1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Holy Smokes. 2 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to the show, Ridiculous Historians. You could have been 3 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: anywhere in the world today, but you chose to be here, 4 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,160 Speaker 1: and for that we are grateful. My name is Ben, 5 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: my name is nol Ben. Have you ever been to 6 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: Rhode Island? I have multiple times. Yeah, I haven't. It 7 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: seems really small on the map, though, what's it like? 8 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,159 Speaker 1: It is? Uh, it is very small. Every time I've 9 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: been to Rhode Island, I've been driving through it, so 10 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: I've I've stopped at places that were convenient along the road, 11 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: but I have not spent any time there to one 12 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: of those places where you might you blink and you missed. 13 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: In super producer Casey Pegrum, have you ever been to 14 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:04,680 Speaker 1: Rhode Island? I have not. I was just saying off 15 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: Mike that a band, I like a lot lightning Bolt 16 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: comes from Rhode Island, and then I kind of associate 17 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 1: them or Rhode Island with Risdy and like all the 18 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 1: cool stuff that came out of the Rhode Island School 19 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: of Design. Right, A lot of bands, uh turns out 20 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: go to art school first. Yeah, I think David Byrne, Right, 21 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: maybe I think Seth McFarland from Family Guy went to 22 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 1: Rhode Island School of Design. Did he really is Cohogan 23 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: Rhode Island? I think it is, Yes, Rhode Island School 24 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: of Design, prestigious academic institution. Today's story for those of 25 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:45,680 Speaker 1: us following along at home, is one one more notch 26 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: in our quest. When we're step in our quest to 27 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 1: do an episode about all fifty states in the United States. 28 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: You see, years and years and years and years before 29 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:59,919 Speaker 1: the Rhode Island School of Design existed, there was something 30 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: called the Gasp be a Fair. This took place in 31 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: Rhode Island, and it's it's an historical incident of great 32 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: importance and has some funny parts of the story. But 33 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: it's a story that's unfamiliar to a lot of us 34 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: in the modern US. It's sometimes regarded as what the 35 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: first naval engagement of the American Revolution. Uh, It's sometimes 36 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 1: called Rhode Island's version of the Boston Tea Party. Right, 37 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: but what happened exactly? Before I tell you what happened, 38 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 1: I tell you some other notable rizz de alarms. The 39 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,920 Speaker 1: entire talking heads went to rizz D. I knew it, Yeah, 40 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: But apparently David Byrne only made it like a year 41 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: or something. That makes sense. He's to use too much 42 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,679 Speaker 1: of a kupta, follow the rules of an art institution. 43 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 1: And also we've got James Franco's perfect, Perfect Sam Hide, 44 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: Remember Sam Hid. Yeah, anyway, I'll tell you what happened 45 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 1: during the Gaspy affair. So the ship in question, the 46 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: gasp was hot on the trail of the Hannah, which 47 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:04,640 Speaker 1: was a smuggling ship from America, and it ran aground 48 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:10,079 Speaker 1: off of the nam Quit Point in Providences nar Anga 49 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: Sette Bay. Wow, that's a tough one. What do you 50 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:16,799 Speaker 1: think ben nar Ango, Sette Narain, Narragansett Boom. I'm going 51 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: with Narragansett, the Narragansett Bay. And that was on June nine. 52 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: Uh So John Brown, who's this American merchant um was 53 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: not feeling good about British taxes on on the things 54 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: that he was selling. So he rode out to the 55 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: gas Pop with some other guys colonists, and they took 56 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: over the ship. They got rid of the crew, and 57 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: then they set the ship on fire. When I say 58 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: got rid of, I don't mean that they killed them. 59 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: I just mean they escorted them off the vessel. Right, 60 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: So that's the that's the top level story, right, How 61 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: did we get here? The action kind of begins brewing 62 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: in seventeen sixty three. As a consequence of the French 63 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: and Indan War, England has gained control of Canada, Florida, 64 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: and the land west to the Mississippi River. To protect 65 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 1: these territories, the British need an army to you know, 66 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: they want to position an army along the frontier. It 67 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:18,799 Speaker 1: makes sense, but it also requires some cold, hard cash. 68 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: And because the