The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-07-02

son wan a member and asked to resign.
Hughes then being Ill in bed, the com
| mittee retired to await results, Ihoni-
son. however, returned to see him the
Following day, and was asked by
| Hughes If the committee was serious IN
its demand. Thomson replied tnat
while he would prefer not to speak ioF
| the committee as G. whole he could as
sure him that he, personally. was very
much In earnest. Nj committee the
next day returned. Il Hughes tend
cred II his resignation, although pro.
testing that ii would be productive OIL
| dire results.
on the Sd of October, 1774, Thomson
was elected a member of the Pennsyl-
vania assembly. and on the 9th was
made secretary of the first continental
congress. This incident can best be
told in Thomson's own words. as re-
corded by William Allen.
Il was married to my second VIE
Hannah Harrison-on a Thursday; the
next Monday l came to town to pay
my respects to my wife's aunt, and the
family; Just as l ~alighted in Chestnut
street the doorkeeper OF congress, then
first met. accosted me with a mes
sage from them, requesting my pres
ence-I followed the messenger to the
| carpenters hall, and entered congress-.
l walked up the aisle and standing p
posite to the president I bowed, and
told him l awaited his pleasure. He re-
! piled: Congress desires the favor of
you, sir. to take their minutes I
bowed to acquiescence, and took my
seat at the desk. After a short time.
Patrick Henry arose to speak. He b
served that our public circumstances
were like those of a man in deep en-
barrassment and trouble, who had
called his friends together to advise
| what was best to be done for his re-
lief-one would propose one thing, and
another a different one whilst perhaps
q third would think of something bet
ter suited to his unhappy circum-
stances. which he would embrace, aid
think nc more of the rejected schemes,
with which he would have nothing to
do, / thought this vas very good in
struction to me, with respect to tie
taking the minutes; what congress
adopted l committed to writing; with
what they rejected, 1 had nothing fur
Their to do; n even this method led
TO some s~Quabbles with the members,
who were DESTROYS of having their
speeches and resolutions, however, put
to rest by the majority, still preserved
upon the minutes"
This address of Patrick Henry's,
taken as a course Of procedure for
keeping the minutes of the congress. is
responsible for the complete records of
eiN SN-GASl l L OudS hGDG IN
the Congressional library, and which
have Won for Charles Thomson tho
name, of being one of the ablest secre-
taries to one of the greatest bodies ever
convened.
Thomson served as secretary to con-
gress throughout its existence, Is years,
AT the end Of that time he was appoint
ed by that body to notify George
Washington of his election to the pres
ldency of the United States. Thomson
went to Mount Vernon, where he wa
met by General Washington at the
door, and. after the most friendly of
greetings, Thomson delivered the mes
sag OF congress n Washington re-
pied. The W then, went to New York
together, from which place Thomson
notlfled congress that he had carried
out his commission.
thomson resigned as secretary of
congress July rs, 1889, and never again
neld puoilc ofr1ce. He retired to his
nome. Harr1ton, and took up the study
of Greek and Latin where he had been
forced to leave off by the call to con-
gress. he devote his time to a trans
lation of the new testament from the
Greek, and the old testament from the
Septuagent, which. it is said, was the
first English version of the SeptIa gent
that had been published.
AT the time of his resignation from
congress, in 1880, Charles Thomson was
% years old In 1916, at the age of ~.
ne was almost deaf. enc of several
paralytic strokes he had about this
time left him practically helpless, An
other followed later, and by some
strange chance, left him suddenly re-
covered. so far SO. in fact, that he lived
qntii August 16, 1924. when he died in
Lower Merton. Montgomery county
pennsylvania, at the age ofss5. Al,
though not OUTLYING ali of the signers
or the declaration, Thomson, neyerthe.
less. lived to be as old as any of them
CHARLES Carroll of Carrollton being the
same age at his death. Ne