| Citation |
VGW(HU.769.036
27 Apr 1769:13 (936)
Boston, February 22. Some lines in verse appeared in
Messrs. Edes and Gill's Gazette of last Monday, being a few
lively remarks on a song handed about in manuscript, in
which the characters of some young ladies in town, were
treated with great indelicacy; the same day one L---t S---n,
of the 14th regiment, came with another officer to the
printers, and pretended that he was some how pointed out
therein, as the person who had satyrized those ladies, and
demanded the author's name; which was not given him; he
returned the next morning and claimed a promise of one of
the printers that he should have it.-- The printer then told
him, that he should not comply with his demand, as it would
be an infringement of the liberty of the press, which should
be as free for him as for any other.-- Or that if he still
thought himself injur'd the law was open, and he might seek
his redress, upon which he uttered many threatnings, and
swore that he would come the next morning, and if
satisfaction was not given him he would take it himself of
the printer; he accordingly kept to his promise in the first
particular, but prudently broke it in the second; otherwise
he would soon have been convinced, that there were some
persons among us who could as well defend liberty of the
press as they had before maintained the rules and orders of
a coffee-house.
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