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THE 
 
 FRIES REBELLION 
 
 1798-99 
 
 AN ARMED RESISTANCE TO THE HOUSE TAX LAW, PASSED BY CON- 
 GRESS, JULY 9, 1798, IN BUCKS AND NORTHAMPTON 
 COUNTIES, PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 W. W. H. DAVIS, A. M. 
 
 AUTHOR OF "EL' GRINGO, OR NEW MEXICO AND HER PEOPLE;" "HISTORY OF THE 
 IO4TH PENNSYLVANIA REGIMENT;" "LIFE OF GENERAL JOHN LACEY ;" "HIS- 
 TORY OF THE HART FAMILY; "THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF NEW 
 MEXICO ;" " THE HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA.;" " LIFE OF 
 JOHN DAVIS," AND " HISTORY OF THE DOY- 
 LESTOWN GUARDS." 
 
 <-^3^^«^5<^- 
 
 DOYLESTOWN, PA. 
 1899. 
 
28544 
 
 Entered, According to Act of Congress, in the Year 1899, by 
 
 William W. H. Davis, 
 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 
 
 TWOeOf*IEd nL-J-ZiVE-O. 
 
 '^ 
 
 \o 
 
 { MA:1271899 ) 
 
 x^f.,. . r. -A^'^y^ 
 
 Doylestown Publishing Company, Printers, 
 Doylestown, Penna. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Title Page i 
 
 Contents 3 
 
 Illustrations 5 
 
 Dedication 7 
 
 Preface 10 
 
 Chapter I. Cause of Rebellion, John Fries i 
 
 " II. Insurgents Prepare to Resist the Law 14 
 
 " III. Fries Captures the Assessors 25 
 
 " IV. Opposition to House Tax Law in North- 
 ampton 38 
 
 " V. The Marshal Makes Arrests in Northampton, 48 
 " VI. Rescue of the Prisoners at Bethlehem ... 57 
 " VII. The President Issues his Proclamation. ... 67 
 ** VIII, Troops Called Out to Suppress the Insurrec- 
 tion 75 
 
 •' IX. Rev. Charles Henry Helmuth Issues an Ad- 
 dress 87 
 
 " X. The Army Marches from Quakertown to Allen- 
 town and Returns to Philadelphia via 
 
 Reading 102 
 
 " XI. Trial of John Fries 115 
 
 '• XII. Pardon of Fries 129 
 
 "XIII. Conclusion 137 
 
 Appendix i 
 
 Index 9 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 1. Frontispiece. W. W. H. Davis 
 
 2. Threatening Notice I2 
 
 3. Sellers' Tavern 26 
 
 Erected About 1780. 
 
 4. Old Friends Meeting House, Quakertown 42 
 
 Torn Down 1862. 
 
 5. William Henry S^ 
 
 6. Crown Inn, South Bethlehem 74 
 
 7. Old Lancaster House, Quakertown 90 
 
 Torn Down 1841. 
 
 8. Bridge Over the Lehigh io6 
 
 Built About 1795. Torn Down 181 7. 
 
 9. Present Friends Meeting House, Quakertown 124 
 
 10. Sun Inn, Bethlehem HO 
 
 About 1791. 
 
Dedication. 
 
 This Volume is Dedicated to the Students of History. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In presenting this volume to the public, it seems meet and 
 proper the circumstances, under which it was written and 
 published, should be stated. 
 
 I purchased the Doylestown (Pa.) Democrat 1858, and, be- 
 ing interested in local history, began collecting the facts, 
 relating to the armed resistance to the house-tax law of 1798, 
 and writing it up for my paper. I had heard a good deal of 
 it in my youth a-nd was curious to know more. It had its 
 birth in Milford township, Bucks county, Pa. ; thence extend- 
 ing into the adjoining townships of Northampton, and, in un- 
 written history, was known as the " Milford Rebellion." There 
 is no evidence that the people of Montgomery county had 
 any part in it. 
 
 I visited the locality where Fries and his "insurgents," as 
 they vii^Q called, operated ; interviewed his son Daniel, his 
 o'lly surviving child, then an old man of over 70, and others 
 who lived in that section at the time of the trouble, hunted 
 up all the known records and examined the newspaper files of 
 the period. By the winter of 1859-63 I had collected con- 
 siderable material and published portions of it in my news- 
 paper. Since then additional matter has been added to the 
 text, and many new facts, pertinent to the subject, are em- 
 bodied in foot notes. 
 
 Being satisfied the facts, relating to this interesting episode, 
 would have been lost, had they not been collected when they 
 were; and believing them of sufificient interest to be preserved 
 
PREFACE. XI 
 
 in some more enduring way, then attaches to the columns of a 
 weekly newspaper, I determined to publish them in book 
 form. The manuscript was prepared for the press several 
 years ago, but the publication was deferred, from time to 
 time until the present, and it is now given to the public with 
 some misgivings. The events narrated are not only interesting 
 in themselves, but too suggestive of the friction between the 
 people and their newly established government, to allow them 
 to become lost to the student of history, I have several 
 friends to thank, including Messrs. John W. Jordan,* Charles 
 Broadhead, Bethlehem, and Ellwood Roberts, Norristown, in 
 the matter of furnishing illustrations for the volume. 
 
 W. W. H. DAVIS. 
 Doylestown, Pa., March ^, i8gg. 
 
 *PennsyIvania Historical Society. 
 
THREATENING LETTER. 
 
 The following is a translation of the threatening letter fac- 
 ing page 12, sent, by an insurgent, to Captain Jarrett, and is 
 one of the earliest exhibitions of Kukluxism extant : 
 
 A sure warning (certain report) to you John Sheret if you 
 have already advised the people who are for liberty that they 
 should not go armed to Bethlehem, you need not discourage 
 others any more as vou are already a cursed stamblcr as are 
 many others in this neighborhood. Your brother Henry also 
 said that the people should not have done that to go against 
 the government. He was scared when he came to Bethlehem 
 and saw the people with weapons. (A line of the original 
 here cannot be translated.) So Earl* is a devil as you and 
 John Sheret. I say in case of an outbreak I will burn your 
 house and barn and will shoot you and your brother dead 
 wherever I shall detect you cursed stamblers. If it would not 
 be for your brother Henry most surely Bethlehem would re- 
 ceive its deserving reward. The cursed advice would be frus- 
 trated. And you are never safe in your house. You and Earl* 
 are cursed stumbles knaves one as the other else you would not 
 dissuade the people who are for liberty. 
 
 These are the weapons for your slaughter. 
 
 *Eyerley. 
 
T'he f^ne^ Rebellion. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Cause of the F^ebellion; John Pries, 
 
 Between the close of the Revolution and the end of the 
 Century, three events transpired in the United States that 
 gave serious alarm to the friends of republican institutions. 
 
 The first of these, known in history as " Shays' Rebellion," 
 was an unlawful combination in Massachusetts, 1786, directed 
 against the State Government. Its head and front was Daniel 
 Shays,' who had been a Captain in the Continental army, and 
 left behind him the reputation of a brave and faithful ofificer. 
 The outbreak was soon quelled, but not before some of the 
 misguided participants had paid the penalty with their lives. 
 The second event, in the order of time, was the " Whiskc}' In- 
 surrection,'"^ in the southwestern counties of Pennsylvania, 
 1792. It reached such magnitude, by the fall of 1794, that 
 
 ' Daniel Shays, born 1747, at Hnijkinton, Mass., served as ensign at the battle of 
 Bunker's Hill, and attained the rank (if Captain in the Continental Army. In 1786 he 
 took part in the popular movement in Western Massachusetts for the redre.ss of alleged 
 grievances, and became the leader in the rebellion which bears his name. Shays, after 
 being pardoned, removed to Vermont and thence to New York, where he died Sept. 29, 
 1825. In his old age he \\as allowed a pension for his services during the Revolution. 
 
 - The " Whiskey Insurrection" was a disturbance in the south-western section of 
 Pennsylvania, caused by Congress imposing a tax on all ardent spirits distilled in the 
 United States three years previously. The object of the tax was to improve the reve- 
 nues of the government. It is charged that Genet, the French minister, and his par- 
 tizans incited the people of the distilling regions to resist the tax collectors. The dis- 
 affected rose in arms. Washington issued two proclamations warning the insurgents to 
 disperse but, instead of obeying, they fired upon and captured the officers of the govern- 
 ment. A military force 15,000 strong, was then organized and sent into the disturbed 
 district, to enforce the law, but the insurgents had already scattered when the troops 
 arrived. The whiskey tax was a measure of the Federal party. 
 
 (0 
 
2 THE FRIES KEBELLIOX. 
 
 President Washington sent a large body of troops, under 
 Governor Henry Lee/ of Virginia, into the disaffected dis- 
 trict. The force was so imposing the insurgents abandoned 
 their organization and returned to their homes. The third 
 attempt was that of which we write, the " Fries Rebellion." 
 This took place in contigious parts of Bucks* and Northamp- 
 ton counties, in the Fall and Winter of 1798--99, and is so 
 called from the name of the leader, John Fries, who was 
 mainly instrumental in creating this opposition to the Federal 
 authority. In each case the disturbance was caused in whole, 
 or in part, by what the people considered an unjust and un- 
 lawful tax, and they resisted putting it in force. In the two 
 latter cases the assessments to be made were of an unusual 
 character, though not heavy in amount, and the opposition to 
 it was caused, no doubt, by want of correct information, and 
 not a settled design to interfere with the execution of the 
 law. The history of the Fries Rebellion proves, quite 
 conclusively, the outbreak was of this character, and, if 
 proper means had been taken by the authorities to explain 
 the law and its necessity, to the disaffected, the extreme 
 measures taken by the general government need not have 
 been resorted to. It was fortunate, however, the trouble was 
 brought to a close without the loss of life or bloodshed, and 
 the bitterness engendered was not permanent. 
 
 During the Administration of John Adams, the frequent 
 depredations of the French upon our commerce, and their 
 disregard of our rights on. the high seas, as a neutral power to 
 the sanguinary conflict then devastating Europe, induced the 
 belief that war with France was unavoidable. Congress, ac- 
 
 " Governor Henry Lee, Virginia, who commanded the troops of the Government in 
 the " Whiskey Insurrection," was the famous " Light Horse Harry" of the Revohition, 
 and rendered Washington distinguished service as a partizan cavalry officer. He was 
 born in Westmoreland county, Va., January 29, 1756. He was appointed by Congress 
 to deliver the funeral oration on Washington, 1799. 
 
 ' Bucks, one of the three original counties of Pennsylvania, and organized with Phila- 
 delphia and Chester, 16S3, lies in the south-eastern coroner of the State, Northampton 
 joining it on the northwest and Montgomery, cut off from Philadelphia, 1782, bounds 
 Bucks on the southwest. The district, where opposition to the House tax law prevailed, 
 was settled mainly by Germans ; there was no opposition to speak of outside of a few 
 townships in the upper end of Bucks and the lower end of Northampton. Berks vs^as 
 formed from Chester, Philadelphia and Lancaster, 179S. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 3 
 
 cordingly, made preparation for such emergency should it 
 arise. The mih'tary and naval forces of the country were in- 
 creased, and General Washington, then living in retirement at 
 Mount Vernon, was appointed to the command of the armies 
 about to be called into the field. In view of the impending 
 danger to the country, Congress took such other measures as 
 the President thought requisite, some of which clothed him 
 with almost despotic power. The act, known as the "Alien 
 and Sedition Laws," gave him authority to send obnoxious 
 persons out of the country, at pleasure, and to place others in 
 arrest accused of speaking, or writing, in disrespectful terms of 
 the government. In connection with these measures Con- 
 gress made provision to carry on the war, now thought to be 
 near at hand, by laying a direct tax to be assessed and col- 
 lected by agents appointed by the Federal government. 
 
 On July 9, 1798, an act was passed providing "for the 
 valuation of lands and dwelling houses and the enumeration 
 of slaves within the United States." For making the valua- 
 tion and enumeration, required by the act, the States were di- 
 vided into districts, and, for each district, a commissioner was 
 appointed by the President with a fixed salary. It was made 
 the duty of the commissioners to sub-divide these districts 
 into assessment districts, and, for each, appoint one principal 
 and as many assistants as miglit be required. The assessors 
 were to make out a list of houses, lands and slaves, and after- 
 ward to value and assess them. On July 14 Congress passed 
 an additional act, entitled " An Act to lay and collect a direct 
 tax within the United States," fixiiig the amount to be raised 
 at $2,000,000, of which $237,177.72 was the portion allotted to 
 Pennsylvania. The rates of assessments to be made under 
 this act were as follows : Where the dwelling and outhouses, 
 on a lot not exceeding two acres, were valued at more than 
 $100 and not exceeding $500, there was to be assessed a sum 
 equal to two-tenths of one per cent, on the valuation. As the 
 houses and lands increased in value the rates were increased 
 in proportion, so that a house, worth $30,000, would pay a tax 
 equal to one per cent, of its value. By this means rich and 
 poor alike contributed their share of the burden according to 
 
4 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 their ability to pay. Upon each slave there was assessed a 
 tax of 50 cents. The fourth section of the act provided for 
 the appointment of collectors, and the duties were to be dis- 
 charged under instructions from the Secretary of the Treas- 
 ury. 
 
 Upon the announcement of the passage of these acts of 
 Congress, and their publication, discontent began to manifest 
 itself. They were denounced as unconstitutional, unjust and 
 oppressive, and the government charged with acting in a 
 tyrannical manner. The odium already resting on Mr. 
 Adams' Administration was increased, and new enemies made 
 on all sides. Politicians, who seized upon it to bring the Ad- 
 ministration into disrepute, were governed by selfish purposes, 
 but we must credit the masses with honest motives. Follow- 
 ing so soon, after the passage of the Alien and Sedition Laws, 
 gave the House Tax Law greater unpopularity than it really 
 merited, or would have received at any other time. The feel- 
 ing of the country was very much aroused before its passage, 
 and this added fuel to the flame. 
 
 The law was violently denounced in Pennsylvania as soon 
 as its provisions were known. At first the opposition took the 
 form of noisy declamation, and the application of harsh ephi- 
 thets to the President and his Cabinet, and was mainly con- 
 fined to the counties of Bucks, Montgomery, Northampton 
 and Berks in the eastern part of the State. P'rom passive re- 
 sistance the opposition gradually assumed the shape of overt 
 acts. In a few instances, and before any matured plan had 
 been agreed upon, the officers were prevented by threats from 
 making the assessments, and, in others, were hooted at and 
 ridiculed. So odious did it make the Administration in Bucks 
 and Northampton, that these counties positively refused to 
 furnish their quota, under a law recently passed, for increasing 
 the military force of the country, and not a man was furnishtLi 
 by them. The opposition had assumed such alarming char- 
 acter by the Winter and Spring of 1799 the President deemed 
 it his duty to send a large body of troops into these counties 
 to quell the disturbance and enforce the law. In order to give 
 our readers an intelligent and accurate account of this out- 
 
THE FRIFIS REBELLION, 5 
 
 break, it will be necessary to take up the thread of events from 
 the passage of the acts of Congress that led to it. 
 
 Immediately on the passage of the law, the Secretary of the 
 Treasury took the proper steps to carry it out. The act of 
 July 9 divided Pennsylvania into nine districts, the third be- 
 ino- composed of the counties of Bucks and Montgomery, and 
 the fifth of Northampton, Luzerne and Wayne, with the fol- 
 lowing named commissioners: 
 
 1st District, Israel Wheeler, 5th District, Jacob Eyerley," 
 2d " Paul Zantzenger, 6th " Michael Schmyser, 
 
 3d " Seth Chapman,* 7th " ThomasGrant, Jr., 
 
 4th " Collinson Reed, 8th " Samuel Davidson, 
 
 9th District, Isaac Jenkinson. 
 Jacob Eyerley, commissioner for the fifth district, and a resi- 
 dent of Northampton, was commissioned sometime in the 
 month of August and took the oath of office. Almost as soon 
 as qualified, he was requested, by the Secretary of the Treas- 
 ury, to find suitable persons to serve as assessors in his di- 
 vision. He had no trouble as far as the counties of Luzerne 
 and Wayne were concerned, but, in Northampton, only two 
 persons were named in connection with the appointment. 
 There appeared to be a general indisposition among the peo- 
 ple to accept office under the law. 
 
 The fourth section of the act of July 9 required the com- 
 missioners, as soon as possible after their appointment, to 
 meet and make provision for carrying out the act. The 
 board assembled at Reading,' Berks county, October 22, 
 nearly all the members present. Each commissioner pre- 
 sented a plan of his division and divided it into a suitable 
 number of assessment districts. They also furnished a list of 
 persons qualified for assessors, which was forwarded to the 
 Secretary of the Treasury who was authorized to reduce the 
 
 5 Seth Chapman, commissioner for the Third District, and citizen of Bucks county, 
 received his commission and instruction early in the autumn and immediately qualified. 
 He was a relative of James Chapman and possibly a brother. 
 
 « Jacob Eyerley was a Moravian and a man of some influence. 
 
 ' Reading, the county seat of Berks, was laid out in the Autumn of I748, on a tract of 
 450 acres for which warrants had been taken out by John and Samuel Finney, 1733. It 
 is now a prosperous and wealthy city of some 70,000 inhabitants. 
 
6 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 number. A form of warrant was agreed upon and signed by 
 the commissioners. The assessors were ordered to meet at 
 an early day, when the commissioners would qualify and 
 give them the necessary instructions. 
 
