unrestrained, 
 and their attention to and interest in the subject before them 
 during the hour they were together was of the very best, while 
 their acquaintance with the lesson would have done credit to 
 a close theological student. One of their number, a 3-years 
 prisoner, was exemplary to such an extent as to be placed in 
 charge of a class as teacher : through the influence of 
 friends, his was made an exceptional case among short-term 
 prisoners, and he was pardoned out at the expiration of half 
 his sentence. And yet, one of the first places visited by 
 him after his release from prison, was one of Boston's low 
 " dives,'' where he quickly spent in debauchery the five dollars 
 he given him by the warden ; within forty-eight hours 
 had sold the coat and vest from off his back for rum, and been 
 committed to the house of correction to work out a fine and 
 costs for drunkenness. Such cases were by no means rare, and 
 served greatly to weaken the confidence of the prison officers 
 in religious professions made by prisoners. 
 
 There are always more or less desperate men within the 
 walls of penal institutions, and morbid feelings engendered
 
 110 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 in their enforced non-intercourse with their fellow beings, not 
 infrequently lead to desperate results. Such was the case in 
 the Charlestown state prison in 1856, when the deputy 
 warden and warden of the institution fell by the assassin's knife, 
 being successively butchered within a few days of each other, 
 by inmates of the prison. The warden had taken to himself a 
 wife, and went away on his wedding tour, leaving the prison 
 in charge of the deputy. It was the custom at the close of 
 the chapel service, which was held every morning, to allow 
 any prisoner having a request to make of the warden, to come 
 forward and speak to him privately. One morning during the 
 absence of the warden, one of the convicts availed himself of 
 this privilege, and stepping close to the deputy as if to 
 make a confidential communication, before that officer could 
 divine his true purpose, plunged a knife which he had sharp- 
 ened and concealed for the purpose, into his neck. His aim, 
 though swift, was accurate and fatal; he severed the jugular 
 vein, and his victim, without uttering a word, fell into the 
 arms of Chaplain Hempstead, a corpse. If there were any 
 accessories to this crime they were never discovered ; the as- 
 sassin being seized and manacled before he had time to step 
 away from the side of the murdered man, and the convicts 
 were promptly marched to their cells for the day. The war- 
 den was telegraphed to, and returned at once. In less than 
 two weeks a similar tragedy was enacted on the same spot, 
 the victim in this instance being the warden, and the assassin 
 another convict. This time it was said the chaplain was 
 also marked as a victim, but circumstances favored his escape. 
 It was believed that in both these instances revenge was the 
 actuating motive, in consequence of punishment administered 
 for some extra offence. 
 
 It was during Mr. Pearce's connection with this institution 
 that the place was smitten with a disease very much resem-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. Ill 
 
 bling cholera, and pronounced by attending physicians to be 
 such. The first case occurred at about midnight, and before 
 morning there were two hundred and sixty cases under treat- 
 ment, but so admirable were the sanitary arrangements of the 
 institution that only one case proved fatal. The visitation was 
 believed to have been the result of some previously unknown 
 defect in a portion of the food, though no satisfactory solu- 
 tion of the matter was ever arrived at. 
 
 With his propensity to turn an honest joke as opportunity 
 offered, Mr. Pearce, much to the discomfiture of his worthy 
 better half, lias been fond of surprising new acquaintances by 
 disclosing to them in a confidential manner the circumstance 
 of his being a ' ; state prison bird,'' having been for three years 
 an inmate of Massachusetts state prison, and subsequently en- 
 lightening them as to his true relation to the institution. 
 
 While the time put in by Mr. Pearce in Boston and vicinity 
 was not so productive in financial results as could have been 
 desired, it was largely compensatory in supplying the mental 
 deficit consequent upon his ten years' isolation in the factory. 
 
 During his engagement with Messrs. Farwell & Co., Mr. 
 Pearce was employed in the dual capacity of editor and fore- 
 man of a weekly political paper published by them, which po- 
 sition he sustained with credit to himself through two Presi- 
 dential campaigns. 
 
 It was through the press of business thus thrust upon him, 
 that Mr. Pearce acquired the rare accomplishment of putting 
 his thoughts in type without having previously written them. 
 Standing at the " case" apparently engaged in the mere man- 
 ual occupation of type-setting, ideas flow from his fingers in 
 lead, as in the case of others from a pen-point, in ink. This 
 practise Mr. Pearce has followed to the present time. Most 
 of his numerous poetical effusions have been thus prepared ; 
 indeed, he regards those which he has, from circumstan-
 
 112 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 ces, not been able to himself put in type, but has written in- 
 stead, as inferior in quality to the first named. 
 
 During Mr. Pearce's residence in Charlestovvu, he was wit- 
 ness to a most remarkable circumstance never satisfactorily 
 accounted for. He was sent for by a family occupying 
 a house across the court from his residence, to come over and 
 assist in locating, if possible, a mysterious " voice," as they 
 termed it, in their house. Entering the place, he was startled 
 by hearing what strikingly resembled the utterance of " Oh, 
 dear ! Oh, dear ! " as by a person in distress, muffled, as if be- 
 hind a partition, continuing with measured regularity, as with 
 one's every breath, and gradually growing weaker till it died 
 out in a faint whisper. The house was not contiguous to any 
 other, and a thorough search, inside and out, revealed nothing 
 as to the cause of the singular disturbance. 
 
 But Farwell & Co.'s paper ending its life with the hopes of 
 its candidate, and work in printing offices or in a reportorial 
 capacity not being so readily obtainable or so remunerative 
 as it beca me a few years later, Mr. Pearce accepted an offer 
 of steady employment in Providence, and removed his family 
 to that city.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ONCE MORE IN FALL RIVER. 
 
 " Manifest Destiny." Jeromiah Goes Courting Perilous Experience. 
 Song. Noel A. Tripp. Trip into Newspaperdom. Fall River Daily 
 Star.-Striking a " Boom." A Fish Story. The Star Chowder, and 
 How it was Boomed. Eight Hundred Gallon Kettle and Five Hun- 
 dred Pound Loaf of Bread. The Kettle on its Travels. 
 
 The " manifest destiny" of Mr. Pearce, in the early part of 
 his life, appears to have been, though through no fault of his, 
 to "push along, keep moving," the " sport of fortune," build- 
 ing fabrics to see them demolished in a day, yet never com- 
 plaining, always cheerful, accepting the situation as he found 
 it, determined to " do the best he could and let the rest go." 
 His has been a chequered life. Five years in Swansea, one in 
 New Bedford, fourteen in Fall River, one in New York, eleven 
 in Pawtucket, four in Boston, with the balance knocking about 
 on land and sea, the fall of 1856 found him in Providence with 
 his family, but not to remain long, as the sequel will disclose. 
 
 He passed the winter of 1856-7 in Providence, working 
 most of the time in the office of A. Crawford Greene. Among 
 his fellow workmen in Mr. Greene's office, was a young man 
 whose Christian name was Jeremiah. "Jerry," as the boys 
 called him, was "sparking" a damsel at Valley Falls, six 
 miles distance from Providence, and in consequence made 
 frequent pilgrimages to that place. It chanced that on one of 
 these visits there came on in the night a fearful blizzard,
 
 114 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 piling the snow into huge drifts, obstructing railroad ..travel, 
 and sending the temperature down below zero. This was the 
 situation when Jeremiah awoke in the morning. He ascer- 
 tained that there would be no train to the city that day, but 
 get there he must, as he was on a work where his presence 
 was imperatively required, and a day's absence might lead to 
 a dismissal. Accordingly as soon as breakfast was over he set 
 out on his way home. His experience was a most fearful one, 
 the journey occupying eight hours, over unbroken roads, and 
 much of it through snow-drifts waist deep, while the temper- 
 ature was below zero and the wind blowing a gale. As a 
 crowning misfortune, while toiling through the snow on 
 Pawtucket turnpike, the wind seized on his tile, a new and 
 costly one, and hurled it a hundred yards into the snow of the 
 meadows, where he was forced to let it lie, as it would have 
 meant death to have followed it. He tied a bandanna over 
 his head and toiled on to the toll-gate, where he stated his case, 
 was furnished with an old hat and continued on his journey. 
 It was near 5 o'clock when he entered Greene's office, and 
 dropping into a chair near the stove, began telling the story 
 of his fearful experience on his journey ; both ears and 
 his nose were frozen, toes ditto, and he was in a used-up con- 
 dition generally. Mr. Pearce considered the circumstance as 
 worthy of being commemorated in song, and that night, after 
 the family had retired, he took pencil and paper and produced 
 the following, to the tune of " Vilikins and his Dinah" : 
 
 Come all ye good people, a story I'll tell, 
 
 Of what on occasion a young man befell, 
 
 Whose bosom was heated by true love's bright flame, 
 
 A modest young bach'lor, Jeremiah by name. 
 
 He loved a young damsel, so blooming and fair, 
 With cheeks red as roses, and beauteous brown hair, 
 She was sprightly and joyous, kind, gentle and gay, 
 So that from her presence he scarcely could stay.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 115 
 
 She lived in a "Valley," right close to the "Falls," 
 In a nice, cozy cottage, convenient and small ; 
 And often a visit unto her he paid, 
 This gentle, this lovely, this beauteous maid. 
 
 It happened one night, when the sun was quite low, 
 That this Jeremiah a courting did go, 
 With honorable intentions he wended his way, 
 And at that cozy cottage all night did he stay. 
 
 But lo, in the night-time a snow storm had come. 
 While poor Jeremiah was six miles from home, 
 The snow was knee-deep, and keen was the air, 
 And no other conveyance had he than " Shanks' mare." 
 
 Four below zero the thermometer told, 
 
 When he to his bosom his girl did enfold, 
 
 Saying, " Jerusha, my darling, I must leave you now. 
 
 Though to get to the city I scarcely know how." 
 
 She said, " Dearest Jerry, now why will you go? 
 You'll surely be buried in some bank of snow ; " 
 Quoth he, " I must go, though the weather be keen, 
 Or I '11 be discharged by A. Crawford Greene." 
 
 He tore himself from her and started along, 
 Now trying to whistle, or sing some old song ; 
 His lips they were frozen, he scarce could them stir, 
 But his heart it was warmer in thinking of her. 
 
 He wallowed waist deep through the big drifts of snow, 
 While keen round his ears the cold wind did blow, 
 The dread thought of freezing awakened his fears, 
 And he said, "By the Jingo! how it bites my old ears! " 
 
 He wore on his cranium a splendid new tile, 
 Which the cruel wind captured and blew half a mile ; 
 He watched it receding, it moved him to tears, 
 For he saw he must lose either that or his ears. 
 
 He quick chose the former, and hastened his speed, 
 Oh, when you think on him your kind hearts must bleed ! 
 At a house by the wayside they gave him a hat, 
 The day was fast waning, so he pushed on with that. 
 
 'T was just about sunset he entered the town, 
 He wore on his head a hat minus crown,
 
 116 RECOLLECTIONS OP A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 He numb was all over, and both ears were froze, 
 With a very queer feeling at the end of his nose. 
 
 He entered the office at a quarter to five, 
 And looking to others more dead than alive. 
 Eight hours had he travelled to compass six miles, 
 And buried in snow was his five dollar tile. 
 
 The next day, notwithstanding his adventure of the day 
 previous, Jeremiah was at his case, and was very much taken 
 aback, and tried to be indignant, when the foregoing was 
 sung before the whole office. He finally, however, accepted 
 it as a pleasant joke. 
 
 One day, in the winter of 1857, while, in the city of Provi- 
 dence, Mr. Pearce was " earning his bread by the sweat of his 
 brow" in the printing office of A. Crawford Greene, there ap- 
 peared to him Mr. Noel A. Tripp, from the city of Fall River, 
 and proposed that he should go to that place and join him in 
 the publication of a daily paper. Now be it known that Noel, 
 as he was familiarly addressed by his acquaintances, would 
 never have been selected for an active member of a base-ball 
 nine, being about five feet in height, and of a decidedly mum- 
 mified appearance. Nevertheless he was a cut-and-dried 
 newspaper man, having graduated into a printing office almost 
 from his cradle, and followed no other business, being then 
 about fifty years of age. 
 
 Having but recently removed to Providence, Mr. Pearce was 
 averse to so soon again making a change, and more especially 
 as neither of the parties was possessed of cash capital. 
 But as Mr. Tripp represented that there were parties who 
 were willing to advance them, on their personal notes, money 
 sufficient to purchase a plant, it was thought that, both be- 
 ing practical printers, they might be able to make a success of 
 it, and after a visit to Fall River for the purpose of looking 
 over the field, he decided to embark in the enterprise. Ac-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 117 
 
 cordingly, on the third day of April, 1857, the first number of 
 the "Fall River Daily Evening Star "made its appearance in 
 the streets of Fall River, with a very small subscription list at 
 $3 a year, and it was sold in the streets at one cent a copy. 
 Mr. Pearce was editor, and Mr. Tripp the publisher. There 
 were then in Fall River two weekly papers, the Monitor and 
 the News. The merchants and business men of the city had 
 had no experience with a local daily, and declined to place 
 their advertisements in the new paper, except at weekly 
 rates, and these terms the Star was obliged to accept, or dis- 
 pense with the patronage, so that advertisements were in, 
 most instances taken for the most that parties would pay, 
 while at the same time subscriptions and sales were not by any 
 means commensurate with the fiuancial requirements of the 
 business. 
 
 Matters were looking somewhat dismal, when Mr. Pearce 
 chanced to strike a chord that was destined to result in a 
 " boom " for the paper. It was in May, and in the early 
 days of trap-fishing, and Mr. Cook, a local fisherman, having 
 made an exceptionally large catch of scup, mention of it was 
 made in the columns of the Star, of which Mr. Pearce was 
 local reporter, foreman and general business manager, as well 
 as editor, and Mr. Cook was so well pleased with the notice 
 given him, that he proposed donating to the editor a barrel of 
 scup. Mr. Pearce being at a loss as to what use he should 
 make of so large a quantity of fish, did not at once accept 
 the gift, and later proposed to make of them a thirty-gallon 
 chowder for the patrons of the Star, provided other parties 
 would contribute the balance of the materials. This he pub- 
 lished in the paper, and hearing no more from it, concluded 
 the whole matter had blown over, till a few days later, when 
 a gentleman meeting him on the street, made inquiry as to 
 how the Star chowder progressed. Mr. Pearce told him he
 
 118 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 had had no response to his offer, and thought it wouldn't 
 amount to much. " Go ahead," said the gentleman, u come, 
 I'll give you the pepper-sauce." This interview was published 
 in the paper, and thenceforth the contributions came in, till 
 all the requisites, even to a kettle, were pledged for a 30-gal- 
 lon chowder. 
 
 About this time a meeting of the citizens was held in the 
 city hall, to take measures to celebrate the Fourth of July. 
 Of several plans proposed, none met with favor, until some 
 one rising in his seat, said, " Mr. Chairman, I move you that 
 the whole celebration be turned over to Pearce's Star chow- 
 der." The man had struck a popular chord. The motion was 
 seconded by a score of voices, and was carried without a dis- 
 senting vote, amid the greatest enthusiasm. The meet- 
 ing was dissolved, and another immediately organized, of 
 which Mr. Pearce was chosen chairman. It was voted that 
 Mr. Pearce's plan should be continued, though enlarged upon, 
 including the addition of a clambake, and a committee of ten 
 was chosen from the floor, to solicit contributions, of which 
 a large number were made on the spot, the mayor leading off 
 with ten bushels of clams, which some one jocosely moved he 
 be required to dig in person, the motion being carried unani- 
 mously, amid much merriment. After choosing from among 
 the first citizens a committee of arrangements, the meeting 
 dissolved. 
 
 One of the first matters arranged for by the committee, was 
 that admission to the chowder should be by ticket, and that 
 seventy-five cents paid for three months' subscription for the 
 Star, should entitle the holder of the receipt to a ticket for 
 each member of his family. Goodness ! how families did in- 
 crease in membership about that time, not infrequently ex- 
 ceeding the good old-fashioned number of a dozen. But no 
 questions were asked, Mr. Pearce arguing that if they could
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 119 
 
 stand it he would try to, and everybody who presented a re- 
 ceipt were given all the tickets they claimed, scarcely any one 
 receiving less than six. For two hours every evening the office 
 was thronged, aiid from five hundred the circulation of the 
 Star suddenly boomed to eighteen hundred. 
 
 Meanwhile the Star chowder Fourth of July celebration was 
 the talk of the town, the novelty of the arrangements serving 
 to add to its interest. Contributions continued to pour in, a 
 standing list of which was published in the Star, added to 
 daily, as they came in. The question as to how a chowder 
 could be made for feeding so large a company, was happily 
 solved through the courtesy of the American Print Works 
 Company, who happening to have a new 800-gallon color 
 kettle that had never been used, tendered that for the occa- 
 sion, on learning which a bricklayer stepped forward and vol- 
 unteered to" set" it, and another gentleman put himself down 
 for a cord of wood to cook the chowder and bake the clams. 
 The question of "loaves" to go with the " fishes'' coming up, 
 was answered by Messrs. Mason, Fisher & Co., a firm of local 
 bakers, tendering a quarter of a ton of brown bread in a single 
 loaf, and two other parties contributed, respectively, the 
 lemons and good white loaf sugar for five hundred gallons of 
 lemonade, which was to be served free, from a single tank ; 
 the lumber and work on the tables, speakers' and band stands, 
 etc., were likewise a free contribution, as indeed was about 
 everything connected with the celebration, except the two 
 local bands which were to furnish music for the occasion. 
 
 Ruggles' Grove, on some of the highest land in the city, 
 was selected as the grounds, while the monster kettle was a 
 mile distant, " below the hill," as it was termed. The question 
 of getting it upon the grounds was perplexing Mr. Pearce, 
 when he was told to give himself no uneasiness on that score, 
 it would be taken care of, which quickly proved true, for that
 
 120 RECOLLECTIONS OP A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 night, after work in the mills had ceased, it was loaded upon 
 a drag, decorated with bunting, and a tandem team of fifty- 
 eight horses attached to it, when with a cavalcade of two hun- 
 dred and fiftv horsemen preceding it, with two bands of mu- 
 sic in the line, the great chowder kettle was started on its 
 travels. Every window and door-yard along the route was 
 filled with people, with whom the sidewalks, also, were lined, 
 cheering and waving bunting and handkerchiefs. " 
 
 While all this was going on, Mr. Pearce, with the multiplici- 
 ty of demands upon him, was as busy as the gentleman with 
 the unsavory reputation in a gale of wind. It will not be 
 considered strange, therefore, that he succumbed to nervous 
 prostration and was obliged to seek for a few days the retire- 
 ment of his home, and to avail himself of a carriage in order 
 to be present at the celebration. 
 
 Throughout all of this, and almost up to the morning of its 
 culmination, there were those in the community who viewed 
 the matter in the light of a huge farce, as a bubble, which 
 they were willing to lend their aid in inflating, for the antici- 
 pated enjoyment of witnessing its collapse in the end. As late 
 as the day before the Fourth, the chief of police made applica- 
 tion to the mayor for twenty extra officers, to quell anticipated 
 disturbances on the grounds on that day. But still the prep- 
 arations went forward, after the affair of the kettle, which 
 was telegraphed to papers abroad, attracting, by its novelty, 
 the attention of the press throughout the country.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 FROM PROSPERITY TO ADVERSITY. 
 
 The Foxirth of July. Ingredients of the Great Chowder. Preparing the 
 Tables. The Procession. Post-prandial Exercises. Enough and 
 to Spare. Everybody Delighted.-Deficit of One Hundred and 
 Seventy-five Dollars. How it was Paid. Panic of 1857- -Th Star 
 Gets a Set-back. Struggles for Existence. Suspension. Sold Out. 
 A Month in Maine. New Engagement. 
 
