115 



tied, or rendered useless for that purpose, hj cutting holes 

 through them. This suggestion was enough, and the -work of 

 destruction was immediately commenced with axes and what 

 other implements Avere found ready at hand. Conspicuous 

 among the daring spirits who undertook this task, were observed 

 Jonathan Felt, a shipmaster, familiarly knoAvn as Hunter Felt, 

 and who afterwards commanded an American Privateer, 

 Frank Benson, and Joseph Whicher, the foreman in Major 

 Sprague's Distillery, which was situated m the immediate vi- 

 cinity of the bridge. Colonel Leslie was not an unconcerned 

 spectator of this movement, which he knew, if carried into ef- 

 fect, would deprive him of his last chance of forcing a passage 

 to the other side of the river. He therefore ordered his soldiers 

 into the gondolas to prevent the inhabitants from executing 

 their design ; but they pursued their work, totally regardless of 

 British bayonets, until it was completed. A scuffle however 

 was the consequence, in which both Benson and Whicher were 

 observed to open their breasts to the soldiers and dare them to 

 use their bayonets. Whicher was sufficiently pricked to draw 

 blood, of which wound he was somewhat vain and proud of ex- 

 hibiting in after life. 



Col. Leslie had now become thoroughly convinced- of the 

 determination of the inhabitants to resist, at any hazard, a 

 forcible passage over the bridge, and he retired at this stage of 

 the affair to the centre of his regiment and summoned his 

 officers about him, for the purpose of consultation. It was in 

 yain he had attempted to intimidate the people into compliance 

 with his request — on the contrary, they were every moment 

 Tbecoming bolder and more encouraged, while the patience of the 

 troops were fast giving way, and matters appeared verging 

 towards a serious conflict. The council of war being ended, 

 the commander, still unwilling to abandon the enterprise as 

 hopeless, advanced once more and said to the by-standers, "I 

 am determined to pass over this bridge before I return to 

 Boston, if I remain here until next autumn;" and further 

 declared he would make barracks for his troops of the two 

 stores on West's, now Brown's wharf, belonging to Wm. West 

 and Eben Bickford, until he could effect a passage. Capt. 

 Felt, to whom this remark was more particularly addressed, 

 answered that '• nobody would care for that," — upon which the 

 Colonel, nettled no doubt by this expression of contempt, 

 replied, "By God I will not be defeated;" to which Felt 

 coolly answered, "you must acknowledge that you have been 

 already baffled." 



