. New England; a human interest geographical reader. inkables. On the Beacon Street side there used to be a WishingStone. The young people would walk around it ninetimes, then stand on it, or sit down on it, and wishes would come true if they did not tell anyone what they had wished. One of the most tragic incidents in the history of theCommon occurred in the summer of 1728 when twoyoung men fought a midnight duel on it. The elderwas a booksellers son. The younger, who was only 66 New England twenty, was the son of a clergyman. They quarrelledover cards at a tavern, and resorted to
. New England; a human interest geographical reader. inkables. On the Beacon Street side there used to be a WishingStone. The young people would walk around it ninetimes, then stand on it, or sit down on it, and wishes would come true if they did not tell anyone what they had wished. One of the most tragic incidents in the history of theCommon occurred in the summer of 1728 when twoyoung men fought a midnight duel on it. The elderwas a booksellers son. The younger, who was only 66 New England twenty, was the son of a clergyman. They quarrelledover cards at a tavern, and resorted to the Common,where they fought with swords. The younger fell,mortally wounded. The other took refuge on a frigatein the harbor which sailed at daybreak for he died of grief within a year. The Common had a gallows on it and was a place ofpublic execution. Pirates have been hung there, andQuakers have suffered the death penalty for theirfaith. When the British troops were quartered in thetown, at least one of them was shot on the Common by. Boston Common a file of his comrades for deserting. All these victims lie somewhere beneath the sod there in unknown graves. Near the centre of the Common is a stone-rimmed body of water known as the Frog Pond. The old-time Boston, Old and New 67 Boston boys used to slide down hill on to this pond,and they heaped up the snow to make a steeper before the Revolution, the English soldiers whowere camped on the Common destroyed the slidesagain and again while the boys were gone to boys protested in vain to the soldiers, and thenwent to their general and complained. He askedwho sent them. Nobody sent us, sir, one of them replied. Yoursoldiers have spoiled our snow-slides and broken theice where we skate. When we complained to them,they called us young rebels, and told us to help our-selves if we could. Now we will bear it no longer. The general turned to an officer and exclaimed,Good heavens! the very children dra
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Keywords: ., bookauthorjohnsonclifton1865194, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910
