The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-10-05
THE LIBERTY BELL HERE.
CONTINUED from First Page
vince OF Pennsylvania, for the state
House In PhIla.
Pass and stow. .
Phiia.
MDCCLIll."
Irs vArI,D History

llr 4 hioAO"'.
| The following Is taken from tnaries -
Keyser's account OF the Liberty bei' pun
/ Iished in 1883:
The Assembly OF Pennsylvania Gus
tomarily had in it's possession bell Tor
official purposes from the organization OF
the province. Its ordinary use was ~
call the Assembly together morning anu
afternoon, during it's sessions, ana 10 an
nounce the hour Of the opening OF tne
Courts OF Justice TO the people us
most stately use was TO announce Inv
proclamation OF the accession of mem
bcr OF the Royal Family 10 the throne,
and the proclamations Of the treaties OF
peace and the declarations Of war.
This boll. which. following the custo-
mary use OF those bells, arfouncel inc
Declaration Of INDEPENDENCE. was ordered
by the Suporintendents Of the state House
from the agent Of the Province in Lon
don in ISL. II was required 70 weigh
about two thousand pounds and to De
lettered with the following words wei
shaped In large letters
b. order of the Assembly Of the Pro-
vince Of Pennsylvania for the State House
I'm the city of Philadelphia. 1852. and un-
dcrneath Proclaim liberty throughout all
the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.
The bell arrived ~ the end of August,
lth-. TsdIIf III sNflA'UlD'l iiVNffflf a. 'f+f'
cracked by stroke Of the clappcr. with
out any other violence. and thcreupon re-
cast by Pass 4 Stow, IN Philadelphia, ana
again hung in 1853. This recasting was
not satisfactory. and the founders Oh
tainel the privilege OF recasting the bell.
n June, 1873, il was hung I'm the State
House, it has never been outside Of its
walls until the present year except from
September. III, when il was taken to
Allentown, then long distance from the
city. for safety and there or elsewhere
securely kept until after the British army
evacuated Philadelphia, and again from
January. 1885. when il was taken under
escort to New orleans and returned 20
the State House at the close OF the ex-
hibition held there that year
HOW ir WAS CRACKED.
The Liberty Bel had been hanging two
years in the State House steeple before
Braddock's disastrous defeat IN l755. and
in the winter of 1856. following that event,
Washington, then commanding the Viz
ginia militia, as he rode down Chestnut
street on his memorable midwinter jour
ney from Mount Vernon to Boston, TO
confer there with the cOmmander-in-chief
Of the British forces in the colonies upon
the military affairs Of Virginia, attended,
by his escort Of Virginia officers and
his family servants, all well mounted,
and arrayed in handsome liyeries just or
dercd from London. heard without doubt
its peal of welcome as he passed the
state House on his way to his quarters.
The bell has endured for nearly one
hundred and fifty years although several
times sent on such patriotic journeys,
the only injury it ever experienced being
when it was cracked while hanging in
its accustomed place in the steeple, and
being tolled on July s. 1895. as "A mark
of respect 10 the memory Of John Mar
shall, of Virginia the Chief Justice of the
United States. then lying dead in Phila-
dclyhia