The town of Roxbury: its memorable persons and places, its history and antiquities, with numerous illustrations of its old landmarks and noted personages . s that bring in voats forothers, and if they see Ne(e)d they may look over every mans per-tikuler voats that so no decaite may be used for corrupting ourelections, and these only to be the men to looke over the voats fromyeare to yeare. TOWN WATCH. 263 The instructions to the town watch, which was set at ninep. m. and dismissed at five a. m., have a little of the Dogber-rian flavor: — ••If after ten oclock they see lights, to inquire if the
The town of Roxbury: its memorable persons and places, its history and antiquities, with numerous illustrations of its old landmarks and noted personages . s that bring in voats forothers, and if they see Ne(e)d they may look over every mans per-tikuler voats that so no decaite may be used for corrupting ourelections, and these only to be the men to looke over the voats fromyeare to yeare. TOWN WATCH. 263 The instructions to the town watch, which was set at ninep. m. and dismissed at five a. m., have a little of the Dogber-rian flavor: — ••If after ten oclock they see lights, to inquire if there be war-rantable cause; and if they hear any noise or disorder, wisely todemand the reason; if they are dancing and singing vainly, to ad-monish them to cease; if they do not discontinue after moderateadmonition, then the constable to take their names and acquaintthe authorities therewith. If they find young men and maidens not of known fidelitywalking after ten oclock modestly to demand the cause, and if theyappear ill-minded to watch them narrowly, command them to go totheir lodirins:-. and if thev refuse, then to secure them till All towns were required by law to be provided with stocksand a whipping-post. Theslocks were a wooden frame ofsmall timber that could be openedor shut, wherein persons disor-derly on Sabbath or townmeetings were confined during,meeting as a punishment for mis-behavior. This, as well as the•cage. or place of detention for persons arrested, was near the meeting-house. In 1692the watch-house was in the town street, and it was voted intown meeting that one should be built on Meeting-House Hill. A constantly recurring subject and a prolific source of con-tention at town meetings was the running at large of cattle,swine, etc. A vote against turkeys going at large waspassed in 1656, though not without an earnest protest beingrecorded, it being ordered •• that they shall be counted tres-passers in come, as liable to pay damages as we
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