 Unpropitious weather on the two or three previous days, 
 led to unpleasant forebodings on that score, and nothing as 
 late as 8 o'clock on the morning of the Fourth occurred to 
 dispel those apprehensions. Soon after that hour, however, 
 the clouds disappeared, and the remainder of the day was all 
 that could have been desired, as to weather. 
 
 Early in the morning the "note of preparation" began. 
 The great chowder kettle had been set in a brick jacket, and 
 towered above the people's heads, with a firm flight of steps 
 ascending to its top. Mr. Young, of the firm of Reynolds & 
 Young, presided at the cuisine, with a corps of assistants. 
 Seven hundred pounds of fish, nicely cleaned, three barrels 
 of potatoes, ninety gallons of milk, half a barrel of onions, 
 fifty pounds of butter, with half a peck of salt and ten pounds 
 of pepper, by way of seasoning, and three barrels of crackers, 
 comprised about the ingredients of this, it is believed the larg- 
 est chowder ever cooked in one kettle. Men were busy cover- 
 ing the tables with white cloth, and arranging plates, knives, 
 forks, bow r ls and spoons for the two thousand guests.
 
 122 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG ANL> BUSY LIFE. 
 
 It had been arranged that the guests of the occasion; com- 
 prising a majority of the respectable male inhabitants of the 
 city, should join the procession with the city authorities and 
 others, in their march to the grove. But these mostly chose 
 proceeding to the grounds by a shorter route, and with their 
 families, so that this portion of the celebration was shorn some- 
 what of its anticipated proportions. Nevertheless it was a dis- 
 play worthy the day and occasion, one of the finest features be- 
 ing a handsomely decorated whaleboat, freighted with thirty- 
 one young misses, in red, white and blue, representing the 
 states in the union. The local military, a juvenile fire com- 
 pany in uniform, and two bauds of music, preceded carriages 
 containing Hon. N. B. Borden, mayor of the city and president 
 of the day, Hon. J. C. Blaisdell, orator of the day, the city 
 council, the staff of the Star, members of the city govern- 
 ment, and others. 
 
 It had been anticipated that there might be haste and confu- 
 sion in seating so large and miscellaneous a company at the 
 tables, but nothing of the kind occurred, all behaving them- 
 selves in the most orderly manner, though doing full justice 
 to the substantial repast before them. The 500-pound loaf of 
 brown-bread disappeared like snow before an April sun, and 
 the other edibles likewise, the only person present not doing 
 justice to the chowder being its originator, Mr. Pearce, who 
 though present, was, much to his chagrin and disappointment, 
 through illness minus an appetite and unable to enjoy it. 
 
 The post-prandial exercises, which were conducted from a 
 platform erected for the purpose, were of a most interesting 
 character. Following addresses by President Borden and the 
 orator of the day, Hon. J. C.' Blaisdell, were others from prom- 
 inent gentlemen, who commented in complimentary terms on 
 the success of a celebration of so novel a character from its 
 inception to the grand culmination witnessed before them.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 123 
 
 Among the speakers was the member of Congress from the 
 district, Hon. James Buffipgton, who, arrayed in a white coat 
 and apron, had also been prominent among the waiters at the 
 tables. During the progress of the exercises, there were calls 
 for Mr. Pearce, whom few recollected having seen since com- 
 ing upon the grounds. He failing to appear, a deputation 
 was sent inquest of him, and after a search of several minutes, 
 he was found in a remote part of the grounds, in quiet conver- 
 sation with a friend ; he had been apprehensive of such a call, 
 and being of a, retiring disposition, had thus retired, in order 
 to evade it, and declining to accompany the deputation, ex- 
 treme measures were resorted to, and he was brought in a 
 " prisoner," by Chief of Police Greene. He was enthusiasti- 
 cally received, and after expressing his gratification at the 
 success achieved through the aid of his fellow citizens, asked 
 to be excused from further remarks, in consequence of indis- 
 position. Mr. Young, the artiste of the chowder, was the next 
 called upon. He was found at his kettle, and as he stepped 
 upon the platform arrayed in his working garb, he was most 
 enthusiastically greeted and made a brief and appropriate ad- 
 dress. The announcement \vas made that there was present 
 on the grounds a young lady to whom the audience would like 
 an introduction, a daughter of Mr. Pearce, her birth having 
 occurred on the same day as that of the Star. There being 
 a general call for the appearance of that young lady, a deputa- 
 tion of ladies was despatched to her mother, and soon ap- 
 peared with the damsel in charge. The president of the day 
 took the child in his arms, and proceeded to christen her as 
 the " Star Baby." These exercises were interspersed with 
 music by the bauds. The Boston Journal had honored the oc- 
 casion by sending a special reporter, and the next day pub- 
 lished a full column report of the proceedings, and Associated 
 Press accounts were published in papers throughout the
 
 124 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 country as a unique and pleasingly succsssful celebration. 
 
 There were left of the delicious chowder two hundred gal- 
 lons, and so much of it as was not appropriated in pails by 
 those present, was given to the poor. The quiet and good 
 order which pervaded the grounds was phenomenal, and not an 
 occasion for arrest arose in the city through the entire day. 
 It was a most unique celebration of the glorious Fourth, and 
 one pre-eminently after Mr. Pearce's total abstinence heart 
 plenty to eat, but no intoxicants. 
 
 Everybody had a good word to say for " Pearce's Star 
 Chowder," and even now, when nearly a generation has passed 
 away since the event, old residents of that city, on meeting 
 Mr. Pearce, are not slow in reminding him of it, the general 
 expressed opinion being, that while it was one of the pleas- 
 antest and most satisfactory Fourth of July celebrations Fall 
 River ever experienced, it would be impossible to duplicate it, 
 its strength having been derived from its extreme novelty. 
 
 While the contributions in material were generous, there 
 were nevertheless numei-ous incidental expenses, as for music, 
 etc.. that required to be paid in cash, and Mr. Pearce, on 
 reckoning up, found himself minus to the extent of one hun- 
 dred and seventy-five dollars ! He had " danced," and though 
 it was for the enjoyment of others, it now devolved upon him 
 to " pay the fiddler." This he was determined to do, as he 
 felt he could not well afford to have the record of so brilliant 
 an achievement dimmed by the existence of unpaid bills. But 
 just how to accomplish this was what caused him to lay 
 awake nights and cudgel his brains through the day. He 
 finally hit upon an expedient which would either free him or 
 plunge him deeper in the mire. He chartered a steamer for 
 $200 for one day, and advertised a " Star Excursion to Rocky 
 Point." It was a risky move for a single individual with no 
 cash, particularly when $40 was added for music. The morn-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 125 
 
 ing came, and a brighter one never dawned. Mr. Pearce had 
 his band out parading the streets before breakfast. He had 
 made for the occasion a wooden star six feet across, and at- 
 tached it to the walking-beam of the steamer, to sway back 
 and forth with the motion of the engine. Mr. Pearce was 
 " commodore " for the trip, and this was his " broad pennant." 
 The steamer, the old " Canonicus," took fifteen hundred 
 people to Rocky Point, on that occasion, and Mr. Pearce was 
 able to " square up '' on the Star Chowder. It was moreover a 
 pleasant event all around, and those patronizing it had the 
 double satisfaction of having put in a day of enjoyment and 
 at the same time relieved the Star Chowder man from an un- 
 pleasant situation. 
 
 The reader will think by this time, if he thinks anything 
 about it, that the Star must, perforce, have become a 
 'fixed planet." But here Mr. Pearce's "usual luck" inter- 
 vened. The great panic of 1857 struck Fall River with crush- 
 ing force in September of that year, and early in October 
 the wheels of every manufactory in the city had ceased to re- 
 volve, and general distress prevailed among the manufactur- 
 ing population, the city paying out hundreds of dollars week- 
 ly to keep starvation from the doors of these people. These 
 were emphatically "days that tried men's souls," and that of 
 Mr. Pearce was no exception. He carried unaided the weight 
 and responsibility of the business, for six months, during which 
 time the mills were all idle, and for some of the time he was, 
 as business manager of the concern, in great straits for the 
 means wherewith to bring out the paper. On the 27th of 
 March, 1858, yielding to the force of circumstances, he vacated 
 his position as business manager, and the publication of the 
 Star was suspended. Mr. Pearce remained in Fall River for 
 a few weeks, in the hope that the prospect might brighten, 
 but seeing no hope of improvement, and not being desirous
 
 126 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 or able to remain longer idle, he sought and obtained employ- 
 ment elsewhere. 
 
 This was, however, not the end of the Star. Mr. Tripp re- 
 mained in possession of the plant, and when business revived 
 a few weeks later, resumed its publication. Efforts were 
 made, by parties connected with the paper, to duplicate for 
 the Fourth of July, 1858, the Star Chowder of 1857, but the 
 conditions were lacking, and the affair was conspicuous only 
 through its failure. Meanwhile, Messrs. Almy & Milne, of 
 the Fall River Weekly News, made overtures to Mr. Tripp, 
 resulting in the disposal of the paper to them for $1,000. And 
 here it may be stated as a matter of history, that not a dollar 
 of the proceeds of the final sale of the Star ever reached the 
 pocket of Mr. Pearce, nor did any portion of it, as Mr. Pearce 
 is credibly informed, ever reach Messrs. Bilson Page or John 
 B. Hathaway, for money advanced by them for the purchase 
 of the plant. 
 
 This was a sad break up for Mr. Pearce, but one for which 
 he never held himself in any degree responsible. He was 
 handicapped from the outset from causes he could not control, 
 and when success seemed almost within his grasp, he became 
 one of the many victims of a calamity which there was no es- 
 caping more than there was of a Johnstown flood. But like 
 the spider whose web is demolished, and who straightway sets 
 out to construct another, Mr. Pearce plucked up courage and 
 sallied forth in quest of another situation. A paper in Bidcle- 
 ford, Maine, wanted an all around man, Mr. Pearce an- 
 swered the advertisement, and on the 27th day of April, 1858, 
 with his wife and infant daughter first set foot in that city. 
 
 That it was an all around job he quickly ascertained to his 
 satisfaction. The only other "help" in the office consisted 
 of the proprietor's two brothers, both of whom were mere 
 boys, and neither of whom seemed disposed to unduly exert
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 127 
 
 himself, and as Mr. Pearce, as foreman of the office, was re- 
 sponsible for the execution of the work, while not practically 
 in control of the "help," the "laboring oar'' devolved upon 
 him, his time being divided between preparing and putting in 
 type editorials, running a heavy hand-press and jobbing about 
 the office generally. Notwithstanding this, he found oppor- 
 tunity to gain a tolerable knowledge of the topography of the 
 place, so that his stay in Biddeford, brief though it proved to 
 be, stood with him something in the character of a picnic, 
 despite the exhaustive labor attending it. 
 
 But notwithstanding the untoward circumstances surround- 
 ing the situation, Mr. Pearce concluded he could not do better 
 than stay there for a season, at least, and he therefore pre- 
 pared to go to Fall Eiver and settle up his household affairs 
 with a view to permanent removal from the place. Previous 
 to his departure from Biddeford, an influential citizen with 
 whom he had become acquainted, kindly put a word in his 
 ear, informing him as to the financial standing of his 
 employer, and intimating to him that if he returned he must be 
 prepared to in a measure " work for nothing and find himself." 
 Mr. Pearce thinking it a good time to find it out, thanked 
 his informant, and coupling with it some difficulty experi- 
 enced in collecting his first month's salary, decided to shape 
 his course accordingly. 
 
 Mr. George T. Hammond was then engaged in the publica- 
 tion of the Newport Daily News. He was a young man, with 
 not much experience in journalism, and with him Mr. Pearce 
 had been in negotiation during his month of enforced idleness, 
 relative to an all around situation on the paper, the desire of 
 Mr. Hammond being to attach to his paper a local department 
 under the distinctive charge of one person, who should like- 
 wise be a practical printer. This desideratum he sought to 
 supply through the employment of Mi-. Pearce in that capacity.
 
 128 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 While the latter was at home he paid Mr. Hammond a visit, 
 the result of which was his engagement on the paper. 
 
 Thus for the second time did Mr. Pearce take leave of Fall 
 Eiver, in this instance after a residence of one year, during 
 which time fickle fortune had amused herself at his ex- 
 pense, and in the end robbed him of all except health and a 
 conscience void of offence. He however formed many pleas- 
 ing associations, and it was in many respects a bright spot in 
 his existence; if in any instance other parties were bene- 
 fitted through his exertions and instrumentality in building up 
 the Daily Evening Star, he trusts they have been blest 
 thereby, and are as free as himself from a sense of injustice.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A "UESTIXU" PLACE AT LAST. 
 
 A "Pooh Bali" Situation 011 the Newport Daily News. Some "Close 
 Calls." Paddling His Own Caiioe.-The First Reunion. -A Change. 
 -Newport Thirty Years Ago. A Tragedy. Traveling Facilities. 
 June Meeting. 
 
 On the 7th day of June, 1858, Mr. Pearce entered the employ 
 of Mr. George T. Hammond, on the Newport Daily News, 
 in the dual capacity of local reporter and assistant editor. 
 And here it may be said, that Mr. Pearce enjoys the distinc- 
 tion of being the pioneer local reporter of this section of the 
 State. The Daily News was then a morning paper, of not 
 more than two-thirds its present size, and with an average 
 circulation of about five hundred copies. It had no telegraph 
 department, and not much of anything else, save advertise- 
 ments, a leading editorial, and a column or two of general 
 news. Its subscription price was $3 a year, and it sold on the 
 street for one cent a copy, which was perhaps as much as it 
 was worth. It bore, with many, the not euphonious appella- 
 tion of the ''Newport Nuisance." 
 
 Mr. Pearce entered upon his duties in connection with the 
 Daily News under somewhat embarrassing circumstances. 
 He was a stranger in the place, Mr. Hammond being the only 
 individual personally known to him. People, as a general 
 thing, were averse to being reported, except in instances 
 where it would be quite likely to enure to their pecuniary ad-
 
 130 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 vantage. Cottage life was iu its extreme infancy, hut there 
 were four summer hotels, and these, with the hathiug beach, 
 constituted the basis of summer reporting for the News, and 
 the resident population manifesting very little interest iu the 
 movements of these " birds of fashion," who were here to-day 
 and gone to-morrow, the hotels were not much of a field for 
 a newspaper reporter at that early stage of the business. 
 
 The News at that time had no marine department, and tak- 
 ing a ramble along the wharves, Mr. Pearce collected a list of 
 arrivals, attaching a marine department to the paper, which 
 met with much favor among its readers. Later, unmindful 
 of the circumstance that he would thereby be adding to his 
 already multifarious and arduous duties, conceived and 
 carried into effect the plan of collecting and publishing the 
 names of the vessels putting in for a harbor, to be gathered 
 by means of a row-boat, propelled by himself. This was a 
 stroke of enterprise that attracted quite general attention, 
 inasmuch as these arrivals had hitherto been collected only 
 through the not over rapid movements of the " circumlocution 
 office " at the foot of Franklin street, and being copied from 
 their books not infrequently was published in the Providence 
 dailies as having arrived in Newport, on the same day that the 
 New York papers published their arrival at that port, thus 
 making of it a sort of "last year's almanac" transaction. 
 
 Marine news was then regarded as an important factor by the 
 daily press, much more so than now, and there was a great ri- 
 valry between the Journal and Post, the two Providence 
 dailies, in this respect. The Post was the first to " catch on " 
 to the new order of things, and at once sent down to Newport 
 to secure from Mr. Hammond an exclusive daily service for 
 that paper. In charge of the marine department of the Jour- 
 nal was Mr. Stephen G. Holroyd, an enthusiast iu the mat- 
 ter of marine news, who, when he saw the Journal being left
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 131 
 
 twenty-four hours astern by the Post in his favorite depart- 
 ment, was driven to the verge of distraction, and- forthwith 
 journeyed to Newport to secure the coveted service, and being 
 unsuccessful, his employer, Senator Anthony, visited Newport 
 on the same errand, and a satisfactory arrangement was final- 
 ly effected. 
 
 What with his duties on land and water, Mr. Pearce found 
 his new situation no sinecure, seldom getting away from the 
 office before midnight, and starting on his marine rounds at 
 sunrise, making, in the summer, especially, quite a lengthy 
 day, and a somewhat busy one, being occupied from three to 
 four hours making his marine collections, necessitating three 
 trips around the harbor daily. The service thus inaugurat- 
 ed by him became thereafter perpetual, being followed by 
 himself for more than a quarter of a century, and in three in- 
 stances, at least, nearly costing him his life. 
 
 The first of these occurred on the 6th of October, 1858. On 
 this occasion he was pulling round among a large fleet of ves- 
 sels at anchor and under way, between sunset and dark, with 
 a strong breeze blowing, when one of them came down at a 
 speed of eight miles an hour, crashed into his boat, and in less 
 time than it takes to relate it he was underneath the vessel, 
 literally being " keel-hauled." It seemed to him an age, the 
 time he was underneath that vessel, his head bumping 
 against the planking. When he came out under the stern, he 
 struck out for life, at the same time shouting for help ; but 
 half strangled as he was, and his clothing weighted with wa- 
 ter, he found himself fast sinking, when two men in a boat, 
 who from a sloop anchored near by had heard his cries, 
 guided by his voice, reached him as he was going down for the 
 last time. He was taken, more dead than alive, in a carriage 
 to his home, and it was several hours before he was fully re- 
 stored, while the contusions received in the collision with the
 
 132 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 vessel confined him to his house for several days. Such was 
 the nervous shock to his system, that for days, whenever he 
 dropped off to sleep, he would experience in all its vividness 
 the original horror of being sucked under the bows of that 
 vessel. Mr. Pearce always speaks of this event as his t; bap- 
 tism into the service." Another narrow escape was in being 
 within two feet of a jet of scalding water suddenly ejected 
 with cannon ball force from the side of a steamer as he was 
 rowing past in the dock. On another occasion he was pursu- 
 ing his avocation among the yachts in the harbor, when a 
 metallic cartridge from the gun of one of them passed so near 
 him as to cause an abrasion of the skin of his face, and leave 
 some grains of powder sticking there. 
 
 Summer and winter, for more than a quarter of a century, 
 Mr. Pearp e pulled in a boat around Xewport harbor, and tow- 
 ard the close of his service at 70 years of age, there were cap- 
 tains of vessels who had when cabin boys known him in the 
 capacity of marine reporter. A pull of six to eight miles was 
 to him a mere pastime, and in the winter season he not infre- 
 quently came ashore with his clothing encased in ice from the 
 flying spray, or soaked to the skin with rain. And yet he 
 liked it, and would not willingly have exchanged it for any 
 on shore and in-door employment that could have been offered. 
 He was as much at home in his boat as in his own dwelling, 
 and as regarded safety, held that as between a good boat, well 
 managed, and a carriage, behind the average horse, with the 
 best possible management, the chances for safety were with 
 the former, inasmuch as the well managed boat never, from 
 fright or other cause, was found beyond control. Those were 
 happy days for Mr. Pearce, the twenty-five years that he rowed 
 about the waters of Newport harbor, a perpetual "outing," 
 work and pleasure combined. In the summer season he sel- 
 dom lacked for company on one or more of his tri-daily rounds,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUST LIFE. 133 
 
 his guests on these occasions being principally ladies, and 
 there are many in Newport and elsewhere who will remember 
 their pleasant trips with the sturdy oarsman of Newport har- 
 bor. For eight years of this time he was harbor master, being 
 the first employed and paid by the city of Newport in that ca- 
 pacity. These duties were, intermitted with work on shore, 
 comprising the furnishing of items for one or more papers, 
 besides other extraneous matters, so that he might be em- 
 phatically termed at that time a busy man. In the matter 
 of rowing, it has been estimated that his performances in 
 that respect, could they have been in a continuous line, would 
 have carried him around the world. 
 