 Bucks county was divided into two collection districts, one 
 composed of the twelve upper townships, for which were ap- 
 pointed one principal and five assistants ; James Chapman,* 
 Richland, being the principal, and John Rodrock,* Plumstead ; 
 Everhard Foulke," Richland, Cephas Childs," Samuel Clark, 
 Milford, and one other assistant. Childs took the oath of of- 
 fice November 5, and no doubt the others were qualified about 
 the same time. The assessors met at Rodrock's the latter 
 part of December, after being qualified. Here the last pre- 
 liminaries were arranged prior to making the attempt to carry 
 the law into effect. Each assessor was given charge of two 
 townships, and allowed a choice of the ones he would assess. 
 
 " James Chapman was born in Springfield township, and at this time was living in 
 Richland, although I do not know when he moved into it. He lived on a farm some 
 years ago the property of P. Mayer, on the road to Milford Square, one mile west of 
 Quakertown. He belonged to Richland meeting, 1781, when he and ten other leading 
 members were disowned for subscribing the oath of allegiance to the Colonies. The 
 Chapman family is one of the oldest in the county, the first ancestor in America 
 immigrating from England and settling in Wrightstown township, 1684. The Hon. 
 Henry Chapman, lately deceased, Doylestown, was a lienal descendant of the first 
 settler. Seth Chapman, one of the assessors, was a member of the same family. For a 
 further account of James Chapman see chapter glh. 
 
 " John Rodrock was a resident of Plumstead township when appointed, but I do not 
 know that he was born there. He kept the tavern at what is now Plumsteadville, on the 
 Easton pike, then known as " Rodrock's tavern," and this is where the assessors held 
 their first meeting. He kept it down to about seventy-five years ago, and was the only 
 house there. In 1762 it was called " James Hart's tavern.'" Rodrock owned about 300 acres 
 of land in the vicinity, at his death, more than a half century ago. The village now con- 
 tains 25 dwellings, with tavern, store, a brick church and extensive carriage works. 
 
 1° Everard Foulke was a member of the Foulke family, Richland, in the ntighbor- 
 hood of Quakertown, and was probably appointed from that township. They were 
 Friends. His first ancestor in this country was Edward Foulke, who came from North 
 Wales, 1698, and settled in Gwynedd township, Montgomery county, and from there re- 
 moved to Richland. The late Benjamin Foulke, Quakertown, was a descendant of the 
 same common ancestor as Everard. 
 
 " Cephas Childs, or Child, the correct spelling, was of a Plumstead family, 1 ut I do 
 not know that he lived there when appointed. A Cephas Child, or Childs, was tliere as 
 «arly as about 1716, and was a Friend. He was a member of the Assembly, i747-.j8. 
 Among the descendants of the first settler, was the late Colonel Cephas G. Child, Phila- 
 delphia. A Cephas Child died in Plumstead in 1815, at the age of go, probably his son, 
 or grandson. 
 
THE FRIES REnEr.LION. 7 
 
 When it became known the assessments were actually to be 
 made, and the tax collected under the " odious" law, tlie 
 hostility of the people, which had somewhat abated since its 
 passage, broke out anew in some localities. The excitement 
 soon reached fever heat. The tax became the general subject 
 of conversation throughout the country, and was discussed in 
 the taverns, stores, at all public gatherings, and at every point 
 where two or more persons came together. As is always the 
 case in times of high excitement, the authors of the law were 
 denounced in unmeasured terms, and both its object and pro- 
 visions misrepresented. The most extravj^ant stories were 
 put in circulation as to the intention of the government, and 
 such a state of fear had seized upon the minds of the middle 
 and lower classes, people were really alarmed for their personal 
 safety. Many considered Mr. Adams a despot, and the act 
 was viewed as the most oppressive that had ever disgraced a 
 statute book. In this condition of things it is not in the least 
 strange that a determination to resist the law should manifest 
 itself. The opposition appears to have been more general in 
 Milford"" township, in 13ucks, and in some of the border town- 
 ships of Northampton county, where the inhabitants earl\' 
 made open demonstration to resist the assessors. In Milford 
 the officers were wholly unable to comply with the law, and 
 there the houses remained unassessed for some time after tlu 
 assessment had been made in other parts of the district. The 
 most active man in stirring up opposition to the Federal au- 
 shorities, and who, in fact, was the head and front of all the 
 disturbance, was John Fries, Milford, who had the counten- 
 ance and support of many of his neighbors and friends, of 
 whom John Getman and Frederick Hean}, after himself, were 
 the boldest and most active participants in the rebellion. 
 
 It would be an easy matter, were we disposed to indulge in 
 romance and present fictitious characters to the reader, to 
 convert the leaders in this disturbance into heroes and clothe 
 them with imaginary qualities ; but, as we profess to deal 
 
 12 Milford township, in the northwest coroner of Bucks county, was settled hy Ger- 
 mans as early as 1725, and organized, 1734. It is one of the largest and most populous 
 townships in the county, and is a fine agricultural re^^ion. 
 
g- THE P'RIES REBELLION. 
 
 only with facts, and intend to write a correct account of the 
 outbreak, 1798--99, such license is forbidden. Fries, Heany 
 and Getman were plain, honest Germans only, and it is extend- 
 ing ordinary charity to suppose them to have been governed 
 by sincere motives in the course they took. 
 
 John Fries, the leading spirit of the insurrection and came 
 of parentage in the lower walks of life, was born in Hat- 
 field" township, Montgomery county, about 1750. At 20 he 
 was married to Margaret Brunner, daughter of David B run- 
 ner, White Marsh," near Mather's Mill." John was brought 
 up to work, and, when old enough, was apprenticed to the 
 coopering trade, which he learned. At twenty-five himself 
 and wife, and their two children, removed to Bucks county set- 
 tling in Milford township. We are not imformed as to the 
 exact locality, but were told by his son Daniel that Joseph 
 Galloway'® gave him permission to build a house on his land at 
 Boggy Creek, and occupy it as long as he wished, which offer 
 he accepted. W^e have no means of knowing what length of 
 time Fries lived there, nor when he changed his residence, 
 but, at the time of the outbreak, we find him living in a small 
 
 •^ Hatfield township, Montgomery county, is bounded on the northeast by Bucks 
 county. It was laid out about 1741 and probably derived its name from the parish and 
 town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The population is over 2000. In 1785 it 
 contained one tavern, two grist mills, one saw mill and one tannery. It is 3'4 miles 
 long by 3 miles wide, with an area of 7100 acres. 
 
 '^ Whitemarsh township, Montgomery, lies in the Schuylkill Valley. It has an area 
 of 8697 acres, and is one of the most populous townships in the county. In the quality 
 of its limestone, marble and iron ores it is not surpassed in the State. " Whitemarsh 
 lime," for whitewashing, finds its way all over the country. It was settled as early as 
 16S5. It is rich in Revolutionary incidents, and, within its limits, some important 
 movements were made by the two opposing armies in Fall of 1777 and Winter of 1777-78. 
 It is cut by the North Pennsylvania railroad and is twelve miles from Philadelphia. 
 
 '^ Mather's mill is in Whitemarsh township, Mbntgoniery county, near the intersec- 
 tion of the Bethlehem and Skippack turnpike, a mile below Fort Washington. It was 
 built by Edward Farmer, 1705 ; rebuilt, 1814, by Mather, and is now or was lately owned 
 by the Otterson estate. The mill is on the Wissahickon creek. Edward Farmer carne 
 to America with his father, 1685, and settled in Whitemarsh. He became prominent in 
 affairs, and died November 3, 1745, in his 73d year. 
 
 "* The Galloways came from Maryland to Philadelphia, where Joseph was born about 
 1730 and marrying Grace Growden, removed to Bucks county. He owned a large landed 
 estate in Bucks that came through his wife. He abandoned the Whig cause during the 
 Revolution, and went to England, where he died, 1803. He was active in the early part 
 of the struggle ; was a member of the first American Congress, 1774, and, at that time, 
 no man stood higher in the Province. He was a lawyer, and a man of great ability. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. g 
 
 log house near the Sumneytown road, two miles from Charles- 
 town," on a lot that belonged to William Edwards, father of 
 Caleb Edwards," deceased, Quakertown." He probably did 
 not follow the coopering business long, if at all, after his 
 removal into Bucks county, for the earliest information we 
 have of him shows he was then persuing the calling of a ven- 
 due cryer, which he followed to the day of his death, and 
 for which he seems to have been especially adapted. This 
 occupation led him to travel all over his own, and neighbor- 
 ing townships, affording him an opportunity of becoming well 
 acquainted with the country and the people. He had ten 
 children : Solomn, John, Daniel, a second John, and a fifth 
 which died in infancy before it had been named ; Mary, 
 Elizabeth, Sarah, Catharine and Margaret. Of these ten chil- 
 dren Solomon and Daniel were the last to die, both aged 
 men, who had already reached more than man's allotted years. 
 Daniel, the younger of the two, was born at " Boggy Creek," 
 May, 1782. 
 
 When the contest between Great Britain and her American 
 Colonies came on, 1776, John Fries espoused the cause of his 
 country, and became an active patriot. He was already en- 
 rolled in the militia and had command of a company. We 
 
 " Charlestown, now called Trumbauersville, a place of some sixty families, is built for 
 half a mile along the road leading from Philadelphia to AUentown. At the time of the 
 Fries Rebellion it could not have hid more than one or two dwellings, besides the 
 tavern, now known as the Eagle. It is the seat of cigar factories, and, at one time, 
 turned out 2,000,033 a year. The first church building was erected 1769; rebuilt, 1805, 
 and again 1868. It is now a Union church. 
 
 '8 Caleb Edwards was probably a descendant of John Edwards, who came with his 
 wife from Abington, Montgomery county, to the neighborhood of Quakertown about 
 1730 with the Morrisses, Heackocks, Jamisons, Joneses and others. He must have been 
 appointed from Richland or a neighboring township. 
 
 1" Quakertown, Richland township, is at the intersection of the Milford Square and 
 Newtown, Hellertown and Philadelphia roads, all opened at an early day. Here a little 
 hamlet began to form over a century and half ago, and as the settlers were principally 
 members of the Society of Friends, the name " Quakertown" was given it. A tavern 
 was opened as early as 1770 ; a post office, 1803 ; a public library founded 1795 ; and it 
 was incorporated into a borough in 1854. The population was 863 in 1870, and 2169 in 
 1890. In 1874 the borough limits were extended to include Richland Centre, a village 
 that had grown up about the station on the North Penn. Railroad, a mile to the east. 
 The population of the borough is about 3000. Quakertown is the centre of a rich and 
 populous country. 
 
10 THE FRfES REBELLION. 
 
 are not able to say at what period he was first called into 
 service, but we l<now he was on active duty 1777- for, in the 
 Fall of that year, his company being of the militia was called out 
 from Bucks county to re-enforce the Continental Army, and 
 was with Washington at White Marsh and Camp II ill.'"' In 
 the Spring of the following year he commanded a company 
 in the action at Crooked Billet, '"" under General John Lacey,"''''^ 
 and shared the dangers and defeat of the day. Nearly twenty 
 years later, we find him in command of a company of militia, 
 from this county, in the Whiskey Insurrection. In these 
 military positions it is to be presumed he served his country 
 faithfully. 
 
 '■'" "Camp Hill" is an elevalion in VVhitemarsh township, Montg-omery county, Pa., 
 and so named because a portion of the Continental Army occupied it during the Fall, 
 
 1777, in tlie operations following: the occupation of Philadelphia by the Britisli. It lies 
 on the left of the Morth Pennsylvania Railroad below Fort Washington Station, the 
 next station b^low it being known as " Camp Hill," on the west side of the railroad. 
 The contiguous country was the scene of military operations of that period by Wash- 
 ington's army. 
 
 -1 The " Crooked Billet," the present Hatboro, a village of a tliou5a-.d inhabitants, is 
 in Morelaad township, Montgomery county. Pa., half a mile from the Bucks county 
 line, on the North-East Pennsylvania Railroad. It has a bank, a weekly newspaper, an 
 academy, three churches, and a valuable library, founded, 1755. It is thought to have 
 been first settled by John Dawson, who, with his wife and daughter, and probably two 
 sons, came from London to Pennsylvania, 1710. He was a hatter and a member of 
 Friends' Meeting. The place was called " Crooked Billett" from a crooked stick of 
 wood painted on the sign that hung at the tavern door in ye olden time. 
 
 '•'■•JJohn Lacey, captain in the Continental Army and subsequently a Brigadier 
 General of militia in the Revolution, was born in Buckingham township, Bucks 
 county, Pa., 1755. The family were members of the Society of Friends, and 
 immigrated from the Isle of \N'ight, England, and settled in Wrightstown 
 among the first settlers. He was commissioned captain in the 4th Pennsylvania regi- 
 ment, commanded by Col. Anthony Wayne, January 5, 1776; serving in the campaign 
 in Canada of that year, returning home on the recruiting service in December. He 
 shortly afterward resigned his commission, because of some unjust treatment by Colonel 
 Wayne, but continued his activity in the cause of the Colonies. He was commissioned 
 a Sub-Lieutenant of Bucks county, March 22, 1777; a Brigadiere General of the State, 
 January g, 1778, before he was 23, taking the field shortly afterward. During that 
 Winter and Spring he had command of the country between the Delaware and Schuyl- 
 kill, and rendered efficient service. The action at the Crooked Billet took place May i, 
 
 1778. In 1779 General Lacey was chosen a me.mber of the Executive Council of the 
 State and, as such, served for two years. The 18th of January, 1781, he married a 
 daughter of Colonel Thomas Reynolds, New Mills, now Pemberton, N. J., whither he 
 removed the Fall of that year, or beginning of 1782. He entered into the iron business, 
 and died there February 17, 1814. The late Dr. William Darlington, West Chester, Pa., 
 married a daughter of General Lacey. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. II 
 
 At the period of which we write. Fries was about fiftj^ 
 years of age. In person rather small in stature and spare, but 
 active, hardy and well made. He was without education, ex- 
 cept being able to read and write, with a knowledge of the 
 rudiments of arithmetic. Nature had endowed him with good 
 natural abilities, and he possessed a shrewd and intelligent 
 mind. He was an easy and fluent talker, and somewhat 
 noted for his humour and cunning; was possessed of good 
 hard sense, and, had his mind been properly cultivated, 
 would doubtless have been a man of mark. Personally he 
 was brave and resolute, and unknown to fear. He is said to 
 have possessed a species of rude eloquence which was very en- 
 gaging, and gave him great control over th;" multitude. He 
 was a sworn enemy to all kinds of oppression, fancied or real, and 
 was esteemed a quiet and inoffensive man until this outbreak 
 aroused the latent fires within him, made him notorious and 
 his name a terror to the Administration of Mr, Adams. He 
 had brown hair, quick and steady black eyes, of which an old 
 neighbor, and one who formerly knew him well, told us "were 
 as keen as the eyes of a rabbit." He had a pleasant disposi- 
 tion, v.^as well liked by all, and, with many, quite a fav^orite. 
 His character for honesty was above suspicion, and he was 
 considered a sober man, though occassion;dly indulged in 
 strong drink. These personal and other qualities gave him, 
 to a considerable degree, the confidence of the community in 
 which he lived, and enabled him to exercise a controlling in- 
 fluence over his neighbors and friends. 
 
 I n_ following his occupation of vendue cryer he generally 
 traversed the county on horseback, and, in all his wanderings, 
 was accompanied by a small black dog named *' Whiskey," to 
 which he was greatly attached. When he entered a house it 
 was his habit to call for " Whiskey," when the faitljful little 
 animal would come and take a seat by his side and remain 
 until his master got up to go away. Master and dog were in- 
 separable companions, and aged persons who knew Fries 
 stated to us that his approach was often heralded some time 
 before he came in sight by the appearance of " Whiskey" trot- 
 ting along in advance. The favorite little dog, as will be seen, be- 
 
12 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 fore we conclude, was the means of the betrayal of his master 
 into the hands of his enemies. 
 
 Next to John Fries, Frederick Heaney and John Getman 
 were the most active instigators of the disturbance. They 
 were both residents of Milford township at the time, the form- 
 er Hving two miles from Charlestown, the latter within half a 
 mile of Fries' house ; they were tailors by trade, and in an 
 humble condition in life. Of their history we have been able 
 to learn but little. Heaney was born at what is now " Stover's 
 Mill,"" Rockhill township, but we do not know at what 
 period he changed his residence to Milford. At one time he 
 kept the tavern at Hagersville," of which Christian Hager was 
 landlord forty years ago, but we have not been able to learn 
 the date of his residence at this place. After his pardon by 
 Mr. Adams, Heaney returned to his home, Milford town- 
 ship, whence he removed to Plainfield,'''^ Northampton county, 
 where he died."' He gained there not only a respectable, but 
 a somewhat influential standing in the community. He was 
 appointed justice of the peace, and also commanded a volun- 
 teer company, which his grandson. George Heaney, command- 
 ed, i860. After his death, which did not take place until he 
 
 23 Stover's Mill is in Rockhill township, Bucks.county, a few miles from Sellersville, on 
 the North Pennsylvania Railroad, and was owned by a member of the family of that 
 name a few years ago. 
 
 ^'^ Hag-ersville is situated on the Old Bethlehem Road, in the north-west corner of 
 Rockhill township. It has a store, tavern, the usual village mechanics, and some dozen 
 dwellings. At this point the road is the dividing line between Bedminster and Rockhill 
 townships. The village took its name from Colonel George Hager, a prominent man 
 and politician over half a century ago. He was a candidate for sheriff 1836. 
 
 "5 Plainfield township, Northampton county, was settled as early as 1730 and organ- 
 ized shortly after 1752, but the records of its organization are lost. It was a frontier 
 township of Bucks county at the time of its organization. 
 
