Milford chronicle., 1925-05-15

d BridgeVille as we had no railroad!
r in Sussex in those days. He arrived
t about midnight, when the people
e were enjoying their nights rest. He
desired to alarm the people anC
I state his business, so he hunted VI
/ the janitor of the Court House and
I secured the keys to the tower, where
the large bell is located that is used
to strike the hours of the day and
, night, and for no other purpose.
He tied a piece of rope to the
tongue of the bell, he pulled hard
and there came a sound mighty in
volume, loud enough to awaken all
the inhabitants OF the whole town.
The ringing of that bell that night
was so loud and persistent, that
nothing like it had ever before been
heard; the people rushed forth with
out taking time to dress, other than
in their night clothes and assembled
in front of the Court HOuse---One of
the most picturesque of crowds. Pa
jamas and night shirts were but lit
tie known in those days. A few had
put on their outside shirts, while
women appeared in gowns and caps
not the kind we see at commence
ment exercises.
Bald headed men wore night
caps then.
The soldier seeing that he had
aroused the populace, commenced at
once to harangue the crowd; but,
when they found out who he was,
there was a tongue flashing started
such as to cause him to beat has
ty retreat, and he left Georgetown
next morning without securing a
single recruit. In telling about the
affair afterwards, to their friends,
some thought the world had come to
an end; others, thought that the
town was being destroyed by fire,
while the cOlOred people fell upon
their knees and prayed.
The soldier returned to his home
in Georgetown after the war was
over honorably discharged from the
service of his country, and became
the most able of Criminal Lawyers |
Delaware ever had.
Nearly all of those who participat-
Nh IL L4C A4GlAb etActA4 at AGO4 6CLOM II /
in the long ago, have passed away; |
but the same bell which created the
alarm years ago, is still hanging in
the same place, and still sounds out
the hours of day and the night; but,
never has it again to my knowledge
rang with such force as it did sixty
odd years ago; with only one eX-
ception, and that was the day of
President LincOln's funeral in
April, 1865.
Joshua continued by saying: 1
wish to tell you about another event
that happened in the early SOS"
before l close. 1t was almost at the
beginning of the Civil War, when the
North and the South were putting
forth strenuous effort to prepare for
the great conflict.
Two military companies we're or
ganized at Georgetown in Sussex
county. One was called the Union
Company and it's sympathies were
with the North. The other was call
ed the Sussex Guards" and were ac-
cused by their opponents Of being
too friendly with the Southern
cause. They were termed Secession
lists" and later "Copperheads."
The Union Company was COM
by DR.. William Marshall,
who afterwards became a noted
in the Union Army. The
other company was commanded by
Caleb r. Paynter, a member of one
Of the most prominent families in
Sussex county. The two companies
1rilled daily and at evening and ev- :
9rybody expected a clash between
hem; but, they seemed to avoid
each other as much as possible;
yet, when they did meet, they sa- !
uted each other in prescribed mill
airy style. The officers were mex
'erlenced and knew very little about =
tactics, and some of the v
commands as they gave them, would l.
'ause an officer of the army today y
o explode with laughter.
In drills they seemed to do best II
Vhen in single file, and when they q
Iled TO form into columns Of twos, L
II fours, the result was a lot of "
men and equipments. with a
ne muzzles of the guns stuck in "
ne ground. The boys of those DAYS Il
lot to be outdone by the men. or d
anlzed a company of boys between y
D and 10 years old and there were L
.Dout 25 of them. l was elected
helr captain, as I was about Is
ears old and probably the largest of Il
ne bunch. We had wooden guns
haped much like a gun and resemb- Ii
ed the real thing. We watched the n
movements and listened to the or +,
ers made by the men, and did our o
est to initiate all they did.
we seldom got the commands -
light from the men, and generally 9
re marched in single file. When we !
eslred to turn a corner, we gave y
n order thus-"file right, turn down &
hat alley" which generally got sat B
sfactOry results. g
One night during the war as !
vas returning to my home, about b
LaIt a mile from town, where 1 had y
'een drilling with my company, I 3
ad just reached the confines of the 9
illage when 1 noticed a body of men 3
rawn up in solid formation across q
he road. &
AS l went nearer, I saw that they D
Jere U. S. Soldiers in blue uniforms g
nd just then I was commanded to B
halt" did it quicker than any z
ther boy in Sussex county ever 3
erformed that command. The Off y
er came forward and questioned me z
bout conditions existing in the 3
own had just left. He told me e
hat he had been informed that a y
rebel" company, in command of y
aptain Poynter, was under arms at :;