USA > Pennsylvania > Greene County > History of Greene County, Pa. : containing an outline of the state from 1682, until the formation of Washington County in 1781. History during 15 years of union. The Virginia and new state controversy--running of Mason's and Dixon's line--whiskey insurrection--history of churches, families, judges, senators, assembly-men, etc., etc. > Part 12
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY. 145
furiously at something at the foot of the White Rocks ; that they had ventured up until they had seen the body of a dead woman. Some believed the tale, while others did not. As soon, however, as breakfast was over next morning (Sabbath), several men had collected at Oliphant's Furnace and Nixon's mill for the purpose of ascertaining what truth there was in the report. After climbing the mountain side they came to the foot of the rocks, and there, sure enough, lay the body of Polly Williams. The moss on the top of the rock showed signs of a severe struggle. There lay one of her slippers and one of her gloves, while perhaps thirty feet down the face of the rock there grew out of a crevice a laurel bush, part of it was broken off and held in the hand of the murdered girl. On the remainder of this bush that still clung to the rock, lay her other slipper and handkerchief. The murderer fearing his work was not accomplished by the fall, had descended by about the same path that we had, and inflicted three distinct blows with a sharp stone on the head of the dying girl, leaving the stone besmeared with blood as evidence of the fact. A mes- senger was dispatched to Uniontown for the Coroner. The body was lifted from the place where it lay and attached to a long pole by numerous bands of hickory bark. A path was then cut down the mountain to Nixon's mill, where the inquest was held. The neighbor women dressed the body the best they could and about sun-down a large procession followed and laid it to rest in Hayden's grave yard, where a sand stone marks the spot, and this verse tells the sad tale :
"Remember man as you pass by. Here doth the bones of Polly Williams lie, Who was cut off in her youthful bloom, By a vile wreteh, her pretended groom."
This stone I have seen, and this verse I have read. A small piece of this stone I have in my house, and the verse is said to have been made by Samuel Little, Sr., editor of the Genius of
10
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
Liberty, at Uniontown. Although no human eye had seen the dreadful act performed, though no human ear had heard the frightful screams that doubtless rose from that lonely spot when the girl found what his fiendish intentions were. Yet suspicion immediately pointed to Rogers as the man. He was arrested, tried and acquited, although his subsequent life seem- ed to contradict the verdict of the jury. This man became a citizen of Greene county. He married a wife who is said to have left his home either from real or immaginary noises and apperitions that were heard or appeared there. Rumor says the bed clothes were frequently withdrawn from the bed by :an invisible hand. He was a stone mason by trade, yet he would not take a job more than two miles from home, and would always return at night, lest during the hours of sleep he :should betray the fatal secret which seemed like a burning fire shut up in his bones. His sleep was broken and disturbed, he often uttering the most distressing groans, loading the mid- night air with reproaches and blasphemies, and on at least .one occasion calling out the name of the girl that was supposed to be his victim. Thus if all that tradition has recorded be true, there surely is such a thing as "a hell on earth," complete- ly depriving the guilty man of all happiness here, and leaving him nothing "but a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall destroy the adversaries."