 -" We were told by a descendant of Frederick Heaney that he was of German descent, 
 as his name implies, his father, Johannes Horning, having immigrated from the Palati- 
 nate about 1742, and settled at what was afterward known as " Heaney's Mill," Rockhill 
 township, Bucks county. Frederick was born there August 18, 1769. At the beginning 
 of the present century he removed to Northampton county, where he died, iSiS. Gov- 
 ernor Simon Snyder commissioned him justice of the peace, for a district of Northamp- 
 ton, composed of the townships of Upper and Lower Mount Bethel and Plainfield. July 
 27, 1809, which office he held until his death. He was buried at Plainfield Church, near 
 the Wind Gap. A number of his descendants live in Monroe and Northampton 
 counties. 
 
iv^*n S-X /-A^ A^^ ^W/ a/' /^^vj/W^^ :^V^ 9 
 
 r n^i 
 
 .^^ ^ ^- i^H"^ ^^,.^^ u^^A^^l 
 'Mrr ft »^wt) f^My^ i/-^ f-^r/v i^W*.^ i>-v f^ Jt^^^SM' 
 
 FACSIMILE OF A THREATENING NOTICE ISSUED DURING THE FREAS' REBELLION. 
 
 ORIGINAL IN THE COLLECTION OF JOHN W. JORDAN, PHILADELPHIA. 
 

 
 
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 ^t*^ MT J^ft^t^ ^r»^t^/ uUj^ i^ V^lf-r^^f^fT* 
 
 PI 
 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. I3 
 
 had reached a green old age, his widow was twice married, and 
 died in Plainfield, 1855, at the age of eighty-nine years. He 
 had three sons, Charles, Samuel and Enoch, and one daughter, 
 Elizabeth. It is related by his descendants that while the 
 troops were in pursuit of him, a party of soldiers came to his 
 house one night, when his wife was alone, except her little 
 daughter, Elizabeth. They heard of threats against his life, 
 and, hearing them coming, she jumped out of bed and put a 
 spike over the door to prevent them getting in, and, leaving 
 her child in the house, ran out the back door and across the 
 fields to alarm a neighbor. When she returned with help the 
 soldiers were gone. This child was Mrs. Edmonds, living, 
 i860, in Bushkill township, Northampton county, whose son, 
 Jacob B. Edmonds, resided at Quakertown. 
 
 Getman is supposed to have been born in Rockhill town- 
 ship, also, but we have not been able to learn anything of his 
 history. His brother George died near Sellersville, Bucks 
 county, March 4, 1855, at the advanced age of 92 years, 2 
 months and 10 days, respected by all his friends and neigh- 
 bors. He, likewise, was arrested during the trouble ; was 
 tried and convicted but received a much lighter sentence than 
 his brother John, being fined one hundred dollars and sent- 
 enced to undeigo an imprisonment of 6 months. Heaney 
 was the owner of a small house and lot. These two men 
 were the advisors and confederates of John Fries, Getman be- 
 ing the most in his confidence. They lacked the intelligence 
 and shrewdness of their leader, but were active in the cause 
 and rendered him important service. Such were the three 
 men who were the head and front of the " Fries Rebellion." 
 Thus we have related the cause of the rebellion, with some ac- 
 count of the principal actors in it, and, in the next chapter, 
 we shall give our readers a brief history of the overt acts of 
 t he insurgents. 
 
T'he I'Fie^ I^ebellion. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Insuroents Prepare to F^esist the Law. 
 
 John Fries was probabl}^ the first to array himself against 
 the law, immediately upon its passage and promulgation. His 
 own intense hostility begat the desire that his neighbors and 
 friends should agree with him in feelino-, and he labored with, 
 great zeal to this end. When going about the county cr}'ing 
 vendues, he was careful to sound the people as to how they 
 stood upon the subject of the new ta.x, and was never back- 
 ward in expressing his own opinion. From a warm supporter 
 of Mr. Adams and his Administration, he suddenly became 
 their most bitter enemy, giving vent to his feelings in terms 
 of unmeasured denunciation. He reasoned with, persuaded, 
 and threatened all and seemed to make it his business to 
 create enemies to the act. He was thus active during the Fall 
 months of 1798, and, by the end of the year, had raised a 
 fierce opposition to the law and those who were to carry it 
 into execution. He was particularly hostile to the house-tax, 
 and declared openly that no assessments should be made in 
 Milford township, nor tax collected if he could pre\-cnt it. 
 We were informed by his son Daniel, then about eighteen, 
 and had a distinct recollection of the events transpiring, that 
 several private meetings were held at his father's house before 
 any public demonstration was made. His friends and neigh- 
 bors met there to talk about the law, and determine, in a quiet 
 manner, what was best to be done. At these conferences 
 Fries always took the lead, and his stronger mind assisted to 
 mould the opinion of others. 
 
 (14) 
 
THE FRIES REBEELIOX. I 5 
 
 Tlie time had now arrived when some more active measures 
 must be taken, and opinion changed to deeds. The period 
 approached when the assessors were to commence their duties, 
 and some public demonstration was necessary to prevent them 
 carrying tlie hiw into eiTect. With this object in view, about 
 the first of February, 1799, notices, without any names signed 
 to them, were put up at various places \u the township, calling 
 a public meeting for Frida}', -he eighth, at the public house of 
 John Klein, on the road lea ling to Gary's tavern, two miles 
 southwest from Charlestown. On the d.i}' appointed, a num- 
 ber of persons assembled at the place of meeting late in the 
 afternoon. The two most active and nois)- men present were 
 John Fries and George Mitchel,' who then kept the public 
 house mcire recenth' occupied b\' Eli L. Zeigler, at the west 
 end of Charlestown. This tavern was one of the places where 
 the mal con.tents of the neighborhood assembled at evenings 
 to talk over their grievances. Few, if an\', at the meeting ap- 
 pear to have had a very definite idea of what should be done ; 
 the)' disliked the hi)use tax and were opposed to paying it 
 themselves, or permitting others to do so ; but, be^'ond tliis, 
 there was no plan of opposition, at this time. The law was 
 discussed and its authors denounced in violent terms. 
 
 Some expressed a doubt whether the bill had yet become a 
 law. The newspapers of the day mentioned that an amend- 
 ment had lately passed Congress, which seemed to confuse the 
 understanding of the people, and rendered them undecided as 
 to whether the law was actually in force. After the matter 
 had been sufficiently considered and the sense of the met;ting 
 fully explained. Fries, with the assistance of the publican, 
 Mitchel, drew up a [)aper that was approved and signed by 
 about fifty of those present. What the exact import of this 
 paper was has never been determined, as neither the original 
 nor a copy fell into the hands of the authorities. It is sup- 
 posed, however, to have contained merely a statement of the 
 views of the signers upon the subject of the tax, and their de- 
 termination to oppose the execution of the law. Before ad- 
 
 1 We are not able to learn anything further of George Mitchell than is mentioned 
 here. 
 
1 6 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 journing, however, a resolution was passed requesting" the as- 
 sessors not to come into the township to make the assessment, 
 until the people were better informed whether the law was 
 really in force ; and one Captain Kuyder appointed to serve a 
 copy of the resolution upon them. Having transacted the 
 business which brought them together, the people quietly dis- 
 persed and returned to their homes. The meeting was con- 
 ducted in the most orderly and peaceable manner, and there 
 was no appearance of disturbance on the part of anyone. 
 
 Our readers will bear in mind, that Mr. Chapman, com- 
 missioner for the counties of Bucks and Montgomery, met the 
 assessors of the former county at the public house of Mr. 
 Rodrock, the latter end of December, to deliver to them their 
 instructions how to proceed in the assessments. Immediately 
 after this meeting, these officers commenced the assessment in 
 the respective townships assigned them. They proceeded 
 without any trouble, or appearance of opposition, in all the 
 townships but Milford, and even there the people, notwith- 
 standing the late agitation and excitement against the law, 
 quietly acquiesce in its execution. It is true they did not 
 like it, and would rather have avoided paying the tax, but 
 they had abandoned all intention of resisting the law. Childs 
 and Clark had both been appointed for Milford, and, before 
 separating, fixed upon a day when the}^ would begin in that 
 township. Childs had also one or two other townships as- 
 signed him, and, it was arranged between them, they 
 should assist each other, two days at a time, alternately. As 
 Childs had already made some assessments in his own district, 
 he agreed to help Clark whenever he should be ready to begin 
 the work. Before the meeting adjourned at Rodrock's, the 
 principal assessor named an early day to meet again, and make 
 return of what they had done. Mr. Childs went to assist 
 Clark according to agreement, but, when he reached his house, 
 finding the latter was not able to go on with the assessments, 
 he returned to finish up his own district. In Milford the ex- 
 citement was still running high ; and as threats of serious in- 
 jury had been made against the assessors, who were forbidden 
 to enter the township, they declined to attempt it. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 1 7 
 
 Fries and his friends had inflamed the minds of tlie people 
 to such degree, that in some parts of the township they were 
 ahnost in a condition to take up arms. The assessors met at 
 Rodrock's, to make returns, on February 6, but as they did 
 not complete their business that day they adjourned to meet 
 on the i6th. ' 
 
 In the unsettled condition of things in Milford, the princi- 
 pal assessor, James Chapman, determined to take some steps 
 to satisfy the people of that township in relation to the tax. 
 For this purpose he thought it advisable to have a public 
 meeting called at some convenient place, where he would ex- 
 plain the law, but not trusting altogether to his own judgment 
 in the matter, he went to George Mitchel s on Monday, Feb- 
 ruary II, and consulted him. The latter agreeing with the 
 principal assessor, he was requested to lend his assistance in 
 getting up the meeting and assented. Word was sent to 
 Jacob Hoover,'^ who owned and lived at a mill on Swamp 
 creek, on the road leading from Trumbauersville to Spinners- 
 town, about one mile west of the former place, and the same 
 later occupied by Jonas Graber,^ to give notice of the meeting 
 to the people of his neighborhood; and also to inform them 
 they would be permitted to select their own asstssor, and 
 that any capable man whom they might name would be quali- 
 fied. The offer, however, did not meet with much favor in 
 that section of the township, and the people declined to have 
 anything to do with it. There seemed to be a general disposi- 
 tion, among the friends of Mr. Adams in the township, to have 
 a public meeting called notwithstanding the failure of the 
 first attempt — to endeavor to reconcile matters ; and Israel 
 Roberts and Samuel Clark both saw Mitchell upon the sub- 
 ject. A few days after, Mr. Chapman again sent word to 
 Mitchell to advertise a meeting, which he accordingly did, and 
 
 2 The Hoovers, or Hubers, immigrated from Switzerland between 1750 and 1760, and 
 settled in Milford township. The father's name we do not know, but his wife's was 
 Ann, who was born 1722, died 1775, and was buried at the Trumbauersville church. 
 Henry, one of the sons, made powder for the Penna. Committee of Safety, 1776, at a 
 mill on Swamp creek. Another son, John Jacob, was probably the "Jacob Hoover" 
 mentioned here. 
 
 3 This was in 1859 ; the present owner we do not know. 
 
ig THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 the time fixed was the latter end of February, the place, his 
 own tavern. The notice given was pretty general, and a 
 large assemblage was expected. 
 
 The Jacob Hoover here spoken of was the uncle of Reuben 
 L. Wyker, who lived near Rufe's store in Tinicum, and was 
 active in assisting Fries. It is said he manufactured cartouch 
 boxes for the use of the insurgents, and otherwise made him- 
 self useful to them. He escaped capture by having timely 
 warning of the approach of the troops. George Wyker, also 
 of Tinicum, and uncle of Reuben L., was in Philadelphia at 
 market, at the time, and- there learned that Jacob Hoover was 
 to be arrested, and that a warrant had already been issued. 
 Being anxious to prevent him falling into the hands of the 
 federal authorities, he hastened home, as soon as he had sold 
 out his marketing, to give warning of the danger. He told 
 his father what he had heard in the city. The latter was 
 Nicholas Wyker, who lived on the same farm where Alfred 
 Sacket lived in more recent years, on the hillside near Rufe's 
 store. He immediately set off for Hoover's, whom he found 
 at home, apparently very much unconcerned, but entirely 
 ignorant of the danger that threatened him. Even when told 
 of the arrangements made to arrest him, he did not seem to 
 give it much importance ; but, while they were in conversa- 
 tion Hoover looked out the window and saw the troops com- 
 ing up the road. This reminded him of the necessity of flee- 
 ing. He immediately ran out the back door, and, keeping the 
 house between him and them, made his way to a neighboring 
 thicket, into which he escaped. When the soldiers arrived at 
 the house, they surrounded it and entered, but the bird had 
 flown, and Hoover was nowhere to be found. After a thor- 
 ough search, the officer gave up the pursuit and returned with 
 his soldiers, much chagrined. Hoover kept out of harm's 
 way until the affair had blown over, when he returned home. 
 He afterward removed to Lewistown, in this State, where he 
 died. 
 
 In the meantime the adjourned meeting to be holden at 
 Rodrock's tavern, on February i6, at which the returns of the 
 assessments were to be made, came off'. All the assessors, 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. I9 
 
 except Mr. Clark, were there and reported the assessments 
 liad been nearly completed in all the townships except Mil- 
 ford, where nothing had as yet been done. The assessor of 
 this township had been so much intimidated and threatened 
 he was afraid to go about in the discharge of his duties. Mr. 
 Foulke also expressed some fears of going into the township, 
 as threats had likewise been made against him, and he antici- 
 pated trouble. This state of things changed his mind in re- 
 gard to permitting the people of the township to select their 
 own assessor, and he now gave his consent to it, hoping it 
 would conciliate them. He used his influence with the com- 
 missioner to induce him to agree to the same, c'nd he finally 
 >-iclded and gave his permission. Me notified the assessors, 
 at the same time, that in case the people did not accept the 
 terms offered them, and choose some person to discharge the 
 dut}^ they would have to go into the township, and assist 
 Clark to make the assessments. Proposals were made to the 
 various assessors as to which would assume the duty, but each 
 one had some excuse to give why he could not go, showing 
 great unwillingness to place themselves in the way of danger. 
 The unsettled condition of Milford alarmed them, John Fries 
 and his friends being the terror of these officers. 
 
 The time for the mcetitig advertised to take place at 
 Mitchell's had now airived, which was holden (jn a Saturday, 
 and a great many })ersons were at it. Everhard P\ndke and 
 James Chapman were present on the part of the assessors. 
 The meeting was called for the purpose of reading and ex- 
 plaining the law, as they were extremely ignorant of its pro- 
 visions and operations ; but they behaved in such a disorderly 
 manner nothing could be done. A general fear appears to 
 have seized upon those present. Mr. Foulke used his best en- 
 deavors to remove it, but without avail. In their present 
 state of mind, as he well knew, any explanation of the law on 
 his part W'ould have but little, if any, effect, and he did not even 
 attempt it. Among the well disposed citizens present was Jacob 
 Klein, who, at the request of Mitchell, made an effort to calm 
 the fears of the people, but he met with no success, for the 
 tlamor and noise were so incessant he could not be heard. 
 
20 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 Israel Roberts proposed to read the law to them, but they 
 would not listen to him, and drowned his voice in their shouts. 
 Conrad Marks, who afterward became an active participant in 
 the disturbance, was at the meeting, but it does not appear 
 that John Fries was there, which is hardly reconcileable, with 
 his known activity in opposing the law. The assessors seeing 
 nothing could be done toward satisfying their minds on the 
 subject of the tax, and removing their prejudice and opposi- 
 tion to the law's execution, declined to take further part in the 
 meeting and returned home. 
 
 The officers, upon this occasion, met with a signal failure 
 in their attempt to induce the people to acquiesce in the as- 
 sessments, and the result of the meeting gave encouragement 
 to the opposition. In the subsequent trial of John Fries be- 
 fore the United States Court, Mr. Chapman, who was a wit- 
 ness on the part of the Government, gives the following ac- 
 count of what took place at this meeting, so far as it fell 
 under his own observations. He says: 
 
 " I got there between one and two o'clock. Just as I got to 
 the house, before I went in, I saw ten or twelve people com- 
 ing from towards Hoover's mill ; about the half of them were 
 armed, and the others with sticks. I went into the house 
 and twenty or thirty were there. I sat talking with some of 
 my acquaintance that were well disposed to the laws. Conrad 
 Marks talked a great deal in German ; how oppressive it was, 
 and much in opposition to it, seeming to be much enraged. 
 His son, and those who came with him, seemed to be very 
 noisy and rude; they talked in German, which as I did not 
 know sufficiently, I paid but little attention to them. They 
 were making a great noise ; huzzaing for liberty and Democ- 
 racy, damning the Tories, and the like. I let them go on, as 
 I saw no disposition in the people to do anything toward for- 
 warding the business. Between four and five I got up to go 
 out ; as I passed through the crowd towards the bar, they 
 pushed one another against me. 
 
 " No offer was made to explain the law to them while 1 
 staid ; they did not seem disposed to hear it. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 21 
 
 *' They did not mention my name the whole time of my 
 being there, but tliey abused Eyerlyand l^alliett and said they 
 had cheated the public, and what villains they were. I under- 
 stood it was respecting collecting the revenue, but I did not 
 understand near all they said. I recollect Conrad Marks said 
 that Congress had no right to make such a law, and that he 
 never would submit to have his house taxed. 
 
 " They seemed to think that the collectors were all such 
 fellows; the insinuation was that they cheated the public, and 
 made them pay, but never paid into the Treasury. After 
 getting through the crowd to the bar, I suppose I was fifteen 
 minutes in conversation with Mitchell ; he said perhaps they 
 were wrong, but the people were very much exasperated. 
 Nothing very material happened, and I asked Mr. Foulke if it 
 were not time to be going. So I got into my sleigh and went 
 off; soon after they set up a dreadful huzza and shout." 
 
