The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-04-10
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
EARLY HISTORY OF BALTIC. COUNTY
Dedicated to its Historical Society
BY j. G.. D.
nont;nvod f,.on, Inet ,reek

Continued from last ceek
During the time these events were Transporting
the disputed territory was a scene of border war;
fare The first complaint was made by Governor
Gordon on the 18th of September, 1871, that one
Cressop, with several others, had crossed to the
west side of the Susquehanna and were maltreat-
ing the Indians. About the same time Thomas
Cressop, an owner of ferry at Blue Rock ON the
Susquehanna, and one of Lord Baltimore's tenants,
was brutally assaulted and his property carried
off.
Charles Carroll had secured patent from Bal
timore for tract of 10000 acres on Codorus
Creek. In June, 1892, accompanied by John
Ross, he came for the purpose of surveying and
fixing his boundaries, but, meeting resistance,
appealed to the Maryland authorities. This, with
divers other complaints, drew the following letter
from Lord Baltimore:
ANNAPOLIS, Deer, ye 18th, 1882
Sir:-By the enclosed precept, founded upon
Information here, you will see that most outra-
geous Riot hath lately been committed in my
Province by great number of People calling
themselves Pennsylvanians. 1t appears by the
same Information that some of your Magistrates,
instead of preventing or discouraging these vio-
lences, Countenance and abet the Authors of them,
whether with without the appreciation of your
Government, you best know. For my own part, 1
think myself in Honor and Justice obliged, and 1
am determined to protect such of His Majesty
subjects who are my own Tenants in all their
Rights, and therefore to the end the Persons COM
planned of may be punished if, upon fair tryal,
they shall be found guilty. desire that they, or
such of them as can be found IN your Province
may be sent without loss of time into this as the
Only and proper place where the fact with which
they are charged is cognizable, and where my
Officers will be ready to receive them, particularly
the Sheriffs and Justices of my Counties of Balt-
more and Cecil. | also desire that such of your
Magistrates as shall appear to have Encouraged
the commission of these or any other violences in
PsSEnss 1 4 hs gsess Ct
that you will favor me with categorical answer
to these my just demands by this bearer. You.
humble Servant BALTIMORE.
To His Ercetlency Patrick Gordon, Esq, at PhHG-
delphia.
The precept enclosed was a warrant for the ar
rest of the parties, but when the Council met al
Philadelphia in January, 1913, they refused to
recognize this letter, and the culprits escaped
conviction. So matters continued to grow worse
Lord Baltimore now commissioned Thomas Cries.
sop Magistrate of Baltimore county and inves-
ted him with authority to apprehend any person
coming out of Pennsylvania and committing the
least offence. This finally led to tragic incident
in which blood was shed for the first time and a
life lost 1t appears while Crossop and others
were engaged in building house on the bank of
the Susquehanna, Sheriff Emerson and posse cross
cd from Lancaster county and endeavored to eff
feet their arrest. This was resisted, and in the
disturbance Knowles Daunt, one OF the Sherif's
men, was shot and killed by Crossop. This was
in January, 1874, and was followed by other
troubles. Lord Baltimore determined to unseat
the usurpers and arrest their leaders. So the
Sheriff of Baltimore county, with twenty fully
armed men, proceeded to the scene and succeeded
in apprehending j ohm Hendricks and Joshua Win.
shall and sent them to Annapolis for trial. Crss-
sop afterwards fell into the hands Of the Sheriff
of Lancaster county and was imprisoned in the
goal at Philadelphia
Violent measures had engendered bitter hatred
on each side without securing settlement of the
yexed question. 1t was now apparent that the
provincial Governors intended to resort to diplo
matte arbitration again. Consequently, in May,
1884, MeGsrs. Hamilton and Georges were dis
patched as diplomatists to Annapolis to explain
the late troubles and bring about arrangements
for the release of prisoners. They were cordially
received by the Governor and Council but
turned home empty handed from their mission, as
the release of the prisoners would have been
equivalent to the surrender of Maryland's right
to the territory.
While these recorded facts were being enacted,
settlements continued to be made by other parties
within the disputed territory. Large numbers of
Germans applied to the authorities of Maryland
for land patents which were invariably granted,
and soon large settlements of this class occupied
all the meadowland within limits of what is now
Hellam, Spring Garden, Codorus, Mannheim and
Heidelberg townships, in York county. Their
reasons for coming are not within the scope ofthis
paper, but Baltimore county could, at that time,
boastsd ola large German population. Secret ennis
saries went among these people, who, under the
authority of Maryland, started vague rumors that
Lord Baltimore was to be deprived of his prov
ince by Claiborne and that their patents for land
I 4
falsehood instiedin to tbs minds Of these simple,
honest hearted people soon became ruling pas
sion, and many revolted against the Maryland
vania To check tits dissatisfaction and other
disturbances Col. Hall, with three hundrsd men,
were ordered in September, 1885, to the upper
portion of Baltimore county, opposite Lancaster
The Sheriff of this county prepared two hundred
men for an armed resistance. military cam
paigp was opened, soldiers were armed and drill
ed and scene Of anarchy prevailed. Even in
Chester county plot was formed to drive the re-
volted Germans from Pennsylvania back to Mary
land. Fortunately, the bubble burst and the SOL
diers returned to their homes without boodshed.
Diplomacy was again resorted to. This time
Maryland sent Messrs. Jennings and Dulaney to
Philadelphia, but they returned disheartened and
unsuccessful. The information of this border trou
BILE being laid before the King he referred it to
the Lords of Committee of Councils on Plantation
in eight provisions, was resented to the King
and accepted. The general tenor of these provis-
ions was that the proprietaries should at once
cease the disorder; that temporary line be es-
tablshed 154 miles south of the city of Philadel-
phia on the east side of the Susquehanna, and l44
miles on the west side; that no more patents
should be issued by either party within the dispu-
ted territory until line was established perma-
nently; and those holding patents should remain
faA fhata oil cd aS
ers on account of border troubles should at once
be released and discharged subject to His Males
TVS orders. Both proprietares agreed firmly to
stand by these provisions and select Commission
ers with surveyors to mark the temporary line as
ordered by His Royal Majesty. The southern
limit of Philadelphia having been settled upon in
December the Commissioners and surveyors met
on the 18th of April to survey the Isl miles south
of Philadelphia. The Commissioners of Pennsyl,
vania commended that this line should be horison-
ta that is, the Irregularities of surface be consid
cred. The Maryland Commissioners refused to
accept anything but the general contour of the
surface for the line, and threatened to proceed
alone in its measurment. After a long discussion
the Maryland Commissioners allowed twenty five
perches for the altitude of the hills. In May,
1879, the line on the west side of the Susquehanna
was started, and after some delay surveyed west
ward to the Kittcchtinny Mountains distance
of SO statute miles, or as far as PENIS treaty ex-
tended with the Indians This temporary line,
as ordered by His Majesty for the peace of the
province, continued in force until the completion
of the famous Mason and Dixon Line in 1867.
RUHL's SCHOOL, BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD.
ITO be coatinued.)
Es-T There is some consolation for the men
whose early advantages were not great in the fact
that out of over seven thousand persons examined