The Cecil Whig., 1878-07-13
The Port Deposit Tragedy.
The Armstrong; & McGills.
Interesting Items of Family
and Personal History.
An Unprejudiced Statement by
William Armstrong.

An Unprejudiced Statement by
William Armstrong.
The Armstrong brothers, who were buried
on Thursday last, as well as
WILLIAM M'GILL,
who shot them, We're born under the same
Longford. Ireland. They were cousins,
their mothers being sisters. McGil's father
died before he was three years old, leaving
widow and three young boys, with little
or no means. Owing to this, William
McGill, at quite an early age, was taken
into the family of his uncle, James Aim
strong, the father of the murdered men,
where he resided most of the time till he
was fourteen years of age. He attended
the same school and church with the mem
bers of his uncle's family. The families
were on the best of terms. VIM. McGill,
the father of the suicide, was the god
father of William Armstrong, who was
about the same age of his cousin, William
McGill, and though they had their boyish
quarrels, they were soon made up and for
gotten, and the two, when they reached
manhood, continued, until quite recently,
to be firm and steadfast friends. We are
informed by relatives of the family now
residing in Port Deposit that VIM. McGill,
upon many occasions while residing with
his uncle, gave evidence Of quarrelsome
and captious disposition, so much so as to
induce at least one member of his uncle's
family to emigrate to America.
In 1S49 Mrs. McGill, who now resides in
Port Deposit, came to America, bringing
with her her two sons-Willam and Alex
auder, and leaving her youngest son Henry
in charge of the Orphan Society. Soon
after her arrival in this country she OBJ
tanned employment from the late Judge
Constable, in whose service she remained
for about six months, when she went to
Wilmington, at the solicitation of her niece,
the sister of the Armstrong brothers who
had emigrated from Ireland some time be-
fore. Through the influence her niece,
Susan Armstrong, she obtained employ
ment from Mr.. Thomas Bird, who then
resided in St. Georges, taking her son
William with her. William had now reach
ed the age of about sixteen years and his
mother apprenticed him to James Arm
strong (no relation) to learn the trade of a
shoe maker. Mr.. Armstrong resided in
Market street, Wilmington, Delaware
Young McGill did not remain long at the
shoe making business, but returned to St.
Georges to his mother, who shortly after
wards removed to Wilmington and rented
a house in Hedgeville and got employment
for her son in the foundry of Mr.. Rice, in
that city. He remained here about a
year.
THE ARMSTRONG;.
Thomas and Susan Armstrong came to
America in 1910, and settled in Whining
ton, where they were joined, iu 1850, by
their parents and the two brothers, James
and William. The family remained in
Wilmington for about six months. In the
meantime, James came to Port Deposit to
see relative, and liking the place, obtain
ed employment there, and soon afterwards
the remainder of the family came to reside
there.
Thomas Armstrong, the eldest brother,
while in Wilmington, worked in the foun-
dry of MIR. Stotsanberg, and soon after
the brothers came to Port they engaged in
ba gonna huS with II ba
where they continued till the firm was
changed to that of Marshbank, McClena-
han & Co., where they continued to work
till the firm suspended business, when the
old foundry in Port from Washington W.
Webb, an uncle of the Hon. J. A. J. Cres-
we'll, and commenced business for them
selves, connecting with them their brother
William, in 1854. In 1865, they purchased
the property they occupied.
WILLIAM GILL.
During the time the Armstrong brothers
were employed at Marshbank's foundry
the McGill family removed from Whining
ton to Port, and William McGill obtained
employment at the foundry as an appren-
tce, he not having finished his trade in
Wilmington. He continued to work at
Port Deposit till the firm suspended, when
he went to Baltimore, where he remained
a short time, and removed to Pittsburg,
where he continued to reside till the panic
of 1857, when he removed to Clarksville,
Tenn, but being of {, rowing and unsettled
disposition, he visited St. Louis, Louisville
and several other southwestern cities, and
then returned to Pittsburg, where he was
at the beginning of the war, in 1861. Here
he enlisted in cavalry company and
ENTERED THE ARMY,
where he remained for about a year, when
he deserted, about the time of the second
battle of Bull Run, and took refuge in Bal
communicate with his brother Henry, who
resided in Port, who laid the matter before
James Armstrong. The result of the con-
ference was that they went to Baltimore,
of his heart, and at the risk of getting into
serious trouble, furnished the means and
found a way to convey the deserter MoG!ll
to New York and get him safely started on
a voyage
BACK TO IRELAND.
When McGill reached Ireland he stopped
with his cousin, Robert Armstrong, a gen
tleman of standing and respectability, who
was not disposed to receive him very kindly,
and it was not until the murdered James
wrote him and solicited his good offices in
favor of McGill that he was disposed to
furnish him an asylum, which he contin-
ued to occupy for some time, until he OBJ
tained employment through the influence
of his cousin at his trade. During his
residence in Ireland, he corresponded with
his cousin William, and in 1868
nEDDSIT