grown into adulthood and the time has come for us to make our own way in the world, independent of Great Britain."
“Amen to that!" said Edes and several voices joined him in chorus.
"But must it come to war'?" said Otis. "Gentlemen." he said. rising to his feet, "there is no more noble society on earth than that of Britain! Why, we are all of us Englishmen! True. I will admit, we have had our disagreements with our mother country, but surely these disagreements can be settled without resort to—"
"Oh, do sit down. Jemmy," Hancock said softly, in a weary tone.
"I have the right to speak!"
"Sit down. Jemmy." said Bill Campbell. "Sam has the floor.
Amid a chorus of "Sit down. Jemmy! Sit down!" Otis reluctantly resumed his scat and fixed a morose gaze upon the punch bowl. He said nothing more. but his lips moved silently.
"There was a time. Jemmy," said Adams. Sadly, "when your fire was the brightest flame among us. But now the time is past for speeches. And the time is long past for talk of reconciliation. English we may be, by law, but when we are denied our rights as Englishmen under England's law, then that law has ceased to serve us. Englishmen we may be. but Americans we must become!"
"Well said, well said!"
"Spoken like a patriot!"
"Enough." said Adams. As I have said, the time is past for speeches. We must free ourselves from England. but England will never willingly let us go. It is our duty, gentlemen, to prepare the populace for what must come. We must gain their sympathy and unite them to our cause. But we cannot hope to do so if we should stoop to murder.
There must be no killing
.'
"There has already been killing," said John Winslow.
"And we must not add to it," said Adams. "Tell that to Macintosh and Swift."
said Edes "They are not men to turn the other check. Sam.”
"No one asks them to turn the other cheek. Ben," Adams said. "The murderers must be found and brought to justice. Aye, let them hang, but let them be tried for murder in a court of law and be brought to their punishment by jury! We must have no lynching by the mob! There are those in England, gentlemen, who are sympathetic to our cause. They will not long remain so if we start to murder our own citizens. Boston sets an example for all the other colonies. Their eyes are all upon us. Already, there are many who decry our methods, who condemn mob violence, as we must openly condemn it. You saw how the people at the town responded when the mob destroyed Hutchinson's house. What will they say of us if we start to murder Tories? Governor Bernard has petitioned General Gage for troops. Would you play into his hands by giving Gage a reason to dispatch them?"
“The troops may well be sent in any case," said Church, sourly.
"Then let them come as a further affront against our liberties." said Adams, not as protection for the citizenry against roving killers in the night. How can we cry out, in indignation, that the Tories murder freedom-loving men if we respond in kind? I say again, the killers must be found and brought to justice.
Our hands must remain clean in this affair.
“But how are we to find the murderers?" asked Cooper.
"Aye, where does a man look to find a ghost?" asked someone else.
"I have never heard of a ghost who was political," said Adams, wryly. "Rest assured, gentlemen, this mysterious so-called 'headless horsemen' we've all heard of is made of flesh and blood.
Tory
flesh and blood. He is someone with the wit to hide his face so that he remains unknown and, doubtless, he has Tory confederates to help him. We must find out who they are so that they may be punished for their crime."
“But how are we to find out who they are, Sam?" Hancock asked. "Of whom can we make our inquiries? I hardly think that the Tories shall share anything they know with us. The sympathies of every man who is present in this room are well known to all of them,"
"Not every man," said Hunter. "They do not know my friends here."
"Nor, for that
“Amen to that!" said Edes and several voices joined him in chorus.
"But must it come to war'?" said Otis. "Gentlemen." he said. rising to his feet, "there is no more noble society on earth than that of Britain! Why, we are all of us Englishmen! True. I will admit, we have had our disagreements with our mother country, but surely these disagreements can be settled without resort to—"
"Oh, do sit down. Jemmy," Hancock said softly, in a weary tone.
"I have the right to speak!"
"Sit down. Jemmy." said Bill Campbell. "Sam has the floor.
Amid a chorus of "Sit down. Jemmy! Sit down!" Otis reluctantly resumed his scat and fixed a morose gaze upon the punch bowl. He said nothing more. but his lips moved silently.
"There was a time. Jemmy," said Adams. Sadly, "when your fire was the brightest flame among us. But now the time is past for speeches. And the time is long past for talk of reconciliation. English we may be, by law, but when we are denied our rights as Englishmen under England's law, then that law has ceased to serve us. Englishmen we may be. but Americans we must become!"
"Well said, well said!"
"Spoken like a patriot!"
"Enough." said Adams. As I have said, the time is past for speeches. We must free ourselves from England. but England will never willingly let us go. It is our duty, gentlemen, to prepare the populace for what must come. We must gain their sympathy and unite them to our cause. But we cannot hope to do so if we should stoop to murder.
There must be no killing
.'
"There has already been killing," said John Winslow.
"And we must not add to it," said Adams. "Tell that to Macintosh and Swift."
said Edes "They are not men to turn the other check. Sam.”
"No one asks them to turn the other cheek. Ben," Adams said. "The murderers must be found and brought to justice. Aye, let them hang, but let them be tried for murder in a court of law and be brought to their punishment by jury! We must have no lynching by the mob! There are those in England, gentlemen, who are sympathetic to our cause. They will not long remain so if we start to murder our own citizens. Boston sets an example for all the other colonies. Their eyes are all upon us. Already, there are many who decry our methods, who condemn mob violence, as we must openly condemn it. You saw how the people at the town responded when the mob destroyed Hutchinson's house. What will they say of us if we start to murder Tories? Governor Bernard has petitioned General Gage for troops. Would you play into his hands by giving Gage a reason to dispatch them?"
“The troops may well be sent in any case," said Church, sourly.
"Then let them come as a further affront against our liberties." said Adams, not as protection for the citizenry against roving killers in the night. How can we cry out, in indignation, that the Tories murder freedom-loving men if we respond in kind? I say again, the killers must be found and brought to justice.
Our hands must remain clean in this affair.
“But how are we to find the murderers?" asked Cooper.
"Aye, where does a man look to find a ghost?" asked someone else.
"I have never heard of a ghost who was political," said Adams, wryly. "Rest assured, gentlemen, this mysterious so-called 'headless horsemen' we've all heard of is made of flesh and blood.
Tory
flesh and blood. He is someone with the wit to hide his face so that he remains unknown and, doubtless, he has Tory confederates to help him. We must find out who they are so that they may be punished for their crime."
“But how are we to find out who they are, Sam?" Hancock asked. "Of whom can we make our inquiries? I hardly think that the Tories shall share anything they know with us. The sympathies of every man who is present in this room are well known to all of them,"
"Not every man," said Hunter. "They do not know my friends here."
"Nor, for that
Similar Books
