Ok, I’ve finished reading the book/biography of Bossy Gillis by Peter Jacobs that the library recommended. So I now know 100 pages more about Bossy Gillis than I did before.

In the biography Mr. Jacobs comments that John P. Marquand had observed about Bossy Gillis that “It almost seems as though another Timothy Dexter had arrived.” And after reading Mr. Jacobs’ biography it almost feels as if another Bossy Gillis has arrived–the similarities between Bossy Gillis and Tom Ryan, the editor of Newburyport’s local journal, the Undertoad, are a little spooky.

Both love/loved a fight. One of the things I learned was that Bossy Gillis took on the old wealthy, Yankee, High Street establishment and beat them. Mr. Ryan has taken on a whole host of folks that most people wouldn’t even dream of confronting. Both have had trouble with the issue of libel (please, please make sure you read the disclaimer on the “Guidelines” page.) Bossy Gillis went to jail for 9 months. Mr. Ryan was found not guilty because the United States Constitution allows free speech. (Why this free speech thing didn’t apply to Bossy Gillis, I don’t quite understand–this is a blog remember not a history lesson.)

And Bossy Gillis published his own newspaper called “Asbestos” because, ” ‘it was so hot to read it had to be printed on asbestos,’ ” and it “became a town conversation piece and brought Bossy a host of new enemies with each edition.” Does that sound weirdly familiar or what?

All of this cheers me up immensely. Yup, it does.

There’s something about the spirit of this town that I love. Can you imagine an Untertoad flourishing in some place, let’s say like Wellesley. No, I don’t think so. (Now people in Wellesley might think this is a good thing.) But the Undertoad has flourished for over 10 years in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

As an artist I would wither and die in a place like Wellesley, Massachusetts, but the spirit of Newburyport seems to suit me just fine. We have a Yankee version of a “live and let live” attitude along with a subtle gutsy and defiant spirit.

So yes, this brings me to the subject of Mr. Karp, Stephen Karp, Newburyport’s very wealthy and powerful new landlord. If you’ve been reading the Newburyport Political Blog for a while, you know that I have been worried that all that money and all that power could stamp out the feisty, individualistic spirit of Newburyport, Massachusetts.

But, if Nantucket is capable of voting against chain stores to preserve its small town character, the people of Newburyport are quite capable of that if needed, and much, much more. Boy, can we as a city make people’s lives miserable if we feel it’s necessary.

So heads-up Mr. Karp, the spirit of Bossy Gillis is alive and well in Newburyport, Massachusetts. It’s been around for centuries and my guess is it will be here forever.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport