| Citation |
CG-NL.769.022
24 Mar 1769:12 (280)
Boston. Jan. The Court Concert of Wednesday evening was,
it seems, turned topsy-turvy, as Jone the Italian's was a
week or two before. Some officers of the army were for a
little dancing after the music, and being told that Governor
Bernard did not approve of their proposal, they were for
sending him to eat his bread and cheese, and otherwise
treated him as if he had been only a mimick Governor; they
then called out to the band to play the Yanke Doodle tune,
or the Wild Irishman, and not being gratified they grew
noisy and clamorous; the candles were then extinguished,
which instead of checking, completed the confusion to the no
small terror of those of the weaker sex, who made part of
the company. The old honest music master, Mr. Deblois, was
roughly handled by one of those sons of Mars; he was
actually throatled, but timeously rescued by one who soon
threw the officer on lower ground that he at first stood
upon; the inoffensive Bartholomew Greene, who keeps the
house for the Commissioners, presuming to hint a
disapprobation of such proceedings, was by an officer, with
a drawn sword, dragged about the floor by the hair of his
head, and his honest Abigail, who in a fright, made her
appearance without a head-dress, was very lucky in escaping
her poor husband's fate. Whether our G----r will so resent
this behaviour of the military, as to collect affidavits,
and make it a subject of representation to Lord H--sb---gh,
cannot as yet be determined; be this as it may, Mr. Deblois
has acted in character, having delivered up the room, which
he held from the Commissioners, returned the subscription
money, and wisely determined not to give another concert,
until he should again have it in his power to preserve order
and decency in such an assembly.
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