 Israel Roberts and other witnessess, on the part of the prose- 
 cution at the trial of Fries, and who was present at the meet- 
 ing at Mitchel's, testified as follows: 
 
 " At the last meeting at Mitchell's there appeared a dis- 
 position to wait till they should have assistance from some 
 other place. It was said that a letter had arrived to George 
 Mitchell, from Virginia, stating there were a number of men, 
 I think ten thousand, on their way to join them ; the letter 
 was traced from one to another, through six or eight persons, 
 till at last it came from one who was not there. Some of the 
 company at that time were armed and in uniform. I do not 
 recollect what was said when the letter was mentioned, but 
 they appeared to be more opposed to the law than they were 
 before. 
 
 " At the meeting at George Mitchel's, at which Mr. Foulke 
 and Mr. Chapman were present, which was held for the pur- 
 pose of explaining the law, there were a number, about twelve 
 came up in uniform, and carrying a flag with "Liberty" on it. 
 They came into the house and appeared to be very much op- 
 posed to the law, and in a very bad humour. I proposed to 
 read the law to them ; and they asked me how I came to 
 
22 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 advertise the meeting ; I told them I did it with the consent 
 of a few others ; one of them asked me what business I had to 
 do it ; I told him we did it to explain the law. He looked 
 me in the face and said, ' We don't want any of your damned 
 laws, we have laws of our own,' and he shook the muzzle of his 
 musket in my face, saying, 'This is our law and we will let 
 you know it.' There were four or five who wished to hear it, 
 but others forbid it, and said it should not be read, and it was 
 not done." 
 
 On his way home from the meeting, Mr. Chapman stopped 
 at the public house of Jacob Fries, who then kept the tavern 
 more recently occupied by George L. Pheister, at the east end 
 of Trumbauersville, where he waited for Mr. Foulke to come 
 up, who arrived soon after. Clark was also there. Mr. Chap- 
 man had a conversation with him upon the subject of taking 
 the rates in the township, when he declined to have anything 
 more to do with it. He gave as a reason for this course that 
 it would not be safe for him to undertake the assessments, 
 and that he did not feel justified in endangering his life in 
 order to assist to have the law carried into execution. He 
 thus washed his hands of the whole business, and resigned his 
 commission. It was now evident to Chapman and Foulke, 
 that the other assessors would be obliged to make the as- 
 sessments in Milford, if they were made at all, and they 
 deemed it their duty to take immediate steps to have it done. 
 They agreed to meet the assessors at Ouakertown, on March 
 4, in order to commence the work, and, before they left for 
 home, Mr. Chapman asked each one to be present at tlie 
 time and place appointed. When the day arrived for the 
 meeting, but three of the assessors attended, Rodrock, Childs 
 and Foulke, in addition to the principal, Mr. Chapman. They 
 waited until evening without transacting any business, ex- 
 pecting others would arrive but none came, when they ad- 
 journed to meet at the house of Mr. Chapman, at nine o'clock 
 the next morning. 
 
 As soon as it became noised about that the assessors had re- 
 solved to come into the township to take the rates, those op- 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 23 
 
 posed to the law renewed their activity against it. The peo- 
 ple were told by the leaders that the assessments must not be 
 made, and force would be used to prevent it, if necessary. The 
 information that the assessors, who were now looked upon as 
 enemies to republican institutions were coming, increased the 
 excitement, and the people began active measures to oppose 
 them. Captain Kuyder, who was in command of a com- 
 pany of militia, called them into service to assist in driving 
 the assessors out of the township. He notified his men to 
 meet him at his mill, on March 6, where some fifteen 
 or twenty assembled. Early in the morning, while he was 
 abroad in the neighborhood, he met his acquaintance, William 
 Thomas, whom he invited to go to the mill and see his men. 
 He accepted the invitation and accompanied the Captain 
 there. His men were getting together. When he arrived he 
 found a number already assembled, a portion of them armed 
 and others soon came up. After remaining a little while the 
 Captain ordered his men to take up the march for the tavern 
 of Jacob Fries, Trumbauersville. 
 
 By the time they reached the village a considerable num.ber 
 of stragglers had been attracted, who helped to swell the 
 throng. They marched along the main road until they came 
 to the tavern, when they drew up in front of it and halted. Here 
 a number more joined them, making about thirt\' in all. The 
 people assembled expressed a desire to see the assessors, 
 whom the}' knew were somewhere in the township making as- 
 sessments ; and a couple of horsemen were sent off to hunt 
 them up and notify them they were wanted. They were in- 
 structed, in case they should find them, to take them prison- 
 ers, and either conduct them to Ouakertown or bring them to 
 Fries' tavern. Soon after the messengers had left, it was 
 proposed that Captain Kuyder's company and the rest of the 
 people assembled, should march to Quakertown and they im- 
 mediately started down the road for that place. They pre- 
 sented a somewhat martial, but very irregular, appearance ; 
 the greater part being either armed with guns or clubs and 
 accompanied with drum and fife. As they passsed through 
 the country they attracted much attention, and the sounds of 
 
24 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 their martial music were heard " far o'er hill and dale." They, 
 who were not cognizant of the movement, and hardly knew 
 what to make of the demonstration, went to the roadside to 
 see what was going on. As they marched along the road they 
 increased in number, and, by the time they reached their des- 
 tination, there were more than a hundred in rhe company. 
 This movement was the commencement of the overt acts of 
 resistance, and had an important bearing on the subsequent 
 conduct of those who became insurgents in name and deed. 
 
5^he prie§ f^sbellion. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 F'l-ies OeiptLires the Assessors. 
 
 The three assessors, Chapman, Foulke and Childs, met, on 
 the morinng of Marcli 5, at the house of Mr. Chapman as had 
 been agreed upon, and thence proceeded into Milford town- 
 ship to make the assessments. They thought it advisable to 
 to call upon Clark, in the first instance, and see if they could 
 not prevail upon him to go with them and divide the town- 
 ship, so as to complete their work in a short time. When 
 they arrived at his house he was absent from home, and it was 
 thought best for Mr. Chapman to go in search of him. Learn- 
 ing he had gone to assist one of his neighbors to move, he 
 went to Jacob Fries" tavern to wait for him to return. In a 
 little while he came. Upon being aslced to assist in assessing 
 the township he positively refused, saying he might as well 
 pay his fine, even if it should take all the property he had. 
 Finding that nothing could be done with him, the subject w'as 
 dropped. While Mr. Chapman was at the tavern, John Fries 
 came up. After passing the compliments of the day, Fries 
 remarked to him he understood he had been insulted at one 
 of the meetings in the township, which, he said, would not 
 have been the case had he been present, and expressed his re- 
 gret at the rudeness with which the assessor had been treated. 
 The following interview then took place between the two, as 
 sworn to on the trial of Fries : 
 
 "I told him (Fries) I thought they were very wrong in op- 
 posing the law as they did ; he signified that he thought they 
 were not, and that the rates should not be taken by the as- 
 
 ' Jacob Fries' tavern, torn down many years ago, was situated in tiie rocky part of 
 Milford township, in a valley, about a mile below Milford Centre, and two hundred 
 yards from a public road. The road passed by the house in early times, but was 
 changed. The house was a long, story and a half, stone and log building. It was not a 
 tavern for more than half a century before it was torn down. The property was once 
 owned by John Keiper. 
 
 (25) 
 
26 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 sessors. I told him the rates would certainly be taken, and 
 that the assessors were then in the township taking them. I 
 repeated it to him, and he answered, ' My God ! if I were only 
 to send that man (pointing to one standing by,) to my house 
 to let them know they were taking the rates, there would be 
 five or seven hundred men under arms here to-morrow morn- 
 ing by sunrise.' He told me he would not submit to the law. 
 I told him I thought the people had more sense than to rise 
 in arms to oppose the law in that manner; if they did, gov- 
 ernment must certainly take notice of it, and send an armed 
 force to enforce the law. His answer was, ' if they do, we 
 will soon try who is the strongest.' I told him they certainly 
 would find themselves mistaken respecting their force; he sig- 
 nified he thought not ; he mentioned to me the troop of 
 horse in Montgomery county, and the people at Upper and 
 Lower Milford," and something about infantry who Vv^ere 
 ready to join. He said he was very sorry for the occasion, 
 for, if they were to rise, God knew where it would end ; the 
 consequences would be dreadful; I told him the}^ would be 
 obliged to comply ; he then said huzza, it shall be as it is in 
 France, or zvill be as it is in France, or something to that' ef- 
 fect. He then left me and and went ofT." 
 
 While Mr. Chapman was waiting for Clark at Jacob Fries' 
 tavern, and holding the strange interview with John Fries, the 
 other assessors were engaged in taking the rates around the 
 township. The first house they came to was Daniel Weid- 
 ner's, at the west end of Trumbauersville, and occupied 
 by Geo. Zeigler, 1859. Childs went in first and told Mr. W. 
 that he had come in order to take the assessment under the 
 revenue law of the United States. He appeared to be in a 
 bad humour at the proceeding, and declined to give any in- 
 formation of his property. The assessor reasoned with him, 
 and pointed out the impropriety of his conduct and what 
 would be the consequence of his opposing the law. He was 
 told he might have ten days to consider the matter, at the end 
 of which time he would be able to determine what he ought to 
 do. He professed not to know whether the law was in force, 
 and said many other things in extenuation of his conduct ; 
 
 2 Upper and Lower Milford townships in Lehitjli county, originally Upper Milford, in 
 Bucks, fell into Northampton when that county was cut off from Bucks, 1752, and into 
 Lehigh when that county was organized, 1812. At what time Upper Milford was divided 
 we do not know. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLIOX. 2/ 
 
 charged the assessor with receiving vcr)' high wages, &c. Mr. 
 Childs explained that the haw was in force and how a commit- 
 tee of Congress had reported against the expediency of re- 
 pealing it. y\t last, Weidncr, overcome by persuasion, or argu- 
 ment, consented to be assessed and gave up his property, say- 
 ing to the assessor, "take it now, since it must be done." 
 Childs then continued on his round, \\alking and leading his 
 horse from house to house, until he reached Mitchel's tavern,' 
 \\-hcre he found the other two assessors, who had arrived a 
 little while before. Weidncr got there in advance and was 
 again railing out against the law; and said that the houses of 
 high value were to pay nothing, while smaller ones, and of 
 small value, were to pa}' high. He was again reasoned with, 
 and tinaily became apparently reconciled, and gave up an ad- 
 ditional piece of propert}' to be assessed. He seemed to take 
 the matter much at heart, however, and exclaimed, " They 
 will ruin me; what shall I do?" The assessors then continued 
 on their w,iy toward Jacob Fries' tavern, where they were to 
 meet the principal assessors by appointment, assessing several 
 houses as they went along. They had assessed some fifty 
 or sixty houses in the whole, up to this point, and had done 
 it without opposition. In every case but one the people were 
 at home, and there a notice u'as left. They arrived at the 
 tavern a little before dinner. As Mr. Childs was going into 
 the door he was met by John Fries, who shook him b}' the 
 hand, said he was glad to see him, and asked him to take a 
 drink. 
 
 The assessors dined at Jacob Fries'. After dinner, and 
 while they were sitting at the fire, John Fries came into the 
 room. He addressed him-;elf to Mr. Foulke and Mr. Chap- 
 man, and said they were men he greatly esteemed, and was 
 sorry they had placed themselves in that position. He here 
 proclaimed his opposition to the law; and said " I now warn 
 you not to go to another hou^e to take the rates ; if \'ou do 
 you will be hurt." Without waiting for a reply he turned 
 upon his heel and went out of the room. He seemed irritated 
 and in anger. He said nothing more to them while the}- re- 
 mained there. After a conference, the assessors concluded to 
 
 3 1 have not been able to locate Mitchel's tavern, further than to say it was in Milford 
 [ township. 
 
2g THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 pay no attention to the threat of John Fries, but proceed with 
 the assessments. While at the tavern, Mr. Childs took the 
 rates of Jacob Fries' house to which no opposition was made. 
 It was then agreed that Rodrock and Foulke should go 
 together, and Childs by himself to assess the houses of some 
 who were known to be quiet and orderly people. They then 
 mounted their horses and rode away in discharge of their 
 duty. They found a marked difference, between the English 
 and German, to be assessed ; with the former they had no 
 difficulty, except at one place, where the family said there 
 were some bad people living in the neighborhood who would 
 do them injury if they submitted to the rates. Messrs. Rod- 
 rock and Foulke continued on until about sunset without 
 meeting any hindrance, or seeing any sign of opposition to the 
 execution of the law. They were now going to the house of 
 a man named Singmaster, and, as they turned down a lane out 
 of the public road, they heard some person halloo to them ; 
 when, stopping and looking round, they saw John Fries and 
 five men coming toward them. Fries was in front, and upon 
 coming up he said he had warned them not to proceed with 
 the assessments, but as they would not obey him he had now 
 come to take them prisoners. Rodrock asked him by what 
 authority he had stopped them, to which he made no reply, 
 but immediately grappled for the bridle of his horse. He 
 wheeled the horse around at the moment^, which caused Fries 
 to miss the bridle and catch the rider by the coat tail, but the 
 latter succeeded in tearing away and freeing himself from his 
 grasp. Fries then rode off, but, before he had gone far, he 
 turned about and approached the assessor again. He now cursed 
 Rodrock, and, remarked to him, if he had a horse he would 
 catch him. He offered no further insult, but returned to his 
 companions. Mr. Foulke was less fortunate. The comrades 
 of Fries surrounded him and secured him without resistance ; 
 but when in their power they offered him no injur}', but 
 treated him with kindness. When Fries returned to his men 
 and found Mr. Foulke in their hands, he at once directed them 
 to let him go, giving as a reason that as they were not able to 
 catch Mr. Rodrock, they would not detain him. As the as- 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 29 
 
 sessor was released Fries remarked to him, " I will have seven 
 hundred men together to-morrow, and I will come to your 
 house, and let you know we are opposed to the law." Being 
 at liberty once more the assessors proceeded to the house of 
 J^hilip Singmaster, who iix'ed on the road leath'ng from Trum- 
 bauersvdle to Philadelphia, half a mile from the former place, 
 and in a house occupied by Zeno Franlz, 1859. Thty 
 found him at home, and, upon informing him of their busi- 
 ness, were permitted to assess his house without opposition. 
 While here Mr. Childs rejoined them as had been agreed upon 
 when they parted company at the tavern of Jacob Fries. They 
 now compared opinions, and came to the unanimous conclu- 
 sion they would not be justified in further attempt to take 
 the rates in Milford township, on account of the violent op- 
 position of the inhabitants, led on b\' John Paries ; and the 
 principal assessor was to give notice of this determination to 
 the commissioners. They thereupon ceased to make assess- 
 ments in the township and turned their faces homeward on 
 the afternoon of March 6. 
 
 Meanwhile the insurgents coi^tinued their march toward 
 Ouakertown, where they arrived about noon, or shortly after. 
 In a little while the party of Capt. Kuyder was joined by 
 John Fries and companions and several otheis. They halted 
 at the tavern of Enoch Roberts, the same kept by Peter 
 Smith, 1859, '^>'li'-''i those on horseback dismounted, and, as 
 many as could, went into the house. The scene around the 
 tavern was one of noise and confusion, wliile those inside were 
 no less boisterous. They were hallooing, and cursing and 
 swearing ; the most violen.t were denouncing John Adams, 
 the house-tax, and the officers who were to execute the law ; 
 some were drumming and fifing, apparently endeavoring to 
 drown the hum of confused voices in the strains of martial 
 music, and numerous other wa}'s were resorted to, to give 
 vent to their feelings. The bar of Mr. Roberts was pretty 
 generously patronized, a!;d that licjuor flowed so freely the 
 excitement and confusion were increased. Paries, expect- 
 ing the assessors to come that way on their return home, he 
 
5a THE FRIES REBELLION". 
 
 had made up his mind to arrest them if nothing- transpired 
 to interfere with his arrangements. 
 
 When the assessors ended their conference at Phihp Sing- 
 master's, after having assessed him, they started directly- 
 homeward, having to pass through Ouakertown their most 
 direct road. Messrs. Foulke and Rodrock rode together, 
 while Mr. Childs preceded them a short distance. When they 
 arrived at the village, they found it in possession of the 
 crowd of people already mentioned, under the control of John 
 Fries and Conrad Marks. Some were in uniform and others 
 in their usual working clothes ; some were armed with guns, 
 and others carried clubs. The noise and confusion they made 
 were heard some time before the assessors reached the town. 
 The testimony, given on the trial, shows they were congregated 
 at two public houses, one already mentioned as being kept by 
 Enoch Roberts, whereas the other was called " Zeller's tav- 
 ern." W^e have been at considerable trouble to locate this 
 latter public house, but have been unable to do so. The 
 house, in which Richard Green lived, 1859, *^" ^^"'^ ""•^'^^ ^^ 
 the railroad station, is said to stand on the site of an old tav- 
 ern which may have been the one the witnesses called "Zel- 
 ler's." On the other hand it is said, by the old residents of 
 Quakertown, that Enoch Roberts had a son-in-law named N. 
 B. Sellers, who assisted him to keep the public house he then 
 occupied. The name of Zeller may have been intended for 
 Sellers, and is possibly a misprint in the report of the trial, 
 both meaning one and the same place. 
 
 When the insurgents saw the assessors coming they set up 
 a great shout, and, as soon as they had approached within 
 hailing distance, ordered them to stop. This they did not 
 heed, as they had determined not to place themselves in their 
 power if it could be avoided. As they entered the village 
 Messrs. Foulke and Rodrock separated, and did not ride in 
 together, Mr. Childs having already stopped at the house of a 
 rieighbor just on the edge of the town. Rodrock now rode 
 in advance, and, when he had passed about half through the 
 crowd, without giving lieed to their commands to stop, they 
 started to run after him from both sides of the road, some car- 
 
THE FRIKS REBELLION. 3 1 
 
 rying clubs and others muskets, and made motions as if 
 they intended to strike him. John Fries was standing upon 
 the porch of the tavern, and when he saw Rodrock coming up 
 he called out to him to stop, but, paying no attention to it, 
 some of the men ran after him. The assessor, seeing himself 
 pursued, wheeled his horse and demanded of Fries what he 
 wanted with hiin. This seemed to excite the men the more, 
 and they replied to him with curses, and ordered him, in an 
 authoritative tone, to deliver himself up. To this he replied 
 he would not do it while they addressed him in such language 
 as they had applied to him. Some one in the crowd then 
 gave the order to fire at him, when two men standing ne<ir the 
 tavern door pointed their guns but did not fire. He now rode 
 off toward home, and when they saw him making his escape, 
 they again commanded him to stop; some making demonstra- 
 tions to get their horses and pursue him, but they did not. 
 When he reached the house of Daniel Penrose, seeing Jacob 
 Fries and John Jamieson there, he halted and related to them 
 what had taken place. He appeared to be much alarmed ; 
 said that Foulke and Childs had been captured, and was afraid 
 they would be killed. He requested Jamieson to return to 
 the village, and prevent them being hurt, which he declined 
 doing unless Rodrock would accompan}' him; but he was 
 finally prevailed upon to go. He found the two assessors iii 
 tlie hands of the mob but not injured. 
 
 The other two assessors were less fortunate both falling into 
 the hands of the enemy. As Mr. Foulke, who wms some little 
 wRvs in the rear of Mr. Rodock, approached Roberts' tavern, 
 the crowd ran out to surround him. Some took hold of the 
 horse's bridle, while others, among them Captain Ku)'der. 
 seized his person. John Fries came up at this moment and 
 commanded him to dismount, saying that he desired to speak 
 to him, while the surrounding crowd demanded he should be 
 pulled off his horse. There was great danger of violent hands 
 being laid on him, and he began to be alarmed at his situation. 
 At this critical moment, the two Hoovers, John and Jacob, 
 came to his assistance, and interfered with the excited multi- 
 tude in his behalf. They ordered the mob to desist from their 
 
32 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 insults, and let Mr. Foulke alone, who would get off his horse 
 without any compulsion. They gave the insurgents to under- 
 stand the assessors would not be injured while they could pro- 
 tect them. Their resolute conduct somewhat silenced the 
 crowd. Mr. Foulke deemed it the best policy to comply with 
 their demands, inasmuch as he was not in a condition to help 
 himself, and therefore rode up to the tavern shed, where he 
 dismounted, tied his horse, and went into the house. The 
 crowd followed him and soon the bar-room was filled. Now 
 Fries reminded him that he had warned him the day before not 
 to assess the houses in Milford township, and yet they had done 
 so contrary to his orders. He then demanded Foulke's 
 papers, which were delivered to Fries, who, after reading, 
 carefully returned, them. The assessor was now suffered to 
 depart. Fries escorting him through the people to his horse, 
 and holding the bridle while he mounted, when he rode off. 
 Fries admitted to Foulke that he had violated the law, proba- 
 bly enough to endanger his life, and told him that he might 
 " return him to the Court if he wanted to do so." 
 
 It will be remembered that Mr. Childs did not accompany 
 Rodrock and Foulke into Quakertown, but stopped at the 
 edge of it — at the house of Esquire Griffith, who lived where 
 Joseph R. Lancaster resided, 1859, where he dismounted 
 and went in. As he was getting off his horse, Mrs. Griffith 
 came out of the house and told him the people had come to 
 make him and the others prisoners, and there was a large crowd 
 in the village waiting to catch them. A few moments after he 
 entered the house, a little girl came into the room and said 
 the insurgents were taking Mr. Foulke, and, upon going to 
 the window, saw them all around him. When he saw the 
 danger which menaced his companions, he was going out to 
 assist them, but the family persuaded him to remain where he 
 was, and not place himself in unnecessary danger. In a little 
 while John Fries came to the house and saluted Childs in a 
 friendly manner, but told him he must accompany him to where 
 his men were ; and, as he had not the power to resist, concluded 
 he might as well yield with as good grace as possible, and 
 thereupon consented to go. As they walked along, Fries said 
 
THE FRIES REBKLEION. 33 
 
 to Childs he had told him }'e.sterday not to go to another 
 house, and now they had come to make him prisoner if they 
 found he intended to go on with the assessments. Childs re- 
 plied that he and the others were obliged to fulfil their office, 
 unless interrupted by force. When they entered the tavern, 
 Fries addressed himself to his men and Childs, saying: " Here 
 are my men — here is one of them." Going into the bar-room 
 he seated himself upon a table and soon there were several 
 around him One man damned him and said he should go to 
 the liberty pole and dance around it. During this time they 
 were crowding upon him and pushing, and he received several 
 thumps with the knees and fists. At first he was taken for 
 Rodrock, but when it was discovered he was not, they cursed 
 him anew for being somebody else. He then made himself known 
 as Cephus Childs, when some one remarked he was no better 
 than the others. They asked him a multitude of questions 
 about the assessments; how the people liked it where he had 
 been, whether he had taken the oath of allegiance to the 
 United States, &c., &c. That the reader may judge of the 
 temper the people were in, we make the following extract 
 from the testimony of Mr. Childs, given on the trial: 
 
 "They damned the house tax and the stamp act, and called 
 me a 'stampler,' repeatedly; they damned the Alien and Se- 
 dition laws, and finally all the laws; the government and all 
 the laws the present government had made. They damned 
 the Constitution, also. They did not mention what constitu- 
 tion, whether of this .State or of the United States. They 
 damned the Congress, and damned the President, and all the 
 friends to government, because they were all tories, as none 
 were friends to the present government but the tories. They 
 said they would not have the government, nor the President, 
 and they would not live under such a damned government ; 
 'we will have Washington;' others said no, 'No, we will 
 have Jefferson, he is a better man than Adams; huzzah for 
 Jefferson.' " 
 
 Those assembled continued in this strain, and constantly 
 expressed themselves as opposed to the law, and their deter- 
 mination to resist its execution. They boasted that every 
 
34 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 man in Northampton county would assist them except a few 
 tories, and that between Quakertown and the Delaware, they 
 could raise ten thousand men; and further that General Wash- 
 ington had sent them word that he had twenty thousand men 
 to assist them. Some spoke in German and others in English. 
 After John Freis took Mr. Childs into the house, he left him 
 among the crowd and went out again, being gone some time. 
 When he returned he apologized to him for the manner in 
 which his men had used him. He then took him into an in- 
 ner room where there were but few people, and demanded his 
 assessment papers. He gave him some papers he had about 
 him, but which did not refer to the collection of taxes, when 
 Fries gave a shout and told his men he had got what they 
 wanted. He then went out of the room, most of his men fol- 
 lowing him. The crowd were gone but a short time when 
 they returned without Fries, shouting, and rushed up to Childs 
 and took hold of him. Some were armed with clubs, guns, 
 pistols, &c., and others had swords. Daniel Weidner, whose 
 house he had assessed in the morning, v/as with them, who in- 
 sisted upon Childs surrendering to him the assessment he had 
 made of his house, but he did not give it up. They again 
 took hold of him and shook him severely ; and one man came 
 forward and said he should be shot. Conrad Marks was pres- 
 ent armed with a sword, who made many threats, but did not 
 attempt to put any of them into execution. Childs attempted 
 to reason with them, but it had little if any effect toward paci- 
 fying them. During this proceeding. Fries returned into the 
 room and gave back the papers to Childs, telling him at the 
 same time he must now go home, and never come back again 
 into the township to assess, or he would be shot. To this he 
 replied that he had left the township with a view of not re- 
 turning to it again unless compelled to do so by authority, and 
 that, from their present treatment, as he would never be likely 
 to come back without such authority, they might have leave 
 to shoot him. They then told him they wi'shed him and Mr. 
 Foulke to inform the government what had been done, as soon 
 as they pleased. After a little more parleying they gave him 
 his liberty, when he rode off, glad enough to make his escape 
 from such unpleasant comj^any. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION, 35 
 
 There is some discrepance, as regards what took place at 
 Ouakertown the day the assessors were captured, between the 
 records of the transaction and the relation of those wlio have 
 a recollection of the event. We had interviews with some of 
 the oldest inhabitants of that section upon the subject, and 
 find them at variance with the testimony drawn from other 
 sources. They state that the assessors were chased to Quak- 
 ertown by Fries and his party, and that he snapped his gun 
 three times at Mr. Foulke; that the latter sprang from his 
 horse at the porch of Enoch Roberts' tavern and ran in, when 
 they hid him in the cellar, where he remained concealed until 
 ten o'clock, when he was released and ran home. Another 
 version has it that he was hid under the counter in the bar- 
 room, and that Fries hunted all through the house, but was 
 unable to find him; that they got Fries, Haney and Getman 
 drunk, when Foulke stole out and went home. Still another 
 story is that he was kept confined in a stable, and that Mr. 
 Childs was sent to inform his wife, but was afraid to go into 
 the house, and walked in the yard until ten o clock at night, 
 when Foulke came home. These statements differ so widely, 
 from the evidence given on the trial, we have thought it best 
 to follow the testimony, believing that to be the nearest cor- 
 rect, because it was related under oath soon after the events 
 happened. One circumstance is told by those who remember 
 the difficulty, which seems so reasonable it is probabl)' true ; 
 that a man named Everhart pointed his gun at P'oulke, while 
 they had him imprisoned at the tavern, but was so drunk he 
 fell over while doing so. l"hey afterward examined the gun, 
 and found that the ball had been put in the bottom, and the 
 powder on top. 
 
 The circumstances which took place at Ouakertown decided 
 the assessors to make no further attempt to take assessments 
 in Milford, as they were convinced it would lead to difficulty, 
 and, possibly, bloodshed. In other parts of the county the 
 law was quietly acquiesced in, and the officers discharged their 
 duty peaceably, but it was, nevertheless, very unpopular and 
 odious. For the time being, Fries and his friends had pre- 
 vented the execution of the law in the disaffected district, but 
 
36 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 as far as we have been able to learn, no public outrages were 
 committed, and their only desire seemed to be to prevent the 
 officers, by intimidation, from making the assessments. 
 
 The foregoing embraces the proceedings of the insurrection- 
 ists, or insurgents, while opposing the execution of the house 
 tax law in Milford. It will be noticed their whole conduct 
 was of that earnest character which marks the actions of men 
 who are sincere in what they are doing. While there was, 
 naturally, considerable noise and confusion attendant upon 
 their conduct, and high excitement prevailing, there was no 
 unnecessary disturbance, and nothing that can properly be 
 called violence. Rude they were, but not to an extent to 
 create a breach of the peace. We have every reason to believe 
 they considered the law of the most oppressive character, and 
 their minds had probably been inflamed against it by the mis- 
 representation of others. This opinion had been formed be- 
 fore they had an opportunity to learn its provisions and opera- 
 tions, and they were afterward either too much prejudiced, or 
 their pride would not permit them, to be rightly informed. 
 The law of itself was a mild one, and no one who examines it 
 at this day can see anything in it to cause such opposition to 
 it. The rates were light, and the burden of the tax fell upon 
 the shoulders of those who were the best able to bear it. 
 There was likewise a public necessity for that or a similar Act 
 of Congress, and it was necessary that the revenue should be in- 
 creased, as there was every probability of the government being 
 driven into a war with one of the most powerful nations of 
 Europe. The situation of the politics of the country had 
 something to do with the opposition that was raised against 
 the law. But recently, before their passage, the two statutes 
 known as the Alien and Sedition Laws had passed Congress, 
 which were received with a burst of indignation that had never 
 been equaled in the country. They brought the administra- 
 tion of Mr. Adams into great unpopularity, if not detestation. 
 The odium that rested upon these laws was reflected upon the 
 house tax, and thus it was condemned in advance because it 
 was found in bad company. Many honest people believed 
 that an Act of Congress taxing the country, emanating from 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 37 
 
 the same government which had given them the Alien and 
 Sedition Laws, must naturally be a wicked one, and, they were 
 so well convinced of this, they were not open to persuasion to 
 the contrary. Another circumstance, in connection with the 
 manner in which the law was executed, had something to do 
 with its great unpopularity. The officers exceeded their du- 
 ties, and went beyond their instructions. The assessors were 
 only required, by law, to assess the hcniscs, lauds and slaves, 
 and were not directed to count the window lights of the 
 houses, which was a duty superadded by the officers who had 
 charge of affairs. The fact of the window lights being counted 
 created suspicion in the minds of the people that it was done 
 for the purpose of making them the subject of future taxation. 
 This, more than anything else, led to the meetings held by the 
 people, and, notwithstanding the unpopularity of the measure, 
 there would probably never have been any " insurrection " or 
 outbreak, had the assessors confined themselves to the duties 
 which the law required of them. The abuse of the law had 
 probably more to do with causing the disturbance than the 
 law itself. 
 
fhe I'riel Rebellion. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Oppositicrn to the- Mouse- Tais Let^sr in 
 Northampton. 
 
 Having" recounted, in the preceeding chapter, the opposition 
 to the House Tax Law in Bucks county, and the disturbance 
 growing out of it, we shall now proceed to show what took 
 place in Northampton. 
 
 It will be remembered that Jacob Eyerley was appointed 
 commissioner for a district composed of the counties of North- 
 ampton,* Luzerne^ and Wayne.' As soon as the law was 
 passed, the people of Northampton manifested so much oppo- 
 sition to it, Commissioner Eyerley believed there would 
 be difificulty in carrying it out. This was before he had en- 
 tered upon the discharge of his duties. While at Reading, in 
 October, he was informed by the commissioner from Bucks, 
 that he had seen persons who had traveled through that coun- 
 ty, and in every tavern he stopped at, the law was the subject 
 of general conversation and denunciation, and great pains were 
 taken to find the friends of government, in order to pursuade 
 them not to accept the ofifice of assessor. In consequence of 
 this feeling there was great difficulty in finding suitable per- 
 sons for these appointments. He selected one in each town- 
 ship, taking the most suitable for the duties, from all the in- 
 
 1 Northampton county was cut off from Bucks, 1752. 
 
 2 Luzerne county was cut off from Northumberland, by Act of September 25, 1786, and 
 so named in honor of the Chevelier De la Luzerne, then French Minister to the United 
 States. Its original territory embraced 5000 square miles, but its present area is but 
 1427. A portion of the celebrated Wyoming Valley lies within it. 
 
 3 Wayne county was organized by the Act of March 21, 1798, out of a portion of North- 
 ampton, and named after General Anthony Wayne. The original area was 1300 square 
 
 miles. 
 
 (38) 
 
THE FRTES REBELLIOX, 
 
 39 
 
 formation he could get. Commissions were immediately sent 
 them, with notice to meet the commissioner to receive instruc- 
 tions. At that time the commissioner did not believe the 
 state of things was as bad in Northampton as he afterward 
 found it to be. The disaffection in Bucks had spread over the 
 line into some of the neighboring tov^niships of the adjoininct 
 county, and the people had become as hostile to the tax as 
 Fries and his neighbors. 
 
 Commissioner Eyerley divided Northampton into three dis- 
 tricts and first met the assessors November 3, at Nazareth'. 
 Two were absent, and some of those present asked to be ex- 
 cused from serving, on account of the hostility of the people 
 and the assessors fear of injury. As the commissioner had 
 no authority to relieve them they were not excused. Findin<T 
 them misinformed of the nature and operation of the law 
 the commissioner took great pains to disabuse their minds, 
 and, with such success, they consented to serve, and were 
 given instructions. The following day he met the assessors of 
 the second district at Allentown,"* all being present but one. 
 The same difficulty met him here he had to contend with at 
 Nazareth, disinclination to accept for the same reason, oppo- 
 sition of the people to the law, and fear of being assaulted, 
 should they attempt to make the assessments. With a 
 good deal of difficulty those present were induced to accept 
 the appointments. As it was taken for granted the absent 
 assessor, a Mr. Home, did not intend to accept, a blank com- 
 mission was left with Mr. Balliott, a prominent resident of the 
 county, with authority to appoint some suitable man in place 
 of Mr. Home. The assessors of the first district were met 
 November 6, in Chestnut Hill township, with two absentees. 
 
 ■• Nazareth, a village of a few hundred inhabitants, in Northampton county, ten miles 
 from Bethlehem, was founded by the Moravians, 1775. The first house erected was a 
 spacious stone mansion for the residence of Count Zingendorf. The building was con- 
 verted into a school, 1785, and, from that time, known as' " Nazareth Hall," a cele- 
 brated boarding school for boys. 
 
 ^ AUentown was laid out by James Allen, 1762, after whom it was named, and 
 called Northampton until 1838, when the present name was adopted. It is the county 
 seat of Lehigh, and situated on the right bank of the Lehigh river. It is one of the most 
 beautiful inland cities in the State. 
 
