Time Traveler
I arrive in Boston in late 1750. It looks nothing like the modern Boston I have visited. I am surprised at how crude and underdeveloped it seems, but of course there will be no big buildings. It is, however, bustling here near the waterfront. Large sailing ships are docked at the wharves or anchored in the harbor. Stevedores haul cargo on or off the ships. I wander around enjoying the sights, sounds, and even smells. So this is what colonial America was like!
I notice a handbill posted on the wall of a building. It reads: "REWARD £10 for the return of a Negroe slave. He is named Crispas of sturdy physike and was last seen wearing a brown muslin shirt and black wool trousers. He is believed to be seeking work in the Boston harbour. Return to owner William Brown of Framingham." I cannot abide slavery so I tear the handbill down and stuff it in my pocket. A dark-skinned man nearby sees me do this and a panicked look takes over his features. Could this be the very slave? He starts to flee but I rush over to him and cut off his path.
"Are you Crispas?" I say. "You have nothing to fear from me. I tore down that handbill so that no one would be looking for you."
"Thank you, sir. Yes, I am Crispus, Crispus Attucks. I am a free man, but I worked for Mr. Brown and he is now claiming I am his slave."
Crispus Attucks! I realize he is the same man who will later be killed in the Boston Massacre, a true American hero. I must see that he reaches safety so he can fulfill his historical destiny. I once read that he escaped Brown and his slavery by working as a stevedore and sailor. I offer to help him in any way I can.
He shows me a piece of paper and tells me that Miss Polly, Brown's daughter, helped him escape. She secured the name of a shipowner who will give Crispus a job working aboard his vessel. She wrote it in code in case he was captured, as the consequences for the captain could be dire if he was found to be harboring an escaped slave. Crispus explained that he can read a little, but he didn't fully understand how to decode the message. I agree to try to decipher it. It reads:
VT HT HEW ZTGHTD EYXZTIX YDL GWWB TIH HEW GERQ ATSSM ATED. PYQHYRD EWDXM ZYBWX JRSS WCQSTM MTI. VTTL SIPB.
I notice a handbill posted on the wall of a building. It reads: "REWARD £10 for the return of a Negroe slave. He is named Crispas of sturdy physike and was last seen wearing a brown muslin shirt and black wool trousers. He is believed to be seeking work in the Boston harbour. Return to owner William Brown of Framingham." I cannot abide slavery so I tear the handbill down and stuff it in my pocket. A dark-skinned man nearby sees me do this and a panicked look takes over his features. Could this be the very slave? He starts to flee but I rush over to him and cut off his path.
"Are you Crispas?" I say. "You have nothing to fear from me. I tore down that handbill so that no one would be looking for you."
"Thank you, sir. Yes, I am Crispus, Crispus Attucks. I am a free man, but I worked for Mr. Brown and he is now claiming I am his slave."
Crispus Attucks! I realize he is the same man who will later be killed in the Boston Massacre, a true American hero. I must see that he reaches safety so he can fulfill his historical destiny. I once read that he escaped Brown and his slavery by working as a stevedore and sailor. I offer to help him in any way I can.
He shows me a piece of paper and tells me that Miss Polly, Brown's daughter, helped him escape. She secured the name of a shipowner who will give Crispus a job working aboard his vessel. She wrote it in code in case he was captured, as the consequences for the captain could be dire if he was found to be harboring an escaped slave. Crispus explained that he can read a little, but he didn't fully understand how to decode the message. I agree to try to decipher it. It reads:
VT HT HEW ZTGHTD EYXZTIX YDL GWWB TIH HEW GERQ ATSSM ATED. PYQHYRD EWDXM ZYBWX JRSS WCQSTM MTI. VTTL SIPB.