The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-02-06
EVENTS
OF MAY 20, IT'S
HE Autobiography Of DR.. Charles
Caldwell EmbOdicS Some Inter- =.
cSting Evidence.
cSting Evidence.


csting Evidence.
FEv Ur. Archibald Henderson, Uni
vcrsity OF North Carolina.)
conversation with George Wash
jngton in Reference to The Neck
lcnburg Declaration Of Independ-
Cnce."
beg permission. in this place, to
disclain entirely the discovery of any
"proof" Of any kind, OF even Of any
thing really new in regard to the
classic controversy. On the contrary,
the following narrative has for con-
sidcrably more h half a century
been accessible to anyon who cared
to read IT. But so far as my imper-
feet knowledge goes, the appended
narrative does not seem to nave been
given anything like wide circulation,
for the benefit of the casual reader.
[ have not seen it copied in any pub
Iic print-neWspaper or magazine. 1t
is not referred to in W. II. Hoyt's
book, The Mecklenburg Declaration
4 OF Independence" the most destruc-
tive Of all the critical contributions
to hat cause celebre. If it is not
generally known to the readers OF
The Observer, it ma now afford a
/ mUmentary interest at least in it's evil
dcnce that the Father of His COun-
try was cogniZant Of the "Mecklen-
burg Declaration OF independence" in
i143. What "Mecklenburg Declara-
Hon of Independence is intended,
and on what date M~ecklenburg made
such Il declaration Of independence"
are not specified. But there is no
need TO anticip)tc-the narrative will
explain itself better than al e%xtrane-
Gus comment.
There is an odd sort OF interest at
taching to the incident in question,
which perhaps warrants publication
Of the anecdotes. The names of two
Presidents Of the United States.
Thumas Jefferson and John Adams,
aro interlinkcd with the historic con
truNrrSy. The narrative given below
prrports TO show that in 1892 George
Washington. at that time President
at the United States was informed,
III a personal conversation, Of the
M,ckienburg Declaration Of In
drlt ndence.' Whereas the venera-
bile .fohn Adams did not hear of the
"MecklenDurg Declaration Of hide
pcndencc' until June, 1919. at which
time Gin a letter or June %. 1870
ne communicated the news to Thomas
Jefferson, who also denied ever a
ing heard of it prior to that time;
in the following narrative we have
the explicit assertion by the narrator
that he c~onvcrsed with George Wash
h'R0t''A VII LAY ubJC -oSNSA
] years before any news or inkling OF
N, matter reached either JohI
Adams or Thomas Jefferson.
one further remark on the subjec
may have some p~ertinency in thu
present connection. 1t is Stout.
claimed by the "doubters'-and upol
This claim "A vast structure Of infer
enc is baSed-that the "Mecklenburt
Declaration of Independence was no
heard IF until after tho Gactr,,cfin n,
Of the records OF the meeting, by fire
III The house Of JOhn Mcknitt Alex
andcr, on April s. 1900. IL the fol
lowing narrative be IN authentic &C
count Of the conversation with Georg
Washington, it shows that in 179
the action taken at Charlotte in May
l"75, was referred to as the "Meck
lenhurg Declaration Of Independ
encc." 1t may be, as Hoyt says, tina
- belief gained currency in Mecklen
hurg county and the vicinity prior t
1890 that the May 81 resolves were
declaration Of Independence; and it i
OH this supposition that he judge
Traugott Bagge's statement in IT'S
that in the summer of this yea
Dl13), that is in May, June, or July
the county Of Mecklenburg, in Mort
Carolina. declared itself free and in
dependent of England" etc. TIL
same superstition may, with equa
Fh9' VIZ HIduc III IcSdIO 10 Ifie It
ported conversation with Washington
On the other hand, both a~llusion
may refer to IN actual declaration {
independence, and not to the May 8
Resolves, which latter were indubita
b!y not a declaration OF irdepend
once. The appended narrative
taken from an autobiography CON
pletcd in 1852. The subject matter {
tho autobiography vas put togethe
III the years 1914 to 1852, approx
mately, as stated in the work itsei
It Is certainly not improbable, i
view OF the narrator's confessed hab
III hasing portions OF his a%utobiogra
phy upon notes made contempt
rancously with the event recorde,
mai the narrative given below VIZ
oaSed upon notes Of the cOnversatiO
made shortly after it took place.
III" author OF the Autobiography
from which h excerpts is take