The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1905-03-31
TERRY BROTHERS
ARE AGED TWINS,

IEhh bNOIH III Els
ARE AGED TWINS.
After nearly four score years of ex-
periences in the vicinity of Philadel-
phia, William and Samuel Terry,
twins, recall many interesting evrnts.
They remember the coming of the first
locomotive to Philadelphia, and tell
of the days when their father conveyed
treasure trains of silver bullion from
the United States Custom House to
the Government banks in New York
and Boston, and foug ght off the bands
of highwaymen who infested the roads
by force their brawny arms and
loaded whips.
William Terry. twice married and
now W idower, lives at Holmesburg.
He is too old to follow his trade OF
carpenter, and is now the janitor OF
the Thomas Holme Free Library.
Samuel Terry, also twice married
and widower second time, lives on
Lambert street, Trenton. Their father
was carpe nter, and "J:m' Terry, as
he was known, was the largest man
in the country round. He was born
the year that Washington retired
from the Presidency, and when he de-
cided to marry, in 1880, his six feet
four inches of brawny bulk easily won
him wife. He settled in Yardley,
near Trenton, and did odd jobs at
carpentering.
"It was about that time," said VIM.
Terry, "that he was engaged by the
Government to haul the species from
the Ph iladelphia bank to New York
and Boston. They travelled in trains
of five wagons, each drawn by foul
horses. In the fall of '94, the yeal
that he died, and the anniversary OF
the event have in mind, he told me
the story of one of these trips.
"It was the year 1925, and five
wagons, drawn by five of the largest
mule teams on the Atlantic seaboard,
were loaded with the silver bullion al
the Custom House, at Fourth and
Chestnut streets, for delivery in New
York. Sundown that night found
them on the Bristol pike, in the fa-
nous Pickpoket Woods, 2 miles from
Bristol, much exhausted, after they
had beaten off gang of highwaymen
who had swooped down on them, de-
spite the fact that every precaution
was taken to prevent it being known
that the innocent farm wagons carried
aught but grain and fodder and cord
word. They usually spent one week
on these trips, and it was on one in
1892 that our oldest brother, Joshua,
was born. He is living yet, at the
age Of eighty-two, in one of our old
homes, II Cooper street, Trenten.
The same men appeared every year
at the same place and carted the an.
uual consignment of silver, cut in the
denominational sizes, but not stamp
ed, to the Knickerbocker banks. F.;
seven years father engaged in this
until the Camden and Amboy R,il-
road was opened for operation i'll
1929.
"Well l remember the excitemel
which the passing of that old wheoz-
locomotive at its fifteen-mile spc,.
caused. l was then only two yeas
old, and l have vivid impression &
the fright l had at the sight, al.
l didn't get over crying all Of the t..
miles that we had to travel home,
IL married in 1856. Sam marie,
about the same time, and both of II.
married Margarets. Our second wi>e,
were both named Mary. Mary, n.
wife, died eight months ago. Her
death was due to shock. She la
gone to assist her sister, Elizabeth
Noorsanger, who was undergoing al
operation for gangrenous growth at
the jewish Hospital. She was a
lowed in the operating room to com
fort her sister. The sister died, aid
when Mary felt the hand she was
holding grow chill and its pulse cease,
she too swooned in a nurses arms
and died few moments later. We
buried them side by side. At he
death l broke up housekeeping. /
have three children living, and my
brother has four"
William Terry was for many years
Il prominent builder in Philadelphia.