 Thus matters went on, with more or less variation, finally 
 culminating in Mr. Pearce being city editor, proof reader, 
 foreman and compositor on the Daily News. This all around 
 situation he held at the time of the breaking out of the rebel- 
 lion, in 1861, and there ensued two mouths of the most ex- 
 haustive labor, mental and physical, ever devolving upon him 
 in the course of his life. Putting the form to press at 4 o'clock 
 in the morning, going home and catching a little sleep, and 
 back to the office at 7 to put the compositors to work and 
 commence his share of the business; thus there were days 
 when he was getting only two hours' sleep out of the twenty- 
 four. The strongest constitution could not long bear such a 
 strain, and the expiration of two months found the subject of 
 it in this instance prostrate with illness. When he returned 
 after a vacation of two or three weeks, he found the News 
 changed to an evening paper, as it has since remained. 
 
 It was during Mr. Pearce's connection with the Daily News, 
 in 1859, that the great re-union of the Sons and Daughters of 
 Newport occurred, on August 29th. It was originated by 
 Miss Rebecca Coe, who was an enthusiast in whatever she un- 
 dertook, and was generally regarded as "a little off" in her
 
 134 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. , 
 
 mind, finally becoming an inmate of an insane asylum ; but 
 she made no mistake in this instance, as her suggestions met 
 with the popular approval, and through the co-operation of 
 the citizens it became one of the grandest events in the his- 
 tory of Newport. 
 
 At this time Messrs. Cooke & Danielson were publishing, in 
 Providence, the Evening Press, a daily paper, and being at the 
 time the only evening daily paper in the state, was having, 
 for those days, an immense circulation. In September, 1861, 
 Mr. Pearce engaged with those gentlemen as their special 
 correspondent, marine and otherwise, an engagement that 
 continued, under different proprietorships, for a quarter of a 
 century, his location being in Newport. 
 
 There was at that time, and for some years subsequent, no 
 other resident press correspondent in Newport, local happen- 
 ings not then attracting so much attention as they have 
 latterly, and Mr. Pearce was able to meet the requirements 
 both as a marine and city correspondent. 
 
 Newport was then a city of about ten thousand inhab- 
 itants. Bellevue Avenue had been extended to Bailey's 
 Beach, and had begun to be adorned on both sides with the 
 cottages of the wealthy. Broadway terminated (in name) at 
 Equality Park, and the entire region north, east and west of 
 that was a comparative wilderness, but few dwellings existing 
 there other than farm-houses. A single man attended to the 
 telegraph, business and had plenty of time for other matters. 
 There were no steam fire engines, nor was there any fire alarm 
 telegraph. The police station was a "hole" in the southwest 
 corner, lower floor, of the city hall building. The day police 
 was composed of old men, neither they nor the night police, 
 also mostly old men, being uniformed. Robert Seatle, nick- 
 named "the lynx-eyed," was city marshal in name, while 
 the mayor, Hon. William H. Cranston, filled the position de
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 135 
 
 facto, the latter having his office in the aldermen's chamber of 
 the city hall, where he kept his documents and held frequent 
 communion with the spirits. Mr. Cranston was from choice 
 the head, front and body of the police force. He kept a car- 
 riage in which he patrolled the city from the time he left his 
 bachelor bed in the morning, till he returned to it in the 
 small hours of the following morning, arresting and hand- 
 cuffing law-breakers and taking them to the police station, 
 and originating and leading raids upon disorderly places. He 
 was also city solicitor and led in the prosecution of offenders. 
 The operations of the day police, consisting of the overseer 
 of the poor, city sergeant and dog constable, policemen ex 
 officio, were not infrequently a source of amusement to citizens 
 and others It was not an unusual spectacle, the overseer of the 
 poor and city sergeant, one on each side, dragging through 
 the streets a resisting prisoner, with the dog constable push- 
 ing behind, followed by half a hundred shouting hoodlums, 
 who he with his cane was beating back. 
 
 Early in the '60"s a tragedy occurred at the beach, which 
 will be remembered by many of Newport's older citizens. 
 The only house on the cliffs overlooking the beach, was 
 a cheap summer hotel known as the " Ocean Cottage." On 
 a Saturday night in the winter season a dance was held there, 
 which was largely attended, the bottle circulated quite 
 freely, and a quarrel ensuing, a man was stabbed through the 
 heart, dying instantly. There was much excitement over the 
 event, hundreds visiting next day the scene of the murder, 
 only the presence of the murdered man's remains in the house 
 preventing the indignant crowd tumbling it over the cliff into 
 the ocean. The bloody weapon with which the deed was com- 
 mitted, an ordinary pocket knife, was found on the premises, 
 and a man was arrested and tried for the crime and acquitted, 
 the mystery of the murder remaining unsolved to the pres-
 
 136 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE., 
 
 ent day, notwithstanding persistent efforts to that end put 
 forth by the authorities. 
 
 A person wishing to journey to Boston, had the choice of 
 going by way of Providence, or getting up in the middle of 
 the night and waiting for the New York steamer to come 
 along, the latter being the only route by which a person could 
 visit Boston and return the same day. 
 
 The Friends' Yearly Meeting, was, until within a few years, 
 anyfliing other than a "means of grace'* to many who visited 
 Newport on "June Meeting Sunday,'' as it was called, osten- 
 sibly to attend the service, but who, so far from doing so, 
 spent the day in rambling over the city, if nothing worse, 
 steamers and railway trains landing their thousands in the 
 streets, until the day gained the sobriquet of "Quaker 'lec- 
 tion." This state of things was distasteful in the highest 
 degree to the Friends, who visited Newport for no such pur- 
 pose, and with a view to breaking it up, they proposed chang- 
 ing the place of meeting to Portland, Maine, but finally de- 
 cided on alternating between that place and Newport, which 
 they have since done, with the result of breaking up the ob- 
 jectionable features, quiet and order succeeding the former 
 turmoil and riot. 
 
 One of the greatest factors in building up Newport and 
 making it the place it is to-day, was the late Afred Smith, the 
 " real estate king,'' as he was called, who was the principal 
 promoter of the laying out of Bellevue Avenue, and by whom 
 the system of cottage renting was originated, and through 
 whom, for a quarter of a century, most of the renting was 
 done, much to his own emolument, as well as that of his cli- 
 entage.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 SOME NEWPORT RHYMES. 
 
 "Machine Poetry." The " Sit-Stills." Hercules Engine Company No. 
 7. False Alarms of Fire. Descriptive Rhyme. General Burdick 
 and the Number Sevens Excursion to Lowell. A 300 Ride. In- 
 troduction of Steamers into the Fire Department. Exit Hand- 
 Engines. 
 The status of Newport as late as in the 60's, is quite aptly 
 
 described by Mr. Pearce in the following production of his 
 
 " Machine " at that time : 
 
 Bring out the "Machine," for the spring-time has come, 
 Cheering and gladdening, enlivening our homes ; 
 Brush off the cobwebs, and likewise the dust, 
 Adjust well its gearing, for grind, now, it must. 
 We have found a good subject, so now let her drive, 
 We'll stir up the business, make everything thrive. 
 
 Well, now all is ready, with a full head of steam, 
 
 We're off in a jiffy and away with a scream, 
 
 Look out for the engine, now, while the bell rings, 
 
 Or we may run over and smash up your things. 
 
 Somewhat out of practise, it may be our rhymes 
 
 Will not be in jingle quite up to the times ; 
 
 But such as they are, you shall have them, to-day, 
 
 If you read and don't like them, then throw them away. 
 
 Great changes with us have been very few, 
 And rarely one hears aught that's startlingly new 
 In this calm and quiet old town by the sea, 
 With its hey-diddle-dmn and its hey-diddle-dee, 
 Though to read in the papers abroad, every day. 
 One is led to believe that the d ickens' to pay. 
 Yet smoking our pipe and singing our song,
 
 138 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 We sit calmly by while the world moves along, 
 And, happy-go-lucky, we don't care a pin 
 What sort of a pickle outsiders are in. 
 With pockets well filled from our last season's work, 
 We never move on with a snap or a jerk, 
 But take matters easy, come just as they may. 
 And jog along smoothly in the old heaten way. 
 Our "Plantation" neighbors come down once a year, 
 To hold joint convention and make some laws here, 
 And Election is jolly, with soldiers and fun, 
 . Its blue eggs and fakirs, and rousing big guns. 
 But soon 'lection's over, our neighbors all gone, 
 And Newport is left in her glory alone. 
 Every two years, in June, the Quakers come in, 
 Contrasting religion with the follies of sin ; 
 But after a week's stay our good Friends depart, 
 Yet leaving our people in pretty good heart, 
 For July and August are close at our doors, 
 And the merry "spondulix" now loom up before ; 
 Then it's bathing, and fishing, and going to ride, 
 And boating, and courting, and flirting beside, 
 Till Newport's alive with clatter and din, 
 And by the old "jingo"! how the ducats come in! 
 All things around us are lively and gay, 
 And these are the dys to make everything pay. 
 
 But this state of things is too good to last, 
 
 And soon it is numbered with things that are past, 
 
 The visitors go like the ebb of the tide, 
 
 And like the June roses we wilt and subside ; 
 
 We count up our profits and settle our bills, 
 
 (If indeed we can do so,) and then on life's ills 
 
 Snap gaily our fingers, and don't care a dime, 
 
 We're as good as our neighbors, and that every time. 
 
 And now the crisp greenbacks come scattering and few, 
 
 And tradesmen about us begin to look blue : 
 
 And discuss the old matters of sewers and streets ; 
 
 Back shops and such places become the resort 
 
 Of men to get news, or anon to report 
 
 Intelligence gained, the ups and the downs 
 
 Of matters and things in this quiet town, 
 
 While bustling newsmongers rush wildly about 
 
 For fear there'll be something they will not find out. 
 
 The Daily News circulates each afternoon, 
 
 Indeed, quite as reg'lar as the sun and the moon,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 139 
 
 And is taken and read by about every one, 
 
 To keep themselves posted on what's going on. 
 
 The real estate agents are now on the go. 
 
 All smiling and bowing, to let the world know 
 
 Of the acres they've sold for a rousing big sum, 
 
 And cottages rented for the season to come. 
 
 Once a month the sage fathers in the city hall meet 
 
 To attend to the grading or lighting some street, 
 
 Add one to the army of special police, 
 
 Or listen to somebody's whim or caprice ; 
 
 Some people insist they are not much good, 
 
 But perhaps all their goodnes is not underst"od. 
 
 The steamboats and railroads keep travel alive, 
 
 And drummers come down here a sharp trade to drive, 
 
 While popular amusements are frequent and cheap, 
 
 So you see there's no fear of the town going to sleep- 
 
 Tis true, as is said, that "people will talk," 
 
 And say that their neighbors by "plumb-line " don't walk, 
 
 But let people do as " they used to in Rome," 
 
 And each set a watch o'er his fireside and home. 
 
 But Newport, though not fully up to the times, 
 
 As made to appear in the foregoing rhymes, 
 
 Keeps jogging along, though not quite so fast, 
 
 She joins the procession and "gets there " at last. 
 
 These were the days of the volunteer Fire Department, 
 when the only compensation received by this very useful and 
 indispensable body of men, was exemption from jury and 
 military duty, and what enjoyment they derived from the ex- 
 citement incident to the service. The department consisted 
 of ten companies hand-engines up to No. 8, a hook and lad- 
 der truck and equipment, and Hydraulion, Xo. 1. This latter 
 machine and company is worthy of special description. It 
 was simply a well with a powerful pump attached, and was 
 located in Bull street. Attached to it was a company of about 
 forty, principally merchants and professional men, and had a 
 fire at any time occurred in its immediate vicinity, without 
 doubt it would have rendered excellent service toward its ex- 
 tinguishment. As it was, it was only serviceable in extin- 
 guishing claims on its members for jury duty. A regular or-
 
 140 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 gauization was maintained, though it is not known that the 
 members ever went on any out-of-town excursions; if they 
 did, it is quite certain that they left their machine at home. 
 On the occurrence of an alarm of fire, each member was sup- 
 posed to make all due haste to the location of the machine, 
 and there await orders from the chief ; but the excitement in- 
 cident to such a course was found to be telling upon the health 
 of the members, and they were tacitly permitted to await 
 orders at their several homes or places of business, which 
 orders never reaching them, they were by their townsmen 
 given the not inappropriate appellation of " Sit-Stills." 
 
 Directly opposite to these in the matter of activity and use- 
 fulness, was the oth ward company, Hercules, No. 7. This 
 machine and company were the pride and admiration of the 
 ward in which it was located, and it was a spectacle worth 
 beholding, of the machine rattling up Thames street, " the 
 whole 5th ward on the rope," their foreman, General Burdick, 
 trumpet in hand, preceding and urging them to quicker speed, 
 the streets and sidewalks thronged with 5th-warders who 
 were unable to find places on the rope, a mighty throng, 
 sweeping all before them. The " first water," and the most 
 of it, was the towering ambition of this and rival companies, 
 and it was this ambition, backed by most excellent apparatus, 
 that constituted this one of the most efficient fire departments 
 in New England. 
 
 At the time of which we are treating, the fire alarm tele- 
 graph had not found its way into Newport, and fire alarms 
 were disseminated by lung-power, seconded by the bells of 
 the city. False alarms of fire were among the prominent 
 institutions of the city, a species of safety-valve for the su- 
 perabundant enthusiasm of the genus hoodlum, and at any 
 time, of an evening, the city was liable to be turned upside 
 down and inside out to supply excitement for a parcel of
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 141 
 
 reckless hoodlums. These alarms were more frequent in the 
 5th ward than iu any other portion of the city, and particu- 
 larly was this the case on the occasion of state and city elec- 
 tions, when, the No. 7 engine house being open as a voting 
 place, the engine was accessible from the outside, and on 
 more than one occasion was taken possession of by irresponsi- 
 ble persons and rushed up street, by way of emphasizing the 
 day's proceedings. There were those who regarded this as 
 a somewhat reckless use of public property, and they did not 
 hesitate to so express themselves, but by the majority it was 
 viewed as an inseparable adjunct to the system. Mr. Pearce. 
 with his inherent proclivity for description of men and things 
 iu rhyme, run this subject through his machine at a firemen's 
 banquet in this city, iu 1873, at which Chief Engineer Cozzeus 
 presided, and Mr. A. C. Titus was toast master. In its re- 
 port, the day following, of the event, the Newport Daily News 
 gave the annexed account of Mr. Pearce's response to the 
 toast, The Press : 
 
 " The Press. Mercury in power, and a Journal of the hour, 
 while it gives us an epitome of News, may its Star never grow 
 dim." Brother Pratt, of the Mercury, declined in favor of 
 brother Pearce, of the Star. Brother P., who on such occa- 
 sions never shrinks from duty, was on hand, and his star 
 beamed forth as a luminary of the first magnitude. He as- 
 sumed the role of poet, and gave his account of the false alarm 
 of fire. During the recital, he was frequently interrupted 
 by applause, and when he sat down it was amid the cheers of 
 the entire audience. 
 
 Hark! what sound is this we hear? 
 
 From east lowest, from south to north, 
 Grating harsh upon the ear, 
 
 Like Bedlam's yells the cry goes forth. 
 " Fire ! Fire ! " is heard on every hand, 
 
 Up the street and down the street, 
 
 Men rush peil mell with clattering feet, 
 Nor on their going stand. 
 And now the bells join in the din,
 
 142 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 From every steeple, every tower, 
 
 The sound rings out with mighty power, 
 The "cow-bell " chiming in. 
 
 The women and the girls turn out, 
 And joining in the swelling tide, 
 They spread themselves on every side. 
 
 And turn the city inside out, 
 While higher and higher, 
 
 From brazen throats the cry goes forth, 
 " Say, fellows, where's the fire? " 
 
 But hark! what's that heard up the street? 
 Its measured stroke we plainly hear 
 DING DING DING it draweth near, 
 
 With the tramp of many feet : 
 With a whiz and a bang they rattle along, 
 
 "Hi! Hi! Hi!" they rush her through, 
 
 A glimpse discloses Number Two, 
 With lusty Point men strong. 
 
 And now comes on Aquidneck Three, 
 Fast rattling down the noisy street, 
 Of Newport's men the beau elite, 
 
 As you would wish to see. 
 Hope, No. 4, comes rattling by, 
 
 One ininute and they cross the Square, 
 
 When duty calls they're always there, 
 With "How is this for high?" 
 Down Touro street comes Number Five, 
 
 Dark clouds of smoke she leaves behind. 
 
 While rolling 'long the fire to find, 
 Her men are all alive : 
 
 They stop a moment in the Square, 
 
 And while they tarry to inquire 
 
 If any man has seen the fire, 
 A counterpart appears. 
 
 This is Torrent, Number One, 
 Her steam is up to 82, 
 And they're the lads to rush her through. 
 
 And show how things are done. 
 But what is this that's coming up, 
 
 With speed of race-horse dashing 'long, 
 
 No wonder "t is a mighty throng, 
 The whole 6th ward is on thai rope 1 
 
 I need not tell, nor hint you, even, 
 That comp'ny's name, they're hard to beat,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 143 
 
 If they are 'way down in Howard street : 
 
 Tis Burdick's Number Seven! 
 Another, still, bursts on the scene, 
 
 Their men are not a whit behind, 
 
 A smarter crowd 't were hard to find, 
 Or better hand machine ; 
 
 Though in our rhyme they come in late, 
 It is not that they are the least 
 Of any bidden at this feast, 
 
 This Redwood, Number Eight. 
 The Hooks and Ladders bear their part, 
 They're up and get an early start, 
 
 And do their work up clean. 
 Hydraulion One now claims a share 
 
 Of work ; with lagging feet 
 
 Each member sallies up Bull street, 
 And says, " Now bring on your fire ! " 
 
 And with our little stream 
 We'll quench the flame at once, you know," 
 And then Sit Still and never go, 
 
 Nor of going ever dream. 
 
 But what is all this thing about, 
 
 This hullaballoo and fearful rout, * 
 
 This stretch of legs and arms? 
 After running a quarter hour, 
 Perhaps less, and perhaps more, 
 
 It proves a false alarm. 
 Some scallawag or jackanapes, 
 Some big babboon or silly ape. 
 
 Whose only thought is evil, 
 Whose soul is bent on mischief dire, 
 Has started this alarm of fire, 
 
 And raised the very devil. 
 
 Iu these days General Burdick was in his prime, physically 
 and financially, and whatever he undertook was certain to be 
 a success, provided it was within the range of possibilities. 
 For years he was foreman of Hercules Engine Company No. 
 7, and in that capacity was a host of himself ; in out-of-town 
 excursions he bore the lion's share of the expense, always pro- 
 viding against failure in any one or more particulars, by
 
 J44 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 drawing the amount from his own private funds. It -was the 
 good fortune of Mr. Pearce to be the guest of Foreman Bur- 
 dick and the company in a three days' outing, in which they 
 visited Central Falls, Lowell, and other places. It had been 
 arranged for the company to arrive in Lowell on the day of 
 the annual parade and review of the fire department of that 
 city, hence their reception there on a bright September day, 
 partook largely of the character of an ovation, as indeed did 
 their stoppages in Pawtucket and Central Falls, a ball in their 
 honor being given in the latter place. To Mr. Pearce this 
 was one of the most pleasing events of his life, particularly 
 that portion relating to his stay in Lowell, where, through the 
 medium of a Good Templars' Lodge which he visited, he 
 formed some pleasing social relations, resulting in sundry 
 subsequent visits to that pleasant and stirring city. One of 
 these visits, or a ride incident to one of them, he will long 
 carry in remembrance. A gentleman to whom he had received 
 an introduction called one morning at his stopping place and 
 invited him to ride with him in the country. The morning 
 was a charming one, succeeding a shower, in the middle of 
 May, and nature was looking its best in the Middlesex valley 
 through which they rode. The gentleman was agent for a 
 life insurance company, and before they returned from the 
 drive, he had Mr. Pearce booked for a $1000 policy on his life ; 
 this policy he can-led until he had paid in about $300, when 
 the company went into the hands of a receiver, who received 
 to such an extent, that after the lapse of four years the policy 
 holder was paid his final and only dividend, a check on a New 
 York bank for $4. This Mr. Pearce has been wont to desig- 
 nate as the most, and indeed the only expensive ride of his 
 life-time. 
 
