Jess Lowe's Profile

Governor Wanton offered a reward of $500 for any information
as to
who
they were.  The King of England offered $5,000 reward for the
leader
of the expedition and .$2,500 for the arrest of any of the men who had
been with him, but no one could be bribed or frightened Into betraying
the patriots who had delivered their Colony from the hated Gaspee.

Captain Lindsay sailed leisurely on to Providence, arriving
about 5
o'clock in the afternoon, and went straight to the home of Mr. John
Brown,
who was a close friend of his. He related his experiences of the day
and
described the helpless plight of the English schooner. The news spread
fast and it did not take the citizens of Providence long to decide that
now was the chance to rid themselves of their hated tormentor. About
two
hours after sunset that same evening, the roll of a drum sounded In the
streets and the voice of a man was heard calling out in a loud tone,
"The
Gaspee
is run aground off Namquid Point and cannot float before 3:00 o'clock
tomorrow
morning.  Those people who feel disposed to go and destroy that
troublesome
vessel are invited to repair to Mr. James Sabin's house this evening."
There was plenty of enthusiasm over the suggestion and before 9:00
o'clock
that evening a large company of men had gathered in a room of Mr.
Sabin's
house.  This house was an Inn that stood at the corner of what is
now South Main and Planet Streets, just opposite Fenner's Wharf.

The men who gathered for this venture came armed with guns,
pistols,
swords and clubs. Those who owned no arms themselves borrowed from
their
neighbors.  Bullets were scarce, so a fire was lighted in the
great
fireplace and lead was hurriedly melted and poured into bullet
molds. 
By 10:00 o'clock everything was ready.  The men filled eight large
longboats that had been moored at Fenner's Wharf. The oar locks and
oars
were carefully muffled and the expedition set out.  Captain
Whipple
was put in command.

Down they went through the darkness past Fox Point, around
Field's
Point
and so on toward where the Gaspee lay. They approached very
close
to the schooner before the watch on deck discovered their presence.
Then
his cry rang out and brought the Commander and his sleepy crew to the
deck.
After a brief exchange of demands and oaths the men in the boats began
the attack.  A few shots were fired injuring one or two of the Gaspee
crew, and in a few minutes a vicious hand-to-hand fight was under
way. 
The attackers soon got the upper hand, made prisoners of the Commander
and crew, and quickly transported them over to the Warwick shore, where
they were put into the hands of willing assistants.

After this was done the boats returned to where the Gaspee
lay
and she was set on fire. Silently the Providence men rested on their
oars
and watched the flames as they leaped from one end of the deck to the
other
and up through the sails and rigging.  Suddenly their boats were
shaken
by the dull roar of an explosion. A mass of burning wood and rigging
was
shot high above the schooner and fell back into the water with a great
splash.  Bits of burning wood were thrown through the air, even as
far as where the longboats lay.

The powder in the Gaspee had exploded, blowing her to
bits.
Nothing
was now left but the floating wreckage and a part of the hull. The
night's
work was finished and the Gaspee was destroyed. Very quietly
the
longboats were rowed to town. The men who were in them separated and
returned,
each to his own home.

The strange thing is that the authorities who wished to punish
these
men for burning the schooner never were able to find out who they
were. 
Almost everyone in town must have known, but no one would tell.

Governor Wanton offered a reward of $500 for any information
as to
who
they were.  The King of England offered $5,000 reward for the
leader
of the expedition and .$2,500 for the arrest of any of the men who had
been with him, but no one could be bribed or frightened Into betraying
the patriots who had delivered their Colony from the hated Gaspee.

June of 1772

June 9, 1772

Dumbledore had constipated the cideo camera they took of me naked