USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > Warwick's Keystone commonwealth; a review of the history of the great state of Pennsylvania, and a brief record of the growth of its chief city, Philadelphia > Part 9
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number, and marched them through the woods, a distance of sixty miles and lodged them in the jail at Easton. Upon application they were all released on bail and hurried back to Wyoming with more determination than ever to settle in what they called this Paradise. Additional settlers from Connecticut poured in and the numbers were increased to upwards of three hundred. Building a strong stockade they were in a position now to defy Jennings and his posse. Jennings, himself, upon reconnoitering the ground, was of an opinion that the forces were too large for him to handle and he reported to the proprietor that he could not raise sufficient men to constitute a posse that would be able to oust the invaders. In fact he got but little assistance from the people in the County of North- ampton, because many of the residents sympathized with the Connecticut settlers and were anxious to have them as neighbors. It was not the land of Pennsyl- vania, not the land of the province that was being seized by invaders, but the property of the proprietors, and the inhabitants of Northampton were anxious to have the land settled, believing that the presence of the Yankees would in- crease the value of land in that locality. Matters ran on, a conference was held by representatives of Connecticut with representatives of the Penns, but no conclusion was reached, and Ogden again was authorized to organize a body of men, drive the intruders from the valley and seize the lands already occupied by them. Ogden once more raised a little army, and strengthened it by the addi- tion of an iron four pound cannon, a piece of artillery, however, that does not seem to have been of much service in this mimic warfare except to make the wilderness resound with its booming. The Connecticut settlers were under the command of Captain Durkee. Ogden was alert, however, and when Cap- tain Durkee was off his guard, suddenly took him prisoner. He was put in irons and sent post haste to Philadelphia. Ogden was in the command of fifty men, forming a sort of advance guard, and Jennings had under his command the main body. When these forces united, the enemy without further ado, sur- rendered. Some of the leaders were retained as prisoners and the balance of the community were sent back to Connecticut. Seventeen had been left in charge of the settlement to reap the harvest, but as soon as those who had been sent to Connecticut disappeared, all property was destroyed including the crops, and the group of men who had been left behind to garner the harvest, were compelled to follow their companions into Connecticut. It looked now a if Pennsylvania was free from the invaders, and Ogden hastened to Philadelphia to report the success of his enterprise.
But about this time, trouble arose in another direction and an unexpected one. Captain Lazarus Stewart, of whom we have already spoken, at the head of a number of Lancastrians, formed an alliance with some Connecticut peo- ple. He invaded the valley and compelled the surrender of the small garrison that had been left behind by Ogden to guard the Fort. The surrender included the capture of the little four-pound piece of artillery. Stewart restored Wy- oming to the Susquehanna Company, and the Connecticut settlers, believing that the field was open, once more began an invasion. Ogden was again in the field and Captain Durkee, who had been sent to Philadelphia in irons, sud- denly returned and with a force decided to attack Ogden who, inactive, was apparently waiting for reinforcements. As the little Connecticut army was
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marching forward, confident of victory, with flags flying and drums beating, Ogden suddenly gave a command and at the head of his troops rushed out with all his men and seized the assailants. So sudden was his attack that he took by complete surprise the Connecticut troops, and in the struggle one man of the Connecticut army was killed and several wounded. Ogden now retired to the Fort and his enemies decided to starve him out. Day after day the siege continued, and Durkee's army, with the aid of the four-pounder, gradually ap- proached the Fort and succeeded in cutting off Ogden from his supplies. Og- den, finding that matters were growing serious, sent a messenger to Philadel- phia begging for reinforcements, but as they did not come the old hero was at last compelled to withdraw. He retreated from the valley and once more Wy- oming was in possession of the Connecticut settlers. Captain Ogden, how- ever, after raising an army of one hundred and fifty men, started once more to the scene of action. Ile moved quietly, cautiously and gave no signs of his approach but suddenly appeared in the Valley while the settlers were at work upon their farms, and before they could rally in defence, most of them were in custody. A large part of the population was sent to Easton jail and the rest that escaped fled to Fort Durkee. Ogden at once started for the Fort, and when he reached it a conflict took place which was very short and decisive. At this time blood was shed, for several of the Connecticut men were killed and a number wounded and all the property of the settlers was destroyed. Ogden was again successful and looked with confidence into the future, as he boast- fully told the Penns that there were no men left in Connecticut with courage enough to become trespassers.