But the reader will think it high time that our history should give some of the manners and customs of the early settlers. One word would describe them to a great extent and that word would be "rude ;" but if they were rude they were cheery, be- cause they were well meant. Families could not afford to be bad neighbors, because they were to a great extent dependent upon each other. They could not raise their cabins without help. They could not roll their logs without the assistance of one another, and as their harvests were cut with the sickle, it
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
was a lonely business for one man to go into his field alone, and as many hands make light work, they soon adopted the plan of "neighboring," or sometimes of having a "frollick." These frolics were exceedingly common. Their clothing for sum- mer was procured by sowing a patch of flax, and if there was any Dutch blood in the veins of the settler this flax was sure to be sown on "Good Friday." It was ready to pull about the "heels of harvest," and those who were invited were about an equal number of both sexes of young people who pulled the long stalks of flax up by the roots and tied it up in small sheaves four or five inches in diameter. When these sheaves were sufficiently dried they were threshed out on the puncheon floor of the little log barn. The seed was gathered up very care- fully, and after laying aside enough to sow, the balance was sold at the oil mills that began to exist at an early day in this county. The stalks of flax were then spread out in the little meadow to rot. "This must be done when the moon was point- ing down." When it was completely rotted it was raked up, bound in large bundles and was then ready to "break." This was often done by natives of "the Emerald Isle," as the "regu- lar bog trotters" claimed it as their prerogative to break the flax. Now comes the scutching frolic, where men, women, boys and girls would meet and seutch and shout and sing and wash the tow out of their throats with a little old rye whisky ; and when night had come and they had washed and put on their "meetin clothes," they would take a few rounds of regular break-down dancing on a puncheon floor. It often happened however, that at this great frolic the "folks" were divided -- the young men and the young women scutched the flax while the mothers quilted a quilt for "the woman of the house ;" while the fathers hewed house logs, or perhaps made rails. The next process through which the flax was put was hackling, done by drawing it slowly through long steel teeth, firmly
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clinched in a hard board and called a hackel. One of these was deemed enough for five or six families, provided they all kept good neighbors, and it was no idle threat that was some- times heard-"if you don't mind I won't lend you my hackel." The next process through which the flax went was spinning. The hackel has separated the fibers into two parts, one of which is called tow. The day's work for adult girls and women was twelve cuts of flax or "a dozzen." Of tow, eight cuts was a day's work. The woman or girl who could not spin her dozzen was considered much under par. The weaving came next. While every one was expected to have a wheel for eve- ry spinner, looms were only found alternately, where a woman done the weaving for her neighbors and they in turn did her spinning, the usual mode of exchange being to spin one dozzen of flax for the weaving of two yards of either flax or tow linen. It often happened that some dainty house wife was not con- tent that her "dear old man" and boys should wear plain tow linen pants (trowsers), but she wanted them to be a little ahead of other people, and so she must have enough of "copperas check" for at least one pair of "trowsers" for each of the men and a "check apern a-piece for me and the gals," and in that case the weaver must have one cent more on each yard for the weaving. A part of the flax was spun into stocking thread, which was doubled and twisted and knit into "meetin stock- ins." These stockings the females would bleach until they were quite white, and then they would carry them under their arms, rolled up in a big "hankercher," along with their home- made shoes until they were almost to the "meetin house," then they would turn aside, sit down on a log, dust off their feet, put on the stockings, and also the shoes, and walk up to the church, feeling that they were as well equipped as the times and circumstances required. But how did our fathers and mothers procure their winter clothing ? is a question that comes
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in right here. It was about as follows: A man who had twenty-five acres of cleared land was expected to keep ten or twelve long-wooled, coarse, "mottled-faced" sheep, that would shear about three pounds of wool each. This wool was always cut off without washing and was washed in a tub. Then, oh ! then came the wool picking, and as this was in the spring of the year, what a grand old time it was for the interchange of news that had lain dormant all the long winter and had al- most spoiled for want of ventilation ; but now the memories of those good old dames brought to the surface those almost forgotten items of intelligence, which were bartered off at par for an equal quantity received from the lips of their eager listeners. While the old and middle-aged women were picking the wool to remove the burs and dirt, as well as to "tease" it apart, the men often had an independent frolic in the woods by themselves, making rails and peeling tan bark. I knew one of these old mothers to get so excited that she got her sentences wrong end foremost. In describing the great frolic at her house, she said they had a "pick-woolen and a maul-railing at their house, and they "killed six hens, two tur- keys, and a half of a veal." What they done with the other half of the veal she did not say, but said they killed half of it. When this wool was picked 80 years ago it was almost invari- ably carded with hand-cards. Fifty years ago it was sent to the carding machines, which were generally driven by water power, sometimes by a tramp wheel on which horses or oxen were placed. The rolls were then taken home and the music of the "big wheel" began. The yarn was then colored with white walnut bark, making an ugly butternut brown color. Some people however, could afford to buy a few ounces of indigo and a small quantity of madder and thus make red and blue cross-barred flannel. But this was generally confined to the aristocracy of those days, and consequently they were ob-
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HISTORY OF, GREENE COUNTY.
