The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-08-04

Ork, where 1t hung Tor some time,
calling the knickcrbockers to worship,
ringing in their weddings, and knelling
at their funerals, until in 1873 the
pioneers built church, and the bell
was removed to Newburg. 1t was the
first one ever hung in that region. Its
later career was one of vicissitude. In
process of time its original owners
died, or joined their brethren in the
more fertile Valley of the Gencsee.
English people supplied their places,
and the bell then came into possession
of the Church of England, which suc-
ceeded the Lutheran, or the State
Church of the former Dutch colony.
But by l776 the English Church had
fallen into bad odor in the colonies, and
about that time the bell was taken
from its tower and hidden in a swamp.
it is said, to prevent its falling into the
hands of the Wings. After the peace
of 1888 it resumed duty in the church.
In 1898 it was hung in the academy,
and rung the village children to school,
and also did duty as court bell.
From 1884 to 1873 it was used as
signal bell for the stables of one of the
city hotels, and in lS14 It became the
property Of a lady Icsiding in New
burg, who has recently given it to the
trustees Of the Washington Headquar-
ters, to be preserved with the other
treasures of that historic building.
THE CHIMES OF ST. MICHAELS
The chimes of st. Michael's Chur>h h,
in Charleston, S. c., have 4 peculiar
history. The bells are nine in number,
and of unusual purity and sweetness
of tone. They were east in England
when St. Michael's was built about one
hundred and thirty years ago. When
the War of the Revolution came the
bells were sent to England for safe
keeping. After the treaty of peace
had been consummated, negotiations
were opened in London for the return
of the bells by the first American min
lister to Great Britain. He succeeded,
and the bells were sent to Charleston,
and upon their arrival were received
with triumphant ova,ions and escorted
by a large procession to the church, in
the belfry of which they were replaced.
During the late Civil War the citizens
of Charleston were desirous of protect
ing the bells from danger, and as the
steeple of St. Michael's was made the
target for the cannon of the besiegers,
the bells were taken down and sent to
Columbia for safe-keeping. When
Shermau's army took Columbia the
sheds in the yards of the State House,
in which the bells had been placed, and
which also contained the marble friezes
and other sculptures intended for
the decoration of the Capitol, were
broken in, and the scul ptures and bells
were smashed into fragments, and the
sheds were set ON fire. At the con-
clusion of the war the pieces ofthe bell
were carefully gathered together, boxed
and shipped to a commercial house in
Liverpool, together with extracts from
the records Of st. Michael's showing
where the bells were cast, and the pro-
portions of the metals forming their
parts. Upon inquiry it
was fonnd that there was still in exist
encc in England the firm of bell found
ers, unchanged in name, and consisting
of the descendants of the proprietors
at the time the bells were made. The
records OF this firm contained descrip-
tions Of the bells, and the proportions
there given were found to correspond
with those given from Charleston.
The bells were made anew, therefore,
OF the same metal, and for the fifth
time they were carried across the At
lantic, and arrived safely at Charleston.
Their return was made the occasion of
great rejoicing in the city.-Ne,o York
Times.