Captain Lazarus Stewart, however, once more appeared upon the scene and surprised and captured the Pennsylvania garrison one morning before sun-break. Ogden's services were again called into requisition and with a hundred men he entered the valley, appeared suddenly at Fort Durkee and called upon the garrison to surrender. His order not being complied with, he made an attack upon the fort but was repulsed. Stewart, however, seems to have lost heart in the enterprise, and was not willing to risk another attack led by so brave a captain, and during the night he and his followers abandoned the fort and fled over the mountains. A few months after the flight of Stewart, the Connecticut people again appeared on the scene, this time with a force of one hundred and fifty men, and they laid siege to the fort occupied by Ogden and his troops. In this invasion the Connecticut settlers were led by Zebulon Butler, a soldier of greater courage and of far greater experience than any of the Connecticut captains that had preceded him. Butler, with the skill of an able soldier, completely surrounded the fort and cut off every avenue of es- cape. Ogden, however, was determined, if possible, to reach Philadelphia, lay the facts before the proprietors and secure reinforcements. The method he adopted to reach succor was dangerous to the extreme, but it was the only one left. Taking off his clothes, tying them up in a bundle with his hat on top, he entered the river at midnight and floated down the stream with a string in his mouth towing his clothing. The moving body was discovered by the sentinels and a fire was opened at once and every bullet struck the bundle. Ogden's face being on a level with the water, could not be seen and he suc-
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ceeded at last in reaching a place of safety, where he rapidly pat on his clothes and started on his way to Philadelphia, a distance of one hundred and twenty miles which he walked in three days. When he reached the city of Philadel- phia his earnest appeals induced reinforcements and a certain Captain Dick started forth with a small command which was to be followed by a larger body of troops. Butler, however, having heard that reinforcem-nis were coming, pressed his siege with vigor, and about the middle of August, 1771, the garri- son surrendered and articles of capitulation were signed.
The Penns having been driven from the valley, negotiations were opened with Governor Trumble of Connecticut to see if the matter could not be set- tled in some way by compromise, but the Governor replied that this was not a question between Connecticut and Pennsylvania but between the Susquehanna Company and the Penns who were the proprietors of the land in question. 1 year passed and the Penns made no further attempt to regain their property. So confident was the Susquehanna Company in the position it occupied, that it named the valley Westmoreland and constituted it part of Litchfield County, Connecticut, and the settlers had the audacity to petition the Connecticut Leg- islature to demand forty thousand dollars damages from Pennsylvania for the losses they had sustained in their contest to secure that which did not belong to them. The Penns having been entirely excluded from the valley, the Con- necticut settlers poured in in numbers and occupied the land in every direc- tion and established a settlement at Muncie.
About this time appeared upon the scene an Irishman named Plunkett, a sort of adventurer. He took up arms in favor of the Penns, and thought, no doubt, he was the man destined to restore the valley to the original proprietors. With an army of seven hundred men, he invaded the territory, but Zebulon Butler with about half the force of Plunkett, succeeded in putting him to flight. It was a great victory for Connecticut and seemed to the settlers to be the end of the bloody strife that had continued for a period of thirty years.
