Benjamin Lett
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Lett was an Anglo-Irish
-Canadian filibusterer
who was a disciple of William Lyon Mackenzie
.
Although he did not participate in the Upper Canada Rebellion
, in 1838 he was charged with the murder of Captain Edgeworth Ussher. The year before, Ussher had piloted the boats of Allan Napier MacNab during what would come to be known as the Caroline affair
and on the night of 16th November, 1838, Ussher was roused from his bed to answer a knock on the door, only to be killed by a shot fired through a window.
Fleeing to the United States
, in January 1839, Lett unsuccessfully attempted to burn British ships anchored at Kingston
. That July, joined by Samuel Peters Hart and Henry J. Moon, the three embarked on a raid in Cobourg
to rob and kill Robert Henry and abduct Sheppard McCormick, a veteran of the attack on the Caroline. However, word leaked out and the plot was foiled with Lett just managing to escape to the American side of Lake Ontario. In the wake of the “Cobourg conspiracy” Lieutenant Governor
Sir George Arthur posted a reward of £500 for his capture.
In March 1841 Lett attempted to burn the SS Minos but failed. On 17 April, 1840 came the act Lett is best known for; the bombing of the monument
to British
general Sir Isaac Brock
near Queenston, Ontario
. The charge did serious and irreparable damage to the monument though it failed to bring it down. Although Lett was presumed to have orchestrated the plot, a subsequent Assize failed to confirm this. On or about the 5th of June in Oswego, New York
, Lett attempted to burn the British steamship Great Britain while she was leaving the harbour. Shortly before departure, a man identifying himself as "Bill Johnson" boarded the ship, placing a package containing three gunpowder-filled jars connected to a lit slow match
at the door to the ladies' cabin. A few minutes after departing the Oswego wharf, the package exploded. However the damage was limited to a few broken windows in the ladies' cabin and the skylight above. Returning to dock, "Bill Johnson" and his accomplice, Benjamin Lett were shortly apprehended. While being transported on the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad
to serve a seven-year prison sentence for the crime, the shackled Lett escaped from the railroad car he was in and leaped to freedom when the train was within a few miles of its destination of Auburn, New York
. This brought an additional $350 bounty for his capture; $250 by Governor William H. Seward
and $100 by the Sheriff.
Lett was also suspected of having been responsible for the bombing of Lock #37 (Allanburg) of the first Welland Canal on 9 September of the next year. However, his luck in evading authorities on both sides of the border came to an end and that same month, he was captured in Buffalo, N.Y. and placed in solitary confinement
in the Auburn prison. There he was mistreated, leading to his pardon in 1845 by the Governor of New York
, Silas Wright
.
In 1858 Lett was hired by a whiskey maker in Earlville, IL to destroy the town school in retaliation for the mob of citizens that had destroyed his stock claiming it was poisoning the citizens. On September 13th, 1858, the school exploded and during the resulting fire Lett and three others were arrested, with Lett being shot during his arrest.
While en route to Lake Michigan
for a trading expedition, Lett died mysteriously of strychnine
poisoning in Milwaukee. His brother Thomas would later claim that Tory agents were behind his death. He was buried in the Lett Cemetery, Northville, Illinois.
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
-Canadian filibusterer
Filibuster (military)
A filibuster, or freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution...
who was a disciple of William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie was a Scottish born American and Canadian journalist, politician, and rebellion leader. He served as the first mayor of Toronto, Upper Canada and was an important leader during the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion.-Background and early years in Scotland, 1795–1820:Mackenzie was...
.
Although he did not participate in the Upper Canada Rebellion
Upper Canada Rebellion
The Upper Canada Rebellion was, along with the Lower Canada Rebellion in Lower Canada, a rebellion against the British colonial government in 1837 and 1838. Collectively they are also known as the Rebellions of 1837.-Issues:...
, in 1838 he was charged with the murder of Captain Edgeworth Ussher. The year before, Ussher had piloted the boats of Allan Napier MacNab during what would come to be known as the Caroline affair
Caroline affair
The Caroline affair was a series of events beginning in 1837 that strained relations between the United States and Britain....
and on the night of 16th November, 1838, Ussher was roused from his bed to answer a knock on the door, only to be killed by a shot fired through a window.