40 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 One of these was a Mr. Kearne, of Easton," but as it was not 
 convenient for him to accept, he named a Mr. Snyder, who 
 was only commissioned. He met with the others the same 
 day; accepted the appointment and served. lie stated there 
 was much opposition to the law in his section of the county, 
 and he did not understand it very well himself, but would do 
 the best he could. The commissioner took considerable pains 
 to explain the provisions of the law, which entirely satisfied 
 him. He now became quite warm in its favor, and said he 
 would ride fifty miles if it were necessary to accept the ap- 
 pointment, since he had been wrongly informed, about the law 
 in the first place. The assessor from Hamilton township did 
 not seem willing to accept his appointment, and it required a 
 good deal of explanation and persuasion to overcome his dis- 
 inclination. He at last consented, however, accepted his com- 
 mission, and received his instructions. 
 
 In Northampton county the principal part of the opposition 
 to the law was in the townships of Heidelberg, VVeisenberg, 
 Lynn, Low Hill, Penn, Moore, Upper Milford and Hamilton. 
 In four districts it was of such violent character the law 
 was not executed until after the troops were marched into 
 them, and, in some of them, the people were almost unani- 
 mous against it. In Moore township, the opposition was only 
 among a portion of the inhabitants, and, when the assessor 
 was opposed when making the assessment, he called a town 
 meeting and took the sense of the people. The assessor of 
 Penn township did not meet the commissioners, but refused 
 to accept the appointment in view of the difficulties in his 
 way. Some time elapsed before any one could be found wil- 
 ling to accept the office, but, finally, one bold enough to as- 
 sume the responsibility, i)resented himself and he was com- 
 missioned and qualified. When the people of the township 
 
 " Easton, the seat of justice of Northampton county, situated at the confluence of the 
 Delaware and Lehigh, at what was known as " Forks of Delaware," was laid out by 
 William Parsons, 1752. A ferry was established here as early as 1739, by David 
 Martin, of Trenton, N. J., at which time a few log houses were standing on the present 
 site of the town. A jail was completed, 1755, and the first court house erected, 
 1766. Easton has been the county seat since the organization of the county, 1752. It 
 is tile seat of Lafayette College, chartered, 1826. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLIOK. 4I 
 
 heard that another person had been appointed in place of the 
 one first named, and had undertaken to discharge the duties 
 of the office, they became very violent and threatened him 
 with personal injury. The leaders of the opposition collected 
 a number of the disaffected into a mob, who waited upon 
 the assessor, and gave him to understand harm would be done 
 him if he attem[)ted to take the rates. This demonstration 
 intimidated him to such degree he resigned, and declined to 
 have anything more to do with it. The hostility to the law 
 continued so great in this townshi[), the assessments were 
 not made until sometime late in the spring of 1 799, and after 
 the presence of a military force had completely quelled every- 
 thing like opposition. 
 
 The spirit of insubordination first manifested itself a little 
 while before the general election, when meetings were held in 
 different parts of the county to take action upon the subject. 
 At one of these meetings the officers of the militia were in- 
 vited to be present, and their co-operation, as the leaders of 
 the military of the country, was earnestly desired. The lead- 
 ing object was to nominate candidates opposed to the law. At 
 this meeting several resolutions were passed, one recommend- 
 ing the circulation of petitions asking a repeal of the Alien 
 and Sedition Laws and the land tax. The proceedings were 
 published in the newspapers and circulated among the people. 
 A petition was given to each of the captains of militia to get 
 signers. On the day of election the p-eople turned out very 
 generally, and, in most of the districts, the ()])position to the 
 government was so general, its friends dare not say a word in 
 its favor for fear of being abused. The anti-administration 
 candidates were elected, by considerable majorities, and the 
 people, generally, rejoiced at their success. 
 
 In Hamilton township, the people were so much enraged at 
 Nicholas Michael, the assessor, for accepting the appointment, 
 they went in large numbers to his house at night to do him 
 bodily injury, but, being informed of their intention, he sought 
 safety in flight. The next day he went to the commissioner 
 and made complaint of the treatment he had received, ten- 
 dered his resignation, and begged its acceptance. This was 
 
42 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 declined; he was told to return to his duty, and he would be 
 protected in the discharge of it. He accompanied the com- 
 missioner to Easton, to see Mr. Sitgreaves, the United States 
 Attorney for the district, before whom he intended to make 
 afifidavit in order to have some of the evil-disposed placed un- 
 der arrest. Mr. Sitgreaves not being at home, they went to 
 Judge Traill,' an associate judge of the county; but, when 
 they arrived there, Michael became alarmed and begged to be 
 allowed until the next morning to consider the matter; say- 
 ing, that if he informed against the people, he and his family 
 would be ruined. Tn the morning he wished to be put in jail 
 to be kept from danger, so great were his fears, but his request 
 was not complied with. 
 
 In the present state of excitement the commissioner deemed 
 it advisable to call a public meeting, at which the people 
 could come together and have the law explained to them, as 
 he was of opinion, the greater part of the opposition arose 
 from a misconception of its provisions. With this object in 
 view, he gave Mr. Michael a letter to take to the constable of 
 the township, requesting him to fix the time and place for 
 the meeting, and to give proper and timely notice thereof. 
 Mr. Eyerley promised to be present to explain the law to such 
 as did not understand it. The constable, accordingly, an- 
 nounced the meeting to be held at the public house of a Mr. 
 Heller, and the time fixed was a few days before New Year's, 
 but we have not been able to ascertain the precise day. The 
 commissioner was present according to promise, being accom- 
 
 ' Robert Traill was born on one of the Orkney Islands, April 29, 1744, and was the 
 son of a clergyman. He came lo America, 1763, reaching Philadelphia the 25th of De- 
 cember. He shortly went to Easton where he was occupied in a store, taught school a 
 year; then studied law, and was admitted to the bar, 1777. He took an active part in the 
 Revolution, and was Secretary of the County Committee of Safety from 1776 to 1778; 
 was appointed a justice of the peace, 1777, and military storekeeper at Easton, March 
 II, 1778. He was sheriff of the county from 1781 to 1784; member of the Assembly 
 for the sessions of 1785-86; member of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, 
 1786-88; and was commissioned one of the Associate Judges of Northampton, holding 
 the office from May 14, 1796, to January 22, 1798, when he resigned. Judge Traill died 
 at Easton, July 31, 1816. He filled a large space in public estimation, exerted a wide in- 
 infiuence and was distinguished for his probity of character. His descendants, in the 
 female line, live at Easton, one of them being Dr. Traill Green. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 43 
 
 panied into the township by William Henry/ one ol the Asso- 
 ciate Judges of Northampton. When they arrived at the 
 place of meeting they found some seventy persons assembled, 
 aniong them three or four in unifoim, whose arms were 
 stacked behind the tavern door. After the meeting was or- 
 ganized, Mr. Eyerie}' arose and stated that he had come there 
 as tlieir friend, to explain the house tax l.nv, that they might 
 no longer be in ignorance of its provisions. He and Judge 
 Henry then proceeded to explain the statutes as the}' under- 
 stood tliem, but with little effect, as the peoi)le were not dis- 
 posed to listen to any explanation that would be likely to give 
 them a more favorable opinion of the odious kiw. The}' hated 
 it, and did not wish to think well of it. In order to reconcile 
 the people, to the assessment of the rates, he proposed they 
 should elect an assessor of their own ; this tliey refused to 
 do, saying, if the}' did, it would amount to submission to the 
 law, which they did not mean to make. The assessor already 
 appointed was anxious to resign, but this he was not allowed 
 to do, as no one could be found who would accept the ap- 
 pointment in his place. 
 
 In Upper Milford," the people opposed to the law held a 
 township meeting and appointed a committee of three to wait 
 upon the assessor when he should begin thr a<sc-<sment, and 
 request him to desist; and cdiiuit the last of U.'Ccmber, when 
 he began the work, he was met by this committee and in- 
 formed he could not proceed. No violence was offered, but 
 he was given to understand he would not be permitted to 
 carry out the law. He immediately wrote the commissioner 
 
 >* William Henry, son of Williatn ami Ann Henry, was burn at Lancaster, Pa., March 
 12, 1757. In 1778 lie enf:;aged in the mannfacture of fire-ainis in Northampton county, 
 and in kSo8 erected a forge in which the first iron manufactured in the county was drawn 
 March 9, iSog. In 1813 he built the Boulton Gini Worlds on the Bushkill, which 
 are still continued by his descendants of the name. Mr. Henry was commissioned Janu- 
 ary 14, 1788, a justice of the peace and Judge of the Courts of Common I'leas and Quar- 
 ter Sessions of the county. He resigned 1814. In 1792 he was elected one of the Presi- 
 dential electors of the State and cast his vote for Washington for President. He removed 
 to Philadelphia, 1818, where he died April 21, 1821. 
 
 " Upper Milford, a township of Lehigh county, but originally in Rucks until North- 
 ampton was cut off, was organized, 17,58. There were two Milfords, L'i)i)er and Lower, 
 the former falling in Northampton on the division of Bucks, 1752. Cjermai s settled hcie 
 in the first quarter of the last century. 
 
44 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 informing him' of the situation of affairs, and asked adv^'ce as 
 to the course to be pursued. The latter again thought it ad- 
 visable to have a public meeting called, at which he would 
 make another effort to explain the law to the people, and en- 
 deavor to satisfy them with its provisions. He directed the 
 assessor to give notice to John Schymer, Moretz and other 
 leading men of the township, that he would meet them at such 
 time and place as they might appoint. The place fixed upon 
 was the house of Mr. Schymer, date not known. When the 
 time arrived the commissioner ;:et out for the place of meet- 
 ing, accompanied by Judge Henry, and, when he arrived within 
 four miles of it, he was met by a friend who advised him not 
 to attend, saying the people were so violent his life would be 
 endangered, but he disregarded the warning and kept on. He 
 found some 75 men assembled at the house of Schymer, sev- 
 eral of them having French cockades in their hats, showing 
 very plainly which side they took in politics. 
 
 One of the petitions, which a previous meeting had recom- 
 mended should be circulated for signatures, was handed the 
 commission who read it to the people. Sorrte of them, upon 
 hearing it, said it was not such a petition as they had been led 
 to believe it was, as it mentioned nothing about the stamp 
 act. As there was a report in circulation that the act was not 
 in force, Mr. Eyerley read it in German, and explained to them 
 it was their duty to submit to it. One, George .Shaeffer, deny- 
 ing that it was a law, the question was submitted to the de- 
 cision of Mr. Schymer, who, being a justice of the peace, had 
 considerable influence over the minds of the people. Shaeffer 
 was inclined to be noisy and created a disturbance, and he and 
 others used abusive language to the assessor, Mr. Heckcweld- 
 er,'° accusing him, among other things, of having been a tory 
 during the Revolution. Mr. Eyerley proposed that inasmuch 
 as they were opposed to the present assessor, he would give 
 them the privilege of electing one of their own number, to 
 whom he would give the appointment. This they declined, 
 
 1" Heckewelder, ^^ ho lived at Emaus, now in Lehigh county, was appointed one of the 
 assessors for Upper Milford cr Salisbury, probably the latter. He was doubtless a son, 
 or grandson, of Heckewelder, the Moravian divine. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION 45 
 
 sayinj^: "We will do no such thing; if we do, we at once ac- 
 knowledge that we submit to the law, and that is what we will 
 not do." Three of the Shaeffers made demonstrations to beat 
 Heckewelder, but were deterred by the interference of others, 
 and he was allowed to go away without injury. The commis- 
 sioner, even with the countenance of Mr. Schymer and several 
 other well disposed persons present, found it impossible to 
 reconcile the multitude to the law, and he returned home a 
 second time without having effected an}'thing. The oppo- 
 sition to the law in this township, likewise, was not overcome 
 until the presence of troops intimidated them into submission, 
 when the rates were taken without further trouble. 
 
 Resistance to the enforcement of the law had now reached 
 that stage it became necessary for the authorities to take 
 some notice of it. About January 15, 1799, Judge Henry, at 
 the request of Commissioner Eyerley, and upon complaint of 
 the assessors that they found it impossible to proceed in the 
 execution of their duty, issued a number of subpcenas to bring 
 persons, cognizant of the opposition to the execution of the 
 laws, before him that he might make a careful examination of 
 the cause of complaint and ascertain its truth. The witnesses 
 who appeared were generally very reluctant to give informa- 
 tion, being afraid the insurgents would do them some injury. 
 The Judge made appointment to meet a nun.ber of persons at 
 Trexlertown," to inquire fuither into the matter, and a con- 
 sideral)le crowd assembled. Among those present was pait of 
 a company of light horse under Captain Jarrett.'" The men 
 were mostly in uniform, and many of them noisy and impu- 
 dent. The Judge was attended by the commissioner and Mr. 
 Balliott. They, who were present, paid little respect to the 
 officers but ridiculed, and made fun of them. F"rom the indi- 
 cations at this meeting, it was evitlent the disturbance could 
 not be quelled by the local officers, and it was thought best to 
 
 " Trexlertown, in Lehigh county, but, at that time, in Northampton, is a small post 
 village, eight miles from AUentown, on the Catasauqua and Fogelsville railway. It is 
 in a rich agricultural region. 
 
 '■■' Although Captain Jarrett was evidently a man of some prominence in the communi- 
 ty, we have not been able to obtain any information concerning him beyond that found in 
 the text. The company he commanded was a local volunteer organization. Henry Jar- 
 rett, probably a relative, commanded a troop of light horse at Marcus Hook, 1814. 
 
46 THE FRIES REBELLION". 
 
 appeal to the Federal authority. The steps now about to be 
 taken changed the aspect of affairs. Hitherto, it was consid- 
 ered but a local disaffection to a law of questionable expedi- 
 ency, and improperly understood, and which, in due time, 
 would subside and be heard of no more. Down to this point 
 it had hardly attracted public attention outside of the rural 
 districts where the opposition was made, and neither State nor 
 Federal Government had given it consideration. It now as- 
 sumed National importance, and what shortly before, was un- 
 worthy the attention of politicians or statesmen, became a 
 matter of great moment. The action of Judge Henry was the 
 incipient step that changed the affair to an insurrection, and 
 converted the opponents of the house-tax law^ into insurgents 
 and traitors to their country. 
 
 Mr. Sitgreaves, United States District Attorney, was sent a 
 number of the depositions he had caused to be taken to Judge 
 Peters," of the United States District Court, Philadelphia. 
 This was some time in February, and the first ofTficial informa- 
 tion the Judge received on the subject, although he had be- 
 fore heard of it as a matter of news. He exam.ined a few wit- 
 nesses in addition to the affidavits, and, from the facts elicited, 
 thought it his duty to issue warrants for the parties. Being 
 much engaged he directed the District Attorney to draw up 
 the form of warrants for his approval and signature. It had 
 been decided, that, in order to ease the minds of the people, 
 the warrants should be drawn in the nature of an order for the 
 defendant to appear before some justice of the peace, or judge 
 of the county, and give bail for appearance at the Cncuit 
 Court of the United State--, but circumstances prevented it. 
 After this had been decided upon, it came to the know ledge 
 of the authorities that several of the magistrates themselves 
 were disaffected, and others were prevented doing their duty 
 through fear of injury. The Judge also had scruples as to the 
 legality of the measure, whether persons, arrested on his w;;r- 
 rants, could be taken before an inferior magistrate While his 
 
 13 Richard Peters was born in Philadelphia, 1744; admitted to the bar, 1763; ap- 
 pointed a Justice of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Penn- 
 sylvania, 1792, and died on the Bench, 1828, after continued service of 36 years. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 47 
 
 mind was in doubt, he received additional information of the 
 state of the people in the disaffected districts, and this induced 
 him, both to make a change in the form of the warrants and 
 the procedure under it. The warrants were now to be made 
 returnable to Judge Peters' Court. 
 
The ^m^ Rebellion. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Marst\al N4 cities Arrests in NortlT^arn ptor^. 
 
 When the form of the warrants was agreed upon, they were 
 made out and put into the hands of Colonel Nichols,' United 
 States Mar.slial, to be served. This was about January 25, 
 and the Marshal was directed to proceed to Northampton 
 county immediately and make the arrests. lie left Philadel- 
 phia on the 26th, serving a few subpoenas on the road, in or- 
 der to collect evidence, reaching Nazareth on Maich 1st. 
 Here the Marshal met Commissioner Eyerley, and told 
 him of the object of his visit, requesting him to go with 
 him to serve the warrants executed. Those placed in his hands 
 being only for the arrest of persons in Northampton county. 
 The next morning, accompanied by Eyerley, and Eyerman, the 
 Marshal set out to execute the warrants. They went first 
 into Lehigh township, where twelve were arrested, all against 
 Avhom they had process, but five others came in afterward and 
 gave themselves up. Their offence being resistence to the ex- 
 ecution of the house-tax law. They then returned to Bethle- 
 hem, where they were met by Colonel Balliott. 
 
 The Marshal's party next went to Macungie township, 
 where they had no difificulty until they came to the house of 
 George Snyder, near Emaus,^ on whom the Marshal wished 
 to serve a subpoena. Snyder and his wife used abusive 
 
 1 Samuel Nichols was appointed U. S. Marshal of Pennsylvania, April lo, 1795 ; 
 qualified May i8th, and confirmed June 26th. He served one term of four years ; was 
 reappointed durinjj a recess of the Senate, June 26th, 1799, and succeeded, Dec. 6th, 
 1799, by John Hall. The State had not yet been divided into two districts. His county 
 is not given. 
 
 2 Emaus is a small town, lying at the foot of South Mountain, five miles south- 
 east of Allentown, on the East Penn. railroad. The Moravians organized a church here, 
 1747, the house in which they worshipped being built as early as 1742. 
 
