USA > New Jersey > Monmouth County > Old times in old Monmouth > Part 25
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29
O Lord of Hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
Thy perfection is higher than heaven : what can we do to celebrate thy praise ? It is deeper than hell : what can we know of thy fathomless love ?
We praise thee, O God : we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting. To thee all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein. To thee, cherubim and seraphim continually do cry.
Holy, holy, holy Lord of Sabaoth ! heaven and earth are full of the mujesty of thy glory !
The illustrious procession of the patri- archs praise thee :
The jubilant assembly of the prophets praise thee :
The glorious company of the apostles praise thee :
The noble army of martyrs praise thee : The Holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee, the Father of an infinite majesty :
Also thy well-beloved and consecrated Son and the Holy Ghost the Comforter.
135
OLD TIMES IN OLD MONMOUTH.
O God, the King of Glory, help thy ser- vants whom thou hast redeemed by the hand of thy mighty power :
Make them to be numbered with thy saints in glory everlasting.
O Lord, save thy people and bless thy heritage : govern and lift them up for- ever.
Day by day we manifest thee ; and we worship thy name ever ; world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us evermore without sin. All our trust is in thee.
O Lord, in thee have I trusted : Let me nev- er be confounded.
It is nothing wonderful that the occa- sion should have special attractions for me. After the final visit of Murray to Good- luck (it was I believe in 1790) no Unive; - salist clergyman had been there until my first visit in 1832-being accompanied by Richard Norton and James Ely, of Hights- town. I was again there, accompanied by several friends, in May 1833-at which date we erected a plain headstone at the grave of Potter, and engaged Benjamin Stout (then owner of the Potter farm) to erect a paling fence. This was removed a few weeks since, and a beautiful and sub- stantial iron one substituted, by an organ- ization known as the Goodluck Association. This Association also recently bought an acre of wooded ground adjacent to the meeting house as a sort of perpetual me- morial.
We have no present thought of estab- lishing a worshiping assembly in that vi- cinity, and the courteous treatment re- ceived from all the neighbors, and from the Rev. Mr. Johnson, Methodist minister in charge, gives us assurance that the door of the old meeting house will not be closed against us for an occasional service in years to come.
Truly yours, ABEL C. THOMAS. PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 30, 1770.
WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CAPT HUDDY'S MURDER ?
MONMOUTH REFUGEES IN NEW YORK AND BOARD OF ASSOCIATED LOYALISTS' ACTION .- CAPTAIN RICHARD LIPPENCOTT'S TRIAL, & C.
the 30th of the same month, captured Philip White, Aaron White and other ref- ugees as elsewhere described, and also cap- tured at or about the same time Captain Clayton Tilton. Aaron White, Tilton and probably the others, except Phil White killed in attempting to escape, were taken to Freehold and lodged in the jail. Til- ton and Aaron White were subsequently exchanged for Randolph and Fleming, be- fore which it will be seen, by the follow- ing extracts, that while the Board of Asso- ciated Loyalists, in their official capacity ordered Huddy to be delivered to the cus- tody of Lippencott for the ostensible pur- pose of having him exchanged for Tilton, yet that this was only a pretext ; that the real object was to have him executed and that without any form of trial. The fol- lowing is a copy of the order on the com- missary of prisoners.
NEW YORK, April 8th, 1782.
SIR : Deliver to Captain Richard Lip- pencott the three following prisoners :- Lieutenant Joshua Huddy, Daniel Ran- dolph, and Jacob Fleming to take them to the Hook (Sandy Hook) to procure the exchange of Captain Clayton Tilton and two other associated loyalists.
By order of the board of directors of as- sociated loyalists.
S. S. BLOWERS, Secretary.
Mr. Commissary CHALLONER.
On the trial of Lippencott, Walter Chal- loner the commissary of business testified in substance as follows :
" He never knew anything of Joshua Huddy's being to be delivered to Lippen- cott, till Lippencott brought the order .- In going from deponent's house to the pro- vost with Lippencott, he told deponent that the three prisoners, whom that order concerned, were intended to be exchanged for Philip White, Captain Tilton and an- other White. In their conversation in go- ing to the provost, Capt. Lippencott told deponent that if White was murdered as reported, they intended to execute Hud- dy for him."
It will hereafter be seen that at this time Lippencott knew that Phil White was really dead.