 There are those who will remember the contest incident 
 to the introduction of steamers into the Newport fire depart-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 145 
 
 ment, what opposition it encountered from prominent mem- 
 bers of that body, and ho\v Hon. Thomas Coggeshall, 
 with others, contended for it, and advanced it step by step, in 
 the city council, until they were able to introduce one into the 
 department. It will also be remembered how soon this steam- 
 er had an opportunity to unmistakably demonstrate her value 
 by saving, at a fire, several times her cost, disarming opposi- 
 tion, and substituting in its place a demand for the purchase 
 of two more. Thus was begun the decadence of the hand-en- 
 gine system, which was destined to continue until every one 
 was obliterated from the lists.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 In Defence of the Flag. A Steamer with Sick and Wounded Soldiers 
 Arrives at Portsmouth Grove. Sad and Sickening Scenes. Every- 
 thing at "Loose Ends." Order out of Chaos. Miss Wormeley and 
 Miss Dennis. Local Military. First Brigade Rhode Island Militia. 
 General Burdick and his Musters. A Banquet. Machine Poetry. 
 
 The enlistment and departure for the front of a large num- 
 ber of Newport's patriotic citizens, and the honorable part 
 they bore in the defence of the flag against its rebel assailants, 
 will embalm the names of those men in the memory of their 
 fellow citizens, aud place them high in the niche of fame. 
 Some of them met an honorable death upon the battle field, 
 some being spared to return to their homes, have since 
 peacefully passed away in the arms of loving friends, while 
 others, still, remain to fill honorable and useful positions 
 in business and society. The entire space allotted to us in 
 this volume would be insufficient to deal with this subject as 
 it deserves, and having thus briefly touched upon it, we will 
 pass to the consideration of other topics. , 
 
 On Sunday, the 6th day of July, 1862, there came to Ports- 
 mouth Grove, about eight miles up the bay from Newport, a 
 government steamer having on board eighteen hundred sick 
 and wounded men from southern battle-fields. It was about 
 10 o'clock in the morning of one of the hottest days of the 
 season, that the steamer dropped anchor off the grove ; scarce- 
 ly a breath of air was stirring, and the scorching rays of the
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 147 
 
 sun fell almost unobstructed upon the deck of the fever strick- 
 en ship, which arrived in advance of any announcement of her 
 intended coming, and consequently no arrangements had been 
 made for her arrival, and at the time of her dropping anchor 
 there was not a person on the grounds, and not the least prep- 
 aration had been made on shore for the care of the sick and 
 wounded. The place had formerly been a summer resort for 
 excursion parties, and there were on the grounds a small 
 two-story hotel with a half-dozen rooms, and a small stable ; 
 other than these the grounds were destitute of shelter of any 
 kind, beyond that afforded by the trees of the grove. The 
 steamer had brought no tents of any sort, and very little of 
 commissary or hospital stores, so that the outlook for the sick 
 and wounded on the steamer, some of whose wounds had not 
 been dressed since leaving Virginia, was not a cheerful one. 
 
 During the forenoon there was very little stir by those on 
 the vessel and the eighteen hundred sick and wounded lay 
 roasting between the ship's decks, while the surgeon and his 
 staff deliberately ate their dinners and smoked their post- 
 prandial cigars in the shade on the quarter deck. Meanwhile 
 intelligence of the arrival of the steamer, with the condition 
 of those on board, reached Newport, and steamer Perry went 
 up to render such assistance as was needed and was possible ; 
 she also took up some shelter tents, the property of the Xew- 
 port Artillery company. At about 2 o'clock P. M., the de- 
 barkation commenced, and proceeded without interruption 
 until sunset. It was a pitiful sight, those sick, wounded and 
 dying men being brought on shore and laid upon the ground, 
 without any shelter save their blankets and the heavens above 
 them, though some of the worst cases were placed under the 
 tents, w r hich had been hastily pitched upon the grounds ; 
 howbeit the officers accompanying the expedition had appro- 
 priated the rooms in the hotel to their own use, while those
 
 148 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 sick soldiers who could roll themselves in their blankets on 
 the piazza, thought they were fortunate, and some gladly 
 availed themselves of the warmth of a dung-heap outside the 
 stable walls ; four died during the afternoon, and were buried 
 at sunset. A sea breeze which had come in during the after- 
 noon continued into the night, adding to the discomfort of 
 the poor shelterless fellows on the ground, whose only supper 
 had been hard-tack and salt beef, a not very appropriate or 
 nourishing diet for fever patients. 
 
 The hearts of Newport people were stirred within them 
 by the tales of suffering and woe that came from Ports- 
 mouth Grove, and Monday afternoon's steamer for Providence 
 landed at the grove a large number of ladies laden with sup- 
 plies for the suffering soldiers ; these had not all been selected 
 with an appreciation of the needs of the beneficiaries, nor in- 
 deed were they what a physician would have recommended ; 
 but they were an improvement on the previous regulation 
 menu, soft new bread with butter being considered by the 
 poor famished soldiers as a luxury; wines, cordials, preserves, 
 etc., included in the donations, it was subsequently learned, 
 were appropriated by the officers for their own use at the 
 mess-tables. 
 
 Matters proceeded in this manner for weeks, people coming 
 and going at their pleasure, and whithersoever they would, 
 the whole camp being in a condition of seeming demoraliza- 
 tion, without any apparent controlling head. The coarse 
 brutality of some of the medical staff will be best illustrated 
 by the following well authenticated incident: a newspaper 
 reporter inquiring of them as to whether any deaths had oc- 
 curred the previous twenty-four hours, received as reply, 
 " there's one over there in that tent that ought to be dead, 
 he's been long enough about it." 
 
 But this condition of disorganization was destined to come
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 149 
 
 to a close, the war department becoming cognizant of the situa- 
 tion, and detailing an officer to proceed to the hospital and in- 
 vestigate as to its wants and requirements, the result of which 
 was an entire and radical change of management, bringing 
 order out of chaos, and inaugurating an era of camp disci- 
 pline in striking contrast with the previous status. Several 
 substantial wooden barracks were constructed, with every 
 needed appliance for the comfort and convenience of the in- 
 mates, to which was added a neat chapel. A branch of the 
 Sanitary Commission was also established there, supplying to 
 the men many needed delicacies not included in the regular 
 hospital fare. Chief among the nurses, and one whose mem- 
 ory is endeared to the hearts of veterans all through the 
 country for her devotion to their interests, was Miss K. P. 
 Wormeley, a Newport lady who has been prominent in many 
 works for the benefit of those around her. Another among 
 the nurses there, also a Newport lady, who won from the in- 
 mates golden opinions, was Miss S. C. Dennis. Both these 
 ladies are still numbered among Newport's respected citizens. 
 Notwithstanding the above named excellent provisions for 
 their care and proper treatment, the inmates of the hospital 
 were in some instances made to suffer from the greed and ras- 
 cality of those in authority above them, as the following will 
 show : After matters had been brought into complete working 
 order at the hospital, a press representative, in response to a 
 special invitation, made the place a visit for the purpose of 
 writing it up. He was courteously received and escorted 
 through the wards of the hospital, his attention being particu- 
 larly invited to the tables after they had been prepared for 
 dinner. He was enabled to give a very favorable report of the 
 condition of things as he saw them ; but his enthusiasm was 
 somewhat abated when, a day or two later, meeting on the 
 street a lady whose son was an hamate of the hospital, she
 
 150 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. , 
 
 said to him, "Mr. Pearce, my son says he wishes you might 
 come to the hospital every day, as they have enough to eat 
 when you are there." The hospital did good service, howev- 
 er, during the war, caring for several thousand sick and 
 wounded soldiers. After the close of the war it was broken 
 up, the buildings moved off, and not a trace of it now remains. 
 
 Along in the 'GO'S, Newport blossomed out quite extensively 
 in the matter of military companies, of which there were at 
 that time, and for a number of years, four in the municipality, 
 namely : the Newport Artillery, the Newport Light Infantry, 
 and one, each, of Irish and colored citizens. The Irish com- 
 pany was under the command of W. K. Delaney, a pedagogue 
 in charge of St. Mary's parochial school, whose methods of 
 drill and discipline, like those in his school, were unique and 
 amusing, the following command given while marching being 
 an average specimen : u Now turn the corner the same as ye 
 did last night ; " from these peculiarities of drill and disci- 
 pline the company attracted more attention on its marches 
 than any other in the city. 
 
 There was in existence at this time, and had been, for many 
 years, the First Brigade, Rhode Island Militia, though for a 
 long term of years all there was to it was a General, who at 
 stated periods was elected to that position by the General As- 
 sembly, holding the position, an officer without a command, 
 until his successor should be chosen. The formation 
 of the three companies before mentioned supplied the de- 
 ficiency in that direction, constituting sufficient to compose 
 a brigade de facto, and the Brigadier General, First Brigade, 
 Rhode Island Militia, became a personage of some conse- 
 quence, in his own estimation, and perhaps that of others, ar- 
 riving to the dignity of a uniform and uniformed staff. An- 
 nual musters of the brigade were held, Bristol Ferry being 
 the ground chosen, until the election of Captain Arnold L.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 151 
 
 Burdick to the position, which was followed by a change of 
 base, and Newport was thenceforth to receive the honors and 
 emoluments of the First Brigade's annual muster. General 
 Burdick, on being elected, characteristically put' his whole 
 soul into the work of building up the brigade, at the same time 
 opening wide his purse strings, and no such brigade musters 
 as those under General Burdick were ever before held in New- 
 port, only it was noticed that either Boreas or Jupiter Pluvi- 
 us, during the several musters that were held under the 
 redoubtable warrior's administration, invariably stepped in to 
 render matters uncomfortable, the last one being accompanied 
 the entire day by a soaking rain storm. But whether it was 
 that they feared the General with his mighty cohorts would 
 overrun and capture the north part of the state, or from 
 some other cause, was never fully understood, but certain it 
 is that the brigade was disbanded by act of the General As- 
 sembly, holding its final muster while under command of Gen- 
 eral Burdick, the Irish and colored companies being disbanded 
 at about the same time, and the entire militia force of the 
 state reorganized. It will not, however, be denied, by those 
 best acquainted with General Burdick, that he " enjoyed his 
 mind"' on these occasions, and put forth his best efforts to 
 produce the same results on the part of others ; but his enjoy- 
 ment could not have been very greatly enhanced by contem- 
 plating the bills, which were in some instances more than two 
 thousand dollars, every cent of which had to be paid from his 
 own personal funds. The General was a " hustler " in what- 
 ever he undertook, generous to a fault, and it is a matter of 
 regret on the part of all who know him, that it did not bring 
 forth better results so for as it relates to his financial situa- 
 tion. 
 
 General Burdick was for many years an active and useful 
 member of the city council, being particularly serviceable on
 
 152 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. ^. 
 
 committees for Fourth of July and other municipal celebra- 
 tions. On the occasion of his withdrawal, in 1883, from that 
 body, he gave a banquet to his late associates, at which Mr. 
 Pearce was invited, and to which he took his ' machine," and 
 "ground out " the following : 
 
 This evening, good friends, you are gathered together, 
 
 You make quite a quorum, regardless of weather ; 
 
 You meet at the call of a veteran member 
 
 Whose functions expired with the close of December. 
 
 The General '"must go," indeed, has departed, 
 
 But it does not appear that he's quite broken hearted ; 
 
 Though he says if his vote had been a bit stronger 
 
 He might have consented to hold the seat longer. 
 
 But the General, forsooth, has no cause for crying, 
 
 For sure he goes out with colors all flying. 
 
 And every one of him good words are now saying ; 
 
 List, now, methinks I hear the bands playing ! 
 
 For a number of years has he been in this body, 
 
 Nor has it appeared he was made up of shoddy, 
 
 But of honest material, as good as they make 'em, 
 
 With actions so square that none could mistake 'em. 
 
 He was a friend to the firemen, they never had better, 
 
 He championed their cause right up to the letter : 
 
 But the General was never, friends, quite so near heaven 
 
 As when he was heading old Hercules Seven, 
 
 Trumpet in hand, in a run to a fire, 
 
 Or urging the members to send the stream higher. 
 
 And the boys, how they loved him, for he always was ready 
 
 To launch out the ducats to keep the ark steady; 
 
 And to keep matters straight none ever worked harder 
 
 Than Burdick in curbing those rampant Fifth Warders. 
 
 And, friends, I presume you all well remember 
 
 The time, years ago, in the month of September, 
 
 When the General, conditions in no degree doubting, 
 
 Collecting a purse, took the Sevens on an outing, 
 
 In which they were absent two nights and three days, 
 
 Talcing Central Falls and Lowell in during their stay ; 
 
 In that famous outing 't was the self-same old story ; 
 
 The General was covered all over with glory : 
 
 The hearts of the girls he away with him carried, 
 
 And they almost went frantic when they learned he was married. 
 
 And then when our friend had his grand jubilee,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 153 
 
 A three-days' celebration, with everything free, 
 
 A camp on The Avenue was the place for the meeting. 
 
 With all things lovely for drinking and eating. 
 
 He had men from abroad as guests of the Sevens, 
 
 And took them to drive by tens and elevens, 
 
 He ran the whole "circus" to the bent of his will, 
 
 And when it was over he footed the bills. 
 
 But things getting knotty and hard of correction, 
 He turn- d his fine talents in another direction, 
 Swung loose from the firemen, their rattle and clatter, 
 Directing his thoughts to weightier matters. 
 The First Brigade being without a commander, 
 The General Assembly, not wishing to pander 
 To improper promptings or causeless ambition, 
 Unanimously tendered our host the position ; 
 No record sought they, nor for other things caring, 
 Their aim was the man, and his true martial bearing. 
 He accepted the place, and so goes the story, 
 Covered himself over with gold-lace and glory, 
 Yea, mounted his charger equipped all for battle, 
 'Mid the the music of bands and keen sabres' rattle. 
 Talk about foes ! 'T was the General did meet them, 
 And 'twas not his fault if he didn't defeat them. 
 
 He marshalled his forces and brought them together, 
 
 'Twas the Fall of the year, and October weather: 
 
 For a first-class parade he'd made preparations, 
 
 He'd scoured the whole State, likewise the Plantations, 
 
 Had assembled the cohorts from every quarter, 
 
 And brought them to Newport by land and by water. 
 
 But Jupiter Pluvius, who, so saith tradition, 
 
 Envied the General his fame and commission, 
 
 Came down in his fury, his forces deploying, 
 
 Intent on the General's whole programme destroying. 
 
 Our hero defied him, his forces parading 
 
 Every street in the town, its lanes enfilading, 
 
 And even had thoughts, it is said, of entrenching, 
 
 E'en though every man in the line took a drenching. 
 
 For hours they persisted, while old Jupe was pelting 
 
 With rain-drops in hopes of their cuticle melting ; 
 
 But they marched the whole route, in spite of the weather, 
 
 With more or less damage to gold-lace and feathers. 
 
 Of the General's precision in deploying his columns, 
 
 Did space but admit, I might indite volumes ;
 
 154 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 I've given a little, by way of illustration, 
 
 You'll find it all down in th' archives of the nation. 
 
 But the needs of the service a change now requiring, 
 
 We see the brave General with honors retiring. 
 
 Henceforth shall we view him in altered condition, 
 
 And filling with credit a civil position. 
 
 The service the General has been to the city, 
 
 In Council chamber likewise in committees, 
 
 Would make a long story, and quite worth the telling, 
 
 But then 'twould this ditty be unduly swelling. 
 
 Nominated for Mayor, he made a good showing, 
 
 The matter of failure was quite largely owing. 
 
 Indeed it was hinted to be the chief reason. 
 
 He'd have Fourth of July the whole of the season. 
 
 He managed, somehow, through a deal of hard fighting, 
 
 To secure for the city a system of lighting 
 
 Which every one 's pleased with who says aught about it, 
 
 And could not be persuaded to again be without it. 
 
 He stood shoulder to shoulder with Coggeshall, defying 
 
 The croakers and growlers, while manfully trying 
 
 To supplant hand engines with our efficient fire steamers, 
 
 Nor shrank they when taunted with being wild dreamers. 
 
 'T is true that he failed in that street by the water, 
 
 But then, fellow citizens, what does that matter? 
 
 It is only a question of time, and we know it, 
 
 When by vote of the people the city will do it. 
 
 The Council will miss him in all of their meetings, 
 His silvery laugh and ever kind greeting, 
 You will search the whole of Rhode Island in vain, 
 If you're expecting to find a man like him again.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 SOME TEMPERANCE REMINISCENCES. 
 
 Breaking up a Bad Habit. " Touch Not, Taste Not." The Total Ab- 
 stinence Pledge a Tower of Strength. Noble Acknowledgment. 
 Small Business for a " Big" Man. Meets and Conquers the Enemy. 
 Intoxicating Liquors Banished from Public Banqueting Tables. 
 Another Word for the Total Abstinence Pledge. 
 
 Those who were acquaiuted with Mr. Pearce thirty years 
 ago, will remember his having been at that time a most invet- 
 erate snuff-taker ; the habit he had acquired when residing in 
 Boston ten years previously having grown upon him until his 
 snuff-box became his constant companion and implied source 
 of inspiration on all important occasions, as also a good-will 
 offering to acquaintances on the street and elsewhere. He 
 adhered, for a considerable time after his removal to Newport, 
 to Ma'am Dunlap's Swiss Rappee, which he procured through 
 the express from Boston, but finally changed to the ordinary 
 "black" snuffs procurable nearer home. At length, during 
 the scarcity of tobacco incident to the war, he thought he de- 
 tected in the snuff a flavor of discarded cigar stumps, and 
 thereupon registered a resolve that not another pinch of snuff 
 would he take after the present supply in his box had been 
 exhausted. Though fully resolved in his mind, not a word 
 did he lisp concerning it, even to his own wife, dreading the 
 inevitable "I told you so!" in the event of possible failure. 
 It was with a feeling akin to consternation that he watched
 
 156 RECOLLECTIONS OP A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 the snuff receding from that box, and when it was finally laid 
 aside, there was not an atom left there the si/.e of a pin's point. 
 There was thenceforth a conflict between confirmed habit and 
 resolution, in which the latter, after a siege extending over 
 several weeks, came off victorious. 
 
 During all the vicissitudes through which he had passed 
 since enlisting in the temperance work, not a drop of liquor 
 had he taken into his stomach, except in sickness, as a med- 
 icine. At one time, during his stay in Fall River, in 1857, a 
 friend, an apothecary, presented him with a bottle of native 
 wine, the pure juice of the grape, which he carried home, and 
 it remained several weeks, with the cork undisturbed, in a 
 cupboard, until, when convalescing from an attack of illness, 
 blancmange, with a few drops of wine, was recommended, 
 which was acted upon, using the wine before mentioned ; but 
 before many days had elapsed, Mr. Pearce found himself, 
 almost before he was aware of it, looking forward with 
 pleasing anticipation to the hour for the taking of his " medi- 
 cine," whereupon he at once " called a halt," and decided to 
 thenceforth take his blancmange " without." 
 