British Crown doesn't want to have to 69 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 1: foot the bill itself, they go to the thirteen colonies 70 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,839 Speaker 1: of what would later become the United States and they say, 71 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: give us some scratch. The colonists say, heck no, how 72 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:37,360 Speaker 1: dare you? For two reasons. First, they said, why are 73 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 1: we gonna pay for an army on the border when 74 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: the British won't let us settle in these new lands again, 75 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,159 Speaker 1: they won't let us settle in Canada, Florida lands west 76 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: of the Mississippi. And then they said, second, why are 77 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: the British attempting to take more control over colonial trade 78 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 1: after they had already let us operate with a somewhat 79 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:04,040 Speaker 1: free hand for over a century, right, and then these 80 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: taxes are getting past in seventeen sixty four. People in 81 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: the colonies generally did not like paying taxes. Rhode Island 82 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: gets super pod about this because the taxes target commerce, 83 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: and this is a very small colony and other than 84 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,280 Speaker 1: the Bay, they don't have a lot going on. And 85 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 1: there was this whole practice that you might have read 86 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 1: about in history class called merketilism, where British colonies were 87 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: required or to only trade with England. And there had 88 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:40,919 Speaker 1: been sort of a kind of a grace period, I 89 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 1: guess where folks in ports cities like Newport and Providence, 90 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: um in Rhode Island had been making a fair amount 91 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 1: of money and trading with partners from all over the world. 92 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,840 Speaker 1: Now that was not going to be happening anymore. So 93 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: adding additional tax to this already kind of simmering situation 94 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,159 Speaker 1: of resentment was not a good thing. That's right. And 95 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 1: let's let's also paint the picture here. Rhode Island at 96 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 1: this time is a lot more edgy than the Rhode 97 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 1: Island of modern day. It's a notorious heighi hole for 98 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: smugglers and privateers, and people are evading taxes left and right. 99 00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: The British government are pretty much just attempting to enforce 100 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:23,239 Speaker 1: the law. Granted it is a law that they made 101 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: without much say so from the colonists. So they passed 102 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 1: specifically the Sugar Act, and then they bring six ships 103 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:37,279 Speaker 1: across the pond two enforce this act, and one of 104 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: these vessels as a vessel called the Gaspy. The people 105 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:45,720 Speaker 1: of Rhode Island did not dig the enforcement of these 106 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 1: new laws. Uh. They attacked the HMS St. John in 107 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: seventeen sixty four. Five years later they burned the HMS Liberty, 108 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: a customship as it was in Newport Harbor, and by 109 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:03,719 Speaker 1: seventeen seventy to the gas b is a known problem 110 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: in the bay because they are almost working on commission. 111 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:12,160 Speaker 1: They want to collect as much custom that as much 112 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: taxation as they can because they get a slice of 113 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: the pie. And a lot of this goes back to 114 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:24,560 Speaker 1: a guy named Lieutenant William Duddingston. That's such a weird name. Uh, 115 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: I was going to pronounce it. Yeah, he feels like 116 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 1: it dud to me though. So he was the commander 117 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 1: of the gas and he was the one making the 118 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: call to be as aggressive as the gasby was, so 119 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: once they've moved up into the bay, his tactics really 120 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: start getting on the colonists nerves. He is hunting everybody ships, 121 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:53,679 Speaker 1: from you know, the large merchant traders who sail across 122 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 1: the ocean, to really small traders who are just kind 123 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: of going up the coastline, even down to people who 124 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 1: are just trying to make a been catching fish. He's 125 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:05,440 Speaker 1: a real pill. And they were even ordered to take 126 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 1: supplies from farmers in the area without asking them. They 127 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 1: were just stealing. It's not a good look, not a 128 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: good He was despised. He was universally despised, and rightly so. 129 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 1: So yeah, I mean and as time went on, um, 130 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: he kept using these really users, kind of mean spirited, 131 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:33,439 Speaker 1: aggressive tactics, and it kept rilling up these colonists and 132 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 1: it was really an untenable situation, right. Yes, even the 133 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 1: governors of colonies wrote to the British saying that the 134 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 1: Gap Speak crew was out of pocket. This is my 135 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: one of my favorite parts. Uh, this goes back for years. 