Middletown transcript., 1870-08-06
LOCAL AND STATE AFFAIRS.

anu niaue iiuny halr-ofeadth escapes. lie was
| several times waylaid and fred upon by parties
in ambush, and had a desperate encounter at
| Chestnut Level, with seven men, who undertook
| to arrest him in bar-room of the Hotel at that
| place, i'll the winter Of 1852 we think II was
With his revolver and bowie-knfe he caused his
assailants TO beat hasty retreat having cut the
whiskers of the leader Of the band by ball fred
| through the bottom of windsor chair which the
man held up between McCreary and himself as
he advanced upon him to make the arrest. After
the encounter McCreary thought it prudent to
make hasty retreat which he did lest the party
might return reinforced. A requisiton was at
one time made for him by the Governor of Penn
sylvanla upon the Governor of Maryland, on the
charge OF kidnapping, but an investigation show
ed that the charge was groundless McCreary,
| though charged with the offence, was above any,
thing of the kind. He was bold and adventure
GUS, even to rashness, in arresting runaway
slaves, but would disturb no one known to be
tree lie had number of broad-brimmed Qua
| kers In Chester and Lancaster counties in his
| pay, who used 10 come stealthily to his domicil
in Ekton, in the small hours of the night and
furnish him with information as to the hiding
| places OF parties of whom he was in quest The
| protracted trial, in Baltimore which terminated
IN the release OF two young girls, alleged to be
slaves of Mrs. Schofeld, of that city, whom he
arrested in Chester county, was followed by
tragedy which created great excitement at the
time. A man named Miller one of the witness
es to prove the girls free, had so compromised
himself, by acting in the interest of both parties
that he hung himsefat Stemmer's Rum to tree,
leaving the cars for the purpose, at night, while
he was on his way home from Baltimore. Itwas
alleged, in Pennsylvania that band of Balti-
more roughs followed him, seized him at Stem
mers Run, and committed the foul deed II was
also alleged that McCreary hung him. but the
truth of the matter was, that the man was in ter
ror OF his neighbors, lest they should discover
| lie trpa nlntin 70 fIn Il
such excitement in his neghborhood. We had
this explanation of the affair from McCreary's
| own lips, and have no reason to doubt its truth
In the latter part of his days, he lived quiet
and unobrusve life, and was for number of
years sexton of Trinity Church, Elkton, the du-
ties of which Office he discharged much to the
satisfaction of the Vestry and of the congrega-
| tioh.
| Milford was jubant on Thursday last when a
little steamer called the Alio o. "A tons, steamed
up to the town. 1t is the invention of Colonel
| Sharp, OF Phia the inventor of the Sharp's rifle
who has been trying to perfect a steamer to nav
igate canals without washing the banks. There
| is popularity in the construction of the blade
OF the propeller which accompshes this object
and gives the boat great speed. The A6o steam
ed up the Mispillion at the rate of Is miles an
hour. The creek is 20 miles long, while by land
the distance is only miles. Col. Sharp has his
family with him. and several gentlemen. The
party are taking cruise down the Bay.
SiNGULAR.-A large poplar tree standing on
the side of the road, near Richardson Grst Mill,
in Christiana Hundred, was struck by lightning
on Thursday night week. The electricity struck
a large dead limb about twenty feet from the
ground, passed into the body of the tree, which
was hollow, and set it on fire. There was a hole
about four feet from the ground which admitted
the air. and the fire burned at rapid rate
throughout Friday and Saturday. 1t was at
least four feet in diameter and two or three cen
turies old.
List of letters remaining unclaimed in the
Post Office at Middletown. Delaware Aug. lst.
l87o.-B. D. Anderson Wm. Backett R. Blake,
Mary E. Cumberford, S. P. Coly Mr. Chaplin,
Ash6nry Dashfeld, John 7. Edward, Harry Ea-
ton, Taylor Greenwell, James Hcmpili, Mary P.
Long, Frank Lohand, Ann Phillips, Samuel
Prinle, Emma Prettyman, William Roberts, Rich
ards Metcalf, James Vinyard. Persons calling
for the above letters will please say they are ad-
yertised.
Mr.. Samuel Fenimorc lost ten hogs, recently.
by having them poisoned by red lead The pave
ment about the house had been painted with the
lead and the vessel which contained the remains
of the paint was washed in the trough which
communicated with the swill-tub from which the
hogs were accustomed to drink They thus
drank the poison and died. This circumstance
may serve as caution to others against ming
ling ndiscriminate washings with the swil of
their hogs.
The new Masonic Hall to be built in Whining
ton, Del. will be under the supervision of Mr..
Thomas Dixon, architect of Baltimore, and con-
strueted according to plans furnished by him.
Mr. Dixon was the architect of the Grace Church
cdifice in Wilmington, which has been so much
admired.
Alexander Wilson, the keeper of Livery Sta
BILE, in Smyrna had horse aud carriage stolen
from the Blackbird Camp, on Sunday nj ght last
After digent search in every direction, the horse
and carriage were found tied to fence in Ray
mond's Neck. No clue to the thief.
William Lyman of Appoquinimink Hundred,
lost valuable horse on Sunday last He had
driven the animal previously, to Kingston, Som
erset county, Md. and back, and on Sunday
started to go to Blackbird Camp, when the horse
fell and died near Townsend.
Camp meetings are the order of the day. The
following camps have been held in this state
within the past fortnight. The Harrington
Camp. the Lincoln Camp, the Camden Camp, the
Blackbird Camp, and the Red Lion Camp. Cam
den and Red Lion are now in progress.
George Harris, convicted of the murder of AL
exander Russum, at Back Creek, Cecil county
Md. is to be hung on Friday, the I'd of Septcm-
ber Ben Bolt his accomplice, was sent to the
Maryland Pententiary for term of eighteen
years.
Camden Camp commenced Wednesday. There
are at least 200 tents on the ground. We under
stand that Rev. DR.. Dashie President of Dick
nson College, will preach tomorrow morning,
and Rev Mr.. Corbit, of New York. in the after
noon. Red Lion Camp also commenced on We'd
nesday.
The Smyrna Times says: We stated last week
that the Lewes steamers were taking the Sussex
crop. 1t seems, however, that this is not the
| bad hot
they cannot be employed with certainty and the
growers have to ship by rail.
Mr.. Thomas Cavendcr, of st. Georges Hd lost
two hogs and one or two pigs, last week, on ac-
count OF the extreme neat. The hogs were turn
cd out OF the orchard into the field, where there
was neither shade nor water for them to wallow
in.
| young lady from Maryland, visiting in Will
mlngton, arose on Monday night in her sleep aud
walked out of the second story window falling
distance of twenty-five feet, alighting on the
pavement below without iniurinp herself