The Secretary of the Board of Associated Loyalists, S. S. Blowers. gave his testimony which, as far as it goes seems to palliate the action of that body. His evidence refers to what transpired before the Board in its official capacity and it may be substantial. ly true so far as his knowledge extended
Captain Joshua Huddy, Daniel Ran- dolph, Esq., and Jacob Fleming, it may be remembered, were made prisoners by the British, at Toms River, March 24th, 1782. While they were in the custody of the British at New York, the Americans on but that it did not give all the facts relat-
136
OLD TIMES IN OLD MONMOUTH.
ing to the order for Huddy to be delivered | bers of the Board were acquainted with to Lippencott will be seen by the testimo- the nature of the contents of the paper al- though they did not choose to recognize it in their official capacity. ny of other witnesses. This Secretary, Mr. Blowers, stood high among the loyalists .- He was a graduate of Harvard College .- Captain Thomas Crowell, a refugee from Middletown, testified in substance as fol- lows : After the war he went to Halifax and was appointed Attorney General, elected Speak- er of the House of Assembly, and in 1797 appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
According to Mr. Blowers' testimony, Lippencott appeared before the Board on the 8th of April and stated that Captain Tilton was a prisoner at Freehold and he was afraid the Americans would hang him unless he could have some prisoner to hold for Tilton's security ; he proposed to have Huddy delivered to him and also two oth- ers named Randolph and Fleming. He wished to take these three men to Sandy Hook and to offer Huddy for Tilton, and if that offer did not answer, to give all three to procure his exchange; but if the first offer was accepted, then to give Ran- dolph and Fleming for two other Loyalists. The order was thereupon given him as the Commissary of prisoners for Huddy, Ran- dolph and Fleming. The next day, April 9th, Lippencott again appeared before the Board and proposed to make an expedi- tion into the Jerseys with a view to
FORCE FREEHOLD JAIL
with a party of about thirty loyalists and rescue Clayton Tilton, or if that was found impracticable, to seize General Forman, that he might by one of these means, pro- cure the release of T'ilton, and he request- ed a requisition for men, ammunition and provisions for the expedition. The propo- sal was agreed to. While the necessary or- ders were being made out, Lippencott took a paper from his pocket and went towards Governor Franklin and said, " this is the paper we mean to take down with us."- This paper it would seem, was the label afterwards fastened to Huddy's breast when he was hung. The secretary said that Governor Franklin only looked at the paper but did not read it, that Mr. Stew- art, another member of the Board, tried to read it by looking over Franklin's shoul- der and that Daniel Coxe. of N. J., also of the Board and its first president, hastily said "we have nothing to do with that pa- per ; Captain Lippencott, keep your paper to yourself."
From the evidence of Mr. Blowers and more particularly from that of other wit- nesses it is plainly evident that the mem-
" In consequence of several loyalists having been executed in Monmouth, de- ponent obtained from the commandant, through Governor Franklin, orders to re- ceive three prisoners and follow such di- rections as deponent might give with re- spect to their confinement. That it was proposed to have executed one of them by way of retaliation, the Board of Directors having promised deponent that orders should be given for that purpose ; but some dispute intervening among loyalists who had taken those prisoners, the order was not given, nor did the execution take place ; but deponent in consequence of the declaration made by the Board, lated December 28th, 1780, should have thought himself justifiable in executing one of those prisoners, even had he received only a verbal order from the Board, having nev- er seen any prohibition against the decla- ration alluded to."
HUDDY'S MURDER SUGGESTED.
Samuel Taylor, a refugee from New Jer- sey, probably from Shrewsbury. in his tes- timony said :
" Early in April he waited on Governor Franklin and informed him that the Amer- icans had taken Captain Tilton and Philip White and had murdered the latter in a cruel manner, and requested the Governor to give an order for the delivery of Joshua Huddy and Randolph in order to exchange the latter for Tilton and execute Huddy in retaliation for White. The Governor replied that he would give the necessary orders, if he thought the deponent would execute Huddy ; to which deponent replied 'he need not fear that.' After the prisoners were re- moved to the provost, deponent waited on Governor Franklin who told him he would give the desired orders ; and as deponent was ordered on another service, the Gov- ernor asked what officer he thought should command the party to go out and execute Huddy. Deponent answered, he thought CAPTAIN LIPPENCOTT A PROPER PERSON TO EXECUTE HUDDY,
and deponent believed he would under- take it. The Governor then told him he wished Captain Lippencott would call. at the Board room next day at 2 P. M; in
137
OLD TIMES IN OLD MONMOUTH.
