USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Wilkes-Barre > A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania : from its first beginnings to the present time, including chapters of newly-discovered early Wyoming Valley history, together with many biographical sketches and much genealogical material. Volume III > Part 39
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 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108
Colonel Franklin, writing about the surrender of Fort Dickinson, said: "It was reported to us that Patterson and the other rioters at the Garrison were all made prisoners; that they would either be committed to gaol, or required to give security for their appearance at Court; that they were to be sent from Wyoming, and that the Yankees who had been forcibly dispossessed of their property were to be reinstated in their possessions. I suspect that at this time Patterson and his host of rioters entered bail for their appearance at Court to answer the indictments for 'riot, assault and false imprisonment' of sundry inhabitants of Wyoming, which indictments had been found at the Court of Oyer and Terminer, held at Sunbury in June, 1784t.
"The next day" [to wit, August 9th], continues Colonel Franklin, "Messrs. Armstrong and Boyd, through the medium of Robert Martin and David Mead,
*See "Pennsylvania Archives", Old Series, X: 321.
tAt Wilkes-Barre, August 12, 1784, in pursuance of written direction that day received from Chief Justice Mckean. Justice John Seely delivered to Sheriff Henry Antes of Northumberland County a list of all the indicted Pennamites (thirty-eight in number) who had entered bail before him the said Seely.
Private property.
State property.
Robert Clark
William Sims
1 Swivel
1 Wall Piece.
1417
Esquires, requested me to call all the Connecticut party to assemble under arms. I wished to know the occasion for this, and Messrs. Giles Slocum and Simon Spalding had an interview on the subject with Mead and Martin, who stated that Arm- strong and Boyd had communicated to them that they were clothed with au- thority from Government, and had instructions to disarm both parties who had been under arms at Wyoming; that they had already disarmed Patterson and his party, and laid them under sufficient security to answer for the crimes alleged against them; that they were fully satisfied with our good conduct and peaceable disposition in laying down our arms and showing our submission to the Justices on August 5; that they' (Armstrong and Boyd), however, wished for an ocular demonstration of our submission, that they might make a favorable report to Government, and had pledged their honor that not any advantage should be taken of our assembling; that they should require us to lay down our arms; that some of our leading characters who had warrants against them would be required to give bail for their appearance at Court-in which case they should not have any difficulty with respect to securing bail; that our arms would posi- tively be restored to us within ten days; that we should be reinstated in our possessions according to law," &c.
Captain Spalding and Giles Slocum having reported to John Franklin the result of their interview with Justices Mead and Martin, Franklin and the other Yankee leaders held a conference, and it was decided that the Yankees should assemble with their arms at Wilkes-Barré in the morning of August 10th. "I gave notice to Armstrong and Boyd", writes Colonel Franklin, "that we should meet at a certain place named at ten o'clock the same day, to comply with their requisition, but I wished an interview with them previous to laying down our arms. This was granted, and I waited on them at the Garrison and requested to know the reason for their requisition. They gave the same in- formation that Mead and Martin had given-that no advantage would be taken of our resigning our arms, &c., that there were warrants against four of our leading characters, who would be required to give bail for their appearance at Court; that the others would be set at liberty, our arms would be restored to us within ten days, and that the Justices of the County would proceed to execute the laws for forcible entry and detainer, and restore us to our possessions."
At this interview, Franklin delivered to Commissioners Armstrong and Boyd a list of the Yankees in Wyoming who had borne arms during "the late outrages." This list is printed in "Pennsylvania Archives", Old Series, X: 638, and with some corrections in spelling, and a change to an alphabetical arrangement, it reads as follows:
Abbott, Joel Cook, Nathaniel
Hopkins, Robert
Alden, Mason, Fitch
Cook, Reuben
Hurlbut, John
Alden, Prince, Jr.
Corey, Joseph
Hebard, William
Baldwin, Waterman
Cole, Leonard
Halstead, Richard
Butler, Lord
Cary, Nathan
Hyde, William
Budd, Frederick
Cary, Samuel
Inman, Edward
Blanchard, Benjamin
Comstock, Peleg
Inman, John
Blanchard, Laban
Drake, Elisha
Inman, Richard
Bennett, Ishmael
Franklin, John
Johnson, Ebenezer
Bennett, Elisha
Fuller, John
Jenkins, John, Jr.
Burnham, Asahel
Gore, Avery Gore, John
Jacques, William
Bennett, Ishmael, Jr.
