Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-09-03
of Episcop.lian., tina. lived thar, ,o,. -.

tue building just mentioned. OF course
Ihompsontown has other churches,
The town was named fer the TEor.,psons
The picnic, which was the first cause of
this article, was called, and inspired by
members of the same family, ard was held
on the ground of Theodore Thomson; 80
that if there had been no one of that name,
there wCaid have been no town called
Ihonpsontown, ard no picnic BY such a
people The foundation of both were laid
in the days long past in the family of
THOMPSON.
Who the first Christian soldier was is not
point material TO this article, but the first
teacher in Europe that Lad a large following
of believers who disclalmed all belief in the
life of a soldier, = comoatant, b. force or
strife, was Memo Simoni,, the founder of
the Mennonites. lie had been A Catholic
Priest, but left that church, and about 1857
established the Mennonite Church, which
has such a large following in this country. =.
The River Brethren. the Dunkers, aud the
Aymish are all branthe. from the Mennon-
ite church, and all are non-c batant..
John Calvin was born in 1909, only four
years after Memo Simonis. aud organized
the Calyinisti: church about the same time
that the Mennonite church was organized
Prrsbyt e-ian, independent. Puritan, and
Congregational organizations have their
germ in the Calvin movement. but not one
of them has ever been non-comba.ant, but
all, Singulir or collectively, have time and
and again had members who won distinc-
tion on the field of battle.
George Fox, who was born about the year
1924, was the first Quaker, English Chris
tiIn nOn-coubatant. When William Penn,
with his Quaker colony, opened Pennsyl-
vania to the oppressed of all lands, thou
sands of MesnoniIes, who we're chiefly
German people, came 20 the colony. They,
like the Quakers, being nOn-comb ttant, laid
no claim to pioneer life, and remained in
the background, leaving the Irish ana
Scotch Irish IN Pennsylvania, who Were
generally Presbyterians in religion, TO take
up the iard in the front. and fight the In
diaus. Ii was Just when TIE state of society
generally was in this condition in the Prov
ince Of Pennsylvania, that James, Isaac and
John Thompson, three ScOtch.lrish Presby-
terian brothers, came to the province. The
Scotch-Irish Presbyterians were fighting
Christians.
The three brothers pushed on through
the settlements 10 near the Susquehsnna
river. which then was scarcely safe from
tier lire, and settled not far from Paxtang
Presbyterian Church, when is not far from
Harrisburg. They were members of the
when Parson Colonel Elder
was in the haiti of carrying rifle with him
TO church TO place ii in the pulpit, TO be
used in a fight with Indians should they
make an attack. But while the fighting
Christians, as represented by the Scotch
Irish and Irish Presbyterians, were fighting
Indians and driving the natives still further
into the woods on this side of the Susquc-
hanna, the State or government of the
Province was entirely under the control of
the non-combatant element in the Province.
Quaker English policy, backed to a large
degree BY Mennonite German sympathy,
controlled the government in its manage
meut of the Indian. French traders, in
large numbers, were among the Indians,
It H.. Nf..s ion h.a.
fore and ever since has beea nacre apt in
adopting the vices OF the whItd race than
adopting his virtues, o. course at that time
he was no exception, and was, as now on
the froatier, debauched being, ready for
any mean and vicious enterprise that might
be suggested. While the Government did
not prefer an Iudian to a white man it III
sisted that the Indians along the Susque-
hanna did not receive justice when charged
with a crime, and it insisted in taking all
Indian questions for trial to Philadelphia
tor adjustment, which gave high offence 20
the Presbs terians, for they insisted that
they were able to justly dispose of all In
dian questions that might arise among
them. A settlement of Indians was kept
up, at a place called Conestoga, and the
Presbyterians, and particularly a Dody
Of Rangers, of which ParsOn Elder was
Colonel, insisted that the settlement was
the harboring place for number OF thiev-
ing and numbering Indians that for miles
around occasionally, upon whcmsoever they
had spite, would visit it by murder, theft
and fire. The whole Presbyterian element
earnestly petiliOned the Quaker manage
me t to remove the COnestOga Indians, put
their petitions were not needed; and a; last
a number of the Rangers concluded that
thew uo aid rid the country Of the MURDER
ers and fhi,vcs. The Parson was request'
ed to Join them, but he did not, and used
his influence to Keep their purposes from
being put into execution. His advice was
not Needed The Paxtang Rangers went Oh
their mission, killed most OF the iniiais,
and burned their settlement, on the nlgh'
the lith of December, 1853. What lie"
escsped were taken by Government and put
under guard at Lancaster, but the hangers
fouud them out, and on certain occasion
made a raid into Lancaster, oyerpowered
tbe guard and killed the Indians, and then
the country was at peace and free from IN
dIar depredations and murder from the US
ouehanua TO the Delaware river. The &C.
currence nearly raised war between 'he
Irish, the Scotch-IFish Presbyterian Chris-
tiau element and the Quaker non-comoat-
,nt Christian element. The Government
stopped the pay and lifted the coinai'ssion
of Parson Elder. lie was not parucipah'
in the executions at Conestoga and Ian
caster. but was an opponent of the Quaker
non-combatant Indian policy. The censure
Of the Government upon all sympath'zers
;,h .ba p.xtang Rangers, chafed many OF