How Ben Broke His Contract
When James started a weekly newspaper called The New England Courant, Ben secretly wrote a series of humorous letters and sent them to the paper. He signed them Mrs. Silence Dogood. In these letters young Ben poked fun at Harvard College boys, at silly girls, and at bad poets. The letters amused many people in Boston, and everyone wondered who the clever author was.
James Franklin angered the city magistrates by printing articles with which they disapproved, and he was forbidden to publish his newspaper. He decided to print the Courant in the name of Benjamin Franklin. James canceled Ben's contract so that the officials could not accuse him of using an apprentice as a front. They secretly signed another contract.
James then discovered the truth about the "Dogood" papers and was furious to have been tricked into printing letters by his 16-year-old brother. Quarrels between the two became violent and James sometimes beat the boy. The print shop became more unpleasant than ever for the young apprentice.
Ben took advantage of the canceled contract to leave, knowing that James would not dare to reveal the secret agreement they had made. In later life Benjamin Franklin admitted that this was not fair, but he felt there was nothing else he could have done. In September 1723, this advertisement appeared in the Courant: "James Franklin, printer in Queen's Street, wants a likely lad for an apprentice."