Jenkins, William
Brown, Cornelius
Gaylord, Justus
Jackson, William
Brown, James
Harding, Elisha
Jones, William
Burwell, Jonathan
Heath, Thomas, Jr.
Church, Gideon
Harris, Elisha
Jenkins, Benjamin McClure, William
.
1418
Minard, George
Roberts, Sale
Stoddard, Thomas
Nesbitt, Abram
Rosecrance,
Sullivan, Daniel
Neill, Thomas
Read, Thomas
Stiles, Joseph
O'Neal, John
Ryon, John
Sill, Moses
Peirce, Phineas
Swift, John
Tyler, Joseph
Peirce, Daniel
Slocum, Giles
Underwood, Timothy
Phelps, Joel
Slocum, William
Wade, Nathan
Phelps, Noah
Satterlee, Elisha
Westbrook, Abraham
Pell, Josiah
Stephens, Phineas
White, Jeremiah
Pike, Abraham
Smith, Benjamin
Walker, Nathaniel
Platner, John
Smith, William, Jr.
Ross, William
Spencer, Walter
(Total, 82)
Again taking up Colonel Franklin's narrative of the occurrences of August 10th, we have the following: "I returned from my interview with Messrs. Arm- strong and Boyd and informed our party as to what had taken place. They were fully satisfied. We met at the hour and place appointed. Armstrong and Boyd, accompanied by about 400 militia, appeared a short distance from us. We marched into an open field* and grounded our arms, then marched from them a small distance, paraded in form, and halted. The militia surrounded us, and Colonel Armstrong ordered them to advance and take up our arms. Then Colonel Armstrong addressed himself to us in a sovereign manner, to the effect that we must consider ourselves his prisoners. Upon viewing the militia I found that the party [of Pennamites] from the Garrison, who had driven off our families, and who we expected were prisoners, were paraded under arms to guard us. We were soon after marched to the vicinity of the Garrison, to the tune of 'Yankee Doodle', played by the drummers and fifers of the militia."
Colonel Armstrong, on horseback, took up his position "in imposing state," facing the Yankee prisoners, and then ordered his Adjutant to. call off the names composing the list of those who had borne arms during "the late outrages;" which list, as previously mentioned, had been delivered to Colonel Armstrong by Colonel Franklin. When the Adjutant called the name of a man who was known to Armstrong as having been a member of the Locust Hill party, Arm- strong nodded his head towards Giles Slocum's houset, whither the man was immediately sent under guard; and when the name was called of one who had not been at the Hill-so far as known to the Pennamites-Armstrong nodded towards Col. Zebulon Butler's houset, whither the man was sent-and so on, until all the names had been called and the men who responded had been duly divided off.
Colonel Franklin had not designated the men of the Locust Hill party on his list, and their names were not all known to the Pennamites. Moreover, sev- eral of the party who were known to the Pennamites as having been at the Hill, did not put in an appearance at Wilkes-Barré on August 10th-their names being as follows: John Swift, Ishmael Bennett, Jr., Elisha Satterlee, Phineas Stephens, Moses Sill and George Minard (who was still disabled by the wound which he had received). In consequence, it came about that only thirty of the "Hill" party were consigned to the Slocum house, their names being: Joel Abbott, Prince Alden, Jr., Waterman Baldwin, Lord Butler, Jonathan Burwell, Gideon Church, Nathaniel Cook, Joseph Corey, John Gore, Justus Gaylord, Elisha Harding, Thomas Heath, Jr., Elisha Harris, John Hurlbut, Richard Hallstead, Edward Inman, William Jenkins, Benjamin Jenkins, William
*The place was a large level field lying between Old River Road and Careytown Road (now Carey Avenue) in the present Twelfth Ward of the city of Wilkes-Barre. This locality was chosen-undoubtedly by the Yankees- because it was somewhat remote from Fort Dickinson.
+On River Street, just above South Street. A few years later it was the home of William Slocum #At the corner of River and Northampton Streets.
1419
Jackson, Abram Nesbitt, Abraham Pike, John Platner, William Ross, Thomas Read, William Slocum, Walter Spencer, Thomas Stoddard, Daniel Sullivan, Jeremiah White and Nathaniel Walker.
So far as the present writer knows, the names of only a few of the forty-six men who were consigned to the Butler house have been preserved. They are: John Franklin, Giles Slocum, Phineas Peirce, John Jenkins, Jr., Ebenezer Johnson, John Inman, Richard Inman, Nathan Cary, Samuel Cary, Josiah Pell and Robert Hopkins.
