Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1948-01-08


which sent four sons to the Revo-
lutionary War from the home near
Unity a part of which is incor-
porated in the present Hurt house.
Few of these descendants have
ever heard the story of one of the
brothers = story which proves
truth to be stranger than fiction.
We got the story from clip
ping found in the Office of the
Register of Wills - probably lost
in the Archives when some MEM
Der of the family sought to find
data on the tale which ran in
Rockville paper in June, 1914.
Here it is:
"The Strange Adventures of
Charles Greenberry Griffith"
While serving on an American
warship during the Revolutionary
struggle, Mr.. Griffith was cap
tured by the British, and while be-
ing conveyed as a prisoner of war
to England, the ship on which he
was confined was overwhelmed by
Algerian pirates. With the British
crew and other American prison.
ers, he was taken to Algiers, where
they were sold at public auction in
to slavery. Mr.. Griffith was taken
into the interior of the country,
where he was kept in bondage for
twenty years; was then sold to a
Turk, whom he served for fourteen
years, and was again sold to
Turkish merchant in Constantine
Pile. After a service of six years
in the Turkish capital he escaped
and, after many hardships, he sue
ceeded in reaching his old home in
Montgomery county.
The adventures of Mr.. Griffith
were related by Samuel G. Math-
ews, his grand nephew, one of the
pioneers of Seward County, Neb.,
who settled on homestead west
of Seward in 1869. In his youth
Mr.. Mathews was daily associated
with Mr.. Griffith, and often heard
him relate the story of his adven-
lures.
Mr.. Griffith was one of four
brothers, of Montgomery county,
who offered their services for the
cause of independence. He alone
entered the Navy, his brothers
taking service in the field. Their
names were: Henry, Samuel, Phile-
mon and Charles.
In the first serious engagement
off the New Jersey coast between
the man-of-war, on which Charles
G. Griffith was serving, and
British ship. the foymer had to dis
play the white flag. All the off
GERS and crew were taken pris-
oners and sail was set for Eng
land. After passing the Azores
the English man-of-war was at
tackled at night by Algerian pi-
rates, who outnumbered the Brit
ish four to one. All on board the
captured vessel were shackled and
conveyed to Algiers, where they
were sold to the highest bidders.
Mr.. Griffith is thus quoted by
Mr.. Mathews in relating his ex-
periences:
"My lot fell to an old man living
some distance In the interior.
Thither l was taken and for twen-
ty long years l suffered in bond
age privations and hardships that
would be hard to express. A band
of Turkish traders came into the
country buying slaves. was
taken to Turkey and there sold to
man in the country, some sixty
miles from the capital. had gone
from bad to worse. For fourteen
years l suffered privation and
hardship far beyond anything I
had known in Algeria. A grandee
from the capital saw me at the
home of this old cruel Turk and,
liking my appearance and man.
ner, he bought me at big price
and l was taken as head waiter in
his castle in Constantinople. There
had the best existence which ]
had known during all the long
years of my bondage. He was kind
to me. He gave me liberties which
we're not accorded to other slaves.
"At an opportune moment les
capped from the castle at night and
made my way out of the city. AS
was attired in the garb Of
grandee's servant attracted but
little attention. | took my course
due north so as to pass around
those spurs of mountains which
extend close to the Black Sea.
After passing around the north of
those mountains I turned my face
westward and began my long
I