The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1852-02-14
Glje Getil ll)Iio.
BOHEMIA MANOR,
and Ills Original Proprietor.

Foot, delivered IN DlaWyer's Prtsbyte-
rian Church, Del, in lS42, giving
history THAT church and Of the coun-
try round about ii, and evincing much
care and patient research. 1t contains
some reference to Augustine Herman
and Bohemia Manor, and as they have
been the subjects Of several articles in
The Wig lately, we give the following
extracts:
"ln 1859, the Govcrnar and Council
of Mary land, seEt Col. Nat haniel Ute,
to claim in behalf Of Lord Baltimore the
lands on the Delaware. In answer TO
this demand, Stuyvesant, Governor of
New York, commissioned Augustine
Herman and Resolved Waldron as his
ambassadors to the Government Of Ma
ryland to demonstrate aglnst this claim"
This would 60 to show that Herman
had been in Maryland as early as 1859,
or very soon thereafter.
Speaking of the Forest or Middletown
church, Mr.. Foot says:
1.-The Forest Church was composed
of a portion of the New side men, who
withdrew from this church in l7I2.
They seem to have worshpped at ST.
Georges, and perhaps some of them at
Back Creek, until 1850. In that year
Robert Alexander decided lot to Peter
Eavard, James Bayard, Sluy ter Bou-
chrll, Benjamin Sluyter, VIM. Moore,
John Moody, James Shaw, Thomas
Rothwrll and John Vandyke, Trustees
ofthe Forest congregation, called the
Presbyterian congregation of Bohemia
and Appoquinimy under the care of the
Synod Of New York;
The following extract gives the tradi.
ton of Hermau's escape from New York,
told very nearly as we have told it be.
fore. In regard to the removal of his
tombstone from his grave, it seems TO us
to have been an act akin to vandalism,
to take it from over his dust and place
it above the remains Of others.
"The Bayards resided on Bohemia
Manor. The old Mansion House stood
near the Ferry, nearl East of the house
of Hon. Louis McLane. The family
vault is in locust grove in the rear of
the present Bayard mansion. In that
vault, are deposited also the remains of
Richard Bassett, former governor of
Delaware. The door of the vault is the
tombstone of Herman. II has been re-
moved from the grave to which it be.
longs, and placed over others. The in.
scription on it is as follows, viz:
AUGUSTINE HERMAN, BOHEMIAN,
THE FIRST FOUNDER 4
SCATTER OF BOHEMIA MANOR.
AMMO. 1869
Herman was from Bohemia. He set.
tied at New Castle. Prior to 1864, he
had located in Maryland, and become
naturalized. To him the grant of Be-
hernia Manor was made. This manor
consisted Of 900 acres.
Tradition says that he was once ar.
rested and imprisoned by the Dutch II
New York, and condemned to die
Shortly before the time of execution he
seemed partially drlirious, and request
ed that his tavorite horse might b,
brought into his prison. 1t was large
building with huge windows and doors
and the windows were twenty feet from
the ground. He mounted his horse cap
arisoned in his usual style and prancet
about within the prison. Watching his
opportunity, he leaped his horse from
the window of the prison, swan the
Hudson river, ran across the State o
New Jersey, and dismounted on the
bank of the Delaware opposite to New
Castle, and thus made his escape.
A painting commemorative OF this da
ring enterprise, destroyed in the ole
mansion when it was consumed by fire
represented him as standing by the sid,
of his horse, still painting and ejectnt
blood from his nostrils.
A copy of this painting, is said to b.
still in existence. The horse he neve
suffered to be used afterwards, and wher
he died, he caused him to be buried
and tombstone to be erected over hi
grave"
While on this subject, we trust ou
correspondent "Bohemia" will take j
kindly that We remind him of his prem
Use to give us more in relation te
the Manor, to Herman and to the tradi
tons in regard to him, which have been
but too dimly handed down.
Al 81