The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-03-05
OF THE
/ FAMOUS NARRATIVE
= Original Account OF the 10th OF
Nav Declaration OF Primary
JmpOrtaDCe.

~.ec.ri q Legislative Committee
mon other things) ito examine,
Ia. nd arrange such documents
relate to the Declaration Of indie
kndcncc made by the patriotic men
tklenburg in May, 1875"
TIL frst publication Of a narrative
kcount OF the proceedings in Neck
nburr VAS in the Raleigh Register
AprIl. 1919. The manuscript had
Zen found after tn death OF John
cknitt Alexander in 1917 among his
kparg. and Two years later it was
Lbiished.
When the Legislative Committee
las appointed. DR.. Joseph McKnitt
deyander, who sometimes signed his
hn" simply u. Mcknitt." submitted
the CCmnitlee two manuscripts, q
hll sheet and q torn half-sheet. to
bhich hD attached % certificate, as fol-
bws:
M. Carolina, M~ecklenburg County.
The sheet and torn ha~lf-sheet to
6hiCh this is attachei-thc sheet is
Eid-utiy corrected in two places by
5u.1 MCl<nitt Alexander as marked
IN Il, the half-sheet is in his own
@Aardwriting) we're found after the
Heath Of Jno. McKnltt Alexander i
Dis old mansion house in the centre
II q ruJl OF old pamphlets, viz: AN
Address on public liberty printed
Philadelphia, 1774': one ON the Dis
Duties with &. Britain, printed 1775:'
)nc on State affairs, printed at Hills
boro. 1882 and AN address on Fed
bra policy to the Citizens OF No. c..
o lGSS.' and the journal of the Pro-
Rincial Congress OF No. c.. a held at
halifax. he 4th OF April, 1915
which papers have been in my pos
Session eycr since.
",'rrtjfyrd Novr. eth, 1880.
j. McKNITT."
IN another note. he says: LAS to the
|ull sheet being in an unknown hand
Gritc.' 80 1t appears that while the
naif sheet was written by Colonel
Ohm Mcknitt Alexander himself, the
pull sheet was written in a handWrit-
NJ unhEown 70 the son but was cor
feCtcd In two places bv the Colonel;
IND these manuscripts had been in
lhe possession Of the son ever sine.
fhe death NJ the Colonel in 1917.
Later. while these manuscripts were
n the possession of Governor Swain
eoplrs We're made for the historian
Bancroft. anu these copies are Still
Preserved.
The full sheet is the narrative tha'
vas published IN the Raleigh Register
D April. 1919.
copy II it had been sent to Gen
eral W. H. Dayie. and TO that CO.
Eas attached the following crrtifi
eatt.
III MAY ba worthy OF notice here
30 observe tina the foregoing state
mont, thou ugh fundamentally correct
yet may NOT literally correspond witt
n original record Of the transaction
pr said delegation and court Of en-
Qulr%, rs al those records and paper
eel" burnt with the house on Apri
Sth, 1890; but previous to tina tim
f 1870, q full copy of said record
t the request OF Doctor Hugh WI
hanson, then Of New York, but form
erly Il representative in Congress
Prom this State, was forwarded to hir
by Col. VIM. Polk, in order that thos
earIy Transactions might ill thel
proper place in q history OF this Stat
hen writing by said Doctor William
Bon III New York.
Certified 80 the best of my recOl
tectl"h and belief, this Sd day Of SEP
fembrr, 1900, by
j. Nick. ALEXANDER,
~Mecklenburg County, n. c."
~" fun sheet. Of which "A copy W.
eent - General Davie, and which We
by . nucr, Is CIV
ctntly the half sheet expanded an
written out.
ii thus appears that the half shee
entirely in The Colonel's own HAND
Wiling. WAS the original from whic
Ahe full sheet was prepared. Thel
wei" many interlineatiCns, erasure
AM corrections in the half sheet; All
SOLO alterations were made in it :
W. as i'll the full sheet.
rs originally prepared the ha
shcet. which may be taken AS the PR
pared statement of Colonel John Mel
alexander, according to his recolle'
mons and belief, of the matters Their
AZ stated. was as follows. (Parts
IL We're torn):
- the 19th May, 1875. Pursua;
20 Inc order Of Col. Adam Alexand
TO each Captain of Militia in his res
meHt or Mccklenburg County, to ele
nominate and appoint . persons
@hVlr Militia company, clothed wi
ample powers to devise ways & mea,
70 @XtrIcate themselves and ward {
the dreadful impending storm burs
ms on them by the British Nation &
therefore on said 18th Nav. the