 It was in his vocation of press representative, however, that 
 the leading opportunity existed, with Mr. Pearce, for testing 
 the restraining power of temperance principles, when com- 
 bined with the total abstinence pledge. No newspaper repre- 
 sentative can pursue his calling for any considerable length of 
 time, in these "degenerate days," and avoid having thrust 
 upon him the necessity of showing his colors as relates to total 
 abstinence ; and if the latter are his principles, he will have 
 something of a struggle to make, in order to maintain them. 
 Few have had greater opportunities for demonstrating this, 
 than the principal of these sketches: at banquets, on board 
 yachts, and under a variety of other conditions, the solicita- 
 tion to unite with others in "a social glass" has been pressed
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 157 
 
 upon him, but always with the same result a respectful de- 
 clination ; and in most instances, when the reason came to be 
 understood, this has been accepted in the same spirit in which 
 it was given. On one occasion, when a guest for the day on 
 board a New York yacht where champagne and claret was in 
 free circulation, Mr. Pearce was taken aside by the owner and 
 sharply questioned as to his reasons for slighting the hospit- 
 alities of the vessel in refraining from drink. On being in a 
 respectful manner enlightened as to his reasons, he took Mr. 
 Pearce warmly by the hand, saying, "My friend, you are 
 right; stick to it! I wish I stood as you do, to-day!" Strik- 
 ingly different was the outcome on another occasion, subse- 
 quently. Mr. Pearce was, in his reportorial capacity, on board 
 the flagship of the squadron, owned by a New York million- 
 aire whose name stands high in yachting and social circles. 
 The commodore sent for the scribe to come to the saloon, 
 to partake of lunch and join him in a glass of wine, the latter 
 of which was respectfully declined. " W-h-a-t ! " exclaimed 
 the commodore, "a representative of the press, and not 
 drink!" "That is precisely it in my case; being a temper- 
 ance man, I decline from principle," was the respectful reply. 
 The commodore did not urge further, but it was plain to see 
 that he was touched, the scribe thereafter receiving scant 
 courtesy, and when the cruise was ended he was sent on shore 
 in a harbor boat. He probably entertained as much respect 
 for the scribe as the latter did for him. 
 
 In another instance in which he came off conqueror, Mr. 
 Pearce was subjected to a systematic pressure to induce him 
 to break his pledge. There was a convivial gathering at a 
 hotel, at which he was present in his reportorial capacity, and 
 at which there was wine at the tables. As the waiter was on 
 the point of filling Mr. Pearce's glass, the latter quietly said 
 to him, " No matter about any in mine, if you please." Not
 
 158 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 supposing that any one was particularly noticing him, he was 
 surprised to hear a chorus of voices all around the table, 
 (there were no ladies present,) 
 
 "No, you don't, Pearce! you've got to drink, to-night!" 
 
 "Havel?" 
 
 " Yes. O, now look here : it won't hurt you." 
 
 " I don't think it will." 
 
 " O, come now : there won't anybody know about it." 
 
 " You are not far out of the way there." 
 
 Finding that they were not making much headway, they 
 dropped the matter and proceeded with their supper. 
 
 Directly Mr. Pearce noticed another table being prepared in 
 a corner of the room, which being completed and supper 
 over, one of the company approached the scribe with, " Now, 
 Mr. Pearce, we have made up a nice little table out in the 
 
 corner, and Mrs. H , the proprietor's wife, is coming in, 
 
 we should be pleased to have you join us." 
 
 Determined to see the matter through, Mr. Pearce acqui- 
 esced, and when all were around the table, one said, 
 
 " Now, Mr. Pearce, we are about to drink the health of Mrs. 
 H ; 1 trust you will not object to joining us." 
 
 "Most certainly not, gentlemen; I have great respect for 
 
 Mrs. H , and with a glass of water will drink her health 
 
 with pleasure." 
 
 It is safe to assert that the wine did not" hurt " Mr. Pearce, 
 and that "nobody knew about it," at least those gentlemen 
 did not go about town the next day boasting of their achieve- 
 ment, as they doubtless intended to have done. 
 
 The most casual observer who has been conversant with the 
 social history of Newport during the last generation, could 
 not fail to have observed the radical and favorable change 
 undergone by public sentiment in regard to the use of intoxi- 
 cating liquors. As late as thirty years ago, no public menu
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 159 
 
 was regarded as in good form in which was not included a lib- 
 eral supply and variety of liquors, and an indulgence in the 
 same to the extent of intoxication on such occasions was not 
 regarded as detrimental to one's social, or to any great extent 
 religious standing. A notable illustration of this occurred 
 when during the war Secretary Chase was given a public re- 
 ception and banquet at a public hall, at which were present 
 the elite of the city, including many ladies, and at which be- 
 side each plate was a goblet of champagne, with provision for 
 replenishing as required, and being imbibed by many inexpe- 
 rienced persons present quite as freely as water, it will not be 
 doubted that not a few went from the hall with unsteady 
 steps, requiring to be taken in carriages to their homes. This 
 was one of the last instances of intoxicants being placed 
 upon tables on public occasions, though it was still provided 
 in secret closets for the use of those who might be inclined 
 to view its utter absence as a breach of the rules of hos- 
 pitality, and though this was less preferable to the friends of 
 temperance than its entire banishment from public gatherings, 
 they were glad to hail it as a point gained, in that it removed 
 in a great measure temptation from those not accustomed to 
 drinking. 
 
 Though never in any sense what might be termed a drink- 
 ing man, in fact quite a total abstainer from his youth up, 
 Mr. Pearce has always been wont to regard the total abstin- 
 ence pledge as his tower of defence against temptations that 
 would otherwise have beset his path. With a taste imbibed 
 in his infancy from eating with a spoon rum saturated with 
 sugar from the bottoms of drinkers' glasses, the ruby claret 
 and the sparkling champagne placed beside his plate at public 
 gatherings he has been heard to assert have not been devoid 
 of temptation to him, and had he on such occasions obeyed 
 the inclinings of his heart, a different turn and ending might
 
 160 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE.^ 
 
 have been given to his long life. Hence his advice has been 
 to early interest youth of both sexes in the temperance work, 
 and the instilling into their minds of correct views as to the 
 value, as a restraining influence, of the total abstinence pledge. 
 And he has been often heard to remark that through all the 
 years of his adherence to the temperance pledge, he has found 
 no person to question the wisdom of his course, even among 
 those who have sought to shake his resolution in that respect.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 SOME STEPS IN ADVANCEMENT. 
 
 Conservative Newport. Municipal Improvements. Bellevue Avenue. 
 Fire Alarm Telegraph. Steam Fire Engines. Railroad.- Water. 
 George H. Norman. Electric Lights. JAMESTOWN. A Project 
 that didn't Materialize. Da \vn of Better Days. Steam Ferry. 
 Daniel Watson. Ocean Highland Company. Hotels, etc., etc. 
 
 Newport, taking the last half century as a whole, has not 
 been famous for " catching on " to matters tending to her 
 well being and prosperity, an omission and lack of foresight 
 tending in some instances very much to her disadvantage. 
 This timidity, particularly as relating to capitalists, was no 
 doubt largely owing to disastrous failures, from some almost 
 uuexplaiuable cause, in most local enterprises undertaken by 
 its citizens. The result of this has been, that in most enter- 
 prises of an an important nature directly affecting the conven- 
 ience and well being of the community, the franchise has 
 been secured and held either by foreign corporktions or pri- 
 vate individuals, who have invariably made of them a success. 
 Such internal improvements as were adopted through vote of 
 the tax-payers, had, figuratively speaking, almost to be forced 
 down their throats. Particularly was this true in the case of 
 Bellevue Avenue, the opening up of which has tended so 
 largely to the prosperity and advantage of the city; it was 
 only accomplished through almost superhuman efforts on 
 the part of members of the city council, led by Hon. Thomas
 
 162 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE., 
 
 Coggeshall, in the face of opposition the most bitter in its 
 character. The same may almost be said of the fire alarm tel- 
 egraph, the steam fire engines, and last, but not least, the 
 water supply, which after being rejected by the tax-payers, 
 was at last introduced by a public spirited citizen, Mr. George 
 H. Norman, he with difficulty securing the requisite franchise 
 for the prosecution of the work, and meeting with much 
 opposition on the part of citizens in forwarding the same. 
 
 Most citizens are familiar with the history of the railroad 
 oonnecting the city with Boston and intermediate places ; 
 how the franchise was held for years by Newport parties, with 
 little near prospect of its becoming effective, until finally the 
 Old Colony coporation stepped in, and through advantageous 
 concessions by the municipality, secured that which Newport 
 capital had rejected, and be it said, to the mutual advan- 
 tage of all parties. The electric light and the street railway 
 furnish other instances of the conservatism of Newport in the 
 adoption of modern improvements ; both- having been intro- 
 duced through many difficulties, and one of which is operated 
 largely through foreign capital. But through much tribula- 
 tion, as it were, Newport has become possessed of the above 
 modern essentials, not one of which, were the question to be 
 submitted to the tax-payers for their decision, would now be 
 dispensed with. 
 
 But no greater disaster has in modern times fallen upon 
 Newport, than the loss to it of its manufacturing industries. 
 The commencement of this was the burning of the Coddington 
 Mill, a cotton factory located in the 5th ward, in 1859, causing 
 a loss to the city of about fifty families, and later, within a 
 score of years, the successive withdrawal of the woolen fac- 
 tory in the fourth ward, and the Perry and Aquidueck mills, 
 thereby depleting the city, all together, of about two hundred 
 families of a very desirable class of population.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 163 
 
 And yet, while all this was going ou, Newport continued to 
 increase in stores for the sale of merchandise, until, in the 
 lapse of thirty years, their number had quite quadrupled, and 
 it became a wonder, not only to outsiders, but to the inhabit- 
 ants as well, how they all managed to get a living. True, the 
 population had quite doubled itself in that time, from immi- 
 gration and other causes, thus furnishing another problem as 
 to what supplied subsistance for all of these, about the only 
 active staple industry of the place being the Old Colony re- 
 pair shops, employing an average of about two hundred 
 persons, and the income from the summer cottage colony, not 
 being always reliable as to extent. Taking into account 
 the foregoing aud the naval training station and Fort Adams, 
 and there is presented about the sum total of Newport's visi- 
 ble means of support. And yet its inhabitants appear to have 
 thrived through it all, not a few having reared for themselves 
 comfortable homes in a pleasant portion of the city. 
 
 Jamestown, across the bay from Newport, supplies a nota- 
 ble instance of a locality having greatness, financial and oth- 
 erwise, thrust upon it. For the greater portion of two cen- 
 turies it nestled, a mere hamlet, upon Couanicut island, its 
 scant population earning their bread by the sweat of the brow 
 tilling the soil, their only connection with their neighbors 
 being by ferry boats propelled by wind and oars. No one, 
 except those "to the manor born," ever looked upon it as a 
 desirable place at which to locate for any portion of the year, 
 and even those whom nature and their parents had introduced 
 there nolens volens, appeared to regard it as an admirable 
 place to get away from. 
 
 At length, late in the Ws, Mr. L. D. Davis, of Newport, 
 with a far sightedness characteristic of the man, beheld in the 
 natural attractions of that portion of the island opposite New- 
 port immense possibilities In the direction of a summer resort,
 
 164 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. " 
 
 and had little difficulty in interesting a syndicate of Provi- 
 dence capitalists in its purchase, and the scheme progressed so 
 far that the syndicate, through Mr. Davis, obtained the prices 
 and secured a refusal of all the desired property, with the ex- 
 ception of one large farm, occupying a central position, which 
 no persuasion would induce the owner to part with, where- 
 upon the project, which had included a steam ferry between 
 there and Newport, was abandoned, and a tract of several 
 hundred acres at the extreme north end of the island was pur- 
 chased instead, thereby inaugurating Conauicut Park, with 
 its varied fortunes, and the little hamlet opposite Newport, 
 with its deferred opportunities, slumbered on a few years 
 longer. 
 
 But, early in the '70's, through disagreement with the 
 proprietor of the ferry, the town of Jamestown, by due course 
 of law, secured from the State a charter and established a 
 steam ferry. Thus was inaugurated what was destined to be 
 the key to prosperity on the part of the worthy burghers of 
 Jamestown's fair isle. It came not suddenly; for years the 
 ferry being used only by the island farmers, mostly in market- 
 ing their products and procuring their supplies in Newport, 
 the receipts not paying running expenses, in one year falling 
 short $1400. 
 
 One of the first to start the building boom on the island, 
 was Mr. John Rowland, one of Jamestown's oldest citizens, 
 who put up a house costing $20,000, partly from the proceeds 
 of laud sales, and partly from faith in sales to come. The house 
 was the talk of the town, particularly as Mr. Rowland had 
 gas-piped the entire structure, the notion that a house in James- 
 town would ever be lighted from gas being regarded as in the 
 highest degree chimerical ; to Mr. Rowland it was for a con- 
 siderable time a source of embarrassment, and by some was 
 spoken of as "John Rowland's elephant."
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 165 
 
 Meanwhile sales of land on " Ferry Meadow " had been 
 made by auction, and several Newport parties had become 
 purchasers, among them Captain George B. Slocum and Mr. 
 Stephen M. Hammett, both of whom erected handsome resi- 
 dences on their purchase; Mr. George C. Mason also built two 
 dwellings on the high lands for speculative purposes, and two 
 or three other dwellings were built there about the same time, 
 while Mr. Daniel Watson started a real estate agency for the 
 sale and renting of Conanicut Island property. But a trans- 
 action about this time amazed while it startled timid capital- 
 ists in Jamestown and Newport, being no less than the pur- 
 chase by a syndicate of Newport and Jamestown capitalists 
 styling themselves the "Ocean Highland Company," of sever- 
 al hundred acres of land comprising the barren tract known 
 as The Dumplings, a mile south of the ferry landing, at a cost 
 of some 70,000. This was regarded by most people as a 
 wild speculation, that could only have a disastrous ending. 
 While all this was going on, Mr. W. H. Kuowles fitted up the 
 Bay View House, and it was opened as a hotel by Captain S. 
 G. Gardner and filled with guests the first season, the artist 
 Richards had built a house on the Ocean Highlands plat, 
 which after two or three years was followed by others, the 
 Gardner House was built, Mr. John Rowland's house proved 
 not to have been an elephant, the Ocean Highland Company 
 made extensive and satisfactory sales of land, the traffic on 
 the ferry had become such as to require a new and larger 
 boat, cottages had gone up in every direction, three or four 
 additional hotels of colossal dimensions had been built, a sys- 
 tem of water supply had been put in, and Jamestown had 
 become one of the leading watering places in New England, 
 all within a score of years from the inception of the business. 
 
 The possibilities of Jamestown appear to be in a rapid pro- 
 cess of development. With hourly communication with New-
 
 166 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. , 
 
 port by means of a fine steamer, a system of water supply, 
 fine hotels with all modern conveniences, including electric 
 lighting, it needs only electric cars across the island to com- 
 plete its equipment as a first-class watering place, and its 
 people are looking forward with a confidence that is by no 
 means unwarranted, to the time when the whole surface of 
 Conanicut's fair isle, from Beaver Tail to Couanicut Park, 
 shall be dotted with the well kept villas of the wealthy and 
 refined.
 
 CHAPTEE XXI. 
 
 A CLOUD WITH SILVER LINING. 
 
 Death of the Press and Star. The ENFRKPRISE. Benefit Entertain- 
 ments. 
 
 In the year 1885 the Providence Evening Press, on which 
 Mr. Pearce had been employed for a quarter century as its 
 regular Newport correspondent, ceased to exist. It was a sad 
 blow to Mr. Pearce, at his time of life, when situations in his 
 profession were not easy obtainable, even by younger persons. 
 But the Morning Star, published in the same office, was con- 
 tinued, and he was retained, at greatly reduced pay. In a 
 few months the publication of that paper, also, was discontin- 
 ued, and Mr. Pearce found himself, at 67 years of age, with- 
 out a stated income and dependent for a livelihood for himself 
 and family on what patronage people chose to bestow upon 
 the NEWPORT ENTERPRISE, the publication of which he had 
 commenced a few months previously, in order to eke out the 
 meagre salary received for his reportorial work. The entire 
 withdrawal of the support hitherto received from his work on 
 the Providence papers left him in a peculiarly unfortunate 
 situation ; too far advanced in years to take service either in a 
 reportorial capacity or at his trade as a printer, and with 
 means exhausted through previous misfortunes, his sole de- 
 pendence for future subsistence was in the publication of his 
 little paper, of which he constituted himself the sole employee
 
 168 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE., 
 
 iu every branch of labor, eveii to those of carrier and " office 
 boy." Through pecuniary aid from Hon. John Hare Powel, 
 then mayor of Newport, a genuine Christian philanthropist, 
 who also rendered him valuable assistance iu subsequent 
 straits, he was enabled to purchase a printing outfit, with the 
 exception of a press, and he launched his little venture out 
 upon the sea of newspaperdonij with the fond hope that his 
 townspeople of so many years, seeing an old man engaged in 
 a struggle for existence, would cheerfully aid him with the 
 trifling amount of their subscriptions. But in this he was 
 doomed to a great measure of disappointment; people who 
 u admired the pluck, industry and perseverance of one so far 
 advanced in years," found excuses enough for not patronizing 
 his paper, when the case was presented to them, and not a 
 few found it convenient, when the subscription became due, to 
 dodge payment, incredible as this may seem, under the cir- 
 cumstances, and Mr. Pearce thus, on the whole, found him- 
 self among the subjects of unrequited toil. But with him it 
 was " Hobsou's choice," that, with its vexatious and embar- 
 rassing deficiencies, or its ruinous alternative, idleness. 
 
 Being a life-long opponent of the liquor traffic, it was nat- 
 ural that he should conduct his paper on that principle. At 
 times, disgusted with the inertness and inconsistency of pro- 
 hibition leaders, he has threatened in his mind to divorce his 
 paper in toto from the whole business, but when the time 
 came to put it in practice, he discovered that he could no 
 more do so than he could refrain from breathing, and thus 
 he continued on, and doubtless will unto the end ; but he is 
 fixed in the belief that Christian patronage and support can- 
 not be relied on in the advocacy of Christian measures, the 
 same having been the experience of hundreds of others who 
 have essayed to work in that branch of literature ; and to a 
 person aiming at worldly prosperity, the chances are with ut-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 169 
 
 terly ignoring the question of temperance in the columns of 
 one's paper, and if Mr. Pearce's sole dependence, in the publi- 
 cation of such a paper as Christian people should be expected 
 to patronize had been upon that class, it would long since 
 have ceased to exist. On the other hand, some of his warmest 
 and most cordial supporters, have been of those differing with 
 him in belief on the temperance question. 
 
 But while he would have been better pleased had he been 
 given the opportunity he desired, of earning his bread by the 
 sweat of his brow through the patronage of his fellow citi- 
 zens, Mr. Pcarce would not be thought unmindful of the 
 many benefits, both public and private, bestowed upon him 
 by the people of Newport during the thirty-two years of his 
 stay among them, prominent among which were two benefits 
 in his interest, on the occurrence, respectively, of the 
 70th and 71st anniversaries of his birthday, 1889 and 1890, and 
 which he is happy to place on record as among the pleasant- 
 est recollections of his life. The following account of the 
 event of 1889 is from the Newport Mercury of April 28th of 
 that year : 
 
 Mr. Benjamin W. Pearce, the veteran newspaper corres- 
 pondent and editor, publisher, reporter and general factotum 
 of the NEWPORT ENTERPRISE, on Thursday reached the good 
 old age generally allotted to man, three score and ten years, 
 and the occasion was celebrated by a benefit entertainment in 
 Masonic Hall in the evening. For several weeks arrange- 
 ments have been in progress for the entertainment, and the 
 many friends of the "Ancient Mariner,'' having purchased 
 tickets freely, were looking forward to the evening when they 
 might offer their respects to a good citizen, who was growing 
 old in his efforts for the right. Mr. Pearce's friends are nu- 
 merous, if one can judge by the numbers present ; nor were 
 these all, for many purchased tickets who were unable to at-
 
 170 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 tend, and others purchasing returned the tickets to be resold. 
 In consequence, Mr. Pearce will receive quite a substantial 
 benefit. 
 
