The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1857-06-03


adopted at the meeting of the 20ths " there
was. il pn,s an end al eare aud tnrever 70
the hypothesis that the document Of the SON |
is the only one that was put forth N Meek. |
l,nburg IN MAY IT'S.
Q. DR. II then proceeded To the issue
thus made. and affirmed as fact susceptible
If proof, that At the meeting on the 20lh .
paper was prepared BY Dr.. Ephralm Bre.ar'l
and presented BY committee appointed tor
that purpose that such paper was puhiIelS
read by Col. Thomas Polk that Il nnequiyo-
caly declared independence, tpso uefoo
and that its contents when read were assented
to BY the people present.
As to the first particular, the preparation
II the paper By nr, Bresard. he adduced the
testimony Of nine witnesses, some Of Mhnm
were Of the Committee whoreported it. As
10 the second, the public reading be proved
il bs eight witnesses, all Of whom that spec
" the reader, name Col. Thomas Polk as the
individual.
As to the third particular, that the paper
explicitly declared Independence, ne quoted
tie very words Of NJ less than fourteen wit
nesses who heard the paper read, every one
Of whom distinctly called it a declaration Of
independence. We give the language Of
some
One calls II /" the declaration Of lndepen-
dence, made in Charlotte, on the goth day
Of May. l775"
Another says Of the people ~ MerElenbnrg.
they met on certain day IN Ghariatte, aud
from the head Of the Court House stairs,
proclaimed independence Of English govern
by Col. rhnmas Polk"
Anuther says, "they resolved to declare
themselves independent
Four others thus speak: " they formed
several resolves which were read. and which
went to declare themselves and the people OF
Mecklenburg County free aud Independent
st The King and parliament Of Great britain
and that iron that day. tl3necfarth, all ale
glance and political relation was ah.olsed
between the COOL people Of Mecklenburg and
The King Of Great Britain"
Another thus speaks /" il was however [the
declaration made III substance and from,
like that great national act, agreed on thlr,
teen months after
The testimony Of the whole fourteen, whom
by The way, the people between the Yadkir
and Catawba know to have been men Of IN
impeachahle integrity, was remarkable in I'll,
particular that every one used the word !" In
Dependence or independent" IL desert
bling the character OF the declaration.
From the testimony, which lie said, stran.
gers who knew nothing Of the characters d
the witnesses might question. but those VIII,
lived in North Carolina never would. the
speaker drew two differences, viz: LIST, tina
there could be no reasonable doubt as 10 wha
the contents Of the paper Of the goth were
and 2d, there could not be any difficulty il
identifying It by those contents.
He then took the next step Tor which h,
had thus prepared the way, and produce,
the well known document at the 10th, show
ilg that " in substance and in from" il doe,
agfee With the national declaration that i
does expressly ren0uace allegiance and de
declared Independence that il does NEE
specifically the cal proved 10 have been mad,
BY tie excited multitude for Independence
and that it dues allude 10 the bloody event
at Lexington, the news Of which had jus
J. The next iset be affirmed and proceed
ed TO prove. was. that the paper then rea,
passed into the hands Of its proper custodian
the Secretary Of the meeting and he state,
that this was important, because he meant 4
trace il step BY step from his haads into hon
prabie publicity. II was important too, be
cause il insol,ed The reputation for integrit,
nf man wholiyed with unbemished cfarac
Ter for more than laur scnre years in thI
county, aud who j. now in his grave. II,
said that either John Mcknitt Alexander
the Secretary Of the meeting, had in his pos
session honoraJiy aila honestly such pape
as that which bears the date Of May 2Dtl
lis, and il s4s true part 81 the proceed
ings ii That day er--J0hu Mtknitt Alexan
der was guilty Of fraud aud ialsehDol b,
forging such a paper. There is no escap,
from me Or the other d these alternatives.
DR.. ii. then affirmed what all Mecklen
hurg knows % be true, thatnp man nov liz
aug o. that ever did live has Dr had any righ
10 cast such an inpaiatipn On John Neknlt
Alexander. lie VAS a hDnest man - AM
who have ever assalel our declaration y
independence. be they high " low.
But, d, Dr. Ill. proceeded to remark. Pro,
violence has 10 = striking manner taken car,
81 d worthy christian man thus cruelty assah
Gil and this the speaker made appear by
succession u facts which lie established b
incnnirlsgrtible strsliin0ay.
1. Alexander declared, while vet alive
that liz had given ROPES II that paper % tw
men, buih 81 wham lived Tor nearly twent,
sears aiter his declaration. Thesemen wer,
Gen. Niitiam Richardson DAVE aud Dr
IIdgh Williamson. lie had given Ties
fstOples prior 70 ihe year 1900. lie ness
mA,s secret u having Furnished these cnp
is nothing therefore aaaeasiet than 70 dis
prove tie Authenticity 81 these papers by
comparison u them With tie original, prinr 1
1870, when Alexaudet's hupsc MAS burnel
and many u BIZ. papers destroyed, tie orig
bai Declaration among the rest. Il there
lure lie vas wicked euuusn IL iarge tie "a
ppfs he gave Dave and Williamson befsr
1900, he vi. ally enough % Afford ii