The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-18

English law, especially wise IN the stat
utcs covering estates and dccedents, III
which the province was even more Eng
| lsh than the tight little island itself,
| Indeed, one Of the two courts baron,
Of which records have been discovered,
was held at ST. Gabriel Manor, the es
tate Of Margaret Brent. She and her
sister took up other lands, founded other
manors. sent back to England for col
onsts and settlers, seed, stock and I'M
plcments. and in other ways managed
their property with masculine ability:
Through the musiy old records we lind
traces of her, buying and selling prop
crtv, registering cattle marks for her
self. and at other times as "aetinG ut
torucv for my brother. Altogether
she seems to have been entirely too busy
with her land operations, her stock and
grain raising. and her other business
ventures TO think of love making
though Governor Calvert and all the
gcnticmcn of his cabinet might impor-
tune her.
But though loath to be woocd and
won. the fair Mistress Brent ruled roy
ally in her little court Of admirers IN
the now forgotten city of ST. Mary 3.
! Her Influence was great and always Tor
The good of the colony, and for the ad-
vanccment of that single-minded, pub
| lie spirited and upright executive who
! cHiIcQ ncr tDuSlH anu '''htS' nv
with the Difference os a queen. And
she seems 10 have been worthy of his
homage. She was u woman of brains
and courage She had Imagination and
executive ability. She knew her little
community and how to manage 1T and
it's affairs with infinite tact. Governor
Calvert s treatment of the Indians was
ns lust and humane MS that of William
Penn, some forty reDrs later, and this
I'D -, boon lIrUpIN Iuf1lI-
cnccd bv Mistress Brent. She was A
staunch Roman Catholic. but always she
stood for freedom of religious thought
and worship, and she is credited with
having done much to secure tine passage
of the tolcration act, which, though Gov
ernor Calvert did not live 10 see 1T en-
acted, lie had worked long to bring
about
1t is Il great misfortune thai the rec
ords are lost that might tell US how and
where Margaret Brent passed her tune
the while William Claiborne seized and
| held the Isle of Kent though it was
clearly within the grant of Lord Balti.
more aided by the pirate lnglcs That
was in 1914, and Governor Calvert, who
had lust returned from Eng land, was
forced to fee into Virginia with many
of his loyal Marylandcrs. Whether Mis-
| trcss Brent was Of these or whether she
stayed and guarded her property is not
known. though the latter course is most
J III keeping with what we know of he-.
! 1t was two years before Governor Cal
vert was able to put down the rebellion
and again take up his residence in his
own colony. Then he came broken IL
health, though not in spirit, and in the
summer Of l647 he lay upon his death
bed Around him were gathered a few
of his most faithful friends-Thomas
Green, and one or two others of the
governor s council, Father White, and
Margaret Brent and her sister, Mary.
Calling the attention of all present that
he was about to make his last will and
testament, Calvert named Thomas Green
as his successor as governor, and then,
pointing with his enraciated forehnger
to Margaret, with confidence aud ad
miration if not with love, he said
"And you, Margaret, / make you my
sole executrix. Take all and pay all, -