Fleeing to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in January 1839, Lett unsuccessfully attempted to burn British ships anchored at Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
. That July, joined by Samuel Peters Hart and Henry J. Moon, the three embarked on a raid in Cobourg
Cobourg, Ontario
Cobourg is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario 95 km east of Toronto. It is the largest town in Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is located along Highway 401 and the former Highway 2...
to rob and kill Robert Henry and abduct Sheppard McCormick, a veteran of the attack on the Caroline. However, word leaked out and the plot was foiled with Lett just managing to escape to the American side of Lake Ontario. In the wake of the “Cobourg conspiracy” Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United...
Sir George Arthur posted a reward of £500 for his capture.
In March 1841 Lett attempted to burn the SS Minos but failed. On 17 April, 1840 came the act Lett is best known for; the bombing of the monument
Brock's Monument
Brock's Monument is a 56-metre column atop Queenston Heights, in Queenston, Ontario, Canada, dedicated to Major General Sir Isaac Brock, one of Canada's heroes of the War of 1812...
to British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
general Sir Isaac Brock
Isaac Brock
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB was a British Army officer and administrator. Brock was assigned to Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he commanded his regiment in Upper Canada successfully for many years...
near Queenston, Ontario
Queenston, Ontario
Queenston is located 5 km north of Niagara Falls, Ontario in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The community is bordered by Highway 405 and the Niagara River; its location on the Niagara Escarpment led to the establishment of the now-defunct Queenston Quarry in the area...
. The charge did serious and irreparable damage to the monument though it failed to bring it down. Although Lett was presumed to have orchestrated the plot, a subsequent Assize failed to confirm this. On or about the 5th of June in Oswego, New York
Oswego, New York
Oswego is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 18,142 at the 2010 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in north-central New York and promotes itself as "The Port City of Central New York"...
, Lett attempted to burn the British steamship Great Britain while she was leaving the harbour. Shortly before departure, a man identifying himself as "Bill Johnson" boarded the ship, placing a package containing three gunpowder-filled jars connected to a lit slow match
Slow match
Slow match or match cord is the very slow burning cord or twine fuse used by early gunpowder musketeers, artillerymen, and soldiers to ignite matchlock muskets, cannons, and petards...
at the door to the ladies' cabin. A few minutes after departing the Oswego wharf, the package exploded. However the damage was limited to a few broken windows in the ladies' cabin and the skylight above. Returning to dock, "Bill Johnson" and his accomplice, Benjamin Lett were shortly apprehended. While being transported on the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad
Auburn and Syracuse Railroad
The Auburn and Syracuse Railroad was incorporated on May 1, 1834 to provide easy access to and from Syracuse, New York and the Erie Canal. Construction was begun in 1835, however, was delayed during the Panic of 1837...
to serve a seven-year prison sentence for the crime, the shackled Lett escaped from the railroad car he was in and leaped to freedom when the train was within a few miles of its destination of Auburn, New York
Auburn, New York
Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 27,687...
. This brought an additional $350 bounty for his capture; $250 by Governor William H. Seward
William H. Seward
William Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson...
and $100 by the Sheriff.
Lett was also suspected of having been responsible for the bombing of Lock #37 (Allanburg) of the first Welland Canal on 9 September of the next year. However, his luck in evading authorities on both sides of the border came to an end and that same month, he was captured in Buffalo, N.Y. and placed in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
in the Auburn prison. There he was mistreated, leading to his pardon in 1845 by the Governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
, Silas Wright
Silas Wright
Silas Wright, Jr. was an American Democratic politician. Wright was born in Amherst, Massachusetts and moved with his father to Weybridge, Vermont in 1796. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1815 and moved to Sandy Hill, New York, the next year, where he studied law, being admitted to the bar...
.
In 1858 Lett was hired by a whiskey maker in Earlville, IL to destroy the town school in retaliation for the mob of citizens that had destroyed his stock claiming it was poisoning the citizens. On September 13th, 1858, the school exploded and during the resulting fire Lett and three others were arrested, with Lett being shot during his arrest.
While en route to Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
for a trading expedition, Lett died mysteriously of strychnine
Strychnine
Strychnine is a highly toxic , colorless crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine causes muscular convulsions and eventually death through asphyxia or sheer exhaustion...
poisoning in Milwaukee. His brother Thomas would later claim that Tory agents were behind his death. He was buried in the Lett Cemetery, Northville, Illinois.
See also
- Brock's Monument
- The Welland Canals