The Delaware ledger., 1883-09-08
One of Schenok's.

In ante-railroad times, when most Of
the travel between the Ohio river and
the seaboard was in siage-coaches,
western members of congress, in going
to or returning from Washington,
would make party of six, and charter
nine-passenger coach, so as to have
more ample accommodations. Every
such party would be made up of per-
sonal and political friends, who would
be pretty sure to have good time. In
1845 II company of this kind was travel
ing eastward, consisting Of Senator
johnson, of Louisiana, Crivtenden and
Corwin, and Representative Vance,
Vinton and Schenck, all except Vinton
backwoodsmen by birth and rearing.
johnson was the oldest, having been
born in 1888, in the wilds of Tennessee,
from which state he went to Louisiana
early in the present century. Schenck
was the youngest, and is now 1883 the
emily survivor of the party. He is re-
sponsible for the substance of the
following story, which, at seventy
three, he tells with as much animation
and gusto as he would probably have
shown the day the thing occurred,
when he was only about half that age !:
When the stage was in Fayette
county, Pa, it stopped, just at the dawn
OF day, to change horses. All the
passengers seemed to be asleep except
Schenck, who put he curtain aside to
take look at the surroundings, and
seeing man near by, asked him what
place it was.
"5mithGeld," answered the man.
"Smithfeld," said Schenck "why,
= that's the place where John Rogers was
burned at the stake"
Johnson had got just enough walked
up to take in this dialogue, and, with a
, start, he exclaimed, Whats that,
Schenckp did you say a man was
burned at the stake p''
eyes, " replied Schenck.
+ "a live man ?"
: eyes, a live man-burned-at The
stake-at Smithfeld," said Scheme k
!, with pausing emphasis.
u 'Is it possible ? Why, never heart
IL OF it before"
y But, SENATOR" gravely rejoinet
ID Schenck, "it's as true as that this i
:. Smithfeld. And what's more, his wifi
and children stood by and saw hin
burned and it's a curious thing that i
= is to this day disputed how man
!, children there were. The story goe
:, that she had with her nine smal
;, children and one at her breast and i
:, is to this time mooted point whethe
- the one at the breast was one of tn
nine, or was number teu.n
"Why, Schenck, how on earth is
y that l never before heard of such a
- outrageous affair az that 7 A live ma
burned at the stake here | swear
: never saw word about it in the ps
y, pers."
"a By this time the other passenger
nh were awake, and comprehending I'll
r.. situation, kept still, leaving Scheme
to manage his own case.
10, Nevertheless, senator,'' he pr
tv ceeded, "that thing occurred at Smitl
los field, just as | have stated"
"By thunder! exclaimed johnson
,ps 'it's strange that never heard
AZ. When did ii happen ?''
re. well, senator'- -Schenck paused
ed little, as If trying to recolect-''u
act my word | can't on the instant recs
IL the exact date but as well as II
alv memory serves me it must have been.
,as let me see-about two hundred al
,rd ninety years ago; at any rate, it w
are some time in the reign of Bloody Ma
,or of England.n
,ba Then the Others could hold in
~ longer, and SmithGield heard such
,er gutfaw as it had never before hra
,Es from a lot of stage passengers. Schen
says that johnson didn't Join in
but was grum for three hours aft
wards that is, until after he got
breakfast. Whether he subsequen
became acquainted with the N