The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-07-04
The Famous whisky Rebellion
Among Our ,PennsylVRnia
heIgilbORs nc the close
Of the Last Century.

oWnenhip; and here was stoutiy resisted
the effort Of the government TO enforce the
excise laws under the policy of Alexander
Hamilton, Secretary Of the Treasury in
1924. Except Pittsburgh, which then
contained about ] 200 70 ! 500 souls there
were no towns but the few places appoint
ed for holding courts Of justice. There
wore scarcely any roads, and the people
had 10 find their way by paths through the
woods, while the Alleghenies formed bar
Ffer which could only b passed on foot or
horseback. Tbs farmers having therefore
no home market for their produces, were
from necessity compelled % reduce it,
bulk, and 70 By converting II into whiiky,
4 horse could carry two kegs Of eight gal.
Ions each, worth about 90 cents here or u
on The other aide of the mountains; while
returning with little iron or salt, worth
in Pittsburgh, the. former 20 cents per
hound. the latter 50 per buShel, The still
Tins became necessary .appendAge 70
every iarm. The impoit Of HRmilton,s ex-
else law created an army Of petty officers
10 make domiciltary visits, arbitrary
seizures, and commit other yexations acss,,
These came 70 DO looked upon as spies on
the industries Of the people, and they BIZ
came odious; and so scarcely any person
could 10 found 10 accept the ohee-or If
any one attempted 10 execute the, law he
was treated with every possible coplumely.
Many stories are told Of the jokes put
upon these officers. Sometimes their wigs
were Siuged; sometimes hot Goals were put
in their boots; the tails Of their dogs were
chopped of; advertisements were put up
Offering rewards for their Scalps, just
above our city man named Graham had
his head shaved, and he was put across the
Monongahela into Westmoreland and
Threatened with death II he should return.
1t does not appear that the law was exc
cuLed In single instance.
Such was the state Of things when Gen.
Neville accepted the Office Of chief In
Epoctor. This gentleman was popular
Ne was then in the Legislature. The Peo-
pie became indignant, and claimed that he
had sought their favor only 10 desert
them. In fact Governor Miflin in bis
message mentions this appointment a. one
Of the causes which led to the insurrec'
lion.
The firt mass meeting Of the inElrrcc.
ton proper was held at Redstone Old
Fort tBrownsville) on the 9Th Of July,
1871, A general convention was called
for Pittsburgh. At tho primary meeting
held at ParkinsonB Ferry This city, reso.
buttons OF a violent character were passed
BY way Of Instructions to the delegates TO
Pittsburgh. These meetings were contin'
ued for about two years, when, in 1874, the
outbreak began. The first was that OF
Robert johnson, collector Of Washington
county, who was caught in an out'of.the-
way place up Pigeon creek, had his head
shaved, tarfed and feathered, and com,
PEELED to 20 home on foot An armed
PARTY attacked Wells, the collector for
Eayctte county; compelled him TO give nd
All his commissions, publish hlS) reig'
nation In the Pittsburgh Gasats, OF
have his house burned. An armed
party attacked the Office Of the collector in
he town Of Washington, but being ap-
prised Of their coming he aed.
On the Nth of July, 1874, Major Len
nox, the U. s. Marshal, was up the Mo
nongahela serving writs against delinquent
distillers. He had served iorty.two Vith'
out the slightest insult or opposition. The
last was on a person named Miller. After
serving the writ he was passing along the
road, when he was suddenly fired upon,
but lie shot failed to take effect. A few
moments after he was Joined by Colonel
Neville at his house in the country about
seven miles from that city. There had
been the same day a militia rendezvous
and muster at Mingo church, and when on
the parade this occurrence was known, q
party was made up, headed by one Hol.
croft tom the Tinker, who proceeded to
Neyille's house. Tho aSsAiling party, on
being hailed, answered In suspicious man.
ner. and were fired upon from the house,
They fired In return, and retreatcd, leaving
Eve wounded and one killed. Thus was
the insurrection actually begun; the whole
country was up in arms. A mas meeting
was held some days following at Ginger
Hill, over which Judge Hamilton presided
and which Joseph Parkinson addressed at
length, where the United States authorities
attended, and yet a whole days conference
failed to bring about any compromise.
Judge Hamilton, tho President Of this
meeting, was u man Of remarkable Yigor.
The father Of Moses Scott, Of our city, told
him that he had II from the Judges own
lips that be Honee walked from Philadel.
phia in six days, and the day following his
arrival home he made full days work
chopping wood" Joseph Parkinson (then
spelled Parkerson) was the founder Of this
place, which he advertised a. being laid
out in lots, and for sale, in the PittSburgh
Gazette Of October 20th, 1892, as follows j:
THE subscriber has laid out his farm on
tho MonongahelA river, In the county Of
Warrington, State Of Pennsylvania, at the
mouth Of Pigeon creek, cppite Deyore's
ferry, into lots for TOWN, the fale Of the
lots TO begin on the 10Th day ofNoyember
next. It Il needless TO fay much Of the
place Of flch public noloriety, yet Il may
not be amih to mention, that is ftuation
Il equal, II not fIperior 10 any in the coun.
try, being on the main reading from the
town Of Warrington, &c, 70 Philadelphia,
and a place at preient Of the moit public
sasAAAsANa A9k
down the river; in adjacent iettlemeut are
Eeyeral merchant mills on good ftreams Of
water, the neighborhood well fettled with
opulent iarmeFS, and contiguous to ieyeral
meeting houfeS, and the fpot itself healthy
and pleafank A fnAll ground rent will
DO referYed, but will DO made amends for
by the cheapnef Of the purchafe. Other
particulars will DO made known on the day
Of fale. JOSEPH PARKINSON.
Warrington county, Oct. %, 1892.
The events followed each other rapidly.
The Q. S. mail was stopped and opened
in order to obtain the government dis.
patches going to Pittsburgh an immsnIe
mass meeting under arms WsS held At Par.
kinson's Ferry; committee Of conference
was appointed TO treat with commissioners
from the Federal government; the confer.
enbe agreed to peace measures, but the
people were very reluctant TO agree; the
, militia was called out by requiSition Of
i President Washington on the Governors q