jects of envy to their less fortunate neighbors who had to wear their walnut brown. But it often happened when "the frugal house wife" made her annual calculations and weighed out her wool (with the steelyards that did similar duty for five or six families) she found that it would not reach all around the family and make them two garments each, consequently it must be supplemented by a quantity of cotten yarn for chain, and then the goods was called linsey, the filling being wool. This was made up into pantaloons (without lining) and hunt- ing shirts surrounded with fring of red and blue. A part of it was made into garments called a "wamus," which had just one button up at the neck and was tied in a knot around the waist. The portion of goods falling to the females was generally made into skirts, it being the great ambition of every adult female to wear at least one "flannen frock." The linsey skirt was often surmounted by a body and sleeves of calico and was called a "short gown." But I must not dwell too long in describing cos- tumes of our ancestors, as I promised to write about customs. One, the grand "galla day" of the year, was the "big muster,"; generally coming off in May. There was a laudable ambition on the part of almost every boy to get his name on a muster roll, which could be done at eighteen years of age, yet he was not subject to fine for non-attendance before twenty-one. On the first Monday in May all enrolled militia of the State of Pennsylvania met at the places of holding township elections, appearing in the earliest times of training with their ever-present rifles on their shoulders; but when fear of Indians was gone the old gun was often left in its accustomed place in wooden hooks on the rude joist of the cabin. As the militia mar. found his way to the muster with a cane, sometimes a coin stock, he came not to drill but to save fine. Here he was eighty years ago met by some man who had served in the revolution- ary war and now possessed a State commission as Captain of
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
militia. This man was in serious earnest, deeply feeling the want of military training on his own part as well as on the part of his camrades, when compelled to stand up face to face with well-drilled British Grenadiers. This Captain wanted men committed to his care better qualified for active service than he was when required to enter it.
How different was the situation fifty years ago. In a second struggle with Great Britian; our nation was victorious, not only over the "red coats," but also over Indian allies. These were the only recognized enemies our ancestors ever expected to be in their way. As these were again defeated, it was deemed unnecessary to continue a system of general military training. so an effort was made to turn it all into a burlesque. Cap tain's commissions were accepted by only two classes of men ; first, persons loving money so well they were willing to bear every snear and scorn heaped so abundantly upon them, for the sake of obtaining the small pittance paid by the State; secondly, by a class of men always having an eye to honor, in whose ears the name of Captain, when applied to themselves, reached the very sumit of earthly greatness. It was easy work mus- tering under the first class, a corn stock being equivalent to a gun at any time. If the men could succeed in getting themselves into anything like a "straight row," just once, and would respectfully answer to their names, they were dismissed with thanks. But wo! to a militia man having one of the lat- ler class of men for a Captain -- with an old blue coat ornat- :nented with numerous rows of "bullet buttons," closely set together, with its broad philactory of red facings, its epaulettes of sheep skin, with the yellow wool still adhering to it. This "limb" of the law was also surmounted by a hugh leather hat, greased and varnished to an extent wonderful to behold. Add- ed to all this he generally carried a sword that usually repre. sented some legend. It was said to have belonged to Marion,
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Sumpter, Greene, or Morgan ; or it was picked up at Brandy- wine, Princeton or Lundy's Lane. Put all these awe inspir- ing things together and it would seem sufficient to fill the minds of the most wayward with veneration for the man who undertook to train them. But alas! such seems not to have been the case ; it frequently occurred that some luckless sol- dier had the misfortune to be placed under guard, because he had called in question the infallible wisdom of the man whom the law had placed over him. But now a new trouble arose ; the guard recognising the affair as a burlesque, generally needed another guard to take care of them. But this difficulty was peculiar alone to the "little muster," on the first Monday in May. The batalion musters began the next week where the parade came off, generally at some town or village. A large propor- tion of the marriagable young women of the neighborhood had imparative business in town and if they had a relative there this was the day to visit. Then if any daughters of the villiage had eaten a meal or spent a night in the country, as a matter of course on their departure they said "you must be sure and come over to see ns." How quickly did the answer come back from the oldest daughter, "yes, I am coming the day of the big muster." But oh ! there was another class of persons-the "small boy." For many days and weeks he has had muster "on the brain." It has haunted his waking hours with the question always recurring, but seldom answered, "how shall I get my fip ?" And even when sleep, "sweep, balmy sleep, tired nature's fond restorer," came to his relief it was of- ten disturbed by visions of enormous piles of ginger bread, which he had no ability to purchase, rendering grief almost intolerable. He has asked for a "fip" long ago, but a ha:d hearted parent has made the condition of its reception to de- pend on his diligence in business and general good behavior. Poor fellow ! his loc is a hard one. How can he work v bea