Connecticut was wrong in the position she took in the beginning. The territory clearly, under the grant to Penn, belonged to him, his heirs and as- signs. Its boundaries were clearly defined. There was no question of a mis- take as to latitudes, as in the Baltimore grant. The charter to Penn was known to the people of Connecticut and they were familiar with the boundary lines of the province. For years they acquiesced in the charter and thus strengthened the Penn title to the land. It was only when they looked upon the valley of the Wyoming with eyes of cupidity that they were seized with a desire to obtain it. Its beauty, fertility and situation had entranced them and they seized the land without any right to its possession simply because they wanted it, and they poured into the valley against the protests of the owners and exer- cised the right of squatter sovereignty. After the Revolution ended, the land was no longer the private property of a family but was the part of a sovereign state and it was necessary that the question should be finally and definitely set- tled as to what were the boundaries of that state. In 1782, Commissioners were appointed by Connecticut and Pennsylvania, who opened their sessions Novem- ber 2, at Trenton, New Jersey, and after trial and argument the Court was unanimously of the opinion that Connecticut had no right to the lands in con-
5
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troversy, "that the jurisdiction and preemption of all the territory lying within the charter of Pennsylvania and now claimed by the state of Connecticut do, of right belong to the state of Pennsylvania." Many years after the Revolu- tion the question of disputed ownership affected the titles of the land, and there was much litigation over the same and it was not until the Confirming Act of 1787 that the rights of all parties were clearly defined.
For believers in the doctrine of non-resistance, the Penns battled for their rights with a spirit, that though it may not have been consistent with their teachings, was, nevertheless, truly war-like.
Before Penn's departure from America, he had given to the city, under his hand and broad seal on the twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord 1701, being the thirteenth year of the reign of King William III. over England, Scotland, France and Ireland, a charter to the city of Philadelphia. It provided for a Mayor, a Recorder, eight Aldermen and twelve Common Councilmen. The first mayor under the new charter was Edward Shippen, while Thomas Story was the recorder.
It was during Penn's second visit that a night watch was established for the city. That is, the Council appointed an officer "to go round ye town with a small bell in ye night time and give notice of ye time of ye night and ye weather and if any disorders or dangers happen by fire or otherwise, in ye night to acquaint ye constable."
These watchmen carried tall painted staves, at the top of which were fast- ened perforated tin lanterns holding a candle, the light from which was so dim that it only intensified the darkness. It was their custom, too, to call out the hours of the night and the conditions of the weather, as "twelve o'clock and a moonlight night," "four o'clock and a cloudy morning." If there was any special news that reached the city after the watchman began to patrol his beat and after the citizens had retired and which was considered of public import- ance, it was his duty to announce the information. For instance, after the sur- render of the British at Yorktown, the voices of the watchmen called out the hour and then added "and Cornwallis is taken." It may casily be imagined that upon the announcement of such information the patriotic citizens, in their nightcaps, would raise the windows and many rush to the doors to inquire as to the details and then after retiring to their beds await impatiently for daylight for confirmation of the glorious news.
Why the watchman carried a bell it is hard to say. Surely it was not to give timely warning, as it undoubtedly did, to thieves, highwaymen or burg- lars that they might escape the clutches of the law. The ringing of the bell, no doubt, was to show that the policeman was on guard, traversing his beat and that he was protecting the property and peace of the city. The "drowsy charm" of his bell was
"To bless the doors from nightly harm,"
and to give to the citizens that sense of security that comes from the knowledge that the watch is on guard.
There were numerous inns of all kinds in the city and on market days
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they were crowded with farmers and country people. "The Plume of Feath- ers" on Second street, "The Pewter Platter" on Front street, the "Crooked Billet," the "Star and Garter," the "Three Tuns," the "White Horse," "Boat and Oars" were all well known taverns where lodging and meals could be had at comparatively cheap figures. The tippling houses or ordinaries as they were called, were under the direct surveillance of the police and if the customers grew too jolly or lingered at the bar too late they were ordered home by the watch on the beat.
The Coffee House had but recently made its appearance in London and it became a resort for the well-to-do and fashionable. Every man of the upper and middle classes went to his particular Coffee House, not only to sip the de- licious beverage made from the beans from Araby, which was considered a great luxury, but also to hear and discuss the news of the day. A man was known by his Coffee House as a man of the world today is known by his club. The Coffee House had become so popular a feature in Englnd that one was established in Front street, near Walnut, in this city, and was quite a resort for the well-to-do.
