The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-01-04

give bonds That they would Keep well
regulated houses. The law also obliged
the court TO fix annually the price of
meals, lodging and liquors, list Of
which was to he exposed to view in the
public part of the licensed premises
The rates for liquor fixed by the court
in I'LL are as follows: Rum. per gal
lon, 10 shillings. or l20 lbs. of tobacco
punch, per gill, with three parts
rum, shilings, or IS lbs of tobacco ::
aipe, per gill, with three parts rum,
1 shillings, or * lbs of tobacco: cider,
per gallon, shilling, or II lbs. of to-
bacco; ounce drink, per gallon, shil-
ling, or - lbs of tobacco: beer, per
gallon. Is 4d., or Ii lbs. Of tobacco
1t wss also the duty Of the Justices
Court TO appoint proper person for
ferryman at each of the public ferries
in the county aud 10 fix the rates to he
charged for the passengers and stock
and vehicles Of all kinds. In addition
to these regular rates, the county gave
the keepers of the ferry subsidy of
tobacco, probably because the amount
of business was not sufficiently large TO
properly remunerate the proprietors
We will now resume the history of
Bohemia Manor, which the readers of
these sketches will recollect has been
brought down to the time of the death
Of Ephraim Augustine Herman, the
grandson of the noble Bohemian who
founded it, This event took place in
1873. From a paper in ;he possession
of the Maryland Historical Society,
but which has no date upon it. we
learn that T. A. Herman sought to OBJ
tain the Kings dissent to the act of the
Legislature of the colony, confirming his
grandiather's will. This will, to which
reference has been made before, was
properly proved and recorded, but some
malicious person tore out the leaves of
the book upon which it was written.
4 copy Of the will being afterwards
produced, it was lcgnlized by all act of
the colonial Legislature and admitted to
record. Ephraim's object probably was
TO acquire fee simple title to the
Manor, as he did TO Little Bohemia
as Middle Neck was then called-in
li24, by an act of the Legislature, pass
ed at his solicitation, and which broke
the entail of that part Of his grand
fathers estate There is reason TO
think that his motive was mercenarv
one, but it probably would have saved
his family mucn trouble had he sue
ceeded in accomplishing his purpose, as
the history Of the disputed succession
TO the Manor will show
lie was twice married. and had two
daughters, Mary and CatLarine, by bis
first wife, both OF whom survived him
and died without issue His second
wife's maiden name was Araminta
Young. She is believed to have been
descendant of the Jacob Young, who,
in connection with Augustine Herman
was authorized to treat with the Della
ware Indians in ITS. BY his second
wife he had one son, who bore his
name, as all the lords of the Manor
were required 10 do by the terms of the
will of its founder, and who survived
his father, but died before reaching
manhood This Lady Herman las
stated in preceding chaptcrl after the
death Of her first husband became the
wife of Robert Alexander and subse-
quently the wife of George Cato, of
Elkton. She is the lady known in the
traditions about E!kton as Madam
Cato. Mary, or Mary Augustine Her
man, as she Is sometimes called. because
she assumed the christian name of her
great-grandfather, was of verv weak
mind indeed, if tradition is true. she
was almost, if not altogether an idiot
Now, ii SO happened, that u cunning
and designing lawyer, one John Law
son, made the acquaintance of this
idiotic girl aud fell in love. not with
her, but with her fortune, and resolved
10 marry her, that be might obtain it.
in order TO accomplish his purpose,
this designing man sought every opper-
tunitv to be thrown in contact with the
Young lady, and was in the habit of
taking her carriage riding with him for
long distances. Nor was this ALL for
upon these occasions, in order to secure
the success of his well-laid scheme he
taught her to repeat, much like parro,
would have done, the proper answers
to such questions as he believed a jury
would ask her, when cmpanneled to As
certain whether or not she was compos
mentis 1t is highly probable: indeed,
il is almost certain, that during this
time she was under the care of her
step-mother, Mrs. Alexander, who prob
ably was not cognizant of Lawson's
nefarious scheme TO entrap her, and
who, if she was, may have been graft
fed with the prospect Of being relieved
Of tine responsibility Of taking care OF
her Owing to the strenuous and per
sistent efforts of the designing Lawson
the young lady was so well instructed
when the proper time arrived, which
was probably when she reached ma
turity and was about to take possession
Of her share of the Manor, that she