"You'd scarce expect one of my age To speak in public on the stage."
Still another, Thomas G. Fessenden, wrote _Terrible Tractoration_. It was a day of pseudonyms; Fessenden wrote as Simon Spunky and Christopher Caustic; Everett called himself Peter Peveril; Isaac Story was Peter Quinn; Dennie was Oliver Old-school; Tyler was Colon and Spondee.
A day of great sport at the tavern was when there was a turkey-shoot; these often took place on Thanksgiving Day. Notices such as this were frequently found in the autumnal newspapers:--
"Thos. D. Ponsland informs his Friends and the Friends of _Sport_ that he will on Friday, 7th day of December next, set up for SHOOTING a number of
and invites all _Gunners_ and others who would wish to recreate themselves to call on the day after Thanksgiving at the Old Bakers' Tavern, Upp. Parish Beverly, where every accommodation would be afforded."
In the _Boston Evening Post_ of January 11, 1773, notice was given that "a Bear and Number of Turkeys" would be set up as a mark at the Punch Bowl Tavern in Brookline.
Captain Basil Hall, travelling in America in 1827, was much surprised at the account of one of these turkey-shoots, which he thus fully describes:--
"At a country inn bearing the English name of Andover, close to the Indian river Shawsheen, I observed the following printed bill stuck up in the bar.
will be set up for the sportsmen at the Subscriber's Hotel in Tewksbury, on Friday the 12 October, inst. at 8 A.M.
Gentlemen of Tewksbury, Lowell and vicinity are invited to attend.
"This placard was utterly unintelligible to me; and the Landlord laughed at my curiosity but good humouredly enlightened my ignorance by explaining that these shooting matches were so common in America, that he had no doubt I would fall in with them often. I regretted very much having passed one day too late for this transatlantic battle. It appears that these birds were literally barn door fowls, placed at certain distances, and fired at by any one who chooses to pay the allotted sum for a shot. If he kills the bird, he is allowed to carry it off; otherwise, like a true sportsman, he has the amusement for his money. Cocks and hens being small birds, are placed at the distance of 165 feet; and for every shot with ball the sportsman has to pay four cents. Turkeys are placed at twice the distance, or 110 yards, if a common musket be used; but at 165 yards if the weapon be a rifle. In both those cases the price per shot is from six to ten cents."