 (48) 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 49 
 
 language toward them, the woman taking the lead. The 
 husband came out of his house with a club, and positively re- 
 fused to receive the subpoena. He called the Marshal and the 
 men with him rascals and highway robbers, and, upon being 
 told he was only wanted to go to Philadelphia as a witness, he 
 refused with an oath. The Marshal finding he could do noth- 
 ing with him requested Daniel Swartz's son to read and ex- 
 plain the subpoena to him, and leaving it with him to be served 
 if it were possible. Thence they proceeded to Millarstown,' 
 a few miles' distant. On the road they stopped at the house 
 of the Rev. Mr. VanBuskirk," where they left their horses and 
 walked into the town. The Marshal had a warrant for George 
 Shaeffer, active in opposing the law, and to whose house they 
 next proceeded to arrest him, but he was not at home. Not meet- 
 ing with success in this case they went to the tavern, where a 
 considerable number of people had assembled. 
 
 They now made an attempt to arrest a man named Shank- 
 wyler, who also lived in Millarstown. The Marshal and Com- 
 missioner walked over to his house, leaving Mr. Eyerman at 
 
 3 Millarstown, now called Macungie, signifying " the feeding place of bears," and laid 
 out by Peter Millar about 1776, is situated at the foot of South Mountain on the East 
 Penn. railroad, nine miles from Allentown. It was incorporated in 1857. 
 
 * Jacob VanP.uskirk, a native of Holland, settled with his family on a tract lie pur- 
 chased in Lower Macungie township, Lehigh county, November 19, 1784. The borough 
 of Macungie now occupies the same land. I do not know the maiden name of his wife, 
 but she was a sister of the great-grandmother of the late General Hartranft. He preached 
 for the Lehigh Church at Germantown, and at the Trappe, visiting his congregations on 
 horseback. He built, and, for several years operated, the tannery at Macungie, owned by 
 his great-grandson, James Singmaster. He had three sons and four daughters; George 
 became a physician, and settled at Pottstown; Jacob removed to New York State, where 
 he died; John, the third son, settled in Virginia, afterward came to Philadelphia and 
 kept an hotel. He married a Miss Eckhart, of Berks county. Of the daughters, Lydia 
 married Adam Singmaster, of Millarstown, and, after his death, Daniel Good, of Upper 
 Milford; another married John Shimer, of Shimersville, Northampton county, E. S. 
 • Shimer, Mayor of Allentown, being a grand-son. Mr. VanBuskirk was an ardent sup- 
 ' porter of John Adams' Administration, and, during the excitement of the " Fries Rebel- 
 lion," 1798, an attempt was made on his life. While sitting at home, surrounded by his 
 family, a bullet was sent crashing through the window, but he luckily escaped injury. He 
 was buried at North Wales, and his wife at the Lehigh Church. Adam Singmaster, who 
 married the daughter Lydia, was a descendant, probably a son, of John Adam Zang- 
 miester, who came from Wurtumburg in the good ship , " Patience," Hugh Steelmaster, 
 September 19, 1749, and settled in Bucks county. Adam, when a young man, went to 
 Millarstown, where he obtained employment in Rev. Jacob VanBuskirk's family, and 
 afterward married the daughter. 
 
50 THE frip:s rebellion. 
 
 the tavern. They had not intimated they desired to ar- 
 rest him, but when they left the tavern the people suspected 
 their intention and followed them in a crowd to the number 
 of about fifty. They went in advance of the officers, and, 
 reaching the house before them, filled the large room. When 
 the Marshal arrived a friend pointed out Shankwyler to Col. 
 Nichols, but observing what was going on, he withdrew into 
 the crowd, with the intention of hiding himself from view; 
 but the Marshal followed him, and, putting his hand upon 
 his shoulder, informed him he was a prisoner, in the name of 
 the United States, announcing himself as the United States 
 Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Shank- 
 wyler, having no idea of being captured without some resist- 
 ance, broke loose from the Marshal and fled toward the barn. 
 He proclaimed he would not injure the Marshal, but made 
 threats against Eyerley and Balliott, toward whom he mani- 
 fested great hostility. The people became much excited at 
 this proceeding, and many cried out in German, "Strike! 
 Strike!" Some said if he were taken out of his house they 
 would fight as long as they had a drop of blood in their 
 bodies. They seemed inclined to lay violent hands upon 
 Balliott, and one of the crowd presumed to pull the cockade 
 from his hat. The Marshal warned them of the consequences 
 of their attempting to strike, and reasoned with them upon 
 their riotous conduct. Finding that himself and companions 
 were in danger, the Marshal unbuttoned his coat, that the 
 people might see a pair of jDistols he had with him, and also in 
 order that he might be able to grasp them quickly, should he 
 find it necessary to use them. The determined manner of the 
 Marshal had its effect, and the crowd became quieter. Shank- 
 wyler refused to accompany the Marshal to Bethlehem, and 
 swore he would resist the authorities of the United States, let 
 the consequences be what they might. He was told such a 
 course would ruin himself and family, and be the destruction 
 of his property, to wliich he replied that his father had fought 
 against the stamp act, and he would resist the tax law which 
 was supported by none but tories and the friends of government. 
 At last he was prevailed upon to promise to meet the Mar- 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 5 1 
 
 shal at Rcthlchem, but coultl not be induced to sa\' that he 
 would submit or surrender himself. Seein<T that nothin<^>- 
 further could be accomplished there, the officers took their 
 leave. As they left the house the people set up a shout and 
 hurrahed for " Liberty." The Marshal now continued on his 
 round-^. He procured a constable to show him where Adam 
 Stephen, Herman H.irtman, and Daniel Everl}% for whom he 
 had warrants, lived. Having arrested these persons he and 
 his party returned to Bethlehem, where they arrived on the 
 evening of March 6. Bethlehem was his headcpiarters, and 
 here he had his prisoners confined. 
 
 Bethlehem, the place of confinement of the Marshal's 
 prisoners, was such an important point at that day it will not 
 do to pass it by with a mere mention of its name, but deserves 
 something more. It stands on the north bank of the Lehigh, 
 Northampton county, twelve mdles above where the river 
 empties into the Delaware. Here was made the first permanent 
 settlement of the Moravians in North America. The first 
 tree was felled on the spot where Bethlehem stands Dec. 22, 
 1740, by a small party from Nazareth. The cold was intense, 
 the snow lay deep on the ground ; and through the winter 
 they encountered many privations and hardships. By the 
 opening of spring a small log house was completed. On Sep- 
 tember 8, 1 741, the corner-stone of a second, and much more 
 commodious, house, was laid with interesting religious cere- 
 monies. The first house stood until 1823, when it was torn 
 down to make room for the Eagle Hotel stables; but the 
 second has weathered the storms of nearly one hundred and 
 sixty years, and still stands as a monument of the founding of 
 Bethlehem. The first tree to build the first house was cut 
 down by David Nitschman, who was born in Moravia, Sep- 
 tember 18, 1676, and died at Bethlehem, April 14, 1758. He 
 was the first bishop of the brethren in America, and officiated 
 at the laying of the corner-stone of the second building in 
 1741. 
 
 A recent writer speaking of this interesting building says : 
 "Here, as in a common home, lived, side-by-side, the artisan 
 and man of leisure — a little company met together from the 
 
52 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 various walks of life, self-denying and devoted men, actuated 
 by one spirit, and that the spirit of mutual love for Christ. 
 Here lived for a number of years the elders of the congrega- 
 tion, its bishdps and ministers. Here they met in conference 
 to deliberate on the condition of the Lord's work in their 
 midst, and abroad among the Indian tribes. Its walls have 
 echoed to the voice of Zinzendorf,^ and, for fifteen years was 
 the home of that great and good man, the worthy Bishop 
 Spangenberg." In the little hall on the second floor, the place 
 of worship for the congregation as late as 175 1, Spangenberg 
 presided on two occasions at interviews with deputations from 
 the rude tribes of Wyoming Valley.' Nanticokes and Shaw- 
 nese, dressed in all their savage finery of feathers and painted 
 deerskin, had come to see the home of the intrepid mission- 
 ary, whose lonely canoe they had encountered on the upper 
 waters of the Susquehanna, to smoke the friendly pipe, and 
 assure him of their good-will in a covenant of peace and mu- 
 tual friendship." 
 
 ^ Count Zinzendorf, founder of the Moravian Colony north of the Lehigh, and descend- 
 ed of a noble Austrian family, was born at Dresden, Saxony, May 26, 1700. He was 
 educated ar Halle and the University of Wittenberg, and afterward spent some time in 
 traveling. He was married in 1732 to the Countess Von Reuss, and became a convert to 
 the Moravian faith shortly afterward. He landed at New York, December 2, 1741, 
 reaching Philadelphia the loth, and Bethlehem the 24th. He immediately became an 
 object of general interest and was recognized as the head of the Moravian movement 
 lately initiated in the province. In June, 1742, he organized the Moravian congregation 
 at Bethlehem, and preached his farewell sermon at Philadelphia, December 31, leaving 
 the same evening for New Yark to embark for Europe, where he died May 9, 1760. He 
 was accompanied to America by his daughter Benigna. 
 
 ' Augustus Gottlieb Spangenberg, a bishop of the Unitas Fratrum, or Moravian Church, 
 was born at Klettenberg, Prussia, July 15, 1704, and died at Bershelsdorf, Saxony, Septem- 
 ber 18, 1792. He graduated at Jena, where he later became a professor, and also at Halle. 
 In 173s he led the first Moravian colonists to Georgia. Having been appointed to preside 
 over the Moravian Churches in America, he was raised to the episcopalcy in 1744 and 
 arrived at Bethlehem, Pa., the same year. In 1760 he was recalled to Europe to take a 
 seat in the Supreme Board of the Church over which body he presided twenty-three years. 
 He may justly be called the founder of the Moravian Church in America. He was a 
 learned theologian, a man of great power, and a writer of many historical and theological 
 works. 
 
 ' The Wyoming Valley, so famous in history and song, lies along the Susquehanna, 
 and spreads about Wilkesbarre, the county seat of Luzerne. In it took place the bloody 
 massacre of its inhabitants by Indians, in 1778, and avenged in 1779 by an army under 
 General Sullivan. Campbell's "Gertrude of Wyoming" has made this valley almost as 
 famous as the Vale of Cashmers. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 53 
 
 Bethlehem was originally intended as a place of rendezvous 
 for the missionaries among the Delaware and Mohican In- 
 dians, which it held for twenty years, but, at the end of that 
 time, became the seat of the Moravian congregation, organ- 
 ized by Count Zinzendorf. A school for girls was opened as 
 early as 1749, but the boarding school was not commenced 
 until 1785, and is still in operation. 
 
 During the Revolutionary War Bethlehem ivas often visited 
 by American troops, and upon more than one occasion the 
 brethren were sufferers from military exactions. On the re- 
 treat of Washington through New Jersey, December, 1776, 
 Lee's divison, under the command of General Sullivan, after 
 crossing the Delaware, came to this place, where it encamped 
 on the 17th, and La Fayette spent some time there to recover 
 from the wound received at Brandywine. 
 
 In the spring of 1778, the single Sisters presented to Count 
 Pulaski an elegant embroidered banner, which was borne at 
 the head of his regiment until he fell at Savannah, 1779. Beth- 
 lehem was also visited by the Baron De Kalb, September, 
 1777. Hospitals were established there for the sick and 
 wounded of the army, and it was also made a depot for pro- 
 visions; and, in fact, during the whole war it was an import- 
 ant point in military operations. Washington styled the 
 weaving department of Sisters House, " the first domestic 
 manufactories of the land," and from there supplied himself 
 and wife with articles of wearing apparel. 
 
 The situation of Bethlehem is beautiful and romantic in 
 the extreme, and nature and art combined have rendered it 
 one of the most charming spots in the country. It has grown 
 into a town of some 10,000 inhabitants, and become an im- 
 portant business centre. Two railroads and a canal give the 
 inhabitants great facilities for trade, and manufactories are 
 rapidly growing up around it. The influx of strangers has 
 done away with much of the exclusive Moravian impress 
 formerly stamped upon the town, but the spirit of their insti- 
 tutions still prevails to a great extent, and may be said to be 
 the governing influence. 
 
54 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 The arrest of the persons for whom warrants were issued, 
 and their confinement at Bethlehem by the Marshal, caused 
 unusual excitement throughout the country. It created great 
 indignation in the disaffected districts of Northampton and 
 Bucks, and was considered an act of tyranny and oppression 
 on the part of the government. As soon as it became known 
 the arrests were made, the leaders of the opposition to the law 
 determined to rescue them, if possible. For the purpose of 
 consulting on the subject, a meeting was called at the public 
 house of Conrad Marks', Milford, Bucks county, on March 
 7. Notices were carried around the evening before -and left 
 at the houses of those known to be friendly to the movement. 
 By ten o'clock a number of people had assembled, and con- 
 siderable excitement was manifested. The general sentiment ■ 
 was in favor of immediate organization and marching to Beth- 
 lehem to take the prisoners from the hands of the Marshal. 
 The crowd was formed in a company, and John Fries elected 
 captain. They were variously armed ; some with guns, others 
 with swords and pistols, while those with less belligerent feel- 
 ings, carried clubs. Subsequently, when Fries was examined 
 before Judge Peters, he said his "motive in going to Bethle- 
 hem to rescue the prisoners was not from personal attachment, 
 or regard for any of the persons who had been arrested, but 
 proceeded from a general aversion to the law, and an inten- 
 tion to impede and prevent its execution." This reason, how- 
 ever, hardly explains their course, under the circumstances. 
 Their plan was first to march to Millarstown and thence to 
 Bethlehem. 
 
 The people of Northampton, meanwhile, had also taken ac- 
 tion in reference to a rescue of the prisoners. A meeting to 
 
 8 Conrad Marks' tavern was in Milford township, Bucks county, near where the four 
 corners of Bucks, Montgomery, Berks and Lehigh come together. His petition for 
 license, in the Quarter Sessions office, was to August term, 1796, in which he states he 
 had removed to the well-known tavern on the Magunshey (Macungie) road in said town- 
 ship of Milford, formerly occupied by George Horlacker," also that the house had been 
 "kept as such above forty years." His endorsers were David Spinner and George Hor- 
 lacker. For many years the house was known as Geary's tavern. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 55 
 
 consult on the subject was called at the tavern of Martin Rit- 
 ter,'' to meet at 10 o'clock, on the morning of March 7. No- 
 tice was also giv^en for two or three companies of light horse 
 to meet there at the same time, one of which was commanded 
 by Captain Jarrett."" 
 
 At the hour appointed a considerable number of persons 
 were on the ground, and much noise, confusion and excite- 
 ment prevailed. Upon the meeting being organized, and a 
 conference had about the matter, that had brought them to- 
 gether, it was unanimously resolved to march for Bethlehem 
 without delay. The strength of the party which marched for 
 that place we have no means of knowing, as the records do not 
 give it. Soon after starting they selected a commander, the 
 choice falling upon Andrew Shiffert. There were a few pres- 
 ent who qutstioned the pro[)riety of the movement, but the 
 general voice was so nearly unanimous in its favor, their ad- 
 vice was not listened to. Tiie excitement ran high, and the 
 multitude clamored to be led to the rescue of their friends in 
 the hands of the Federal authorities. They did not look at the 
 consequences that might recoil upon themselves, nor did the}' 
 care at that particular moment, for they were burning under 
 a sense of real or imagined wrong. They were blind to the 
 nature of the step they were taking, and deaf to the voice of 
 reason. The multitude believed, in case they should succeed in 
 rescuing the prisoners, the matter would end there. Oi", if it 
 did cross the minds of the most far-seeing that such indignity 
 to the government might be taken notice of, and troops or^- 
 dered there to capture the guilty, it was not supposed, for a 
 moment, the authorities would be able to do anything with 
 them. With this feeling the march was taken up for Gunes' 
 tavern, three miles from Bethlehem, where some confederates 
 
 " We are not able to fix the locality of .Martin Ritter's tavern. W'e thought, at first, it 
 was on the sight of the present Rittersville, four miles from Bethlehem, on the road to 
 Allentown. But this was imposible as the place of meeting of the Northampton in- 
 surgents was on the south side of the Lehigh, while Rittersville is on the north. 
 
 1" The same Captain Jarrett previously mentioned. His military, on this occasion, was 
 a regularly organized volunteer company. 
 
56 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 Avere expected to join them. Here they resumed the march j 
 for the bridge that crosses the Lehigh at South Bethlehem." 
 
 " The South Bethlehem Star, published a few years ago, the following account of the 
 establishing of a ferry and the subsequent building of a bridge across the Lehigh at 
 Bethlehem, by which the insurgents crossed: " The first public means of crossing the 
 Lehigh was a ferry at the same place where the old Lehigh bridge now crosses the river- 
 It was opened on March ii, 1743, and the man who first paddled passengers across the 
 new ferry was Adam Schaus. Ferriage was at first, for a horse and rider, 3d. In 1745 
 the use of the ferry was free to all who lived in Bethlehem or delt there. Travelers were 
 expected to pay if they would, but in case they objected they were not to be constrained. 
 Improvements gradually crept in and 1750 wharves were constructed. Eight years there- 
 after a rope was introduced which rendered a passage across the river a much less serious 
 matter than heretofore. At last came a bridge in 1794. John Schropp, warden, was 
 empowered hy an Act of Assembly to undertake the enterprise and to associate stock- 
 holders with himself. That first bridge was built of hemlock, was uncovered and cost 
 $7800. In 1816 this bridge'was removed and a more substantial structure put in its place. 
 The latter bridge was also uncovered. In April, 1827, the present Bethlehem Bridge 
 Company was organized. In 1841 the second bridge across the Lehigh was swept away 
 by a freshet, after which the present covered one was constructed. After the great 
 freshet of 1862 the present bridge had to be partially rebuilt, a portion of it having been 
 carried away by the waters." 
 