136 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:54,439 Speaker 1: Seventeen seventy two, Governor Joseph Wanton says that in addition 137 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 1: to robbing the colonists, harassing them. They also insult the 138 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 1: colonist with quote the most abusive and contumelius language. Contumelius. 139 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: I'm not familiar with that word, but I think I 140 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:11,760 Speaker 1: will adopt that one for myself. Um so it's true. Yeah, 141 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:14,280 Speaker 1: kunchu melius c O N t U m E l 142 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: I O U s. And of course, as a guy 143 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: with the name like Dudingston, Duddingston would do. He refused, 144 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 1: and he kept this disruptive behavior going all throughout the 145 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:31,959 Speaker 1: Narragansett Bay. And then on June nine, the gaspet chooses 146 00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:35,960 Speaker 1: the wrong customer right, they try to stop and search 147 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:40,240 Speaker 1: the craft called the Hannah. The Hannah is a small 148 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:45,079 Speaker 1: trader from Newport. It's going from Newport to Providence. The 149 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:48,080 Speaker 1: captain of the Hannah as a fellow ben His name 150 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 1: is Benjamin Lindsay, and he says, first off, he says 151 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,640 Speaker 1: heck na, and then they say okay, and they fire 152 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 1: some warning shots and he goes, whoa super nah. And 153 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: then Lynn See lures Lieutenant Duddingston into an area off 154 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 1: of nam Quid Point. And this is there's a there's 155 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:14,119 Speaker 1: a method to the madness here. Because Captain Lindsay knows 156 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:18,840 Speaker 1: that this part of the bay will be very shallow 157 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 1: at the low tide, and by two o'clock the Gatsby 158 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:26,319 Speaker 1: is run aground, the Hannah races away making its escape, 159 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:30,079 Speaker 1: and then as soon as Lindsay gets to Providence, he 160 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 1: tells person we mentioned at the top, John Brown, what happened. 161 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 1: This is important because John Brown was probably the most 162 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:43,920 Speaker 1: well off man in the community, right he sure was. Alright. So, 163 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:46,520 Speaker 1: starting here, we're gonna give you a little bit of 164 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:49,520 Speaker 1: a re enactment type play by play that we got 165 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: from New England Historical Society dot com seventy two Gaspy 166 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:59,280 Speaker 1: Affair Road Islands tea party ship burned. So it starts 167 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:04,679 Speaker 1: with on ordering eight longboats to be delivered to Finner's wharf, 168 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:08,560 Speaker 1: and he wanted them to be treated in a certain way. 169 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 1: He wanted them to have silencers applied to their oars 170 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:15,680 Speaker 1: and oar locks. I can only imagine that that would 171 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: involve some sort of fabric or you know, some sort 172 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 1: of cushion that you would put there so they wouldn't 173 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: make those sounds. He then got a drummer, a little 174 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,560 Speaker 1: drummer boy, to go around the town and announce that 175 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:30,360 Speaker 1: the gaspe had run aground, and that anyone that wanted 176 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,920 Speaker 1: to get in on the destruction should go to the 177 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 1: home of one James Saban, who lived right next to 178 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:42,200 Speaker 1: Finner's Wharf. And this is where another player enters the game, 179 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:47,320 Speaker 1: Efrem Bowen. I don't know any efforts nowadays. Yeah, he's 180 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,720 Speaker 1: about nineteen years old, and he grabs his pops gun 181 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: and powder and shot and then he runs over to 182 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: James house and he sees there's a crowd of people around. 183 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: There are some people are working on musketballs in the kitchen, 184 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:04,000 Speaker 1: and then he sees his pal kid around his age 185 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 1: Joseph Buckland was there too, And just remember that guy 186 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:12,080 Speaker 1: for leader in the story. That night there's no moon, right, 187 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 1: it's really dark. So those muffled oars and oarlocks help 188 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 1: a lot. More than a hundred people row out in 189 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:24,080 Speaker 1: long boats to the gaspeet. Old Lieutenant Duddingston is awake 190 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:28,720 Speaker 1: and he leans over the gunwale. It sounds like he's 191 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: in his jammie's and he says, who goes there? And 192 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:36,920 Speaker 1: then this guy, Abraham Whipple says, I'm the Sheriff of 193 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:39,840 Speaker 1: the County of Kent. God you I have a warrant 194 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 1: to apprehend you. Damn you, so surrender mouth on this guy? 195 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:50,760 Speaker 1: Al Right, what happens next to Duddingston? No doubt taken 196 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:52,959 Speaker 1: aback by this? What's the word been? What kind of 197 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:57,920 Speaker 1: languagelius language? He clutched his pearls, but he would clutch 198 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,840 Speaker 1: something else in just a minute, because you see are pal. 199 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: Joseph Bucklin, who was standing aloft the main seat of 200 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,080 Speaker 1: that long bow, one of the longboats that was surrounding 201 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:12,559 Speaker 1: the ship, realized that he had Duddingston in his sights, right, 202 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: and so he be He calls to his buddy from 203 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 1: He calls him f E. I guess that's Feffy for sure. 204 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 1: F what have you? Uh? He says, reached we our 205 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 1: gun and I can kill that fellow. No, no, no doubt, 206 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,920 Speaker 1: he said, quite loudly, And uh it's true. Buckland then 207 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:29,560 Speaker 1: fired at Duddingston, hit him in the arm once and 208 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:33,440 Speaker 1: then the lower abdomen. Uh, And he exclaimed again, according 209 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 1: to this account, which I love, this language is delightful, 210 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:39,720 Speaker 1: I have killed the rascal. And that's when Duddington took 211 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:43,400 Speaker 1: a fall um and he thought, uh that he he 212 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:47,200 Speaker 1: was a goner. Yeah, I don't believe everything you see 213 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 1: in films and fictional television, even if someone has been 214 00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:55,439 Speaker 1: shot before, literally everyone on the planet is surprised and 215 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 1: horrified by the genuine pain of a gun shot. It's 216 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 1: always like the first time. So old Lieutenant Dudds thinks, 217 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:06,679 Speaker 1: this is it no more for the Dudster. The dudster 218 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:09,600 Speaker 1: bites the dust. Things like that. I'm sure he was thinking. 219 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:13,920 Speaker 1: And people in Rhode Island today will sometimes still celebrate 220 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 1: this shot, the shot fired by Buckland, as the first 221 00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: shot of the Revolutionary War. So the crewmen of the 222 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 1: Gatsby are captured and they're loaded onto these long boats 223 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 1: that have been surrounding them. This is shortly before dawn. 224 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:32,040 Speaker 1: They had left one boat and the leaders of the 225 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:35,360 Speaker 1: raid behind the Gatsby crew. The plan was to take 226 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: them to the cellar of a house and then uh 227 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:43,560 Speaker 1: Old Duddies. Lieutenant Duddies was taken separately to see a doctor. 228 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 1: He was not, in fact mortally wounded. Uh The leaders 229 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:52,360 Speaker 1: of the raid prominent Rhode Islanders like uh the opium 230 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:57,440 Speaker 1: and slave trade kingpin John Brown, wealthy student town Abraham Whipple, 231 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:02,280 Speaker 1: the foul mouth sheriff. They hang on then they start 232 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 1: going through stuff on the ship. Right, they go through 233 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:09,200 Speaker 1: Lieutenant Duddington's papers, and then right is picture. This is 234 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: so cinematic. Right as dawn is breaching the horizon, they 235 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 1: set fire to the gaspee, they board their long boat, 236 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:22,960 Speaker 1: and then they sail away while people are watching the show, 237 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 1: literally watching the show the way we watch fireworks. Because 238 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:29,800 Speaker 1: the ship doesn't just slowly burn. We have to remember 239 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:33,480 Speaker 1: this ship had gunpowder on it. So in the way 240 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 1: you see like a car, for example, in a movie, 241 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:38,080 Speaker 1: go off a cliff, it sits for a second and 242 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:40,680 Speaker 1: then explodes. That would never really happen with the car, 243 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 1: But a burning ship full of gunpowder, there's gonna be 244 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:46,240 Speaker 1: a boom. Just wait for it. It's gonna be fun. 245 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:53,560 Speaker 1: And this is where it takes a weird turn right 246 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 1: because it feels like the end of the story. That's 247 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: not quite the end, because you see the British is 248 00:15:59,880 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 1: the Porties were still around, They're still very much in play, 249 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:06,280 Speaker 1: and they decide we are going to investigate this gusts 250 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 1: be affair, and they opened a case on it June 251 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 1: tenth two and this case winds on for a year, 252 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: but it runs into a big problem. Despite the numerous 253 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: people who participated in the raid. Despite the many more 254 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: people who watched the ship burned down and explode, new 255 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:33,040 Speaker 1: one said they knew anything about what happened that night, 256 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: who was involved, how it happened. There was nobody would roll, 257 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 1: nobody would snitch. Everybody knew nothing. As soon as the 258 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: British came around. Yeah, and it wasn't even until America 259 