consequence of deponent's telling this to Lippencott, the latter accordingly attend- ed at the appointed time and place ; but the directors would not give Captain Lip- pencott the order unless deponent was sent for by the Board ; that when he asked for the order to be given to Captain Lip- pencott, a member of the Board said he should have it ; that in the course of the conversation with Governor Franklin, the governor told him that they were not only to hang Huddy, but that if the rebels hanged any other in retaliation for him. they (the loy- alists) should continue retaliating, by hang- ing man for man, and if necessary he would give up all the prisoners taken at Toms River for the purpose. Deponent said as to Governor Franklin's powers, the Associated Loyalists looked upon him as their commanding officer and felt bound to obey his or- ders whether verbal or written ; that he consid- ered Franklin's orders for executing Huddy, law- ful orders, which if not obeyed would have been censurable by a Court Martial, and if the orders had been given to deponent he would have thought himself answerable for disobeying them."
GOVERNOR FRANKLIN WANTS HUDDY HANGED.
At this point in the trial, the prisoner, Captain Lippencott, asked the witness Taylor " Did he ever hear Governor Frank- lin say that they should not have Huddy unless they would execute him ?" To which Taylor replied :
" On asking for Huddy, Governor Frank- lin said to deponent, 'Will you execute him when you take him out ?' He re- plied he would or would not have made application for him ; and Governor Frank- lin then said 'You shall have him.'
Another refugee from Monmouth, Mof- fat (Mortord?) Taylor of Shrewsbury in his testimony said :
" Deponent was with Governor Frank- lin on the subject of executing Huddy, that Governor Franklin said Randolph and Fleming were to be kept as hostages to be exchanged for Captain Tilton and Aaron White and that Huddy was to be execu- ted for Philip White, and if Huddy was not executed, he had better be left in jail, as one prisoner by the name of Smock had been taken out of jail to be executed but was not, which occurrence gave cause to the rebels to think the loyalists were afraid of them and dared not hurt them. Depo- nent told Governor Franklin he had no commission, upon which Franklin said that Captain Lippencott had a commission
and told deponent to go to him and he dared say that Lippencott would be fond of the job. Deponent then went to Lip- pencott and told him that Governor Frank- lin had appointed deponent to call on him and ask if he was willing to go. After that Lippencott went to Governor Franklin and deponent had nothing farther to do with it."
The above witness refers to a Smock having been taken out of jail to be execu- ted. Captain Barnes Smock and Lieuten- ant Henry Smock of Monmouth, were cap; tured by the British in September 1870 the officer referred to was probably the first named and he may have been the officer referred to in the evidence of Captain Thomas Crowell already quoted.
THE HANGING OF HUDDY.
Captain Huddy, Randolph and Fleming were taken by Lippencott and his party on board a sloop on the 9th of April, and sailed for Sandy Hook, where they found the British man of war, Brittanie, on board of which they lodged the prisoners a day or two after. Early on the 12th, Lippencott came for Huddy, and showed Captain Mor- ris, of the Brittania, two papers, one being the label which was afterwards fastened to Huddy's breast. Captain Morris asked Lippencott what he intended to do with Huddy. Lippencott replied that he intend- ed to put the orders of the Board of Refu- gees in execution which was to hang Hud- dy. Lippencott borrowed a rope from Captain Morris and then proceeded on his infamous mission.
Timothy Brooks, a Pennsylvania Refu- gee, who was one of Lippencott's party when Huddy was hanged, testified that he saw Huddy hanged and that he was ex- . ecuted by a negro, that Lippencott shook hands with Huddy as he (Huddy) was standing on the barrel, by Huddy's re- quest ; that on the 9th of April he heard that Governor Franklin had ordered Hud- dy to be hanged ; the party which hanged Huddy consisted of twenty-three, counting Captain Lippencott, exclusive of the pris- oner. Among the number was a Mr. Tilton who some said was an officer. This Tilton was John Tilton, a refugee from Middle town, Monmouth, who testified that he called on Governor Franklin, before Hud- dy was delivered to Lippencott, and Frank- lin said Joshua Huddy must be executed or the loyalist prisoners would all be hang- ed; that when the party was putting Huddy in irons on board the sloop, he was present
138
OLD TIMES IN OLD MONMOUTH.
and he asked him if he thought it good usage to iron him. Huddy replied "he did not think it was ; but as he was about to be exchanged in a day or two he did not mind being in irons." This Tilton wit- nessed the hanging of Huddy and return- ed to the Brittania about noon and report- ed that " Huddy died with the firmness of a lion."
