Tbe Burning 0f Rea Tavern, Topsfield, October, 1836. A paper prepared by Mrs. T. K. Leach and read before the Topsfield Historical Society, Friday evening, April 5tb, 1895. In the year 1836, Mr. Leach and myself were married and came to Topsfield the second day of May. We moved into Mr. Fred Perley’s new house, the one owned by Mr. Andrew Gould today. In the house lived four families; in the upper tenements lived the families of Nehemiah Balch and Joseph Lovett, and Dea. John Wright, aud our family occupied the low- er floor. Mr. John Wright manufactured shoes and employed mauy men, some of whom he boarded In his own family. Of the many who lived in the house at that time, I know ol but two besides myself who ate alive today, Mr. David Adams of Lynu, and Mr. Nehemiah Balch’s sou Charles of Lowell, who was a mere child three years old, at that time. On the opposite side of the street from which we lived, stood the Rea tavern, which was a large two-story square house, a barn or stable owned by Mr. John Rea, aud a two-story building, which was occupied by the firm o' Herrick & Perkins (Charles Herrick & Amos Perkius) in the manufacture of shoes. At the time of which I write, we were all youug and lull of life, and the calls we made on one another were numerous aud not very ceremonious. I often ran across the street to see Eliza Bradstreet, the house-keeper of Mr. John Rea, and Betsey Gould, the maid servant, who afterwards became Mrs. Samuel Adams. As Mr. Rea was a widower and Eliza his house keeper, we often joked with Eliza at the prospect of her becoming Mrs. Rea, which Eliza would promptly resent. Betsey was not slow, and with what aid I could give her, we made the tavein ring with laughter and mirth. Now, about the fire which consumed the tavein, stable aud sfioe factory, in the fall of the year 1836. I was awaken- ed one Monday morning in October, about one o’clock, by a noise, arousing my husband, who sprang up and looking out of the window, said, ‘-We are all afire,’' I asked him if I had time to dress, aud he said, “It is Rea’s,” aud gave the alaim in the house, which was alive instantly. I went to the front room and looked out, and the flames weie just bursting out of the Northwest end of the taveru, and no one was astir but the hostler, Joseph Hastings, who was in the act of leading out one of the horses. Mr. Rea had two, both of which were led out, but one rushed back aud peiished.zz Mr. Hastings slept in the attic or the tavern next to the barn, and being sud- denly awakened spang from his bed and rushed down stairs and in his descent his first impulse was to awaken the inmates. Opening the door of a side room occupied by Mr. Rea’s brother’s family to give the alarm, he was si rpris- ed to see Mr. Rea dressed in his Sunday clothes, with that huge black hreasi pin od, of which so much was said in ihe trial which followed, a dress which people remarked about as hardly fitting in which to fight a fire. Mrs. Rea was dressed in a flannel night gown, a gar- ment which her husband, who said he could not tell what would happen before morning, had advised her to wear. This was testified to by Mrs. Charles H. Holmes iu the court, being so informed by Mrs. Rea. Mr. Rea had packed his trunk, which he look up to Mr. Moses Wildes’ house, and threw into the window by the end door. Mr. Hastings then opened the door to Eliza’s room ; she was fast asleep with Mr. Rea’s little son. In no time the whole village was aroused, and a man was despatched on horse back to Salem for an engine and ladders, which came with all due speed. The engine was attached to the town well (t e one in use today,) and strange to say, it never sucked air but once. Rev. McEwen stood guard over the well, that no water should be wasted. Mr. Samuel Gould’s two wells and Capt. Munday's one supplitd all the water used at the fiie.zz The house in which we lived was in constant peril, aud the manner in which we saved it was by carrying tubs ol water to the attic and taking the clothes stripped from the bed, putting them into the tubs, and laying them thoroughly saturated with water on the roof and keeping them so until the engine arrived from Salem.zz Mr. Perley’s other house (now Mr J. B. Poor’s) was used by Mr. Perley’s brother Nat and himself as a variety store; it was filled with goods, and in his anxiety to save it, Nat, who went to the roof for that purpose, slipped and fell to the L, injuring himself seriously. Mr. Benjamin Kimball had nearly finished his house, and with shavings and boards lying around the ground it seemed almost sure of destruction, but the time- ly arrival of the engine and ladders, which brought a large number of canvas sails, saved that and the other building. W hen I came from the attic after assist- Ing in wetting the blankets, I met Mr. Perley at the foot of the stairs; he said that we must clear the house as it was sure to go, we could not save it. I commenced to pack; I took a very large band box, (large enough to hold a dozen bon- nets like those worn now a-days) and put into it. my dinner-set, comprising two dozen cups and saucers, milk pitcher, sugar bowl, two dozen plates, glass cup- plaies, and preserve dishes, lhat filled the box. This I did in my parlor, and took them to the outer door. Then some- body said, “Here, Mrs. Leach, let me take the basket.” Of this I was thankful, it was so heavy. The man carried it to Mr. Benjamin