Colonel Franklin, writing about the imprisonment of the Yankees on this occasion, stated: "Thirty, who had been in the action at Locust Hill, were confined in a house owned by Mr. Slocum; while myself and some forty others were confined in the house of Colonel Butler-both of which had been occupied as part of the Garrison. We were all robbed of our knives, while the Locust Hill party-so called-were immediately put in irons. The house of Colonel Butler, in which more than forty were confined, was full of human excrement and all manner of filth, having been occupied by a large number of Patterson's party as a block-house during the siege .*
"Yet however numerous, we were compelled to lie down in the filth, with sentinels set over us, and suffered to rise during the night only under penalty of death. The doors and windows were made fast, and there was no avenue for fresh air. We were kept without food for twenty-four hours, our friends not being suffered to bring us either food, drink or clothing. In a word, during the confinement of the prisoners at Wyoming they were treated in the most cruel and barbarous manner. They suffered with hunger and were suffocated in a nauseous prison for the want of fresh air, and were insulted by a banditti of ruffians. The prisoners [in the Butler house] were not even suffered to go out of their house for the term of nine days to perform the most necessary calls of Nature.
"The first night of our confinement small parties of militia were sent through the settlement, who made prisoners of all the Connecticut party they could find, whether they had been under arms or not. Armstrong and Boyd had also pledged their honors that those who were our enemies should not be set to guard us; but their honor proved a cheat in that case, for our enemies were set over us with our own rifles, to guard and insult us. The second day (August 11th) of our confinement, near night, we were furnished with a scant half meal of bread and beef. The next day following, John Franklin, Ebenezer Johnsont, Phineas Peirce and Giles Slocum were admitted to bail (entering security for their appearance at the next term of Court at Sunbury), and were released from confinement. They (Armstrong and the others in authority) refused to take bail for any of the other prisoners."
It may be stated, on the testimony of Elisha Harding and others of the Locust Hill party, that the men who were confined in the Slocum house were treated with the same degree of severity as the men in the Butler house, with the exception that their imprisonment lasted for a shorter time.
During the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th days of August, Justices John Seely and Henry Shoemaker were kept busy at Wilkes-Barré. taking the depositions, under oath, of twenty-five or more Pennainites, relative to certain alleged seditious
*From about the middle of May until late in November, or early in December, 1784, Colonel Butler was absent from Wyoming Valley-for the greater part of the time being with his wife at her former home in New York State. 1Vot Jehoiada Pitt Johnson, as stated by Miner in his "History of Wyoming", page 356.
1420
language and acts of a number of Wyoming Yankees. These depositions are printed in full in Vol. X of "Pennsylvania Archives", Second Series, and the following extracts from some of them will give the reader a good view-at least from the standpoint of the Pennamites-of some of the goings on here at that period.
James Landon, aged thirty-four years, deposed as follows:
"That John Franklin and John Jenkins several times lately, with Joel Phelps, had ordered this deponent to move out of the house he lived in since last Spring in Shawanese Township, for that they would suffer no one to live in this country who would not join them. That Elijah Phelps and one [Frederick] Budd, about three weeks ago [July 20, 1784], came to deponents house and took away his rifle gun (threatening that if he did not let them have it they would taken ten times the value of it), and also his powder-horn and about one-half pound of powder and ten or twelve bullets; and they said they intended to disarm the Pennamites.
"That about an hour afterwards deponent went to John Franklin and told him about his gun being taken from him. With Franklin there was one Richard Inman, who said to deponent: 'If you will join us you shall have your gun.' That Franklin told him (the deponent) he should not have his gun-neither did he ever get it again-and said he must either go and join those at the Fort [Dickinson], or get out into the country, and added: 'By the eternal God! if we have to storm the Garrison we will sacrifice every man we find therein that has taken up arms against * 11S.' * * That whilst the Fort was being besieged deponent heard Caleb Forsythe say that if the Pennsylvanians were so stubborn, and would not deliver up the Fort, they would be put to the sword, and he did not know whether they would spare women and children. And deponent heard Waterman Baldwin say that if they could not hold the lands at Wyoming by law, they would by force of arms."
John King, of Kingston Township, deposed as follows:
"That on August 6, 1784, William Jacques came to the house of deponent with John Swift, William Slocum and Elisha Satterlee, and gave him notice that he should move out of his house and begone off the premises and leave the place in two days, or that they would burn the house down, or words to that effect; and then they gave a great shout and rode off. That on this 11th day of August, deponent, with Abraham Goodwin [his son-in-law], was riding along the road coming to Wyoming, when a man, whose name deponent has since been informed is Timothy Underwood, was standing by a house where one Woodworth lives. He was armed, having a rifle with him belonging to Abraham Goodwin. Upon Goodwin calling to Underwood to bring to him the rifle- which Goodwin said was his-Underwood made no answer, but put the rifle to his shoulder and presented [aimed] it at Goodwin and this deponent; whereupon they put themselves on the defence, and Underwood perceiving it, went behind the house and ran off."
Henry Birney, aged forty-four years, deposed as follows:
"About the beginning of July [1784] deponent, living in Shawanese Township in said county, saw John Swift, Elisha Satterlee, William Jacques, and a number of other persons, and at different other times, pass along the road near where this deponent lives, with arms in their hands, to and fro to what they called headquarters, about a mile distant from his house. That this deponent had frequent conversation with Swift and Satterlee and one Joel Phelps, who had ordered him often to go out of his house, and threatened that if he did not go away and move into the Fort they would abuse him by heating him, &c .- insomuch that he was afraid of his life.
"That Daniel Peirce and others frequently told deponent that they intended to storm the Fort where the Pennsylvanians were, if they did not deliver it up in a few days; and that the Penn- sylvanians in the Fort must abide by the consequences if they were stormed therein. That Daniel Peirce, Elisha Satterlee and others swore that they were determined to clear the ground at Wyoming [Wilkes-Barre]. and the other settlements in the vicinity, of the Pennsylvanians, for they would not suffer any of them to remain thereon."
Isaac Taylor, deposed as follows :
"That on August 8, 1784, he heard Phineas Stephens say that if the Connecticut claimants could not now obtain their lands they would lie in ambush and fight as long as they lived. I likewise heard one Abraham Pike swear by his Maker (on hearing of Ezekiel Schoonover coming into Shawnee) that he would shoot said Schoonover. I told Mr. Schoonover of said Pike's design, and he kept out of his way. This was done by Pike this day-August 10."
Mary Long deposed:
"That on August 4, 1784, Benjamin Harvey said I should move out of my house. If I did not, the Yankees would set it on fire. I likewise heard a number of the Connecticut people say that if the lands at Wyoming were not given back to them, they would fight as long as there were three of them living."
John Kraun, deposed as follows:
"On Saturday, August 7, he heard Leonard Cole say they had sought for law these nine months, but could find none, and were now determined to find law; also, that it was against the orders of Government to keep a fortification, and, if it [Fort Dickinson] was not demolished,
1421
they would demolish it and would likewise take Alexander Patterson, for he deserved to be torn to pieces by horses. On Monday following deponent heard Nathaniel and Reuben Cook say they had killed but few, and would give them another Indian blast."
Thomas Brink, deposed as follows:
"That about July 30, 1784, he was at the house of Lucy Harvey, at the lower end of Shaw- anese Flats, in company with Jonathan Marsh, where also was one Benjamin Harvey; and said Harvey, speaking of the laws of Connecticut Government and the laws of Pennsylvania, and comparing them with one another, got up in a rage and damned the laws of Pennsylvania and them that made them. That four or five days ago (August 7 or 8) a certain Reuben Cook, in this deponents house at Shawanese, told him that the houses standing near the hill on the Shawanese Flats must be pulled down, for they should not stand there-and in particular, James Benscoter's house, for neither he nor his family should stay there.
"That some time last week [August 6 or 7] the High Sheriff of said County, Henry Antes, Esq., having three other persons in company with him, passing by this deponent's house stopped there to feed his horse. Deponent, desirous to know how matters were like to go on, asked a few questions of Sheriff Antes, who informed deponent that he had ordered the New England people to take their arms and go to their possessions, and take care of their grain and grass, for that people were not to stand still and be killed; that there was to be no more turning out of houses by either party, but matters wer: to be decided by Law. The Sheriff said that the people here (and the deponent apprehended that by 'the people' he meant those in the Fort) had a wrong apprehension of the militia that were coming up to their assistance, for that they (the militia) were coming up to put the Law in force; that two Justices had been left at Wyoming, and another would be sent immediately, and that would make a Quorum."
Jonathan Marsh, deposed as follows:
"That about August 7, at the house of Thomas Brink, in Shawanese Township, he heard Henry Antes say that he had ordered the Yankees to come home and take their respective pos- sessions as heretofore, and ordering them to go to harvesting the grain and cutting the hay; and further, he said he had ordered the Yankees to take their arms, for men were not to stand still and be killed. That a short time after the scrummage of Locust Hill, in Northampton County, deponent heard Thomas Heath, Jr., and Ishmael Bennet, Jr., boasting and laughing, and said that they were there themselves; that they came on the Pennsylvanians in three parties, and approached very nigh them before the Pennamites saw them, and fired on them and left eight of the Pennsylvanians on the ground to keep possession."
