The National tribune., 1884-10-23
THE TINKERS.
The First Rebellion Against the United States.
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Some time in 1893 a certain man had made
himself obnoxious by entering his still at the
excise office. His building was thereupon cut
to pieces, which process was humorousiy called
"mending" it. The "menders" were, by q
further stretch Of fancy, called tinkers."
Each member was tinker, and then and there
the opposition to the excise laws labeled itself
Tom the Tinker" On the forest trees COM
meBced to appear threatening letters, signed
by Tom the Tinker. ''Tom the Tinkers -
awful chirography stared at scores of offending
distillerS, excisemen and Government inform
ers from the sides of barns and houses, ordering
them to enroll themselves under his banner,
surrender their commissions, or publish card
admitting their submission to his authority
in the Pittsburg Gazette. The mob element
had surely assumed party name, which had
the ring of Democracy to it; and it is actually
a fact that "Tom the Tinker" came to be ap-
piled, with due seriousness and respect, to any
one who was known to be opposed TO the laws and
to even such orderly gentlemen as Albert Gal
latin Edward Cook, III. III. Breckenridge and
William Findley. The two latter were MEM
bers of the Assembly from Allegany and West
moreland Counties) Liberty poles also were
raised in the disaffected region by this mis-
chievous Will-o'-the- Wisp," from which
Haunted such inscriptions as "An Equal Tax
and no Excise" and United We Stand, Di-
vided We Fall" But very soon the popular
frenzy, marshaled under the shadow of the i'm
personal "Tom," commenced to be directed by
individuals. During the Winter of 1893 A.
when the laws appeared to be gaining ground
and many of the distillers had signifed their
intention to abide by them, an association was
formed in the vicinity of Inspector Neville's
home, which, by the most violent, was consid-
cred as friendly to "Tom the Tinker" but, by
the cautious, it is said to have had for its OBJ
ject the checking of the popular fury and the
confining of it to petitions and legitimate
measures of opposition. 1t was called the
Mingo Creek Society, and consisted of a bat
TALON of the Washington County militia, to be
governed by q President and Council, the lat
ter to be chosen every six months by the peO-
pie of the several Captains districts. No per-
son holding either State or a United States
office could be- elected President, but the So
ciety had the power of recommending capa-
BILE persons to the legislative bodies. If its
members had any grievances which they
wished redressed they were to apply to the
society for relief, rather than to any court of
justice. This was certainly an organization
which was alarmingly like a military tribunal,
and strange institution to be established in d
free, representative country, whose very bull
wark of safety was supposed to be her civil
courts. But its career was too short to be very
mischievous though there is no doubt that
eventually this society became the machine
through which the designing David Bradford
hoped to organize an irresistible insurrection
against the United States Government.