Shops of all kinds, too, were increasing in number and they were known by signs rather than by the names of their proprietors. Good olives and capers could be bought at "The Sign of the Crown," all kinds of gloves were sold at "The Lion and Glove." This THE OLD LONDON COFFEE HOUSE, 1754. CORNER OF FRONT AND WALNUT STREETS. was following the general custom of England, where Macaulay says the signs were used because the houses were not numbered. Furthermore, he adds, few, comparatively, could read and it was necessary therefore to use marks which the most ignorant could understand. These painted signs gave a gay and grotesque aspect to the streets. The walk from Charing Cross to Whitechapel lay through an endless succession of Saracens' Heads, Royal Oaks, Blue Bears and Golden Lambs, which disappeared when they were no longer required for the direction of the common people. English manners and customs obtained to a far greater degree in Pennsylvania than any other province, thus showing that English influence predominated here.
At the beginning of the province the purpose of the proprietor had been in every way to inspire a spirit of toleration and to secure religious liberty, not for one sect but for all sects, but unfortunately this spirit did not long con- tinue, at least from a Catholic point of view, for in January, 1706, while Penn was in England, an Act was passed which prescribed an oath to be taken by the Assemblymen before entering upon the discharge of their duties. The declara- tion of Christian belief was in the following words :
"I, A. B., do sincerely promise and solemnly declare before God and the world that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Queen Anne. And 1
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do solemnly profess and declare that I do from my heart abhor, detest and renounce as impious and heretical that damnable doctrine and position that princes excommunicated or deprived by the Pope of any authority of the See of Rome may be deposed or murdered by their subjects or any other whatso- ever. And I do declare that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state or poten- tate hath or ought to have any power, jurisdiction, superiority, preeminence or an- thority ecclesiastical or spiritual within the realm of England or the dominions thereunto belonging.
"And I, A. B., do solemnly and sincerely in the presence of God, profess, testify and declare that I do believe in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper there is not any transubstantiation of the elements of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, at or after the consecration thereof by any person whatsoever. And that the Invocation or adoration of the Virgin Mary or any other saint and the sacrifice of the mass as they are now used in the church of Rome are superstitious and idolatrous.
"And I do solemnly in the presence of God, profess, testify and declare that 1 do make this declaration and every part thereof in the plain and ordi- nary sense of the words read unto me as they are commonly understood by the English Protestants. Without any evasion, equivocation or mental reservation whatsoever and without any dispensation already granted me for this purpose by the Pope or any other authority or person whatsoever; or without any hope of any such dispensation from any person or authority whatsoever; or withont thinking that I am or may be acquitted before God or man or absolved of this declaration or any part thereof although the Pope or any other person or persons or power whatsoever should dispense with or annul the same or de- clare that it was null and void from the beginning.
"And 1, A. B., profess faith in God and the Father and in Jesus Christ his eternal Son, the true God and in the Holy Spirit, one God blessed forever- more. And do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testa- ment to be given by Divine inspiration."
The careful reading of this intolerant declaration shows that the eligi- bility of the Assemblyman depended more upon what he did not believe than what he did believe. The early charter rights as to liberty of conscience in re- ligion provided that officers of the government should profess a belief in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, and this proviso was continued under the charter given by William Penn to Philadelphia, in 1701. The Act of 1700, however, goes much further and perhaps its passage was induced by the fact that William Penn himself was too closely allied with the Stuarts.
Governor Gookin seemed to act at times without any judgment, alnost equalling the conduct in office of his predecessor, young John Evans. Ile greatly antagonized the Quakers by insisting upon an oath being taken in- stead of an affirmation. This resulted in throwing the government into the hands of the non-Quaker element. Gookin, however, at last was dismissed and in turn was succeeded by Sir William Keith, a man of parts and of under- standing. He was not a Quaker but a soldier, with the rank of Colonel, and proud of the distinction his title gave him. It does seem remarkable that every man sent out by the Penns from England to govern the province of Pennsyl-
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vania was a soldier and whose religious views were in direct opposition to the principles taught by the Quakers. The new Governor was not only a military man, but a member of the Church of England.