 The entertainment began with a half hour's concert by the 
 Newport orchestra, and at 8 o'clock Mr. L. D. Davis intro- 
 duced the recipient of the evening's benefit, and Mr. Pearce 
 made his address of welcome in original rhyme, as follows : 
 
 Kind friends and neighbors gathered here, on me this boon bestowing, 
 My heart warms up towards each of you, with gratitude o'erflowing. 
 I'm honored by your presence, friends, and flattered beyond measure, 
 And to the latest hours of life I'll its remembrance treasure. 
 
 'T is not that I aspire to fame that this event I've ordered; 
 
 But all my years of life with you with kindness have been bordered, 
 
 And drawing well toward the close of a long life's sojourning, 
 
 It seemed to me as not amiss to give a pleasant turning. 
 
 By inviting all who've known me here to congregate together. 
 
 And in two hours of speech and song hold converse with each other. 
 
 I would not view this bright event in light of an ovation, 
 
 But rather as a friendly show of kind consideration 
 
 For one who's nearing the confines of life's remotest border, 
 
 So that it's only left for him to set his house in order, 
 
 Await the summons till it comes, for dust to dust returning, 
 
 So that the messenger may find his lamps all trimmed and burning. 
 
 Three score and ten are our years on earth, that is by Bible teaching ; 
 
 But few there are of mankind's hosts that goal of promise reaching. 
 
 That I am there, you see to-night, don't think, my friends, I'm boasting ; 
 
 'Tis only through hard knocks I'm here, and now and then a roasting. 
 
 Perils by sea, dangers by land, and blasted hopes enduring, 
 
 I've traveled on from stage to stage, with prospects not assuring. 
 
 I have not drifted with the tide, for sake of smoother sailing, 
 
 But pulled against the stream, and hoped to see the right prevailing. 
 
 For fifty years a hope forlorn I've been with zeal pursuing, 
 
 W hile trust in God my watchword's been, with hope my soul imbuing. 
 
 I may not live to see the day of my hopes' bright fruition, 
 
 But it will come, sure as God lives, and right have recognition. 
 
 There are many here whom I have known almost a generation, 
 To whom I own indebtedness for kind consideration ; 
 And courtesies on every hand to me have been extended 
 Unto the present period, when my course is almost ended. 
 I was inducted fair and square, the first year brought to wrestle
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 171 
 
 With grim old Death, when I went down beneath that Taunton vessel. 
 
 You older ones remember it, to others it don't matter ; 
 
 But let me say, I had, for once, sufficient of cold water. 
 
 Ye men here present whom I have known for near a generation 
 
 And whom I've seen with honor fill each his respective station, 
 
 A hearty greeting, each of you! may years sit on you lightly, 
 
 Through the remainder of your days the star of hope shine brightly. 
 
 Some, here, stood on battle-fields, when balls flew thick around them. 
 And every crisis of the cause at post of duty found them ; 
 The strife being o'er, each found his place at peaceful occupation, 
 And stand forth honored citizens, who helped to save the nation. 
 
 And now I reach another class, and beg leave to address them, 
 
 In numbers they are here, to-night, the ladies, dear, God bless them ! 
 
 They bear along, where'er they go, an air of love aboxit them, 
 
 A boon to man, God bless their souls ! where should we be without them ! 
 
 I've little imre t > siy, t>:iU ! it, an 1 leave t'\3 fiell to others, 
 Who are kindly here to help me out, like sisters and like brothers. 
 A hearty welcome to you all, Heaven from all sorrow free you; 
 When you get old, if I'm alive, I'll sure come round and see you. 
 
 At the conclusion of this poem, Mr. Charles R. Thurston, of 
 the Providence Journal, read two letters from old newspaper 
 friends of Mr. Pearce in Providence and Pawtucket, express- 
 ive of their best wishes. The opening number on the pro- 
 gramme was a glee, "Robin Adair," which was very well 
 rendered by the Newport Glee Club, composed of Messrs. 
 Holland, Daniels, Leonard and Bates, and the Misses Wether- 
 ell, Buchanan, Crandall and Albro first appearance as a club. 
 Miss M. S. Salpaugh read " The Fall of the Pemberton Mills," 
 and was warmly applauded, her reading being one of the best 
 she has given here. Misses Stoddard and Bailey then gave a 
 piano duet, which was well received, and were followed by 
 Miss Julia Lawton, of 10 years of age, who sang most charm- 
 ingly, in character, u The Farmer's Daughter," written by Mr. 
 Pearce for the occasion and set to the tune of Yankee Doodle : 
 
 Good friends assembled here, to-night, 
 Gathered from every quarter, 
 
 I introduce myself to you,
 
 172 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 As ., young farmer's daughter. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 I hunt the eggs of rambling hens, 
 
 In summer do the raking, 
 I pick the berries when they're ripe, 
 
 Help mother with the baking. 
 I go to school in winter months, 
 
 And thus I get my learning, 
 Likewise to market Saturdays, 
 
 An honest penny turning. 
 There's John and Peter, Susan, too, 
 
 My si ster and my brothers, 
 Who, when they are not teazing me, 
 
 Are pestering my mother. 
 When I'm grown up, like some of you, 
 
 Some farmer's son I'll marry, 
 And then I'll have some one who will 
 
 My eggs to market carry. 
 If you want rosy cheeks and health, 
 
 I tell you you had " oughter " 
 Come out of town and live with me. 
 
 And be a farmer's daughter. 
 
 Mr. C. E. Harvey then gave an amusing imitation of a school 
 boy reciting " Mary's Little Lamb," and the first part of the 
 programme was closed by a vocal duet by Misses Bailey and 
 Stoddard. 
 
 After an intermission, during which the orchestra played 
 several selections, Miss Evie A. Mowry and Mrs. Tibbitts 
 sang a duet, " Fly Away, Birdling," and the following origi- 
 nal poem, written for the occasion by Mrs. R. P. Boss, of 
 Dorchester, Mass., Mr. Pearce's eldest daughter, was read by 
 that lady : 
 
 TO MY FATHER ON HIS SEVENTIETH BIRTHDAY. 
 Seventy years make history ! 
 Where they have gone seems mystery, 
 
 When we look along their track. 
 Silent they 've lapped them, orie by one. 
 Into the vanished past they 're gone, 
 Beyond all calling back.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 173 
 
 Young was this century of ours 
 When he began to test his powers, 
 
 This friend with three-score crowned. 
 Great are the deeds its years have seen, 
 Great, too, the deeds he's done, I ween, 
 
 Though not by fame renowned. 
 
 The electric wire that girds the earth 
 Was lacking many years of birth, 
 
 When his life's boat set sail, 
 The iron steed had just begun 
 His level rails to race along 
 
 When he'd reached manhood's pale. 
 
 Those were the days when slavery reigned, 
 Both at the South, where men were trained 
 
 To wield its mighty power, 
 And at the North, where children small, 
 Toiled 'mid din of factories tall 
 
 Through days of fourteen hours. 
 
 So did he drudge in woolen mill, 
 With scarce one joy his heart to fill, 
 
 Through all his boyhood years, 
 Until the printer's craft he learned, 
 Slaking the thirst that in him burned 
 
 For all that knowledge bears. 
 To old hand-press his book he strapped, 
 In study deep his young brains wrapped, 
 
 Intent to knowledge gain, 
 Learning anon while hands wrought hard, 
 Storing away in mind each word, 
 
 Nor shrank from mental strain. 
 The magic key unlocked his life, 
 With thousand plans his brain was rife, 
 
 To fortune win and fame ; 
 Putting his hand to wrongs redress, 
 Giving relief to each distress, 
 
 Heedless of praise or blame. 
 Shining they stand, those blissful years, 
 Brimming with hope that knew no fears, 
 
 Living with love and light. 
 O, blest glamour of happy youth ! 
 Too soon we 1^-n how much of truth 
 
 Its veil hidest rom our sight.
 
 174 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. ^ 
 
 Years of toil with slight sxiccess, 
 Years when fortune forgot to bless, 
 
 But dealt her keenest blow ; 
 Friends found faithless, and trust betrayed, 
 Hopes proved futile and loved one laid 
 
 Beneath the winter's snow. 
 
 Then 'mid clamor of war's alarms, 
 Aquidneck drew him to her arms, 
 
 Became his dwelling place ; 
 Home of his love! He asked no more 
 Than live his days on her fair shore, 
 
 Then sle^p in her embrace. 
 
 Into these peaceful years there broke 
 
 A blow, as dire as earthquake shock, 
 The STAR fell from the skies! 
 
 He was old. It seemed his brain must craze ; 
 
 He stood at first in dire amaze, then- 
 Started the ENTERPRISE. 
 
 Worthy the name of such a birth ! 
 
 W orthy success, such sterling worth ! 
 Long may it live and thrive. 
 
 Long may its editor, and all 
 
 Its honored staff, respond to call, 
 In dear old Newport's hive. 
 
 Full be his closing years of joy, 
 Without one trace of care's alloy, 
 
 Till his life's work be done. 
 Then shall the Hand that's wreathed his head 
 With silver, crown with gold instead, 
 
 In an immortal home. 
 
 Following this, Miss Jessie Buchanan sang a solo, "Only a 
 Song," in a strong, sweet'voice, and in response to an encore, 
 the only one of the evening, sang in a charming manner a 
 Scotch song, " Jock o' Hazeldean," which was very well re- 
 ceived by the audience. Miss Saulpaugh read the garden 
 scene between Mary and Elizabeth, from Mary Stuart, Queeti 
 of Scots ; Misses Lake and Williams gave a piano solo ; Mr. 
 Henry W. Cozzens, Jr., read with much force and expression 
 the pathetic story of " The Two Vag^onds," by Trowbridge ;
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 175 
 
 the Glee Club saug, "Sleep while the soft evening breeze is 
 blowing," iu which the alternate leads were well taken and 
 produced a very pretty effect. The programme was concluded 
 by the audience singing the following Benediction song, writ- 
 ten for the occasion by Mr. J. W. Sherman, of Boston, to the 
 tune of " Auld Lang Syne " : 
 
 Revolving still, another year, 
 
 With swift-winged flight hath sped, 
 Old Time, with unrelaxed career, 
 
 Moves on with steady tread. 
 Of these, three-score-and-ten have flown, 
 
 In quick succession hy, 
 Since first the light in radiance shone 
 
 On thee from nature's sky. 
 
 Through many trials, since, thou 'st passed, 
 
 Relieved hy happy hours, 
 Like as the cold, bleak winter's frost 
 
 Succumbs to summer flowers. 
 In Pleasure's temple thou hast fed, 
 
 In Sorrow's path hast trod. 
 Blessings been showered on thine head, 
 
 Fresh from the hand of God. 
 
 In health and vigor thou art spared 
 
 Autumnal years to see ; 
 And may those long be unimpaired, 
 
 From worldly cares set free. 
 Of solid comfort now partake, 
 
 Thy latter years enjoy, 
 The careworn paths of life forsake, 
 
 And ease thy mind's employ. 
 
 From earthly wants securely screened, 
 
 At peace with all mankind, 
 May thoughts that have affliction seemed 
 
 By thee be left behind. 
 And now may life's tempestuous sea 
 
 To thee become serene, 
 And what few fleeting years there be 
 
 One bright transcendant dream. 
 
 Most gladly would Mr. Pearce have realized, for a brief sea-
 
 176 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 son, at least, the kind sentiment conveyed in the closing lines 
 of Mr. Sherman's song ; but it was not to be. For every dol- 
 lar accruing from the generous demonstration of his friends 
 in his behalf he found immediate use, in making much need- 
 ed additions to the printing material in his office, and in set- 
 tling outstanding claims, so that he found himself, without 
 intermission, pursuing the same daily round of treadmill ex- 
 istence of twelve to fifteen hours of physical toil, glad to have 
 been enabled to discharge obligations, the remembrance of 
 which had been to him a source of continued anxiety by day 
 and- by night. And while he felt infinitely grateful to his 
 friends and fellow citizens for the substantial manner in which 
 they had manifested their kindly interest in his behalf, it was 
 not untinged with a feeling of regret, that by reason of the 
 infirmities of age and other causes beyond his control, he had 
 been constrained to pose as the " sick man M of the craft in 
 Newport. It has been his earnest desire and aim to provide 
 for the wants and requirements of those dependent on him 
 by the labor of his own hands, and to this end he has made 
 the last years of his existence the busiest of his life, regarding 
 not as too great any amount of toil that was commensurate 
 with his strength. 
 
 And in this struggle for existence he has been favored with 
 a degree of health and powers of endurance surprising in one 
 of his age, enabling him to perform an amount of labor the 
 bare contemplation of which, as required of himself, would 
 appal any of the 8-hour advocates of the present day.' And 
 this burden of toil he has borne cheerfully, his friends always 
 finding him in the happiest vein when engaged in the congen- 
 ial employment of "sticking" type, an avocation at which he 
 is if anything more adept than in his younger days, the only 
 cloud that passes over his existence being in contemplation of 
 the inadequacy of means to the ends he regards as necessary
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 177 
 
 of accomplishment, if we may except the results of the unreas- 
 oning opposition, amounting in some instances to downright 
 proscription, not infrequently encountered by him in the con- 
 scientious performance of his duties as a public journalist. 
 Probably no greater blow has since its existence been aimed 
 at the life of the ENTERPRISE, than that by a fellow publisher, 
 a short time since. It may not be generally known, that Mr. 
 Pearce, during the four years he has run his paper, has had 
 no press on which to print it, not thinking it judicious to add 
 one to his outfit for the short time he might need it, "and 
 consequently the printing of the paper, except the type-set- 
 ting, has been done at the office of the Daily Xews, on Mr. 
 Pitman's own terms, a price that paid him better than any 
 other work he had in his office. All went well, with the ex- 
 ception of an occasional protest by Mr. Pitman, that he was 
 doing the work " solely as a matter of accommodation," until 
 a short time since a note from l\im announced to Mr. Pearce 
 that in consequence of the "heavy work"' in their press 
 room, the paper could be printed in that office no more. Mr. 
 Pitman did n't know but in that single stroke of his pen he 
 had withdrawn from an old man his only means of earning a 
 living for himself and family, nor did he care. Mr. Pitman is 
 a Christian man, professedly, but it is not believed that before 
 writing that note he took counsel of the " golden rule," and 
 asked himself how he would like for Mr. Pearce to treat him, 
 were their situations to be reversed ; but then it should be un- 
 derstood that the "golden rule," as a guide to conduct, has 
 largely " gone out of fashion,'' even among professed Chris- 
 tian people.
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 HELPING HANDS. 
 
 Second Birthday Benefit. Miss Wixon's Address. What was Done, 
 and Who Did It. A " Queer " Transaction. As Reader and Speaker. 
 
 Meanwhile, as time rolled on, the proprietor of the ENTER- 
 PRISE, notwithstanding the days and weeks of hard labor 
 he had put in, through being denied by a flint-hearted city 
 government an equal footing, as regarded patronage, with the 
 other city papers, and from other causes beyond his control, 
 found his craft, on which his life depended, drifting rapidly 
 toward a lee shore, threatening destruction upon the rocks of 
 adversity. He "called all hands," comprising editor, book- 
 keeper, cashier, proof reader, foreman, assistant foreman, 
 compositor, mailing clerk, printer's devil, carrier, warehouse- 
 man and drayman, all comprised in one and the same person, 
 to wit, the proprietor, and a " council of war " was held, at 
 which the subject was discussed in its different bearings, and 
 it was decided that,- the birthday of the " staff " being close at 
 hand, it might be expedient to venture a public entertainment 
 of the nature of that of the previous year, at which the pat- 
 rons, while getting their money's worth of enjoyment, would 
 have the additional satisfaction of having given a help- 
 ing hand to a struggling ENTERPRISE in the hands of a hard 
 working fellow citizen. 
 
 On the project becoming known, the following ladies and
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 179 
 
 gentlemen of talent volunteered aid in their respective depart- 
 ments : CRESCENT QUARTETTE, consisting of Messrs. CHARLES 
 E. CRANDALL, JR., HENRY D. ROOT, JOHN SCANNEVIN, FRED 
 W. GREENE. Miss M. S. SAULPAUGH, Mr. HENRY W. Coz- 
 ZENS, JR., Miss SADIE BAILEY, Miss MINNIE STODDARD, 
 Miss JESSIE BUCHANAN, Miss LULIE NORTHUP, Miss P. A. 
 FRY, Mrs. MARTHA P. AILMAN, Mrs. W. H. TIBBETTS, Master 
 FRED W. GREENE, JR., Mr. FRED W. GREENE, Miss ELLA 
 PETERS, Mr. X. DUBY, Colonel ANDREW K. MCMAHON, Mr. 
 JOHN GILPIN, and Miss SUSAN H. WIXON, of Fall River. 
 
 The entertainment transpired as advertised, on the 24th of 
 April, 1890, and the Daily News of the next day published the 
 following: 
 
 The annual benefit for Mr. Benjamin W. Pearce, the vet- 
 eran and well-known journalist, took place at Masonic Hall 
 Thursday night and, despite the inclemency of the weather, 
 every seat was occupied. It was an event which had been 
 looked forward to with pleasure by the friends and acquaint- 
 ances of Mr. Pearce, and the large attendance clearly showed 
 that the veteran is still the possessor of good friends, who 
 showed their friendship upon this interesting occasion in a 
 very substantial manner. 
 
 Mr. John Gilpiu presided and made a few remarks appropri- 
 ate to the occasion. An address, recounting the early strug- 
 gles and pointing out the eventful battle of life waged by Mr. 
 Pearce in Newport and elsewhere, was delivered by Miss Su- 
 san H. Wixou, of Fall River, an authoress well known through- 
 out New England, and who has always taken a deep interest 
 iu Mr. Pearce's welfare. Miss Wixon, who is a member of the 
 school board of Fall River, is a pleasing speaker, and her re- 
 marks were loudly applauded. The address we publish en- 
 tire : 
 
 My dear friends, we have met this evening for the purpose of hon- 
 oring and testifying our respect for one of your best and well-known 
 citizens, one who has been among you many years, one who has often 
 contributed in one way and another to your advantage, to your instruc- 
 tion and to your entertainment. 
 
 In all the years that I have known our friend, he has been constantly 
 and unswervingly on the side of virtue, intelligence, public schools, 
 temperance, the elevation of woman, and the uplifting of the oppressed 
 of all classes. In fact, he has been always on the right side of every 
 good movement. 
 
