The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-11-13
STORIES OF THE DoANEs.

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AT the opening of the Revolution,
during the early part of the career of
the Doanes, before they had become so
widely known and notorious as their
after exploits caused them to be, they
attended military mastering in Hill
town, held at the tavern now known as
Mount Pleasant. This was of the ma
ture of general review of the militia,
and Colonel William Roberts, of New
Britain, was the commanding officer.
They had previously been only known
as having been engaged in stealing some
horses, bearing the character of lawless
young men, and public opinion had not
vet become 30 exasperated against them
as afterwards became the case. A large
crowd of people was congregated to-
gether, as was apt to be the case on such
occasions, composed of all classes, but
including many wild and rough charac-
ters. Many of these were engaged in
games and athletic sports, while whisky
flowed freely. Two of the Doanes, one
of whom was Joseph, were foremost in
these exploits and in which their great
strength and wonderful agility enabled
them readily to excel. These naturally
aroused the admiration and interest of
the crowd, in an age when the exhibit
ton of feats of physical strength were
held in higher respect and estimation
than at the present day. They, with
others, had divested themselves of hats,
shoes, coats and vests, and were engaged
in standing jump over stick placed
across two upright muskets, whose
height would be about that of a mans
head. About this time some that knew
the desperadoes apprised Colonel Rob-
erts of their presence, and measures
at once taken to arrest them. But such
was the fear of their proves, and their
cool daring in the stress of danger, that
they must be attacked with overpower-
ing numbers ere it was thought safe to
venture to capture them. A ruse must
be employed, and word was secretly
sent around to keep them busily engaged
in jumping, by raising the stick some
inches higher and thus daring them to
surmount it. But the Doanes, while
apparently acquiescing, suspected some
thing wrong, and almost unnoticed,
were busily engaged in putting on their
shoes, hats and coats, and about the
time when they were to be seized they
broke from the crowd with a series of
tremendous leaps, ran to the southwark
with the speed of deers, and gained
many hundred yards before the astound-
ed crowd had collected their wits. A
great hue and cry was instantly set up,
and crowd of men pursued, some on
foot and some on horseback. Much of
the country was then uncultivated and
thickly wooded, and they were soon
lost to sight of those on foot. But those
on horseback more readily kept them in
view, and overlook them at place
where great ditch or ravine hindered
their course. The Doanes easily sprang
across this, which the horsemen were
unable to do. Against these had found
feasible crossing place to the other side
the fugitives would leap back, thus
battling their pursuers again and again.
Why they were not fired upon does not
appear, but either their assailants had
not loaded their muskets, or did not
care to shoot them, as they had not yet
outlawed or committed heinous crimes.
Their pursuers becoming too numerous
for longer playing this game, they sud-
denly broke for dense, impenetrable
ticket of large extent, near the boundary
line of New Britain, where pursuit was
hopeless for horsemen, and dangerous
for those on foot, and the bold freebooters
escaped, to enter more fully upon their
after successful career of crime and
plunder.
The writer received the particulars of
the above incident from the lips of an
elderly man, whose father was an eye
witness of the scene, and who had at
tended the mastering when boy of ten
or twelve years. The latter, living in
New Britain died something over twenty
years ago, at great age, and would
ofttimes relate the story to his children
and others.
During some portion of the period of
the Revolutionary War, Amos Griffith,
of New Britain, held the offices of Com
missioner and Treasurer of the county of
Bucks. He resided on the premises now
owned by his grandson, John w. Grif-
fifth, less than a mile southwest of Chal-
front. He lived with an uncle of the