Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 11.

I have referred to the Medford House. In the wintertime it used to be the objective point of sleighing parties from Boston. Occasionally these were of a hilarious character, and gave the place a rather unpleasant reputation. Like all country hotels, it had its regular hangers — on who were always ready to drink at a visitor's expense. I can remember two or three who were chronic ornaments of the benches on the front piazza of this hostelry, and whose presence notably reduced the attendance of local patronage.

One day was very much like another in old Medford. It was seldom that anything sensational occurred. The most exciting thing that happened during the nine months of my residence was the advent of the insane street preacher, who was known as the Angel Gabriel, so called from the fact that he carried a long tin horn, which he blew in the street to attract audiences. It was the so-called Know-Nothing period, when the silly and credulous people of the community professed to believe that the Roman Catholics were going to make an armed attempt to overthrow the government, and formed a political organization, which for a time, shame be it said, obtained a strong hold here in Massachusetts. The Angel Gabriel was an apostle of this movement, and wandered from town to town, blowing his horn and stirring up the people with his crazy utterances. It was a July Saturday when he entered Medford. It was just after supper when he first sounded his horn, and it did not take long for him to gather a crowd. Later the doors of the Town Hall were opened, and the room was soon packed with people, out of curiosity. I have never heard a more insane farrago from the lips of any living man. It was a call for the people to rise and drive the Roman Catholics from the country. He declared that every servant girl was provided with a package of poison, ready to drop it into the food of the family the moment the word was given by the Pope, and that every Catholic church was an arsenal where the members drilled at night, ready for