At Philadelphia, under the date of August 10, 1784, President Dickinson wrote to Commissioners Armstrong and Boyd, at Wilkes-Barré, as follows *:
"We have received your Letter by Captain Schott, and are in Hopes that, when the In- surgents are convinced of the determined Resolution of the Government to insist upon a due submission to the authority of the people of Pennsylvania, they will desist from further violences.
"As soon as they are in that Disposition, you will please to have the proper legal steps taken. that those who have disturbed the Peace (of whatever party they are) may be rendered answerable for their Conduct. It shall be our Endeavour, as it is our Duty, to impress this Principle, that it is extreme folly for men to expect, they shall promote their real Interests by a Contempt for the Laws of their Country.
"The Fortifications at Wyoming we would have leveled and totally destroyed, & the Cannon and arms removed to Sunbury, & there safely deposited."
This letter was brought to Wilkes-Barré by an express, who reached here on Saturday, August 14, 1784. On that day, at Wilkes-Barré, Robert Martin, Esq., one of the Northumberland County Justices of the Peace, hereinbefore mentioned, wrote the following lettert to Gen. James Potter and Col. William Montgomery, the two Northumberland County members of the Pennsylvania Council of Censorst. Justice Martin forwarded the letter to Messrs. Potter and Montgomery, then at Philadelphia, by the hands of Ebenezer Johnson.
"I beg leave to give you a detail of matters at this place. I must confess I am much dis - appointed as to the conduct of the Commissioners, to wit: Captain Boyd and Colonel Armstrong. Esquire Mead and myself repaired to this place in obedience to our instructions from the Council. * * * At our arrival we found that both the Pennsylvania and Connecticut parties had actual- ly proceeded to hostilities, which we are well assured began a few miles from the Garrison on Shawnee Plains about July 20 last. Which party first began the fire at that time we cannot with certainty say; but we view both parties guilty of hostilities. It can be proved that previous to this numbers of the Connecticut party had been fired upon by the other party, when they were about their lawful business.
"Soon after we came to this place we called on the Connecticut party, in the name of the Commonwealth, to lay down their arms and submit themselves to the laws; which they accord-
*See "Pennsylvania Archives", Old Series, X: 307.
+See Miner's "History of Wyoming", page 357.
#See later mention for fuller references to this body.
1422
ingly did, and at the same time declaring their willingness at all times to be law abiding. We accordingly made a demand of the like nature on Patterson and his party. Their answer was that they would comply, but said they would every one be murdered by the Connecticut party. We, in answer to them, said we did not apprehend the least danger from their opponents, as they had solemnly engaged to us they would not molest or hurt one of them on any pretense whatever. We further assured them that we would not ask them to deliver their arms to us before we put the arms of the Connecticut party on board the boat*, within sight of the Garrison-but all our arguments and proposals were to no purpose.
"Then, as we were of the opinion that it would not be prudent to disarm one party and not the other, we returned to the Connecticut party and informed them that they were at liberty to take up their arms and disperse, and go to their habitations about their lawful business; which we believe they did. Our proposals to both parties were, that if they would submit to the laws and deliver up their arms to us, we would put as many of the leading men of both parties, as we should see proper, in custody of the Sheriff, to be taken to Sunbury.
"Had these proposals been complied with by Patterson and his party, we should have had no use for the Commissioners or the militia-which plan we thought most likely to answer the objects of Government and quiet the minds of the people, and at the same time we would' be acting up to our instructions from Council.
"We had solemnly engaged to the Connecticut party that, on their submission, they should have equal justice with the other party, and the benefit of the Law-which engagement we made known to the Commissioners on their arrival, who approved of our conduct, and assured us that they had been sent here to do complete justice, without distinction of parties. This gave us the highest expectations that matters would soon be settled in such a manner as would do honour to Government; but to our astonishment, no sooner had the Connecticut party yielded themselves prisoners and laid down their arms to the Commissioners, than they were marched under a strong guard, and crowded into two small houses, unfit for the reception of any human being. At the same time, to the great mortification of those prisoners, and contrary, as they say, to the promise of the Commissioners, they were insulted by the other party, with their arms in their hands-which we think by no means accords with the declaration of the Commissioners, that they were sent here to do complete justice.
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.