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:48,520 Speaker 1: got independence from Britain that the real story came out, right, 260 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:51,320 Speaker 1: which is hilarious. Yeah, So here's the thing, the gasping 261 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:55,080 Speaker 1: affair we heard about Governor Joseph Wanton. He really was 262 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:57,760 Speaker 1: in hot water because he was a buddy of John 263 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 1: Brown and a simple theiser of the plight of the 264 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:03,960 Speaker 1: colonists and the merchants, right, Yeah, he was in this 265 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 1: rock and hard place situation because Governor Joseph Wanton was 266 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 1: also a wealthy merchant. He was friends with other wealthy 267 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 1: merchants like John Brown, a ring leader of the raid, 268 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:19,640 Speaker 1: and he sympathized with people other merchants in the colony. 269 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 1: And like these British customs officials are just jerks, they're 270 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 1: real heels. They are rude. They talked down to us. 271 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 1: But I don't want war with the British, says Governor Wanton. 272 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:36,360 Speaker 1: So he appointed, he's appointed chairman of the Royal Commission 273 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 1: of Inquiry. He does his best to soft pedal the investigation, 274 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:46,640 Speaker 1: to delay proceedings, to kind of play kate British authorities 275 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 1: like we're doing the best we can, will update you, etcetera. 276 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:54,240 Speaker 1: And everybody in Rhode Island is a united front. Nobody 277 00:17:54,359 --> 00:17:57,560 Speaker 1: is going to roll on these raiders. And that is 278 00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 1: why the official finding the committee was are you ready? 279 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:08,080 Speaker 1: This was undertaken by persons unknown. I love that expression 280 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 1: person is unknown, just in general. It's just kind of 281 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 1: ultimate absolution of let it go. It's up there with 282 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 1: Mistakes were made. Mistakes were indeed made, and you know, 283 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 1: we said Wanton was kind of looked at as a 284 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:26,320 Speaker 1: sympathizer because he was pals with with Brown and his family, um. 285 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:28,679 Speaker 1: But at the same time, when the American Revolution did 286 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 1: break out in seventeen seventy five, he was branded as 287 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:33,800 Speaker 1: a loyalist because he didn't want war with Britain. But 288 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:36,879 Speaker 1: he was actually a bit more neutral and that groundwork 289 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:40,800 Speaker 1: that he laid during the Gasping Affair sort of protected 290 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:44,119 Speaker 1: him from the Patriots when all hell broke loose, and 291 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,600 Speaker 1: they did not ransack his home as they would have 292 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:51,280 Speaker 1: with other governors. Yeah, they were. They were pretty much 293 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:53,880 Speaker 1: from what we can tell, during the course of the war, 294 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:59,119 Speaker 1: the patriots and the revolutionary forces. When it came to Wanton, 295 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:02,000 Speaker 1: they pretty much told him to just stay out of it, 296 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:04,680 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, mind your business, don't get 297 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,200 Speaker 1: in our way, and we won't get in yours. Thanks 298 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:09,639 Speaker 1: for having our back during that Gaspy thing, and it 299 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 1: did play a huge role. The possibility that the Gaspy 300 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,400 Speaker 1: Raiders could be sent to Britain and tried for treason 301 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:21,800 Speaker 1: and given the death penalty really scared the colonists, and 302 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: rightly so they started forming what they called committees of correspondence. 303 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 1: These things became kind of like shadow governments, and in 304 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,800 Speaker 1: a very real way, they were catalysts for what we 305 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:39,200 Speaker 1: call the American Revolution today. There's one last note to 306 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:42,560 Speaker 1: this story for everybody worried about our buddy, our pal 307 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:47,240 Speaker 1: the Dutters. He did survive. He had a close call, 308 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:50,680 Speaker 1: he did almost bleed to death, but he was saved. 309 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:55,960 Speaker 1: He continued his naval career and eventually he died a rich, 310 00:19:56,359 --> 00:20:00,840 Speaker 1: happy old man in Scotland. Not too at you know, 311 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:03,040 Speaker 1: there were there were a lot of hurt feelings. There 312 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:06,320 Speaker 1: was indeed a revolution, but in this city as televised. 313 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:09,600 Speaker 1: The revolution was not televised at that point, was though 314 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: at least probably there was a blog. I think there 315 00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:15,119 Speaker 1: was a blog that was also mainly based on recipes. 