 The cause of temperance has had no more ardent nor devoted advo-
 
 180 
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 saloon would have put money in his pocket and lifted 
 and plenty. But he chose the unpopular side, because 
 ide, my friends, and because he had the courage of his 
 
 cate. He has stood firm in that noble cause when it has been most un- 
 popular so to do : when to have kept silent or, to have been reckoned 
 on the side of the 
 him to affluence ; 
 
 it was the right side, my mends, and Because ne naa me courage 01 nis 
 convictions, the courage to speak, and to stand by his honest thought. 
 He has buffeted the waves of misfortune, and in all his long and event- 
 ful life, in every struggle, however painful, he has never shirked or 
 been found wanting in any particular: in every storm, though the 
 winds blew severe and cold, and the white-capped billows dashed wild- 
 ly about him, our friend has always been found on deck, ready f->r 
 
 A child of poverty, a toiler in the mill at a very early age, working 
 
 1 utal overseers, dropping- 
 from the mill, " 
 
 supper from exhaustion after retu 
 so wearied through overwork, he had littl 
 
 fifteen hours out of twenty -four, abused by br 
 
 haustion after returning __________ ___, ______ 
 
 chance of education. Bu 
 
 by some means, as he grew older, like William Corbett, he did find 
 time to study, by flickering light of candle, and that failing, by light of 
 burning brands, until he finally did achieve the dream of his soul, a 
 
 I first knew our friend when he was editor and manager of the Fall 
 River STAR, in whose columns the speaker had the honor of a first m- 
 
 , 
 
 was a general favorite, and he was, also, that which ever since h 
 remained, a genuine friend. Brave, independent, outspoken, he has 
 ever been one upon whom you could always rely, faithful, generous and 
 . Tender and sympathetic, no one in trial or trouble ever appeale 
 
 'ender and sympathetic, no one in trial or trouble 
 n vain. His was an open hand to the needy and 
 ys had an encouraging word and a pleasant smile 
 
 . . Jed 
 J destitute, and 
 iraging word and a pleasant smile for all. The 
 
 im ere he had been running his paper six months ; 
 
 __avely contending for six months longer, with the wheels of industry 
 in Fall River all idle, he only surrendered when " there was not a shot in 
 the locker." Had he been aided to at that time have placed his paper 
 upon a firm financial basis, all would have been well, and to-night we 
 would have beheld him prosperous and secure from all fear of want. _ 
 Since that time life has been to him a constant struggle, a varied his- 
 y stumbling blocks in the way. You 
 hard he has tried to get along : and 
 e may say his life has not been a successful one.' Counting by 
 
 to him i 
 
 he always had an enc 
 ' i of '57 caught hi; 
 
 tory, an up-hill journey with many 
 know, per 
 
 , probably not. But there are things of greater value than 
 dollars and cents. He who carries a spotless integrity, who maintains 
 a high moral character, whose career is honest, honorable, upright, is 
 a successful man, or woman, as the case may be. It may be said of 
 Mr. Pearce, 
 
 " He kept in honesty and truth, 
 
 His independent tongue and pen, 
 And moved in manhood, as in youth, 
 Pride of his fellow men." 
 
 And, in his later days, he has had the courage, the energy, the ability, 
 to launch upon the literary ocean a trim little craft called the ENTER- 
 PRISE. How many of us here could run a store, publish a paper, being 
 at the same time editor, business manager, foreman, compositor, re- 
 porter, folder, mailing clerk, carrier, and the "devil," also? How 
 many of us could successfully fill these combined offices, and at the 
 same time entertain friends and have sufficient unexpended energy 
 and talent to compose and put in type without writing a book of two 
 hundred pages?
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 181 
 
 It is manifestly our duty to rally around this brother, to lend a hand 
 to this printer, as he goes on the westward journey. You and 1 are go- 
 ing in the same direction, and we can do no less, it seems to me, than to" 
 subscribe for the ENTERPRISE and the book, thus giving our brother a 
 lift as we g-> along. I wish he might have five hundred thousand sub- 
 
 scribers for book and paper. Probably the author, editor, etc., would 
 
 lallle ' 
 making the declining days of < 
 
 . Let us do it. We are here to 
 
 pathv 
 there and sisters of one family. I believe in the brotherhood and sister- 
 
 be satisfied with a less number. But we can all lend our influence and 
 ing the declining days of our friend pleasant, hap] 
 
 ._ _ t us do it. We are here to help each other along lift 
 
 rugged pathway. No one can live to himself alone. We are all br 
 
 hood of the human race. We stand shoulder to shoulder in the great 
 battle against wrong and injustice. We should be heart and hand in 
 love and good fellowship with each other. There is a pretty song that 
 runs in this wise : 
 
 "Help one another," the snowflakes said, 
 As they cuddled down in their fleecy bed ; 
 "One of us here would not be felt, 
 ONE of us here would quickly melt ;" 
 "But I'll help you and you help me, 
 And then what a big white drift we'll be." 
 
 " Help one another," the maple spray 
 
 Said to its fellow leaves, one day ; 
 
 "The sun would wither me here alone, 
 
 Long enough ere the day is gone ; " 
 
 "But I'll help you and you help me, 
 
 And then what a splendid shade there'll be ! " 
 
 "Help one another," the dew-drop cried, 
 
 Seeing another drop close to its side ; 
 
 " This warm south breeze would dry me away, 
 
 And I should be gone ere noon, to-day ; " 
 
 " But I'll help you and you help me, 
 
 And we'll make a brook and run to the sea! " 
 
 " Help one another," a grain of sand 
 
 Said to another grain just at hand ; 
 
 "The wind may carry me over the sea, 
 
 And then, O what will become of me? 
 
 " But come, my brother, give me your hand ; 
 
 We'll build a mountain and there we'll stand." 
 
 So let us help one another, and let our best help go first to those who 
 need it most. I am glad you are out to-night in such numbers,, and in 
 behalf of our friend, Mr. Pearce, the oldest printer and publisher in 
 Rhode Island. I extend to you a most cordial and hearty welcome. 
 
 Then followed some well rendered guitar and mandolin se- 
 lections by the Crescent Club, which made a decided hit, and 
 elicited an encore. Miss M. S. Saulpaugh gave a reading, 
 showing dramatic talet and pleasing all who heard her ; she 
 was recalled, and bowed her thanks for the compliment. 
 A piano duet by Miss Sadie Bailey and Miss Minnie Stoddard 
 was a pleasing portion of the programme, the young partici- 
 pants being called upon for a second selection. Mr. Henry
 
 182 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 W. Cozzens, Jr., always good, read The Chariot Race, from 
 " Ben Hur," carrying his audience with him to the race tracks 
 and keeping them in company with the horses at every stage 
 of the contest. The finish was a masterpiece, and his hearers 
 almost saw the winning horse pass under the wire at the 
 judges' stand. Mrs. Martha P. Ailman. an octogenarian, gave 
 a recitation which had a special interest for the ladies, and 
 which carried its own moral. Mrs. W. H. Tibbitts took the 
 place of Miss Jessie Buchanan, who was unexpectedly called 
 to New York, and sang a solo, which was warmly applauded. 
 Then came two readings by Master Fred W. Greene, Jr., 
 which took the house by storm, and showed that the little 
 fellow has but few equals. His manners, voice and general 
 appearance were almost perfect. His selections were "The 
 Wonderful Oue-Horse Shay " and Lowell's poem, " The Court- 
 in'." The Crescent Club came out and again made a success, 
 their mandolins and guitars being the chief attractions of the 
 evening. Miss Evie A. Mowry sang a solo, followed by Miss 
 Lulie Northup, who is but five years of age, and a vocal duet 
 by Miss Minnie Stoddard and Miss Sadie Bailey, was so 
 well done that they were obliged to reappear with another. 
 Miss P. A. Fry, a well known singer, sang two solos, which 
 were appreciatiugly received, and then came a pretty piano 
 and violin duet by Miss Ella Peters and Mr. N. Duby, who, 
 also, were obliged to respond to an encore. The Crescent 
 Club, by request, appeared once more, and again proved them- 
 selves experts with their instruments, very popular airs being 
 played, and well played, too. 
 
 The programme of exercises ended with a " view " of the 
 NEWPORT ENTERPRISE office, in which Mr. Pearce appeared 
 in the various roles which he fills in his printing ofiice, and 
 while he was thus engaged a visitor, in the person of Mr. F. 
 W. Greene, arrived and proceeded to unpack his valise, which 
 contained, among other things, a humorous song, composed 
 by him for the occasion. The verses were sung in Mr. Greene's 
 inimitable style, and contained a recital of Mr. Pearce's career, 
 and many local hits were adroitly interjected, provoking roars 
 of laughter. The song was a masterpiece in its way. 
 
 At the close Mr. Pearce read the following poem, expressive 
 of thanks to the audience, and to all those who had contri- 
 buted so materially to make the benefit a social and financial 
 success : 
 
 Here am I ! A used up man, cut up, carved and roasted ! 
 
 ouch a shaking up I've had as no man ever boasted. 
 
 The man was GREENE that did the job ; he once was Greene the Hatter,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 183 
 
 Were he not green he'd finished up, and laid me on a platter. 
 It'll do for him to show me up in manner that is funny; 
 (But this I'll say to you aside, this child gets the money.) 
 
 You see I've moved my ENTERPRISE into a new 
 And well I'm suited with the change, and with t 
 
 location, 
 
 change, and with the situation, 
 light, an " 
 
 My patrons who are here, to-night, are all my friends and neighbors, 
 Who've kindly come here to assist an old man in his labors. 
 
 We've talent rare with us, to-night, in singing and in reading, 
 Newport m this can lead the van. no outside artists needing; . 
 That you've enjoyed their renderings, and all been interested, 
 The applause that you've bestowed on them most amply has attested. 
 
 This "young man" has had to hustle some, to earn an honest living, 
 
 And has succeeded measurably, kind friends assistance giving. 
 
 t has hard sledding been, and things have gone "agin" 
 s's pushed along, because the push was in 
 
 ie has made on things he thought were evil, 
 :<or he felt moved upon to " tell the truth and shame the devil." 
 
 At times it has hard sledding been, and things have gone "agin " him, 
 But blessed with health he's pushed along, because the push was in him. 
 
 It times some strictures he has made 011 thii 
 
 e thin-skinned ones have angry been, and thought it quite the caper, 
 Hieii badly hit to "hump their backs " and cry out, " Stop my paper! " 
 Well, if it makes them better feel, why, bless them, let them go it; 
 Tw"> cents a weeklwon't make nor break, and all such should know it. 
 
 My thanks I give to each of you, for your consideration, 
 
 May kind Heaven bless each of you, what e'r your rank or station. 
 
 Colonel Andrew K. McMahon, the general director, was un- 
 able to be present at the opening, being in Wickford during 
 the day, but put in an appearance later. 
 
 Miss Lillian Potter was accompanist, and performed her du- 
 ties in an admirable manner. 
 
 There was one incident, only, with Mr. Pearce, to de- 
 tract from the pleasant recollections succeeding the event, 
 and that was from a cause almost the last that he would have 
 anticipated a disagreement with a local newspaper publisher, 
 the result of an attempt at sharp practise on the part of the 
 latter. Mr. Pearce being unfortunately indebted to the afore- 
 said newspaper man to the extent of a little more than thirty 
 dollars, at an early stage of the event, before scarcely a ticket 
 had been sold, the latter called up at the ENTERPRISE office, 
 (almost the only call he ever made there,) and proposed to do 
 the entire advertising and printing for the event, without 
 charge, provided that his bill should be the first paid out of the 
 net receipts of the entertainment, being careful to stipulate
 
 184 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. ^ 
 
 that in case of its falling short he was to receive what there 
 might be. The offer, on the face of it, appeared to be quite 
 liberal, almost too much so for the source from whence it 
 came, yet Mr. Peai'ce hesitated ; there were, having claims on 
 him, others besides Mr. T. T. Pitman, and he felt that he 
 ought not, in justice to them, to thus give him the preference. 
 But through a process of specious reasoning on the part of the 
 latter he consented to do so ; though fearing that the arrange- 
 ment was too much of a one-sided affair, he did much of the 
 work, and furnished a portion of the stock, himself. And now 
 comes the queer portion of the transaction : when Mr. Pearce 
 went to the office to settle, as agreed, he was confronted with 
 a bill of items for the aforesaid printing and advertising, 
 aggregating nearly thirty dollars, with a note appended, stat- 
 ing that if paid within a few days there would be a discount ! 
 Mr. Pearce fulfilled his part of the agreement, and more, as 
 above stated ; he paid Mr. Pitman the amount of the original 
 bill, relying upon the integrity of the latter for the other 
 part, with the above result. 
 
 Though by no means aspiring to fame as a professional 
 , reader, Mr. Pearce has been able to contribute not a little to 
 the interest and success of public entertainments and social 
 gatherings through the exercise of his talent in that role. 
 The commencement of his efforts in that direction dates back 
 less than a decade of years, and was purely the result of acci- 
 dent. He was present at a church social at which those re- 
 lied upon to carry out the programme were absent to an ex- 
 tent to embarrass the management, one of whom, a lady, ap- 
 pealed to Mr. Pearce to help them out. In vain he pleaded 
 inability, lack of preparation, etc., finally consenting only on 
 condition that they could find no one else ; the result was his 
 giving a reading with " much fear and trembling," and his en- 
 gagement in that capacity at the same place on sundry subse-
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 185 
 
 quent occasions, since which time he has given scores of read- 
 ings, mostly in a facetious vein, for which his keen perception 
 of the humorous peculiarly fits him. 
 
 His debut in public speaking was quite as " accidental " as 
 in the other case. Through being identified with the tem- 
 perance movement he had become accustomed to making ad- 
 dresses of from five to ten minutes, and had signified to some 
 Fall River friends his readiness to make one of two or three to 
 address a temperance gathering at any time when they might 
 need him. At length receiving notice to come to that city 
 to attend a Sunday afternoon meeting, and going there on Sat- 
 urday afternoon, he was surprised and shocked to find in an 
 evening paper an announcement that " Mr. B. W. Pearce, 
 of Newport, would lecture on temperance" (in a hall named,) 
 on Sunday afternoon at 5 o'clock. Well, " you could have 
 bought him cheap,'' as the saying is, at any time during the 
 the next twenty-four hours ; to speak extemporaneously for 
 any time exceeding ten minutes he had never attempted, 
 and he anticipated nothing short of failure, and to guard 
 against contingencies, previous to going to the hall he jotted 
 down some heads of subjects and tucked them in his vest 
 pocket for reference. It did not improve matters any that 
 not one of the committee had called on him at his stopping 
 place, or shown themselves to him in any manner, nor did any 
 one receive him on entering the hall, he being left to find a 
 seat if he could, among the already crowded audience, while 
 the chairman was the sole occupant of the ample platform, all 
 of which was anything but consoling to a person already in a 
 nervous frame of mind. After the preliminary exercises were 
 concluded, Mr. Pearce, still remaining where he had first taken 
 his seat, was introduced to the audience, without even then 
 being invited to the platform. He, however, availing himself 
 of a lecturer's privilege, ascended the steps and faced the aud-
 
 186 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. , 
 
 ience. He remembers 110 trepidation, on the contrary having 
 a free flow of ideas and words for three-quarters of an hour, 
 the notes in his pocket not being once thought of. 
 
 Temperance meetings, as they were once known, par excel- 
 lence, are a thing of the past in most parts of New England, 
 and a person desiring to sign a pledge of total abstinence out- 
 side the Catholic societies, would require to have one made to 
 order, and the majority of boys graduate to the saloon as a 
 duck takes to water, thus recruiting continually the decimated 
 ranks of the drunkard. 
 
 A phenomena of the present day are the large number of 
 mutual insurance organizations that have sprung into being 
 during the last score of years, most of which still exist, and 
 are doing exceptionally good work for humanity, in caring 
 for the sick and providing f or widows and orphans.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 A PLEASANT OUTING. 
 
 Journey to the "Land of Steady Habits." A Merry Party Steaming 
 up the Connecticut. Unique Ferryboat. Irate Ferrymen. The 
 Man with the Apples. " Betsey Baker." Man on the Railroad. 
 
 In the time elapsing since the introduction to the gen- 
 eral public of the NEWPORT ENTERPRISE, Mr. Pearce has 
 been able to treat himself to very few vacations, and those of 
 very abbreviated proportions. One, which he often refers to 
 with many expressions of gratification, was on the occasion 
 of an excursion to Hartford with the Newport Artillery com- 
 pany, October 12-14, 1887, in which, through the kindness of 
 a friend, he was enabled to participate. A more agreeable 
 outing could not have been desired. The trip was by water, 
 two days' sail in the staunch steamer Day Star and one day 
 in Hartford, with quarters at the Allyn House. The weather 
 the entire three days was charming, and the sail the most de- 
 lightsome that could be imagined, even the waves around 
 the much dreaded Point Judith being calmed down for the 
 occasion. The sail on the Connecticut was charming past 
 description. For the largest portion of the distance interven- 
 ing between the mouth of the river and Hartford, the banks 
 are clothed with forests, seemingly as wild and unbroken 
 as when two centuries ago the Indians roamed the undis- 
 puted lords of the domain ; and one could almost picture in
 
 188 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 his mind a son of the forest in the lone canoeist encountered 
 at various stages paddling out from its shores. And, too, 
 the trees were in the midst of their autumnal beauty, present- 
 ing, as one of the party aptly expressed it, a continuous bou- 
 quet, almost the entire distance on the river. 
 
 It was a merry party on the steamer, among whom was his 
 Excellency John W. Davis, governor of the State. The boys 
 had provided themselves with tin horns and a diminutive brass 
 piece of ordnance bearing the euphonious title of " Betsey 
 Baker," and with these they woke the echoes of those "pri- 
 meval " forests, always supplemented by the steamer's shrill 
 whistle, and cheers and handkerchief waving by the ladies, 
 of whom there wei'e a number on board. Every village and 
 every hamlet, of which a few were encountered as the steamer 
 pursued her tortuous way, came in for a vigorous salute; 
 people popped from the doors of lone cottages, making ener- 
 getic use of hats, sun-bonnets, handkerchiefs, table-cloths, and 
 even aprons, snatched hastily from their persons, in return- 
 ing the salutes of the hilarious voyagers. Nondescript ferry- 
 boats, some with steam and some without, showed up along 
 the way, each receiving a broadside salute. One of these as 
 worthy of especial notice as " outuniqueing " all the others, 
 was a huge raft, innocent of bulwarks or rail, propelled and 
 guided by immense oars in the hands of two men, and on 
 board of which, as passengers, were a yoke of oxen. In this 
 instance the courtesies of the occasion were manifestly not to 
 any great extent appreciated, the cattle inaugurating a stam- 
 pede, and the captain of the craft delivering himself of an ad- 
 dress, which judging from the accompanying gestures, was 
 far from being lauditory or complimentary to those on board 
 the steamer, while it required the exercise of the whole ability 
 of the other member of the crew to prevent the oxen vaulting
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 189 
 
 overboard, they, as " between the devil and the deep blue sea," 
 evidently making choice of the latter. 
 
 Another instance furnished evidence that good acts and inten- 
 tions do not always meet with commensurate reward. The 
 steamer passed near a wharf at the foot of a hill, where was 
 standing a two-horse wagon heaped up with golden apples 
 about to be loaded upon a sloop moored at the wharf, and re- 
 sponding to cries of " give us one ! " as the steamer passed 
 near, the good natured farmer commenced bombarding the 
 deck with the luscious fruit, whereupon " Betsey Baker," the 
 tin horns and the steamer's whistle gave utterance to a hearty 
 " vote of thanks." The horses on the dock catching the spirit 
 Of the moment, started with a jump to run up the hill, while 
 the tail-board at the instant breaking adrift, there was a sud- 
 den fall in fruit, bushels of it rolling into the dock, and with a 
 parting salute of condolence the boat steamed on, seeking 
 "fresh fields and pastures new." 
 
 The passage of the boat up and down the river was a com- 
 plete ovation, as was the day and two nights' stay of the com- 
 pany and its guests in Hartford, where they were practically 
 accorded the freedom of the city, among other attentions a 
 ball being given in their honor. 
 
 A few days after their arrival home, the Artillery people 
 gave, in their armory, an oyster supper to the "voyagers," at 
 which congratulatory speeches were made, Mr. Pearce reading 
 the following rhymes commemorative of the outing : 
 
 I take this occasion to speak of the joys 
 
 That some of us had with the Artillery hoys, 
 
 When on a most charming bright October day, 
 
 They left our good city and steamed on their way 
 
 To a country you've heard of, that's well known to fame, 
 
 It is not needed here that I call it by name. 
 
