Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-04-04
pELAWARE,S OLD RECORDS.
How Valuable Papers Have Been
Recklessiy Tossed About.

Bontires of Rare Records-sone Caus.
tic Reflections.
Editor Gazette and Journal; The Peninsula
papers come under my notice almost daily.
| note with delight that your little state IS
ut last aroused to anxiety regarding its
antiquities and that the approaching
Rogers sale OF documents and autographs
IN Philadelphia Is stirring up considerable
feeling. | crave little of your space. not
because | am ignorant of the situation in
Delaware. but because know full. swell by
having Zig-zagged through your State on
foot last yeur, by having converted with
many OF your leading men and by having
penetrated to the most onl-of-the- way
spots, just how ncgleeiru and unapprecia-
tive the people OF the State have been in
the past.
It Is impulsive and impoiitic for Mr..
Howard Pyle to suggest, as he does in a
letter i'll your paper of Saturday last an
Injunction to prevent the sale of the York
Penn deed. 1t should be made clear to
Mr.. Pyle that the deed never belonged to
the State of Delaware. 1t is an immeas.
urably important document to the State.
| admit, but the State did not exist until
nearly 100 years after the decd was exc
cuted. Who, pray, should have been the
custodian of il up to the time that your
State was called into existence? Mr.. Pyle
would find it difficult to say. lie would
also find 1t impossible to prove that it ever
was transferred to any State authority.
Mr.. Pyle instead of urging the State to
try TO gain possession of the document by
some legal trick, should come out and
thank God that in the history of Dela-
ware there have been far-sighted men like
j. Henry Rogers, who would hoard such
documents, while the common herd would
pass them by uncunsidered, "merely old
musty parchments written by dead men;
let the dead bury their dead" Mr.. Pyle is,
OF course, unaware that Mr.. Rogers price
less collection was intended for the GUS
tody of the state Historical Society. This
is the fact. but smaller and earlier gifts
having been carelessly treated by the
society, Mr.. Rogers very properly thought.
it seeHs to me- that those who could NOT
be faithful over few things were certainly
not deserving of greater. On this point
however, Mr.. Rogers is better qualified TO
SPEAK than am. The collection Will now
50 to those who appreciate it most; namely,
those who will give most for 1t. know
several New Workers who will be at the
sale. The Lenux Library here is almost
always represented at such sales, on the
look out for historic treasures and ready
to pay well for them too. The Historical
Society of Pennsylvania is virile and
watchful and not "moribnnd;n which is
the way an antiquarian of Milford char
acterized your Historical Society.
There will be the warnest kind of
tussle over the Penn deed, the Washington
letters aud the numberless Delaware an.
tiquities that belong TO Mr.. Rogers When
81 100 was given less than two years ago
for the last letter of Nathan Hale. when
$500 was given by the LenoX Library in
opposition to the Federal government for
the manuscript of Washington's Farewell
Address, no person can expect to get hold
of the famous Twelve Mile-Crcuit deed for
mere nothing. In my judgment it is at
this moment the most important land
grant deed in America. AT no other point
in the country is 4 controversy still waging
regarding boundaries. The resurvey OF the
state line north of New Castle, completed
only year or two ago, was based Oh this
deed; litigation with New Jersey is still in
| progress, and no later than the 10th of
this month a press dispatch emanated
| from Washington regarding the matter.
ms deed is essential To n proper under
| standing ana al lustment OF the questioned
points II carried to the Supreme Court,
and establishes beyond peradventure the
| jurisdiction of Delaware over the river.
This same deco was also essential to the
| settlement of the famous Pea Patch Island
case, familiar to your lawyers.
have already tr6spnssed on your space
but want TO add few words that NAV
| sur up Mr.. Pyle aud your Historical So.
| clety To good work, ii not to love. Mr..
| Rogers showed me 4 bunch of the sigma
turrs of George Read, one OF the three
| Delaware signers. How did these reach
him, rorsooth? Did somebody give them
| 70 him One does not want to use II quote
Mr Pyle) too strong a erm-soineDody
must have taken them, let us say These
| were picked up on the streets of New
| Castle At the time the courts were moved
| to Wilmington. The Cloths ami Vanuals
| a itit bfa fr
loads oil documents running back more
! than 100 wears and burned them. When
| similar Vandalism consented to destroy
| the pure colonial style OF your State
| House, and by mansard roof make ii
look Ike the town hall of u new born
| Western hamlet, up under the roof were
| tons OF papers, aud one box filled with
colonial paper-mUncy. There was again Il
| Joyous bon-re. MIR. Rogers tried to get To
Dover III time to save valuable matter but
| was largely unsuccessful. Let MIR. Pyle
and Chief justice Lore and few others of
antiquarian tastes make in historical pill
grihuge to Dover. In the safe Of the
secretary Of state they will find not more
than halta-doIen historical documents,
no Washington matter ut all In the
pigeon-hoes Vi the office they will find
everything higSledy-piggledy. Reyulu.
tlonary matter, war records, pardous, an
pointments are all mixed in together, no
order, no attempt at order, no care of them
even, or there was not when | WAS there
last May. y lew years ago some one went
all over the stuff Tor STAMPS; later some
autograph liend with 4 sharp penllnifc
visited inc place AMI cut away number
OF signatures. Let these historical pilgrims
then descend to the cellar and thread their
way through to the furnace They will find
there Il hugh chest lllled with old papers,
handilY placed for lighting fires. There is
hardly thing III the chest less than lOt
years old. IL was out OF this chest that
rescued the complete report of the con
Ventlun that nominated Rodney, Read
anu Mexican To be present at the con.
vehtion ia Philadelphia, which latel
issued THE Declaration of lndepend
enee.' The report gave in tull all reso
luuons passed and was signed BY Caesar
Rodney Chairman. This invaluable docu
ment now rests i'll the safe OF YOU secre
tary of State instead Of i'll the cellar. in
danger ever OF being thrown into the fur
nance. a state thus careless of its records
deserves no records. Can anyone in vii
ningtOntell at al moment notice where tn,
earliest town records of lewes are? These
recordsg 80 back into theseyenteenthc entur,
and your most prominent families cai
hnu thelr ancestors to have been equal,
prominent i'll the administration of affair.
IN early days. But am almost willing Il
wager that no one i'll Wilmington cuult
put their hands OH these records. The,
/ are not in Lewes nor III Georgetown; vel
they are in Delaware, at present, ii
, the hands of an aged man, VINO, judgin.
| by facts stated above, is more likely /,
take care OF them than any state or tow!
authorities. Should he die, however, the,
may he iunked Tor Old rubbish. hay
/ ended thus long letter. hastily written
/ Every word OF II ought To Interest YOU
, tninkins people;
Whether Delaware will retain he
J treasure included in the Rogers sale re