Evening star., 1943-08-22
copitoI SideIights
By viii P. Kennedy.

There never has been any doubt that
George Washington by unanimous choice
presided over the Constitutional Con-
vention, Benjamin Franklin was known
as the Sage" of the convention, James
Madison was called the Father of the
Constitution" Gouverneur Morris was
largely responsible for the literary form
of that great fundamental document,
and Thomas jefferson who was Minister
to France while these principles of gov
ernment were being formulated, insisted
upon the adoption of the Bill of Rights
constituting the first 10 amendments.
But for century and half it was not
known who was the penman of the
Constitution, whose handwriting, dis
played in bold clear script, easily read,
has become known to all school children
from its appearance on the four large
sheets of parchment, 1894 by 235s inches,
engrossing 4,543 words letter perfect"
Throughout the years this neat job vari-
ouSly has been attributed to-: Deputy
Morris, who was a member Of the Com
mittee of Style; Secretary William Jack
son, who wrote the original journal of
proceedings and who took the engrossed
copy to New York and delivered 1t to
the Continental Congress, September 20,
1787; Maj. John Clark, formerly one Of
the auditors Of the Continental Army;
Joseph Hardy, one-time clerk to the Con-
tinental Treasury, and Thomas Miflin,
Speaker of the General Assembly of the
State of Pennsylvania. 1t is to the re-
search skill, detective acumen and per-
sistent determination of the late Dr. John
c. Fitzpatrick, historian and archivist,
that the American people owe the solu-
tion of the problem.
The Constitution itself was drafted in
days. than 1t took Dr. Fitzpatrick to fer
ret out the humble penman-Jacob
Shallus, assistant clerk Of the Pennsyl-
vania State Assembly, who received only
a part of $50 for his tedious and exacting
task, whose name nowhere appears upon
the document or in any records of the
convention, and who did not live to
realize the Importance of the work he
had done. DR.. Fitzpatrick tracked down
his identity after long and painstaking
scrutiny of the handwriting on all col
lateral documents. He was able to make
his dramatic announcement in 1887, on
the occasion of the 150th anniversary of
the Constitution.
DR.. Fitzpatrick was native of this
city, received his L. H. D. degree from
George Washington University in 1925
and wrote many books on phases of
Washingtons career and other historical
subjects. Shallus, he learned, was work.
ing in the same building in which the
Constitutional Convention met and was
a most opportune find" for the con-
vention. 1t was Saturday afternoon
when the committee completed their
draft. The members wanted the en-
crossed copy ready for signatures on
Monday-and above all else they were
concerned that no inkling of what was
being written should get out. Shallus
was locked in the building, under guard,
as he toiled through the night pushing
his quill pens. How we'll he served is
attested by the fact that in those 4,543
words he made not a single mistake
However, the convention before sigma
ture decided in the cause of exactness
and positiveness to make four small in
terlineations. He was selected because
he was thoroughly reliable" He never
boasted for his having penned the Con-
stitution, because when he died in 1796,
it was by no means the firmly estab-
lished set Of Government principles 1t
has since grown to be. DR.. Fitzpatrick
pointed out that to him 1t was merely a
job Of engrossing. He had volunteered
in the Revolution, was appointed quar-
termaster, shared the sufferings of the
Montgomery and Arnold attempt on
Quebec. He became barrackmaster in
the Continental Army, later q deputy
commissary of Pennsylvania. He was in
partnership fitting out privateer sloop,
the Retriever, to prey upon British COM
merce. He owned much real estate in
and around Philadelphia. He was sec
retary of the Pennsylvania ConStitu-
tional Convention in 1890 He died near
the end of Washington's second admin
istration at the comparatively youthful
age of 46.
In the signing of the Constitution
Alexander Hamilton wrote the names of
the 13 States in geographical order as
they had voted. He spelled Pennsyl-
vania with one IN" and In all reproduc-
tions two ms" are used. Hamilton sign
Cd tor New York. although he had no