 The boys, in their wisdom, to make themselves strong, 
 
 Among other guests took some ladies along,
 
 190 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 And these all assisted to make the trip gay, 
 
 And charmed by their presence the hours of each day. 
 
 As the boat, pointed seaward, it was seen pretty quick, 
 
 That no cause existed for one to be sick, 
 
 For the committee had interviewed Neptune, forsooth, 
 
 And exacted a promise to make the sea smooth : 
 
 And well did he keep it, for both those bright days 
 
 The sea was as smooth as in our own bay, 
 
 And most of us here will remember forever, 
 
 The two charming days on Connecticut River ; 
 
 And the people up there encountered a waker 
 
 In the boys' little pet they had named "Betsey Baker." 
 
 When the band wasn't playing, the fish-horns would toot, 
 
 And thus they kept it up to the end of the route, 
 
 While the ladies, at every new thing we came nigh, 
 
 Were sure to make their white handkerchiefs fly ; 
 
 And all who were there quite sure made a note 
 
 Of the men, and the oxen, and queer ferryboat, 
 
 How it we saluted as we passed it by, 
 
 And how the scared oxen came alarmingly nigh 
 
 Stampeding and making a mess of it there, 
 
 While the crew sinned a little in wanting to swear. 
 
 The man with the apples that stood on the shore, 
 
 Who fired several at us, and would have fired more, 
 
 But the horses took fright, and the tail-board came out, 
 
 And away went the apples a rolling about. 
 
 And then the ovations as the steamer passed by, 
 
 They made hats and handkerchiefs and white aprons fly ; 
 
 Locomotives and steamers along the swift stream, 
 
 As the Day Star passed by made their shrill whistles scream. 
 
 Lone men in lone wherries appeared on the scene, 
 
 When saluted they looked up, as, " What does this mean? " 
 
 While that man on the railroad, with wondering eyes, 
 
 We doubt if he's yet got o'er his surprise ; 
 
 He seemed rooted there, bereft of all life, 
 
 And cast for a pillar, like the fated Lot's wife. 
 
 Governor Davis was with us, with two of his staff, 
 
 Ever ready to join in a hearty good laugh; 
 
 Whatever his politics, red, green or yellow, 
 
 He was voted by all a most jolly good fellow. 
 
 Coming around Point Judith, 't was as smooth as a pond. 
 
 And some of the party were led to respond 
 
 To calls that were made for a speech or a song. 
 
 As we on the home stretch were steaming along.
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 191 
 
 When the "devil " of the ENTERPRISE found out we were going, 
 
 (What he does not find out isn't muchly worth knowing,) 
 
 He set up a teazing, and importuned strong. 
 
 That on this big outing we would take him along. 
 
 Contracting that for us he'd work like a slave ; 
 
 We said he might go, if he'd only behave.. 
 
 But did n't we repent that we let the scamp go! 
 
 Through the whole of the outing he pestered us so 
 
 With his pranks and his didoes, we told him to stop, 
 
 Or the first that he knew he'd be " pulled " by a "cop." 
 
 Coming home on the boat, his spirits were high, 
 
 So that upon him we'd to keep a sharp eye, 
 
 And once on the voyage, evading our check, 
 
 He was dancing a hornpipe down on the main deck. 
 
 But the outing is over, and we're home again. 
 
 Each one regretting its ending, in vain ; 
 
 But all who went with them will join us, we know, 
 
 In many good words for the Artillery Co. 
 
 Some of the time honored institutions of Newport are rap- 
 idly disappearing, giving place to the onward march of im- 
 provement. Foremost among these may be mentioned the 
 u back-shop," the forum where the " assembled wisdom " were 
 wont to discuss the situation during the progress of the war 
 of 61-65. There were several of these, the most prominent, 
 perhaps, being at the grocery store of B. Hammett Stevens, 
 in the First Ward. This was the nightly resort of a dozen, 
 more or less, of politicians, to smoke, and discuss the news as 
 read by one of their number from the papers. On two sides 
 of the room were ranged chairs of antique make and pattern, 
 each of which was tacitly assigned to a particular individual, 
 and no other person ever presumed to occupy it. These people, 
 mostly men of middle age or advanced in years, too old for the 
 army, yet were sufficiently young to criticise the conduct of the 
 war, and being men of different views, some warm debates 
 took place among them. 
 
 And after the war and the settlement of its results were 
 over, the habit thus formed clung to these men, till one after
 
 192 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 another passed over to the silent majority, every evening 
 finding them occupying their accustomed chairs, and with 
 matters sufficient for discussion in the affairs of the municipal- 
 ity, or that failing, in those of their fellow townsmen. As 
 one after another of these received the final summons, their 
 chairs were left vacant, no new recruits coming in to fill their 
 places. The oldest among the habitues of the place, was Mr. 
 William C. Thurston, and following him were Mr. Matthew 
 Cozzens, Mr. John Stevens, Judge Bobert Dennis, Mr. William 
 Wilson, and Mr. Zenas Hammond. These were all men of 
 three-seore-and-ten years, and some of them exceeding eighty. 
 Then there was a younger set, as Lieutenant Governor Pardon 
 W. Stevens, Mr. Joseph P. Aylesworth, Mr. George W. 
 Friend, Mr. John C. Stoddard. All of these have been called 
 away, Mr. Stoddard, whose death occurred in 1890, being the 
 last. There was something pathetic in the case of one of 
 these, Father Thurston, as he was called. When past the age 
 of ninety years, and too old and feeble to attend the nightly 
 gatherings, and his mental faculties nearly obliterated, the 
 old gentleman would drag himself painfully to his accustomed 
 seat, and sitting and mumbling to himself for a while, go out 
 as he came in ; this he continued to do until removed by his 
 friends to another State, where he shortly after died. The 
 back shop still remains, with the chairs in the position occu- 
 pied by them thirty years ago ; but no new set have stepped in 
 to take the places of the old ; the back shop having measurably 
 outlived its usefulness, is mostly a thing of the past.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 A CORROBORATIVE CHAPTER. 
 
 Resume of the Author's Life, by a Newspaper Correspondent. Conclu- 
 sion. 
 
 The following from the Providence Telegram of Nov. 11, 
 1889 is introduced as corroborative in many particulars of the 
 foregoing narrative : 
 
 Down in Newport they have a capital specimen of the old 
 style journalist. He began newspaper work about fifty years 
 ago, but he belongs to the still older school of Franklin and 
 Garrison, men who had ideas and principles they wished to 
 carry out as much as to make money ; men who instead of giv- 
 ing the news and the varied opinions of other men, and letting 
 the world reform itself under a broad aud gradual enlighten- 
 ment, undertook too much of the reformation as their own 
 task, and wanted to accomplish it too quickly. 
 
 When Mr. B. W. Pearce was 17 years of age, he had been 
 for ten years working in a factory in Fall River, and was una- 
 ble to write so much as his own name. Then he became am- 
 bitious and devoted all his spare time to study. Just at this 
 time there was one of those periodical waves of temperance 
 excitement sweeping over the country, in connection with 
 what was called the " Washingtoniau movement," a new 
 era seeming about to dawn upon the country. Reformed 
 drunkards were addressing meetings; temperance societies 
 were formed whose members wore medals with an impression 
 of the head of Washington, and the world seemed on the high 
 road to reform. Mr. Pearce caught the enthusiasm and has 
 ever since steadily adhered to temperance principles. 
 
 His first literary work was done when he was 22 years of 
 age, as assistant editor of the Christian Soldier of Pawtucket ; 
 but the tone of this paper was too mild for the hot young
 
 194 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 ternperauce crusader and he started a weekly paper of his own 
 and named it The Sparkling Fountain. It was seven inches 
 by nine, and he published it for nearly three years. An old 
 Latin poet once said that from the most delightful fountain 
 will come something bitter, and from The Sparkling Fountain 
 the liquor man got nothing but gall and the essence of worm- 
 wood. No false delicacy prevented the editor from giving 
 names, dates and places. No man could get drunk in Paw- 
 tucket without the prospect of having the matter discussed in 
 The Fountain. Society there was becoming disorganized and 
 the number of saloons fell to three, the keepers of which were 
 continually being dragged before the courts. The editor was 
 threatened repeatedly, and a Woonsocket man made known 
 his intention of proceeding to Pawtucket aud administering to 
 the head man of The Sparkling Fountain a liberal dose of 
 cowhidiug to settle old scores, whereupon Editor Pearce 
 made immediate arrangements for the consummation of the 
 event, naming time and place, the latter to be on a piazza in 
 front of The Fountain office. The Fountain man was there, 
 but the other wasn't, aud to the present day no man has laid 
 hands on Pearce. Several times, indeed, was his office bom- 
 barded with boulders, and on one occasion some parties en- 
 tered and threw his types and cases into the Blackstone. But 
 the Fountain continued to Sparkle for some time thereafter, a 
 thorn in the flesh of the rummies. 
 
 The next heard of him in newspaper work, Mr. Pearce was 
 running a daily paper in Fall Eiver, in 1857, in which year he 
 made himself famous in connection with a monster chowder 
 he inaugurated. The paper was The Evening Star, the pioneer 
 daily of that city, which he originated, being as usual, editor, 
 business manager, foreman and compositor. The paper at first 
 went a little slow, but the editor soon got up a boom. Scup 
 were plenty in those days, and Mr. Cook, who owned some 
 traps, told Mr. Pearce, one day he would give him a barrel of 
 scup. The idea of a great advertising fish chowder at once 
 entered into his mind, and he was encouraged in his plan 
 when the first man to whom he spoke on the subject volun- 
 teered to contribute all the pepper-sauce he should require. 
 While the chowder party was still under consideration, the 
 Fourth of July approached, and a citizens' meeting was called 
 to arrange for a celebration. The meeting, however, was 
 somewhat cold, and the project seemed likely to fall through, 
 when some one proposed to join Pearce's Star chowder. The 
 proposal brought down the house; the meeting was at once 
 adjourned and a new one organized, with Pearce in the chair,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 195 
 
 amid great enthusiasm. He appointed committees to collect 
 materials for the chowder, uo money to be taken. The feast 
 was to be free to all, but heads of families and those who 
 could afford it were expected to pay seventy-five cents aud re- 
 ceive a family ticket entitling them' to the Daily Evening Star 
 for three mouths. Then the donations began to pour in, one 
 man contributing potatoes, another sugar for lemonade, auo- 
 ther lemons, Mason, Fisher & Co., a quarter-ton loaf of brown 
 bread, fifty bushels of clams were sent in to help out the scup. 
 and the American Print Works Company lent an 800-gaHon 
 kettle. A day or two before the Fourth the kettle was drawn 
 to the grounds by a tandem team of fifty-eight horses, decor- 
 ated with flags, and escorted by a cavalcade of two hundred 
 and fifty horsemen, aud in the line were two brass bands. 
 while streets along the route were lined with people. The 
 kettle was set upon bricks, aud a cord of wood with charcoal 
 and old boxes for kindling were contributed. On the Fourth 
 there was a grand time aud much enthusiasm. Two thousand 
 gallons of Star lemonade ladled from an immense tank presid- 
 ed over by Hon. James Buffiiugton, member of congress from 
 the district, who with other prominent citizens donned white 
 aprons and assumed the role of waiters for the occasion. The 
 chowder added five hundred subscribers to the Star's list. 
 which, however, succumbed to the financial panic of '57-'58. 
 
 In 1858 Mr. Pearce came to Newport in a Pooh Bah capacity 
 on the Daily News, from which he went to the Providence 
 Evening Press, aud was its Newport correspondent for twenty- 
 five years, until the discontinuance of the paper, when he 
 commenced the publication of The Enterprise, an uncomprom- 
 ising Prohibition weekly, when he was sixty-seven years of 
 age, and still publishes it at seventy-one. He has lost none of 
 his youthful fearlessness, and attacks public officials of all 
 grades where there is any suspicion of crookedness. As of 
 old, he is still his own editor, foreman, compositor, etc., even 
 carrying round and delivering most of his circulation, and 
 running a job printing office aud a small store besides. 
 
 At the age of seventy-one years, having some difficulty in 
 getting the press-work on his paper done outside of his office, 
 he went to Boston, as he did in 1S42, and procured a hand- 
 press for the purpose of doing the work himself.
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Six months from the time of setting the first type on this 
 book finds us within a few lines of its end. That it has been 
 put together under circumstances differing widely from those 
 under which most books preceding it have been compiled and 
 published, we think we are quite safe in asserting. There 
 probably never was a book printed so little of which had been 
 previously written, four-fifths, at least, of it having been put 
 in type without previous chirographical preparation. 
 
 The original design was, as announced, for the book to be 
 written by Mrs. R. P. Boss, Mr. Pearce's eldest daughter, 
 from data furnished by him, the latter putting it in type, 
 and some of the earlier chapters were thus prepared and dis- 
 posed of ; but this was early decided as impracticable, as in 
 the comparatively slow process of type-setting, points and in- 
 cidents connected with Mr. Pearce's life were evolved in his 
 mind which in the more rapid operation of pen composition 
 had entirely escaped him. It was of course indispensable that 
 these should be included, one result of which was, that when 
 the matter reached Mrs. Boss in the shape of proof, she was 
 scarcely able to recognize her own bantling. This resulted in 
 a decision that it would be better for Mr. Pearce to prepare 
 the matter for the book in his own language and in his own 
 way, which was thereafter done, and consequently Mrs. Boss
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 197 
 
 is in no wise responsible for aught save the contents of the 
 few early chapters, though the narrative is maintained in the 
 third person to the end. 
 
 The book has been printed by "odd jobs," when time could 
 be spared from other indispensable work, which, together with 
 the circumstance of one person doing the entire type-setting. 
 should sufficiently account for the delay in its appearance. 
 That imperfections will be found to exist in its composition, 
 there is little doubt; but it tells an " o'er true tale " of light? 
 and shadows, and it is hoped has tended to entertain and in- 
 struct. 
 
 It was at the suggestion of others that the book was com- 
 piled and published, and not from any supposition that there 
 ^was aught in the life of the author commendable beyond 
 the case of thousands of others who have like him been left to 
 make their way in the world, a majority of whom have scored 
 successes more worthy of recording than aught connected 
 with this volume. Its compilation and typographical con- 
 struction have tended to fill up the spare moments of its pub- 
 lisher and printer and " keep him out of mischief," and if it 
 shall tend also to augment somewhat his income, the result 
 will be none the less gratifying to him. 
 
 Mr. Pearce has presented to the world in this book no tale of 
 love and plot and passion. It is a simple, true narrative of 
 the career of a hard working American citizen and a picture of 
 life in certain New England districts and in the humbler walks 
 of life during more than half a century. 
 
 Though the scenes presented have not always been of the 
 brightest, yet to the author there is no small degree of pleas- 
 ure and satisfaction in surveying, retrospectively, his life of 
 toil, which although a busy one, has not been unhappy. Long 
 hours of labor have brought weariness and hunger ; but they 
 have likewise beeu productive of a healthy appetite and sound
 
 198 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 sleep, together with a pleasant satisfaction arising from the 
 accomplishment of duty. 
 
 A few more years of watching and waiting, at the longest, 
 and this little volume will be the only memento of the author, 
 not a great, and. peradventure not an enduring one; but it 
 may serve to keep his memory green for one generation, at 
 least, in the scenes of his long New England life. He feels 
 that the results of his labors have not been such as to attract 
 attention to any appreciable extent, being principally in the 
 direction of pushing forward an unpopular cause, nor has he 
 been permitted to behold the fruition of his fond early hopes. 
 For fifty years has he been known as a humble soldier in the 
 temperance ranks, where others before him served and fell, 
 and where others will take his place and cany on the work to 
 the glorious triumph which ultimately awaits it. 
 
 As a journalist he has always aimed to advance the interests 
 of the masses, and even his bitterest enemy will never accuse 
 him of timidity or truckling to wrong doers, however influen- 
 tial. He has always been plain and outspoken where he felt 
 he was in the right, and he trusts he has been instrumental in 
 accomplishing some good in the community where for the last 
 generation he has resided. 
 
 This book may be regarded as Mr. Pearce's adieu to the 
 friends who by their kindness and words of encouragement 
 have helped to lighten the burdens of his declining years, 
 the final wave of the hand as he nears the dark river the cross- 
 ing of which cannot long be deferred. 
 
 "Let not Ambition mock their useful toil, 
 Their homely joys and destiny obscure; 
 
 Nor Grandeur hear, with a disdainful smile, 
 The short and simple annals of the poor."
 
 ETERNAL JUSTICE. 
 
 BY CHARLES M A C K A V. 
 
 The man is thought a knave or fool, 
 
 Or bigot, plotting crime, 
 Who for the advancement of his race, 
 
 Is wiser than his time. 
 For him the hemlock shall distill, 
 
 For him the axe be bared ; 
 For him the gibbet shall be built; 
 
 For him the stake prepared : 
 Him shall the scorn and wrath of men 
 
 Pursue with deadly aim ; 
 And malice, envy, spite and lies, 
 
 Shall desecrate his name. 
 But truth shall conquer at the last, 
 
 For round and round we run, 
 And ever the right comes uppermost. 
 
 And ever is justice done. 
 
 Pace through thy cell, old Socrates, 
 
 Cheerily to and fro ; 
 Trust to the impulse of thy soul 
 
 And let the poison flow. 
 They may shatter to earth the lamp of clay 
 
 That holds a light divine, 
 But they cannot quench the fire of thought 
 
 By any such deadly wine. 
 They cannot blot thy spoken words 
 
 From the memory of man, 
 By all the poison ever was brewed 
 
 Since time its course began. 
 To-day abhorred, to-morrow adored, 
 
 So round and round we run, 
 And ever the truth comes uppermost, 
 
 And ever is justice done. 
 
 Plod in thy cave, gray Anchorite ; 
 
 Be wiser than thy peers ; 
 Augment the range of human power, 
 
 And trust to coming years. 
 They may call thee wizard, and monk accursed,
 
 200 * RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONG AND BUSY LIFE. 
 
 And load thee with dispraise ; 
 Thou wert born five hundred years too soon 
 
 For the comfort of thy days. 
 But not too soon for human kind : 
 
 Time hath reward in store ; 
 And the demons of our sires become 
 
 The saints that we adore. 
 The blind can see, the slave is lord ; 
 
 So round and round we run, 
 And ever the wrong is proved to be wrong, 
 
 And ever is justice done. 
 
 Keep, Galileo, to thy thought, 
 
 And nerve thy soul to bear ; 
 They may gloat over the senseless words they wring 
 
 From the pangs of thy despair. 
 They may veil their eyes, but they cannot hide 
 
 The sun's meridian glow; 
 The heel of a priest may tread thee down, 
 
 And a tyrant work thee woe ; 
 But never a truth has been destroyed : 
 
 They may curse it and call it a crime ; 
 Pervert and betray, or slander and slay 
 
 Its teachers for a time ; 
 But the sunshine aye shall light the sky, 
 
 As round and round we run ; 
 And the truth shall ever come uppermost, 
 
 And justice shall be done. 
 
 And live there NOW such men as these 
 
 With thoughts like the great of old? 
 Many have died in their misery. 
 
 And left their thought untold. 
 And many live, and are ranked as inad, 
 
 And placed in the cold world's ban. 
 For sending their bright, far-seeing souls 
 
 Three centuries in the van ; 
 They toil in penury and grief, 
 
 Unknown, if not maligned ; 
 Forlorn, forlorn, bearing the scorn 
 
 Of the meanest of mankind ; 
 But yet the world goes round and round 
 
 And the genial seasons run. 
 And ever the truth comes uppermost. 
 
 And ever is justice done.
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY F, 
 
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