The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-09-08


body of his father, but his re
vOlver was knocked from his hand
and seventy large shot fired into
his body. He staggered a few
hundred feet off into the edge of
a wood, where some of the crowd
followed and would have shot
him again but for the Intervention
ofan old negro, who threw him
self in front of him and persuaded
the others to desist Some of the
residents of the neighbOrhood
came upon the scene and carried
him to the house of Mr.. Levi
Pownall, where he was attended
until his recovery. DR.. Pearce
and Joshua GorSuch took flight
in another direction. The latter
was overtaken by the negroes and
/ badly beaten, bnt in the evening
he escaped to the town of York.
DIR. Pearce was concealed in the
house of two ladies nearby and
escaped injury.
THE NARRATIVE OF AN EYE
WITNESS.
In the centennial number of
the Lancaster Intelligencer OF
March 9th, 1895, there was pub
lished an interesting history of
Lancaster County, IN which APP
pears the particulars of the muir
der of Mr.. GorSuch. The letter
as given below was written by
correspondent at Columbia to
George Sanderson, who was then
publishing a newspaper at Car
Isle:
"FRIEND SANDERSoN. = The
murder Of Edward Gorsuch, Esq,
by the negroes and white Adolf
tioniSts of Lancaster County has
! filled the public mind in this
community with but one feeling,
and that Il feeling of Indignation
commensurate with the atrocity
of the murder. The following
particulars were furnished by a
gentleman who was present and
who received wound upon the
head from one of the rebellious
negroes just as Mr. Gorsuch fell:
"Mr. G.. was in pursuit Of two
or three runaway negroes, &C
companied by his son, his
nephew, two cousins. the deputy
marshal and a police officer, in
all seven persons. Very early in
the morning this party approach
ed shanty in which was sup
posed to be Secreted the runaways,
and soon perceived a negro run
ming ahead of them whom Mr..
Gorsuch recognized as his boy.
They tried to intercept him. but
the negro succeeded in getting
in and assembled to the loft, in
terpoSing barrier between him
and the pursuing party. Baffied
thus the party came out to rec
onnoiter aud as Mr.. GorSuch was
passing negro fred at him from
the shanty, but without effect.
The negroes now commenced
blowing horns. The neighbor
hood soon became alarmed and in
the space of three-quarters of an
hour two hundred negroes had
assem- Oled, most of whom were
armed with guns, and many of
them came on horseback. At this
critical juncture white man was
perceived among the negroes en-
couraging them to resistance.
The marshal instantly read his
warrant to the white man and
ordered him 10 assist in preserv-
ing the peace and III executing
the law of the country. This he
refused to do, and told the mar,
shall that no arrest could be
made without spilling blood, at
viii l the negroes cheered and
yelled like furies. The marshal
then declared his intention to
hold the white man responsible
for the value of the slaves and
ordered the party to retire. which
they were doing when Mr. Cor
such, who had hitherto been sur
rounded by the negroes, turned
around and said that he would
have his boy before he left the
neighborhood; upon saying which
he received blow upon the pos
terror portion of his head from
some sharp instrument, supposed
to be schythe, by negro. The
blow knocked him forwaid and
as he was falling another negro
discharged gun, containing
shot and slugs. into the superior
portion of the right lung. causing
instant death. When Mr.. Cor
such fell his son rushed forward
to the body of his father and dis
charged his revolver among the
party of murderers. but with
what effect is not known. He
received several shots himself,
and would have been dispatched,
but the negroes took alarm at
their bloody work and dispersed,
yelling like demons incarnate.