West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1903-01-08
AN 1919 WARNING.
Cannon Ball Fired From British Field
Piece Contained Important
Document.


rusty cannon ball fired from a Brit
ish fold piece at the attack on Blad-
cnshurg by the English force under
Gen. Ross and Lieut.. Wainwright
during the war of 1912, hit labor
er working short distance outside
of that town to-day and broke his
leg. The ball, when examined was
found to inclose a roll OF parchment
addressed to "the commanding off
icer of the American force defend
ing Washington" and contained a
detailed account of the plans OF Ad-
miral Cockburn, the commander
in. chief of the British naval force
then in the Potomac and Of which
the land expedition was part, for
his march on Washington and the
destruction of the national capital.
The communication was signed
Timson Howard, mate of the mer-
chairman, General Stone, and vic.
tim of the British press gang.
John Kay, the man injured by
the cannon ball fred ninety years
ago, was one of gang of colorerd
laborers engaged in cutting through
road near Bladensburg. He was
working at the bottom of steep
fifty. foot slant, when the pick of
laborer at the top of the elevation
dislodged from the earth where it
had lain for nearly century the
rusty relic. 1t rolled down the hill
ana struck Kay with considerable
force, breaking his leg near the an
kle.
After the man had been cared for
and put on the train for Washington
the foreman of the gang rolled the
cannon ball to nearby creek and
removed some of the earth and rust.
He noticed that the ball was hollow,
and not knowing that explosive
shells were not in use during the
War of 1872, curiosity impelled him
to dig into the interior of the relic
with knife to see, as he explained
later, how the powder in the shell
had w;thstood the rayages of ninety
years. After he had cut away the
dirt from the two-inch hole in the
ball, his knife brought out a roll of
parchment, yellow and discolored
with age, but which when unfolded
proved to be the communication
referred to. A considerable portion
of the writing was illegible, but
enough could be read to make it a
fairly connected whole.
The communication signed by
Howard, who, from the character
and phraseology of the document
was a man of some education, ex-
plains that he had been Impressed
into the British service shortly be-
fore the beginning of the war and
had since been compelled 10 serve
against his country. While acting as
orderly to Admiral Cockburn he
had learned that the British com
mander-in-chief intended to sack
and burn Washington and lay wasie
the surrounding country. A portion
of the writing says.
"With the aid of God Almighty
let all - patriots rally =
Washington and Marauders
who are coming rapine and
murder defeated in former
years regain = through naval
supremacy press gang outrages
lost before.
A postscript to the note explains
that Howard wrote nearly one hun
dred OF the warnings, and knowing
that the Americans made a practice
of using over again the cannon balls
fired at them by the British, had
slipped the papers into the shells
taken by the force which marched
on Bladensburg in the forlorn hope
that at least one of the notes might
be discovered.
The cannon ball and roll of parch-
ment containing the record of the
patriots futile endeayor to aid the
country against which he was COM
PEELED to serve, were brought to
Washington to-day by Thomas A.
Byrne of Bladensburg, and will be
presented to the National Museum
as an addition to the already large
collection of relics of the War OF
1919.
Liberal Offer
We will give free instruction in Short
hand, by our mail method, 10 anyone con.
iemPlating entering our school within the