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
his mind is set on the muster and ginger bread. He knows his own follies ; how can he behave himself well when there are so many things to distress him. But time has rolled on and brought round the long expected day. At four o'clock the sullen boom of a cannon at the distant village brings the small boy to his feet and also wakes up the "buxom lass" who has over-slept herself in consequence of having set up so late the night before arranging her finery by the flickering light of a twisted rag laid in an old saucer about half filled with grease. Both parties cast their first glance towards the eastern sky, and to their great joy it is clear. The boy seizes his pants ; but instead of drawing them on, he dives his trembling hand deep down into his pocket to find if his long-looked-for "fip" is there. "Yes here it is," is his involuntary ejaculation. It was given to him the night before and has slept safely at the bottom of the pocket of his new "pepper and salt" cotton "trousers" all night, wrapped round in three or four thicknesses of paper ; he is happy, he will never be richer the longest day he lives. But what is our "buxom lassie" doing all this time ? The cows are to milk; the breakfast is to "git," for "mam" is about half mad about her going and can't be expected to help much. Do all these considerations cause her to run to the spring house and get the bucket to do the milking in, or even to stir up the coals and put on a few sticks, and hang the kettle over them so as to have a cup of sassafras tea before she goes? No, none of these things move her. On the contrary she quickly opens the drawer and takes one more peep at the ornaments to see how they will look by day light. Satisfied, she inwardly exclaims, "I know he'll like it." She shuts the drawer and hastily begins to work. But there are other parties who have no pleasing prospects before them this day. A whole year's difficulties are to be settled up to-day. These parties have been at the rising. the rolling. the corn-husking and the wood
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
chopping, and at all these places they have had the company of a famous fellow in those days. He is known as "Captain Whisky." He has unlimbered their tongues and pursuaded them that they were stout, and while they felt this and be- lieved that, they have very unwisely commenced a quarrel with some good-natured fellow who on sober reflection they are com- pelled to admit is their superior in point of strength. He was a man of but few words and only replied, "I will see you at the muster." A great deal was meant by this threat; hence the muster day to such was fraught with forebodings that are everything but pleasant. I must either take back what I have said or engage in a fight in which I almost know I will come out second best. But the day is advancing; it is time we ยท were there and soon, in imagination at least, we are there. What a concourse of high and low people. The street is filled with the rougher sort, while on the side-walk the candidato is shaking the friendly hand with men "whose farthers lie would have disdained to have set with the dogs of his flock." But see! there is a field officer. Ah ! it is the Major with his cap resembling two half moons sewed together on the circular edges, and open on the almost straight side, into this part his head is thrust. He has epaulets on his shoulders, but they are small, with a great deal more tinsel than gold about then: Yes, and there is the Colonel with heavier epaulets, and his "Shaberdebraugh" (cap) turned up at one side. Hark! who is that calling out. Oh, yes ! Oh, yes! "by companies fall in line !" It must be an Aid-de camp or an Orderly ; but no differ- ence, the men are already falling in, some already a little weak in the knees from having looked through the bottom of a tum- bler at the landlord. Soon the starting order, "march !" is heard ; and such a march-each keeping his own step and fol- lowing those before. Somewhere not far from the middle of the road they proceed to some neighboring field. where for a
