The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-08-16


The people OF Cecil county, as before re-
marked, were generally loyal to the cause
OF their country. There We're, however. a
lew exceptions; but no person of good stand
lng III society, except Robert Alexander, is
believed to have joined the enemy. He be-
longed to an ali>tocratic family that form
erly owned Il large tract of land lying be-
tween the Hollow and the Far creek. He
was the StepSon of Madam Cato, who was
one of the most aristocr;tic ladies that ever
lived i'll the county. This man Alexander
joined the British fleet when it was in Elk
river, and Went away with it and never re-
turned. lie left a wife and several chill
dren, who then and for many years after
wards, resided in Eikton. His son, vii
liam Alexander, studied law, and was for
some time States Attorney. He is spoken
of by those who knew him as being both
amiabe and eloquent. Robert Alexander
Is said to have prepared a fine entertain
ment for the british officers, and to have
gone down the river to welcome them to the
town, but while he was away upon that
errand the Americans came to Elkton ana
the feast fell into their hands.
With the exception of the removal of the
records of the county and the capture of the
public stores ut the Head of Elk the Brit
ish did little damage in this county They
seem to have taken pains to conciiate those
who We're opposed to them, aud not to have
hesitated 10 plumber their friends. Many
of the people Of the nrighboring village Of
Newark and vicinity as we'll us some of the
people of Chester county, were tainted with
treason. y writer of the period says that
the British captured all the records and pub
lie papers Of New Castle county and every
shilling of the public money, together with
the fund belongingto the trustees of Newark
Academy. In consequence of the reverSeS
sustained by the Americans at the battle of
Brandywlne, says writer of that period
the people of New Castle county were dis
prited and dispersed, and the less virtuous
part that remained We're daily employed in
supplying he British troops in Wilmington
and at New Castle with all kinds of provi-
sions. Thomas Mexican, u distinguished
citizen of Pennsylvania, in a letter written
to Gen. Washington from Newark, Della
ware, on the 3th of tie following October,
says, the only remedy he can suggest for this
lamentable state of atf..irs is to have a reai-
m"nt of continental troops stationed at New
ark. At the time this letter was written,
he had just heard of the battle OF German
town from some Quakers who We're return
Ing to Nottingham from their yearly
meeting in Philadelphia. They at first re-
fused TO tell him any thing of the battle;
but he compelled them to stop, and says he
was of the opinion that their account was
derived from the Tories AMI English in
Philadelphia.
The pacific principles OF the Friends pre-
vented them from taking an active part in
military operations In the field, but most of
them We're loyal to the cause OF their coun-
try, and did all they We're able without sac
riticing their religious conviction to aid its
cause.
The Winter after the battle of Brandy
wine, til" British occupied Philadelphia, and
if is a well-establiShea ftct that some of the
distifected and merccnAry citizens of the
couaty, some # whom We're indicted for
the otienSe, We're in the habit of sinuggling
provisions to them. Notable among these
was one Michael Trump, who resided near
Colora. This man Trump lived to II great
age, and told a friend of the writer that he
trapped several wagon loads of wild pigeons
which Were very numerous that Winter
and sold them to the British army in Phila-
delphia, who We're very glad to get them,
and paid him for them i'll gold coin. The
invasion of the county greatly demoralzed
tn" people The new government was, at
this time, only an experiment, and its uti-
mate success was doubtful; consequently the
ill-dispoSed and laweSs part of the citizens
took advantage of the weakness Of the civil
authorities and did pretty much as they
pleased. Thirty persons We're indicted for
Der term of court in 1717. At this term of
court the sheriff was ordered to deliver the
prisoners then in his custody, charged with
being traitors, TO Col. John ID. Thompson,
who was requested to send them under
guard of his battalion to the lieutenant of
Kent county, with directions TO him to have
them put in the State prison.
We must now speak of Il matter that it
would be much more agreeable to us to pass
Ill 1N,,t =.
quires that we should make some reference
to it-and, though it is an unpleasant duty,
we shall not shrink from it. We have al
ready mentioned that the Friends in Not
tingllm did not consider themselves as be-
ing under the jurisdiction of the State of
Maryland. For this reason, and also be-
cause they We're opposed to fighting, many
of them refused to enter the service of the
State when called upon to do so. In order
that they might be tried and punished for
this, conrt-martial was convened 1T the
Head of Elk, on the 9TH of December, 177S,
ut which Were present Colonel Stephen Hy-
land, Lieutenant-Coloncl Elihu Hall (of
Elisha), and Major Baruch Williams, the
latter gentleman being at that time clerk of
the county court. We learn from the records
of this court-nartial that 81 persons We're
convicted of refusing to attend at the Head
of Elk on the Ord of the preceding May, at
which time they had been called into actual
service by Charles Rumsey, the lieutenant
of the county, at the request of the Gov
ernor The court imposed fines upon them,
ranging from go to s35 each, and sentenced
each of them to two months imprisonment.
Five persons Were also found guilty of de-
Sertion. They Were also sentenced to fine
and imprisonment. Baruch Williams was
ordered to issue wrtS against the parties,
most of whom contested the matter in the
county court, with what success is not
known, the records of the court not being
eXtant GULF.