GENERAL WASHINGTON ENDORSES THE DECIS- ION OF FREEHOLD PATRIOTS.
-
The Freehold patriots heard of the exe- cution of Huddy the day that it occurred and that it was done without any form or pretense of a trial. They at once institu- ted a thorough investigation of the circum- stances attending it, and of the pretexts plead in justification. The evidence pro- duced, published in the chapter relating to Phil White, his capture, attempt to es- cape and manner of death, show that the alleged cruelties were absolute fabrications. General Forman and Colonel Holmes were requested to wait on and present the evi- dence to General Washington who consid- ered it a matter of so much importance that on the 19th of April he convened a board of officers to take it into considera- tion ; this board after mature deliberation decided that retaliation should be made by selecting an officer of equal rank unless Lippencott was given up. The next day General Washington wrote a letter to Con- gress informing them that he deemed the murder of Huddy so barbarous as to re- quire retaliation and trusts that his deci- sion will meet the approval of that body (which was subsequently given) ; and the day following (April 21st) he wrote to Sir Henry Clinton demanding that Lippencott should be given up.
Sir Henry Clinton replied to General Washington on the 25th of April. He re- fused to give up the perpetrator of the murder, but informed the American com- mander that he had ordered a court martial to examine the charge against Lippencott before his letter was received. He did not pretend to justify the conduct of the loyalists and expressed his regret for the fate of the suf- terer.
On the trial of Lippencott, which took place in June, the main points at issue were : "Was the execution of Captain Huddy justifiable ;" and "Did Captain Lippencott execute Huddy on his own re- sponsibility or did he do it by orders of the Loyalist Board."
DECISION OF THE BRITISH COURT MARTIAL. The following is a copy of the decision of the Court :
" The court having considered the evi- dence for and against the prisoner Cap- tain Richard Lippencott, together with what he had to offer for defence; and it appearing that (although Joshua Huddy was executed without proper authority ) what the prisoner did in the matter was not the effect of malice or ill will, but pro- ceeded from a conviction that it was his duty to obey the orders of the Board of Directors of Associated Loyalists, and his not doubting their having full authority to give such orders, the court are of opin- ion that he, the prisoner, Captain Richard Lippencott is not guilty of the murder laid to his charge, and do therefore acquit him."
This decision not only virtually admits that the execution of Huddy was rourder, but throws the blame on the Board of As- sociated Loyalists at the head of which was Governor William Franklin. The ev- idence we have already quoted will show the grounds upon which they based their decision. It is worthy of note that before the trial was concluded Governor Frank- lin left New York and sailed for England and so avoided any investigation of his conduct that might have been contempla- ted.
Sir Guy Carleton took command of the British forces in New York in May, and lie evidently looked upon the Board with less favor than had Clinton. In a letter to General Washington, immediately after his assuming command. he expressed his intention to preserve " the name of Eng- lishmen from reproach and to pursue eve- ry measure that might tend to prevent these criminal excesses in individuals."- He did not hesitate to condemn the many unauthorized acts of violence which had been committed, and concluded that he should do everything to mitigate the evils of war. As one proof of his sincerity he at once broke up the Board of Associated Loyalists.
()n the 13th of May, the lot was ordered by General Washington which resulted in the selection of Captain Asgill to be held as hostage for Lippencott.
LIPPENCOTT'S OWN DEFENSE ON THE TRIAL.
After Lippencott was arrested and con- fined in the Provost jail he had frequent conversations with Captain William Cun- ningham, the Provost Marshai, about the
139
OLD TIMES IN OLD MONMOUTH.
