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Midnight Passage of the Massachusetts Spy

Isaiah Thomas preparing the move of his press to Worcester from his jeopardized Union Street printing shop, April 16, 1775 Painting By D. W. Roth

BOSTON, April 19, 1775
After safely sending his press off to Worcester, late into the night of April 16th, Isaiah Thomas remained in or near the Boston area.
The following morning on April 19th, before dawn, Thomas and fellow revolutionary Dr. Joseph Warren crossed the Charles River to Charles Town. There they met with other revolutionaries, then Thomas “hastened to Lexington where, according to one of his friends, he joined the militia at day break”.

Soon after in Worcester, when Thomas set up The Massachusetts Spy printing office, on May 3rd he wrote his account of the battle of Lexington - making him the nation’s first war correspondent.

Isaiah Thomas’s historical and fiery article read as follows:

"AMERICANS! Forever bear in mind the BATTLE OF LEXINGTON - where British Troops, unmolested and unprovoked, wantonly, in a most inhuman manner fired upon and killed a number of our countrymen, then robbed them of their provisions, ransacked, plundered and burnt their houses! Nor could the tears of defenseless women, some of whom were in the pains of childbirth and cries of helpless babes, nor the prayers of old age, confined to beds of sickness, appease their thirst for blood! - or divert them from their DESIGN of MURDER and ROBBERY!"

So ended the turbulent Boston episode of Isaiah Thomas’s life. The Massachusetts Spy was published through 1904 making it one of the most important and longest running newspapers in America. Isaiah Thomas as well as publishing the Spy, published many books, and became the nation’s leading printer and publisher.

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