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time the young man must try to keep his place in ranks, which he was utterly unable to do while the lines stood in town, from the fact that every window and porch were. filled with those "buxom lassies," that divided his attention to that extent that he could not hear the words of command. But once in the field the lines are formed, the rolls are called, when many per- sons, fond of hearing their names repeated, do not answer until the third call, when they respond "here" in tones that seem to say, "I have been trying to make you hear me this long time." The men are worked back into line again as straight as possible, when yonder comes some body, indeed. Who is it ? Why, it is the Colonel Commandant, the Brigadier-General, the Bri- gade Inspector, the Surgeon, etc. Now, the boy who has spent the whole amount of his muster money has a chance to make another fip if he can only get an officer's horse to hold while those officers accompany the Brigade Inspector through the lines, which must be done on foot, the law not allowing the In- spector to examine a man's corn-stalk while he (the Inspector) is on horse-back, lest he should be mistaken with reference to the good order in which it was kept. It is now time for recess ; the lines are broken, and soon the locality about the sake wagons is crowded to that extent that the small boy is in eminent danger of being trodden under foot. But now a new scene begins; the man who came here with those fore- hodings (that were founded on the threat that a man would meet him herc), has seen his old acquaintance, Captain Whisky, and after imbibing a portion of the Captain's spirit, his fears are all gone, and he is anxious to have the burden off his mind, and he starts off to seek the man who dared to threaten him. This man has not forgotten the threat he made and is on the look out. Soon they meet; a few words and a good many oaths and the hunting shirts or coats come off with a vim worthy of a better cause. The crowd begins to break away
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from the enraged men. A ring is formed, two "bullies" ap- pear as seconds, a blow is struck and the men are down. While biting, gouging, scratching and striking are the alternate busi- ness in which the beligerants engage until one of them calls out "enough," the seconds pull them apart. Water is procured at a cake wagon (where it is kept in readiness, knowing that it will be wanted), the men wash their hands and faces ; their wounds are bound up, when the seconds bring them up to the cake wagon, and there they "drink friends," shake hands and that quarrel is at an end. But there are other chaps in the crowd who are as base cowards as ever existed, and they seem to feel that others think so too. This will not do ; they must get up a reputation for courage, hence they secure two or three good friends on both sides, whom they know "won't" let them fight. With this kind of "backing" they meet, and the hair of the pious man almost stands straight upon his head to hear the awful blasphemies that proceed from their profane lips : yet their friends, true to their instructions, hold them fast and seem to try to get them away. But no ! they will hear no ex- planations, and "will just mash each other into the ground," etc. Sometimes, however, their friends become wearied hold- ing them and agree on both sides to let them at each other The crowd form a ring and wait for the fight to begin ; but no. they are ready to explain and take back everything rather than enter the ring and fight it out. Other cases occur where meli would lay a chip on their shoulder and go around, politely ask- ing some one to knock it off, which was generally done, and the fight began that instant. Others would go around dragging their coats after them, and requesting some one, as an act of kindness, "just to please to tread on the tail of this ere coat." If any one was anxious to try his muscel, here was his chance. which was often accepted. So that from these various causes the crowd was generally entertained with several fights. 1
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well remember seeing no less than seven in one day in the year 1831.
Now let us turn to another interesting feature of our ancca 'o's, namely, weddings : From what has been said about the baxom las sie and young blood who could not hear the word of command at the muster, it might be inferred that Cupid was not a stranger among the early settlers of this country; indeed our ancestors were much more likely to contract agreeable matches than their grand-children are, from several causes: First, there was more equality then than now. Parents seldom ever inter fered because their children were not marrying "their equals." Secondly, the love of money and money distinctions were almost na a on. In those days the question was not asked, "has he sufficient money to keep you in splendid idleness all the rest of your life ?" On the contrary, if it was known he possessed au honest heart, two willing hands and two brawny arms, these were considered sufficient recommendations, and the consent wa; mutual. Thirdly, educational distinctions did not exist then as now. The fathers, when they consulted that great store-house of common sense laid up in their uncombed heads, concluded about one in one hundred of the great mass would be needed to expound the civil law, to enforce the precepts of the Gospel, or to cure the ills suffering mankind was heir to. These must be the brightest stars the community could furnish. No thought then of sending a boy to college because he was good for nothing else. If he were considered a fool, they never thought of sending him to a high school to learn com- :non sense. The country was not cursed then as it is now with a miserable host of literary lazaroni sporting Latin diplomas that they cannot translate. If there is an opening in a common school, one dozen applicants are on hand like hungry office seekers, clamoring for the position. These educated paupers of one sex. as a matter of course, must marry educated paupers
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