The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-29

which they respectively came" Hitler.
from the parish of St Philip, with six
others. came William Maxwell AMI his
elder brother, James. On the second day
of the congress resolution was adopt
ed, requesting Gov. Wright ITO appoint
a day of fasting and prayer to be OBJ
served throughout this province, that
happy reconciliation may soon take place
between America and the parent state
and committee was appointed to wait
upon the governor with the resolution.
The names of the gentlemen composing
that committee are given in the account
of the proceedings in the Georgia Ga
zette, but have never been mentioned, so
far as l can discover, by any historian.
They are as follows: DR.. Zubly, William
Young, DR.. Jones, John Glen, John
Houston, Joseph Clay, stephen Drayton,
and William Maxwell. 1t is needless for
me TO mention the important measures
adopted by that congress. they ere re-
corded in all the histories of the state.
From the time that Georgia decided
to cast her lot with the other colonies
in the determination to secure their IN
dependence William Maxwell became an
open and pronounced supporter of the
American cause, and that he took prom
inent part in the affairs Of Georgia dur
ing the war will appear from The facts
now to be stated Afflicted with the govt,
he was incapaCitated for active service
in the field but his zeal in behalf of the
cause he espoused was shown in other
directions The names of the members
of the convention which framed the first
constitution of the state, finally adopted
.,
as that body was composed OF persons
eligible to seats in the general assembly,
it is highly probable that William Max
well, who was a member OF the House
in the session Immediately preceding the
convention was delegate to II also
from his parish. on May 4, ll7S, the as
seD1blv passed an act amendatory OF an
act Of the session held in March of the
same year "for attaining certain persons
therein mentioned of high treason, ana
for confiscating their estates, IN Wl llc5
,5Fe,.7 DINERS
trustees for taking into their custody
and management the said forfeited es-
named for Chatham county. Some OF the
bills issued by the trustees, Whlch clrcu-
lated as currency, are still to be seen, ana
one well preserved specimen neat
ly framed, bearing the sigma
c cIlas William o'Brien, n Wade
hibit of the Daughters of the American
Revolution at the Cotton States and IN
ternational Exposition in Atlanta
The first historian of Georgia, Maj. Hugh
Mccall, himself noted patriot OF the
revolution, gives an account of the next
service rendered by Capt. Maxwell IN
the second volume OF his history, page ~,
he saws: 1.-THE Georgians, whose property
had been taken into possession by the
(British) commissioners of conhscatloh ioi
the use of the crown, exercised their IN
genuity to devise the means LOT tne re-
covery of it, and to remove il into places
of security. Small parties made frequent
incursions, and in some instances they
were successful and in others they lost
their lives Parties of loyalists were laid
in wait at the different passes to intercept
the Americans in their attempts TO re-
cover their own property, and were ire
quently successful in cutting them of;
Private armed vessels were also employed
for similar purposes; those of Georgia,
commanded by Commodore Oliver Bowen,
Carts Spencer, John Howell. William
Maxwell, Job Pray, Hardy, John Lawson,
Joseph Stiles. and many Others who had
small vessels in North Carolina, made
frequent voyages along the coast, with
various success, and it is not a matter of
wonder that both land and water parties
made occasional reprisals on the enemy,
when they were unsuccessful in the re-
covery of their own property. BY the
activity of the privateers, the parties OF
the enemy who were collecting provisions
and forage for the troops at Savannah
were frequently captured as they were
passing along the inland navigation, etc.
This is followed by the statement that acts
of cruelty were committed by the British
IN retaliation for what they called trea-
son and rebellion" For the part taken
in this mode of warfare by Capt. Maxwell
he was made to suffer when captured,
and Judging by the measure of the pun
ishment inflicted upon him as compared
with the penalty imposed on others who
were tried at the same time for treason
sonable practices" he must have been
considered a leader among the offenders.
Sir james Wright thef royal governor
of Georgia, writing from Savannah TO Lord