The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1869-12-31

iheic was wealthy Olu ScHtleilluH W uO
lived in the vicinity Of Hayre de Grace al
this time by the name of Pringle. He was
a very thrifty man, owned large bounda-
ry OF land, great many slaves; and was no.
ted for an economy which, by some means
acquired the soubriquet of parsimony. II
was said that he allowed his negroes but
one herring at meal, and his overseer, ex-
postulating with him, remarked that the
hands could not labor upon such light diet
when the old gentleman, scratching his
head as if in deep and perplexed reflection,
and stamping his foot eXclaimed-"Th
gice them herring and ahalf, and let them
bust and be d-dw
Havre de Grace then, us now, seemed to
be the headquarters of all theshad and her.
rings in the Chesapeake, consequently there
were number of fisheries and frequent
muses. among the proprietors In one OF
these difficulties, where great bitterness
had grown out of rival claims, the Editor
of the Bond Of Union, who had a keen rel
lsh for the ludicrous, reconciled the parties
to each other, but drew their fire upon him.
self by the following humorous lines:
doodle said 10 Noodle I'll have all the fish:
Noodle said to Doodle, II! he in the dish;
Doodle said to Mood e, Ill give no fish to you;
Noodle said to Doodle, Oh Doodle, Doodle, do.
| had, at this time, some relations living
in Havre de Grace, among whom were Il very
old gentlemen by the name of Skipwith
Coale, and hisnephew, Edwin Coale, the lat
ter of whom was not remarkable for brillian-
cy of intellect, as he would fish all day with
pin hook without bait, and then some
forty years old. They were almost insep-
erable.-The older gentlemen was some
what skeptical in religious matters and in
due course of nature was called to try the
realities. of the unknown world. Some
years after this, there was a revival meet
ing at the house of Brother Levy, who was
local preacher, at which Edwin, Though
not morally or mentally responsibility was
present. In talking to sinners, Mr.. Levy
approached, and asked him if he didn't
want to go to heaven. ~ don't know
about it, Mr. Levy" said he, "Uncle Skip
Ply was the best friend l had in the world
and everybody says he's gone to the bad
world if he has I believe I'll go there
too
All your older readers will remember old
Billy Allen, good Methodist, who lived
and sold goods in Abingdon many years.
ihN was Ill lIlSnHlull, anu pcSlueS Iuc
brogue, lisped in his speech He was very
anxious to catch humming-bird, and on
one occasion, his friend Monk on the OPP
posite corner, seeing very large bee dive
down into a hollyhock, called his friend
over, told him there was humming- bird
in the flower, and that he would get bot
tie to put it in while Mr.. Allen should catch
it in his hand. Mr.. Allen grabbed it
when the bee of course popped its sting
into his hand. He held on, however. de-
termined not to let his prize escape, but
called very Justify 'Run, Mr. Monk, run
.jasus, how he bores." Mr.. Monk failing to
come to time the old Mar dashed it upon
the ground, and cycling it as turkey
would a snake, exclaimed, 81 believe in
my soul it is wasp" Uncle Billy was
good man but he lost his fondness for
humming birds, and never forgave Mr..
Monk for the trick he had played upon
him.
But let us come back to Bel Air. Strange
to say, up to the time | left the village
there was not church in it. The Presby-
terians worshipped at Herbert's Cross
Roads, the Episcopalians q believe) at
Rock Spring, the Methodists at Liberty
y,
Rev. Mr.. Finney officiated at the first, Mr..
Kecch at the second, Messrs. Tidings and
Poole at the third, and Timothy O'Brien
at the last.
About this time the separation took
place in the Methodist denomination, Mr..
Tidings taking one road to heaven and Mr..
Poole another. The Methodist Protestant
Church had its origin at thisperiod. re-
member two local preachers in Hartford,
who took to the new organization, viz:
Messrs Augustus and Isaac Webster, the
former of whom met and conversed with
in these mountains few weeks ago. We
had a short but pleasant chat about Har
ford, which carried me back in imagina
tion to the days of my boy-hood, and prob
ably superinduced the series of letters am
now trying to write.
There was a church in process oferection
when left, or rather building for the
double purpose of a Church and Masonic
Habit was stone building in rear of
the Court House, and completed | pre-
sumo in course of time. The enterprise
was mainly started by old Mr.. Mckinney
and Daniel Wann, and the stone were
hauled by Charles Gorsuch. There were
two resident Presbyterian ministers in Bel
Air-Messrs. Reuben Davis and George
Morrison, who jointly presided over the
Academy. The former was very austere
man, and noted for his success in whaling
knowledge into his pupils with rod, the
scars from which, by microscopic examina-
tion might dare say, be found upon the
backs offs some of his pupils to this day.
Mr.. Morrison, though not wanting in
sterness and fidelity, was less passionate
and pugilistic, and more disposed to pacif-
ic mean fors imparting knowledge. The
Court House was used as common place
of preaching, until John Robinson fixed a
pin with point up in the cushion of big
arm chair which the judge or preacher &C.
cupied, as the order of business happened
to be law or gospel. John put that long
wicked pin there for the purpose of pun
ishing Peter Miller, a venerable colored
preacher, against whom he had grudge.
Ascending the platform one Sabbath morn
ing for the purpose of preaching to
white congregation, Peter didn't love to
preach to negroes0 he very gravely took
his seat, but Unexpectedly to everybody,
but John, rose again in rather more haste
than was his custom, as it is more than
probable he never before sat upon as
long and sharp pin. He bore the intlic-
tion without the contraction of a wrinkle
upon his brow, and very deliberately sat
the chair to one side, where he knew it
would receive a numbnr of occunants as