execution of Huddy. Cunningham, ex- pecting to be called upon as a witness at the trial, noted down Lippencott's state- ments and after submitting them to Lip- pencott, he made deposition on the 10th of May as follows :
" He heard Captain Lippencott say that Governor Franklin often said there was no way of stopping the rebels from massacre- ing the refugees but by retaliation, and he wanted one Mason to be the object. Cap- tain Lippencott said he would be the man who would cause it to be done, it the Gov- ernor would give him an order in writing, so that he might stand fair in the eyes of his excellency the commander-in-chief .- Governor Franklin replied that he could give no written order, but would answer the consequences to the commander-in- chief, as it was the only way of putting a stop to the rebels hanging and murdering the loyal refugees. And he farther heard Captain Lippencott say that he had been told some time ago, by two refugees, that the honorable board would give up Cap- tain Huddy and two other prisoners ; and that Huddy should be executed for Philip White, and the other two should be exe- cuted for Captain Tilton and another for Aaron White (supposing Tilton and White had been executed by the rebels; if not they were to be offered in exchange for them. That Captain Lippencott waited on the honorable board with a label that was intended to be fixed on Huddy's breast, and gave it into the hands of the Governor and asked him if he thought that would do, or something to that effect. Mr. Cox, who was present, made answer, and said Captain Lippencott ought to have kept that to himself; Captain Lippencott answered, he never did anything but what was done above board. The Governor read it and then gave it to another of the board to read ; and when Captain Lippen- cott was going, the Governor wished him luck or success, or words to that effect .- He further says Captain Lippencott seem- ed a little affected when deponent gave him a copy of his crime, and expressed a seeming surprise, by saying, " Ha! is this the way the board is going to leave me !" or words to that purpose.
He further saith, before Lippencott was made a prisoner, he (Lippencott) told him the board sent him near three sheets of paper written, the contents of which were to acquit the board of knowing anything of Huddy's death, and that he (Lippen- cott) should take it entirely on himself,
and sign the paper and send it to the board ; which he believed he should have done, but deponent making him prisoner at the time he was copying it had hindered him from so doing."
It will be noticed, that Lippencott as- serted that Governor Franklin promised him if he would execute Huddy without a written order that he (Gov. Franklin) would answer the consequences to the Bri- tish commander in-chief, and this asser- tion is substantiated by the evidence of others. How Franklin performed his promise will be seen by the following.
COWARDLY ACT OF THE LOYALIST BOARD.
In the affidavit of Captain Cunningham, reference is made to a certain paper sent by the Board of Loyalists to Lippencott to sign ; the purport of the paper being to exonerate the Board from all responsi- bility, for the murder of Huddy. Cunning. ham was such an unmitigated scoundrel, as proven by his own confession given in another chapter, that but little credence would be attached to his affidavit but for the fact that it is corroborated by other reliable evidence. The paper referred to was produced before the Court which tried Lippencott. It was written by Mr. Alex- ander, one of the Board, at the office of the Board, at the instigation of the members. We give the whole of this paper, remark- able as showing the cowardice and duplici- ty of the Board and their efforts to sacri- fice the man they had used as a tool, to save themselves. It was to have been sent to Governor Franklin as the chief of the Board.
"SIR :- In compliance with the orders of the honorable board of directors, we beg leave to communicate to your excel- lency, for their information, an account of the proceedings of the loyalists from Mon- mouth on the late expedition for the re- lief of Captain Clayton Tilton and two oth- er loyalists, then prisoners with the rebels in that county.
Being frustrated in the design of bring- ing off Captain Tilton by force and our of fers for exchange rejected, we dreaded that he was reserved for a fate similar to that our associate Philip White had suffer- ed, who was taken at the same time with Captain Tilton, and inhumanly and wan- tonly murdered by the guard who were conveying him to Monmouth jail. This recent instance of cruelty, added to the many daring acts of the same nature' which have been perpetrated with impuni- ty by a set of vindictive rebels, well known
140
OLD TIMES IN OLD MONMOUTH.
by the name of the Monmouth Retaliators, associated and headed by one General For- man (whose horrid acts of cruelty have gained him universally the name of Black David,) fired our party with an indigna- tion only to be felt by men who for a series of years have beheld many of their friends and neighbors butchered in cold blood under the usurped form of law, and often without that ceremony, for no other crime than that of maintaining their alle- giance to their government under which they were born, and which the rebels au daciously call treason against the States .- We thought it high time to convince the rebels we would no longer tamely submit to such glaring acts of barbarity ; and though we lament the necessity to which we have been driven, to begin a retalia- tion of intolerable cruelties long contin- ued and often repeated, yet we are con- vinced that we could not have saved the life of Captain Tilton by any other means. We therefore pitched upon Joshua Huddy as a proper subject for retaliation, because he was not only well known to have been a very active and cruel persecutor of our friends, but had not been ashamed to boast. of his having been instrumental in hang- ing Stephen Edwards, a worthy loyalist, and the first of our brethren who fell a martyr to republican fury in Monmouth County. Huddy was the man who tied the knot and put the rope about the neck of that inoffensive sufferer. This fact will appear by two affidavits which we have the honor to enclose.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.