Penn was now gradually approaching his end. His life had been embit- tered by many disappointments. His "Holy Experiment" had turned out to be a successful project but it had involved him in debt and he was reduced almost to bankruptcy. Ile had sold much of his land in the province at too cheap a figure, and it did not make a sufficient return for his outlay. "O, Pennsyl- vania, what hast thou cost me!" he exclaimed. "About Thirty Thousand Pounds more than I ever got by it, two hazardous and most fatiguing voyages, my straits and slavery here and my child sold almost. * In short, I must sell all or be undone and disgraced into the bargain." Many of his friends in America whom he had befriended turned against him. Especially was this so in the case of David Lloyd, who from a friend had turned ont to be a bitter antagonist, and in order to secure success in his political battles re- sorted to schemes to injure the reputation and influence of the proprietor. . man named Ford to whom Penn had entrusted the care of his English and Irish estates, ran him into debt by his careless management and extravagance, and it did not end here, for at the death of Ford his widow had Penn arrested while he was attending a meeting in Grace Church Street in London. The bailiff seized him forcibly and would have taken him from the building with- out further ado had it not been for the intervention of his friends, who prom- ised that he should be placed in custody at the termination of the services. He was confined in the Fleet Prison for nine months and although there was no foundation for the suit, he was not released until his friends raised a suffi- cient sum to compromise with the Ford attorneys. He had been suspected, abused and even charged with playing the part of a hypocrite. Of his children by the first wife, none remained but Letitia, and she had married a man for whom Penn had a personal dislike. William Penn, Jr., a son by the second marriage, had disgraced himself and his family by a riotous course of living. Ile was a reprobate, and although married and the father of children, no home ties held him in check, his dissipation continued and to the end he gave his father great anxiety and subjected him to deep humiliation. Penn's mind had gradually given way under the burden of his cares, and at last, July 3, 1718, at the age of seventy-four years, he died peacefully and was laid at rest.
William Penn may be truly classed among the great men of the world. He was more of a philosopher than a politician. Unfortunately, he was not a good judge of men. He was too confiding, and when he was once impressed and formed a friendship it was hard to break, even after he ought to have been convinced that he had been deceived. Ilis trusting nature was often taken ad- vantage of by scheming and unscrupulous men whom he had assisted and be- friended. He was tolerant in spirit, bore suffering bravely and the human kindness in his heart was never soured by persecution. He looked upon all men as his brothers and his whole purpose in life was to benefit humanity. llis character, when carefully examined and weighed, may reveal its weak fea- tures and show some flaws, yet, taking all in all, its kindness, its benevolence, its tolerance and its wisdom make it truly great and every Pennsylvanian has
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reason to be proud of the founder of his State. "Wise or fortunate is the prince," observes Edward Gibbon, "who connects his own, reputation with the honor and interest of a perpetual order of men."
Thomas Proud, in his "History of Pennsylvania," says that William Penn may be styled "the parent of his province, in that he not only planted it with industry and virtue, and endowed it with a generous and excellent constitu- tion, but with unremitted care and assiduity he also cherished it with the best and most affectionate advice and instruction, tending more effectually to fix the bond of love and affection between him and his people upon the most cer- tain and lasting foundation which is the best preservative against all disorders : -He treated them as beloved children, while they regarded him as a tender father." Edmund Burke declared that "Penn as a legislator, deserves immor- tal thanks from the whole world."
Voltaire was so much impressed with the reports he heard concerning the toleration of the government of Pennsylvania and the contentment and happi- ness of the people, that, in a spirit of enthusiasm, he exclaimed, "Their colony is as flourishing as their morals have been pure. Philadelphia, or the city of the brothers, their capital, is one of the most beautiful cities in the universe. These new citizens are not all primitives or Quakers: half of them are Ger- mans, Swedes and people of other countries who form seventeen religions. The primitives who govern, regard all these strangers as their brothers." Con- tinuing in the same strain, he further remarks, "I love the Quakers. Yes, if the sea did not cause me unsupportable sickness, it would be in thy bosom, Pennsylvania, that I would finish the remainder of my career, if there is any remainder. Thou art situated at the fortieth degree in a climate most mild and favorable, thy fields are fertile, thy houses commodiously built, thy inhabi- tants industrious, thy manufactories esteemed. Unbroken peace reigns among thy citizens, prisons are almost unknown and there has been but a single ex- ample of a man banished from the country."
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