Kimball’s land, and just as he was in the act of setting it down, out came the bottom of the box. I was fort- unate in this accident, as but two glass dishes were broken, a fact which I dis- covered when I went to get them after the danger from the fire had passed. I was thoroughly sui prised, however, to find lhat I could not lift the box, try as hard as I could, when I attempted to take it into the bouse. We got it back ai last, aud as they were bringing it in, a terrible crash came. I thought my dishes had gone at last, but it happened to be the ladder that went through the window as they were taking them hom the bouse. Many amusing things occurred while we were preparing to leave the house. I wanted to save my milk pitcher, so turned the milk which it contained on the floor. Mis. Balch, iu saving her linen, tied it up in a sheet, and her camphor-bottle she emptied into the siDk, and the odor of camphor was piesent with us long after the fire. I looked for my wedding- dress, which was a lavender silk, and found it in the wood-basket, and a rug tucked into a bureau drawer. So after the fire, as in allcountry towns, things quieted down and we thought but little ahoui it till the next Sunday morn- ing, when my husband came in and said, ‘‘Two men were hung last night on the sign-post.” I had another scare, but he laughed and added, “only in effigy.” I went to the front window and sure enough, there hung what appeared to be two men ; one had on a breast pin made of leather, which was conspicuous by its immensity. Our good raau Samuel Hood, learning of this, and as it was our good old New England Sabbath when all were expected to go to church, hurried to the scene with ladder in hand, and soon brought them to the ground, and laid them away. Other eyes saw this, and when the opportunity came, as it did after the people were in church, brought out the deposed effigies, and laid them across the wall that fronted the burnt district. Of course the fire was the one them*' talked about for a long time, aud it leaked out that Rea found a letter threat- ening him if he continued his visits to see Ann Sawyer, thathis buildings would be burnt over his head. He said that he picked the letter ap on returning from one of his visits to the lady, and that he also knew who wrote it. People remarked very generally that it was high time such folks were brought to justice, and if he or his brother Samuel knew who it was that did such a thing, he should be brought out in a trial It became so un- comfortable for those immediately inter ested that a warrant was sworn out. and Eliza Bradstreet was arrested by Sheriff Sprague of Salem on a charge of arson. Pars m McEwen tendered to the Sheriff his house (now owned by Mrs. Ephraim Peabody), while he had Eliza in charge, which was accepted by them. They remained there during the whole trial. The court assembled in the upper part of the Academy building, and lasted elev- en days. J. W. Proctor, Esq., of South Danvers presided. Ashael Huntington of Salem was counsel for the government and Leveret Saltonstall, Esq., of Salem, appeared for Eliza. The attorneys King and Mack of Salem assisted in the trial, but in what capacity I am unable to write. There was little work done at home ; every lady in the town attended court. I was there every day. Mr. Huntington made the opening address, during which he held aloft the letter that Mr. John Rea said that he had found, and in a high and powerful voice, declared that he should prove the charge by it. she, Eliza, having gone over it with her pen after it was written, which was called “painting.” Mr. Samuel Rea had the severest examination. I think he was on the stand four or five days, and that beautiful breast-pin was often alluded to. The trial waxed warm and bitter, last- ing, as I have written, eleven days, days that, as the sun went down, grew darker and darker for Eliza, but confidence in his client, aud satisfaction in the result that he would prove to the world that Eliza Bradstreet was innocent of the charge of arson, — a charge actuated by selfish and unkind motives, — spurred on Saltonstall. The thunder clap came when her brother took the stand, and in answer to the question. “Did your sister ever write to you?” replied with an em- phatic “No.” “Did she give any rea- son?” continued Saltonstall, to which he replied, “Yes.” “Dear brother, my will is good enough, but I cannot write.” Others testified to this fact, which ap- peared to be the deciding point in the trial. Wheu the trial was ended, the court adjourned to the church for the closing pleas. Two days elapsed before we got the verdict, but on the morning or the 4th of March, 1837, Eliza Bradstreet was acquitted of the charge of arson. The verdict was, “Could not sustain the charge.” The bells pealed forth the joyful news. It was the day that President Van Buren was inaugurated, and people out of town thought Topsfield was getting unusually patriotic.zz In closing this paper, I will say that this is written from memory, aud not from notes. I do not think that I have misquoted anyone, or misstated any of the facts. Of the principals in this fa- mous trial, — a trial which was never re- corded save by Him who knoweth all things that are done in this earth, — I will say that Mr. John Rea married Ann Sawyer, and moved to the British Prov- inces, and Eliza Bradstreet became Mrs. Silas Cochrane.