316 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 1: But to read the actual recipe you had to go 317 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:21,639 Speaker 1: through this uh five to tempt paragraph story about what 318 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:24,000 Speaker 1: the recipe meant. Oh, that's the worst, and then you 319 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: get to the part where it like says show more, 320 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:27,679 Speaker 1: and then it's a bunch of ads and then maybe 321 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,919 Speaker 1: under that you get the recipe. But we digress. This 322 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 1: is kind of a parallel event to the Boston tea 323 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:37,800 Speaker 1: party and that it represented Rhode Islands kind of we've 324 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:41,679 Speaker 1: had at moment, right, Yeah, and there's this there's something 325 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:47,520 Speaker 1: amazing to an inspirational about how communities can band together, 326 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:50,520 Speaker 1: you know, to to enforce what they see as justice. 327 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:54,280 Speaker 1: Because anybody at any point could have turned around and 328 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: given the British the evidence they needed for a species 329 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:01,720 Speaker 1: where three people have a hard time uh cooperating right 330 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,080 Speaker 1: in general, to have an entire community do that is 331 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:11,919 Speaker 1: impressive and astonishing. We hope that you enjoyed today's episode, 332 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: and we would like to hear from you. What are 333 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:19,960 Speaker 1: some more little known strange conflicts in American history that 334 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 1: you think your fellow listeners would enjoy. You can find 335 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:26,639 Speaker 1: us on Facebook, you can find us on Twitter. You 336 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:29,600 Speaker 1: can find us on Instagram, not just as a show, 337 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:34,320 Speaker 1: but as individuals. I am Ben Bolan on Instagram having 338 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:38,200 Speaker 1: various uh strange adventures, and I am Ben Bolen hsw 339 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:41,200 Speaker 1: on Twitter. You can find me at how Now, Noel 340 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:43,880 Speaker 1: Brown on Instagram. I've got a Twitter, but I don't 341 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:45,439 Speaker 1: really use it. I just use it to creep on 342 00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:49,520 Speaker 1: other Twitters, which is a legitimate use of Twitter. And also, 343 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:52,640 Speaker 1: have you ever seen have you ever seen those uh 344 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:57,040 Speaker 1: parody accounts where the idea is the American Revolution but 345 00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,359 Speaker 1: with Twitter, like what founding fathers would have said Twitter, 346 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:03,320 Speaker 1: It's hilarious. I do follow a Frederick Nietzsche account though, 347 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:05,600 Speaker 1: so it's probably along those lens. Yeah, yeah, I can 348 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:09,720 Speaker 1: see that too, as always thinks to super producer Casey Pegram, 349 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 1: as well as Alex Williams, who composed that banging track 350 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,119 Speaker 1: you hear at the beginning of every episode. Thanks to 351 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:20,240 Speaker 1: research associate Gabe lose Here, and our good buddy Ryan Barrish, 352 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 1: who continues to give us a hand and hopefully we're 353 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:26,040 Speaker 1: hearing from very soon thanks to Christopher haciotis here in spirit. 354 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:29,439 Speaker 1: I have a surprise for you. Know, I did not 355 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:32,560 Speaker 1: tell you about for a while. We've both been traveling 356 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:34,639 Speaker 1: a lot, so it took me a second. As you know, 357 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:39,399 Speaker 1: circumstances found me in Japan. Uh and as I like 358 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:41,879 Speaker 1: to do when I get a chance, I got you 359 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:47,760 Speaker 1: a souvenir. Se casey, I got you something too, but 360 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:51,880 Speaker 1: I didn't bring it with me today. Words. It's a hat, 361 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:56,120 Speaker 1: it says Nagoya. It's a sport cap of the snapback 362 00:22:56,160 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 1: of variety, and it has a lovely little stylized Japanese 363 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:04,840 Speaker 1: a fish dragon creature on the side, and it's just lovely. Ben. Well, 364 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:07,719 Speaker 1: there you go, switching it out right now, right, all right? 365 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 1: But yeah, yeah, I hope you enjoyed. Don't feel obligated. 366 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 1: You don't have to. I just thought of you when 367 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:17,120 Speaker 1: I thought I had. It's in the sound of meat, 368 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:20,159 Speaker 1: making it very large for my large head. Can I 369 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:24,280 Speaker 1: here it goes? Oh it's still too Nope, still too small. No, No, 370 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:25,720 Speaker 1: I've got I've got to put it on the last 371 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 1: little click here because quite alright, it's still a little tight. 372 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 1: Maybe it's for eating. No, it's perfect. There's like a 373 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:34,040 Speaker 1: little splash of color on the brim to a little 374 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:37,359 Speaker 1: splash of color. Yeah, yeah, all right, yea is it hypercolor? Yeah, 375 00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:41,640 Speaker 1: it is kind of iridescence, like the scales of a 376 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,359 Speaker 1: Japanese dragonfish. There you go, Thank you very much, but 377 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:51,639 Speaker 1: I love it. We'll see you next time Fox. For 378 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:53,880 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart 379 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:56,800 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your 380 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:57,560 Speaker 1: favorite shows.