- The Amazing Life of Abel Buell
"Abel Buell, . . . was a man of inventive genius, versatile in the direction of his mind, very erratic, self-willed, and enjoyed the character of being very eccentric." - -The Printer, 1858
Attention Hollywood! Have we got a story idea for you! (We couldn't help notice you haven't had a movie about a printer lately.) Listen to the story of Abel Buell.
This Colonial Connecticut printer was likely the first American to cast English types in the new world. But that's not the good stuff! At various times in his life we find him a soldier, bugler, rioter, patriot, traitor, prisoner, teacher, gem cutter, and church choir director.
Buell was eccentric in appearance as well as his life. He had a full untrimmed white beard. He wore a oversized hat in which he kept the tools of his trade, his type punches. "The Printer" magazine, in 1858, wrote a story about him. "Abel Buell, . . . was a man of inventive genius, versatile in the direction of his mind, very erratic, self-willed, and enjoyed the character of being very eccentric."
Action! Camera! The first scene opens with Buell, the church choir director, trying to introduce the base-violin into the meeting house musical accompaniment. At that time base-violin was "very repugnant to professing Christians." It seems Abel was a little pushy with his idea, and the church directors canned him.
Next, we find Abel Buell back at his first love of cutting type punches and casting type under government sponsorship. He was allowed to raise the money for the business through a lottery. He was a restless young man reluctant to heed authority and had difficulty staying out of trouble. The cause of American independence lured him to participate in, and some say, organize a riot in New York City.
The equestrian statue of King George III on the Bowling Green was pushed over and destroyed by the mob. Official investigators found the head and shoulders in Buell's shop being melted down. Abel Buell declared to the sheriff that he was either going to cast the King into type or bullets and "his majesty should be turned into a useful purpose, and make an impression." He fled before he could be arrested for treason.
His property was taken from his wife and she was forced to pay back the money he owed the state for his business. She wrote "The long absence of my husband makes me despair of ever seeing him again. When he left me, it was unknown to me that he was so much involved as he was. . . I have, by dint of industry, got together so much that I can refund the money he had of the State." She regained the property that was held in bond.
His next encounter with authorities was in Boston harbor where he and some local citizens boarded a ship loaded with tea. Poorly disguised as native Americans of a far distant tribe they dumped the cases of tea in to the harbor and called it a "tea party." The history books recorded it differently than the Royal Governor.
Moving again, he found himself in Salem, Massachusetts, where he was charged with "open and profane swearing against the Commonwealth." The judge tacked on the additional charge of "sorcery," (seemingly a common practice in this town). In the trial, his disbelief in original sin was exposed and for this the jury found him not guilty on the grounds of insanity.
Taking off again, we hear of him at Bunker Hill staring the British in the eyes. He was wounded in the knee and spent seven weeks on a prison ship before being released to return home under some sort of house arrest. Documents show he thanked the authorities for clemency and offered to repay the colony by sharing some secrets he had discovered in gem cutting and polishing.
We don't know much more of Abel Buell, but stories abound about how he tried his hand at counterfeiting, and running a school for singers. Some have claimed to seen documents referring to his encounters with the law. At one time, after the war, the remains of King George's stature were found in an artillery case from his detachment.
Abel Buell is an American legend. With a little creative writing and Hollywood hype this could become a pretty good movie. Pass the popcorn!
Copyright (C) 1999 by Frank Granger
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