JUDGE WILLIAM HENRY 
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON COUNTY. 
 
^he fpie^ !^ebellion. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 I^escLie of the Prisoners at BetHlel\ern. 
 
 Fries and his friends received word, the night before, that the 
 Northampton people, opposed to the hwv, also intended to make 
 an effort to take the prisoners froni the hands of the Marshal. 
 In the morning, Conrad Marks sent his son to Rittcr's tavern, 
 to learn what movement was on foot at that place. In the 
 meantime the march was commenced for Millarstown, and 
 when they had gone three or four miles on the road, young 
 Marks was met returning. ?Ie informed them the Northamp- 
 ton people were already in motion, a large party having left 
 Ritter's before his arrival; that it was not worth while for them 
 to go, as a sufficient number was on the maich to accomplish 
 what they had in view. Upon learning this some were in 
 favor of turning back, but Conrad Marks and John Fries 
 advised the)' should go at least to l^cthlehem to sec what was 
 going on there. The march was now resumed. Daniel Fries, 
 son of John, sa}'s that his father started for Bethlehem 
 mounted, but, when near old J(^hn Cline's, the animal cut its 
 foot with the cork of his slioe and was disabled. Daniel was 
 with him, and, as the horse was of no further service on the 
 road, Fries sent his son back with it and continued the march 
 on -foot. They passed by Ritter's tavern, and followed the 
 route of the Northampton contingent which had preceded 
 them, overtaking and joining them at the south end of the 
 bridge over the Lehigh at South Bethlehem.' The whole 
 
 1 South Bethlehem is on the south bank of the Lehigh opposite Bethlehem. Here was 
 the Crown Inn, the first licensed house on the Lehigh that rose to the dignity of a 
 tavern, and on the site of it is the Union Railroad Station. The house was built in 1745 
 and licensed in June, 1746. The "Crown" played an important role in Colonial days. 
 Around the site of this old hostelry has grown a town of fifteen thousand inhabitants; 
 it is the seat of Lehigh University and here is located great iron works. Bethlehem and 
 South Bethlehem are still connected by a wooden bridge that crosses the Lehigh at about 
 the same place as the old one of '99. • 
 
 (57) 
 
58 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 command numbered about one hundred and forty men, 
 including two companies of riflemen and one of mounted 
 men, the latter being armed with broad swords. They 
 presented quite a martial appearance. Their march through 
 the thickly populated country swelled their ranks by the 
 addition of a number, attracted by curiosity, who followed 
 after to see what would take place, without any intention of tak- 
 ing part in the proceedings. They were neutrals. 
 
 We have already said the Marshal returned to Bethlehem 
 with his prisoners the night of March 6, and confined them in 
 the Sun tavern.^ As the Marshal passed through the country, 
 on his return, he heard a rumor that an attempt would be 
 made to rescue the prisoners, but he did not conceive such a 
 thing possible, supposing somebody, as a matter of amuse- 
 ment, had raised the story to alarm him. Upon reaching 
 Bethlehem, however, the rumor was confirmed, and he was 
 convinced a movement of the kind was on foot by a band of 
 
 2 A public house has been kept on the spot where the Sun tavern stands for 140 years. 
 The expediencey of erecting; a house of entertainment at Bethlehem was first considered 
 and the location fixed upon, in July, 1754, but delay prevented its completion until 1758. 
 Down to this time travelers were accommodated at " The Crown " on the south bank of 
 the Lehigh, bailt 1743, and onv'erted into a farm house in 1791. Chastellux, a French 
 gentleman traveling in America near the close of the last century says of the "Sun :" " This 
 tavern was built at the exjen^e of the Society of Moravian Brethren whom it served as 
 a magazine, and is very handsome, and spacious. The person who keeps it is only the 
 cashier, and obliged to render an account to the administrators. As we had already 
 dined we only drank tea, but ordered breakfast for the next morning at 10 o'clock." An 
 English gentleman traveling in this country at that period also visited Bethlehem and 
 put up at the Sun tavern. He afterward translated the work of Chastellux, and in it, 
 makes the following note in reference-to this tavern : " This inn for its external appear- 
 ances, and its interior accommodations, is equal to the best of the large inns in England, 
 which, indeed, it very much resembles in many respects. The first time I was in B^hle- 
 hem, in company with my friends, Maj )r Pierce Butler, Mr, Thomas Elliott and Mr. 
 Charles Pinckney, Carolina gentlemen, w,' remained here two or three days, and were 
 constantly supplied with venison, moise, game, and the most delicious red and yellow 
 bellied trout, the highest flavored wild strawberries, the most luxurious asparagus and 
 the best vegetables, in short, I ever saw ; and notwithstanding the difficulty of procuring 
 good wine and spirits at that period throughout the continent, we were here regaled with 
 rum and brandy, of the best quality, and exquisite old Port and Madeira." The present 
 condition and appearance of the Sun tavern are in strong contrast compared with a 
 century ago. It is excelled by few, if any, public house outside the large cities, and the 
 accommodations are of the best. It is frequently alleged Lafayette put up at the Sun 
 tavern, while recovering from the wound received at Brandywine, 1777, but this is an 
 error. He occupied the house lately owned by Ambrose Rauch, on Main street, torn 
 di.vn 1872. Th'e Mar juis was driven in a carriage from Bristol, on the Delaware, to 
 Bethlehem, a distance of sixty miles. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 59 
 
 armed men. The prisoners arrested in Lehigh township were 
 released upon their own bonds, with good securities for tiicir 
 appearance, but the others were held in custody. 
 
 The information, that an attempt at rescue would be made, 
 naturally gave the Marshal great uneasiness, and he proceeded 
 to take such steps as were dee neJ necessary to prevent it. 
 He held a consultation with Judge William Henry, Mr. 
 Eyerley, the commissioner, Mr, Balliott, Joseph Horsfield,^ 
 a justice of the peace at Bethlehem, and General Brown.' He 
 had received instructions before leaving Philadelphia to call 
 out a possc*coinitatiis in case it should be found necessary, but 
 was forbidden to use an armed force. He made a demand 
 upon Judge Henry for armed men, but as the latter had 
 received similar instructions, and there could not be found any 
 authority authorizing it, the requisition was refused. It was 
 therefore decided to call such force as they were authorized to 
 accept, and, accordingly, summoned a civil posse. Twenty men 
 were called from Bethlehem and Easton, but only eighteen 
 responded, arriving between ten and eleven in the forenoon. 
 We have not been able to get the names of all, but among 
 them were William Barnett, John Barnett, Christian Winters, 
 Christian Roths and Philip Schlaugh. The prisoners were re- 
 moved upstairs to a room thought to be more secure. As 
 General Brown was a person of influence in the county, the 
 Marshal requested him to command at Bethlehem and lend 
 the assistance of his counsel, but he declined on account of 
 having been absent so long from his famly. In the mean- 
 time an officer was sent to arrest a clerg)qnan named Eyer- 
 
 3 Joseph Horsfield was a prominent citizen of Northampton, and justice of the 
 peace many years at Bethlehem. He was the youngest child of Timothy and Mary 
 Horsfield, who settled in Long Island, 1749, and removed to Bethlehem, 1750. He 
 married a niece of the celebrated Anthony Benezet, Philadelphia, whose mother was 
 a great court beauty during the reign of Louis XIV. He was a witness on the trial of 
 Fries for the prosecution. He died at Bethlehem, 1S34, at the age of 84 years. 
 
 ■> General Brown was a descendant of an immigrant who settled at "Craig's Settle- 
 ment," Allen township, Northampton c(ninty, about 1735. He was prominent in his 
 generation, and played an important part in the county during the Revolutionary 
 struggle. Robert Brown, of that section, was a prominent man of his day and an officer 
 in the Continental army. 
 
6o THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 man' and .one John Fox, both active in opposing the law, 
 and who were thought to be too dangerous to go at' large. 
 They were taken and brought in without opposition. The 
 proceeedings becoming known in the surrounding country, a 
 large number of people came to witness a conflict, which, it 
 was supposed, could not be avoided. 
 
 About eleven o'clock, a Mr. Dixon, who arrived from Emaus, 
 informed the Marshal he had seen a number of persons as- 
 sembled at Ritter's tavern, under arms, some mounted, others 
 on foot, who were about to march for Bethlehem ; and also 
 saw others on the road. This was the first positive informa- 
 tion that an armed party was actually coming ?o attempt a 
 rescue of the prisoners. In about half an hour two men, one 
 armed with a smooth bore gun, the other with a rifle, arrived 
 at the Sun, dismounted in the yard, came quietly into the 
 house, and placed themselves by the side of each other opposite 
 the door. The Marshal, and some of the people who were 
 collected, inquired the reason of their coming there armed, 
 when, after some hesitation, they replied they " had come upon 
 a shooting frolic." Upon being questioned as to what they 
 intended to shoot, one of them evaded a reply by saying 
 they wanted to see what was best for the country. They 
 were then told to withdraw, and not appear in arms to obstruct 
 the process of the United States. To this they replied they 
 were freemen, and had a right to go where they pleased. They 
 were supposed to be of the insurgent force, and, as they would 
 probably come straggling in, it was thought best to secure 
 them in detail. They were accordingly arrested, their arms 
 taken from them, and they were taken up stairs and confined 
 in a chamber. Shortly after three other mounted men arrived 
 in uniform, at the head of whom was Shankwyler, who had re- 
 fused to submit to an arrest the day before. The Marshal 
 asked him if he had come to surrender himself, but he replied 
 
 ^ Among the prisoners released at Bethlehem was Jacob Eyerman, a clergyman resid- j 
 ing in Hamilton township, Northampton county, recently arrived from Germany. He I 
 was one of the most active in stirring up opposition fo the house tax law, only second 
 in influence to John Fries, and continued to preach to his congregation until his tongue 
 was silenced by arrest. After his release he fled to the State of New York, where he 
 was arrested and brought back. He was tried, found guilty of conspiracy ; sentenced i' ' 
 one year with a fine of $50, and to give security for one }£ar for his good behavior. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 6l 
 
 he came to meet his accuser. They gave no indication of 
 creating a disturbance and mingled peacebly with others 
 assembled. Information was now brought in that there was 
 an armed force at the Lehigh bridge, on the march for the 
 tavern. A consultation was held, and it was deemed best to 
 send a deputation down to hold a conference with them, to 
 learn their intention. It was agreed to send a delegation of 
 four upon this duty, two Federalists and two anti-Federalists. 
 The men selected were John Mulhallon," William Harnett, 
 Christian Roths and Isaac Hartzell, gentlemen of standing ar.d 
 influence in the county. They received no particular instruc- 
 tions, and were only charged to prevail upon the armed force 
 not to come into town. 
 
 The deputation rode down through the main street of 
 Bethlehem, crossed the Lehigh to the south bank, and pro- 
 ceeded about a half mile bc}'ond the bridge, where they met a 
 party of armed horsemen, whom they learned were from the 
 neighborhood of Millarstown. These belonged to the North- 
 ampton contingent. Upon inquiring for the commanding 
 of^cer, they were told they had no officers but were all com- 
 manders. The committee then told them the object of their 
 visit, and used every persuasion to induce them to relinquish 
 their march to Bethlehem. They explained to them the prob- 
 able consequences of the rash step they were about to take; 
 that they would be resisting the laws of the United States in 
 rescuing the prisoners, and the Government would surely 
 punish them for it. All they said seemed to have but little or 
 no effect. While judge Mulhallon and Mr. Barnett were 
 talking with these people in front. Christian Roths went toward 
 the rear to use his influence in that quarter. One of the men 
 said to him, "We don't know you;" A\hereupon he told 
 them in reply, that whether they knew him or not, they would 
 thank him for the advice he had given them. Another pointed 
 his gun at him. This did not alarm Roths, who mildly said, 
 "Little man, consider what \'ou are about; don't be too much 
 in a hurry." While they were holding tnis parley a company 
 
 « John Mulhallon, called "Judge" Mulhallon, and probably Associate Judge at one 
 time, was appointed the firtt Prothonotary for Lehigh county, when it was cut off from 
 Northampton. 
 
62 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 of armed riflemen came up. They ivere likewise informed 
 of the wish of the Marshal, but they gave it no more heed 
 than the others. 
 
 The march of the insurgents was now resumed and they 
 continued to the bridge where another halt was made. The 
 committee here held another parley with them, endeavoring, 
 by alljpossible means, to induce them not to go over into the 
 town. They now said that the Marshal had two of their men 
 prisoners, who had gone to Bethlehem under arms, and they 
 intended to set them free. They appeared to be alarmed at 
 the idea of the prisoners being taken to Philadelphia for trial. 
 While admitting they should be punished, if they had done 
 wrong, they must be tried in Northampton county. When 
 the committee saw the insurgents were determined to pro- 
 ceed, they suggested it would be better to send three or four 
 men over as a deputation to confer with the Marshal. To 
 this they agreed, and three of their number were appointed to 
 go. Afraid lest these men should also be made prisoners^ 
 they stipulated with William Barnett that he should return 
 them safely. The two committees then crossed the river to 
 Bethlehem, and together proceeded to the Sun tavern. They 
 were taken before the Marshal and had a conference with him- 
 Upon inquiring the reason of so many armed men coming 
 there, they replied they came to prevent him taking the 
 prisoners to Philadelphia to be tried. He told them that that 
 could not be, and advised them to go to their companions and 
 persuade them to return to their homes. They requested 
 that the two men, who had been made prisoners in the morn- 
 ing, should be released, which was done and their arms delivered 
 to them. As the committee had promised, they now returned 
 with these men to the south side of the river to deliver them 
 to their companions. 
 
 We last took leave of John Fries and his friends on their 
 march from Conrad Marks' tavern by the way of Millarstown 
 to Bethlehem. They were a little in the rear of the Northamp- 
 ton contingent, and arrived at the bridge while the committee 
 of citizens were gone to the tavern with the men deputed to 
 confer with the Marshal. They did not halt any length of 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 63 
 
 time on the south bank of the river, but pushed across and 
 continued on to the tavern, where the prisoners were confined. 
 Meanwhile, the comniittee of conference, on the part of the, 
 Marshal, had started on their return accompanied by the two 
 released prisoners and their three friends. When they reached 
 the lower part of the village, they met the force of John 
 Fries marching up the main street. They stopped him to hold 
 a parley, and endeavored to prevail upon him and his men not 
 to continue their march up into the town; but they disregarded 
 their appeal and said they were determined to go on. One of 
 the men, supposed to have been Fries, said, "This is the third 
 day that I am out. I had a fight yesterday, and I mean to 
 have one to-day if they do not let the prisoners clear." They 
 now resumed the march. The force consisted of two companies 
 of riflemen, and one of mounted men, numbering in all about 
 one hundred and forty. The horsemen mar chcd two abreast 
 armed with drawn swords. The footmen carried rifles, at a 
 trail, in single file. One of tbe companies was commanded by 
 a Captain Staeler, and wore tri-colored cockades on their hats. 
 Fries marched in front of the riflemen and was apparently in 
 command 
 
 The appearance of this large armed force, so close at hand, 
 created great confusion and excitement, not only at the tavern 
 but throughout the town. A conflict between them and the 
 Marshal's posse was now thought inevitable. The inhabitants 
 and strangers in the town flocked around the scene of action to 
 watch the course of events. The Marshal had a force of less 
 than twenty men to protect eighteen prisoners, who were 
 merely placed in different rooms in the tavern, without being 
 further restrained of their liberty. When the insurgents were 
 known to be coming, the prisoners were told their friends were 
 at hand prepared to take them away, but they did not wish to 
 be rescued. The force arrived about i o'clock in the day; 
 marched into the yard in front of the tavern ; halted, the 
 horsemen dismounting, and the riflemen passing around the 
 house drew up in the rear of the horses and rested on their 
 arms. The men kept well in ranks, and appeared to be under 
 good control. The Marshal doubled his guard over the 
 
64 THE TRIES REBELLION. 
 
 prisoners and stationed two at the bottom and two at the top 
 of the stairs, arnied with pistols. Fries went into the tavern, 
 accompanied by two of his men, and requested the sentinel at 
 the foot of the stairway to let him go up to see the Marshal. 
 Word was sent up to Colonel Nichols, who came forward and 
 told the guard to let Captain Fries pass up. When he came to 
 the Marshal, Fries informed him he had come for the 
 prisoners, and demanded their release. The Marshal replied 
 this was out of his power, but if he were determined to take 
 them, he must get them the best way he could. Soon after 
 Fries and his force arrived, Captain Jarrett came up, and the 
 men saluted him with cheers. He had been to Philadelphia 
 to surrender himself and be discharged on bail, and had just 
 returned. He had an interview with the Marshal who re- 
 quested him to get the men to withdraw. This he promised, 
 to do, but he either had no influence or did not choose to 
 exercise it. He remained about there some two hours, but 
 took no steps to quell the disturbance. After the interview 
 with the Marshal, Fries returned to the guard and told his 
 followers the result of it. Upon learning this the}' became 
 quite violent and expressed a determination to have the 
 prisoners at every risk. They abused Eyerley, the com- 
 missioner, and all who had assisted him, and towards them 
 appeared to be more enraged than at the Marshal. 
 
 The insurgents now prepared to take the prisoners by force 
 if they should not be given up peaceably. Fries told his men 
 that four or five sentinels had to be passed, and begged them 
 not to fire until the Marshal's posse had fired upon them ; he 
 would go on before them and expected to get the first blow. 
 He cautioned them, a sec^id time, not to fire first, and 
 promised to give the word as soon as he was fired upon, when 
 they must help themselves. He then gave the command, and 
 his men followed toward the tavern. The\' came on with a 
 rush and succeeded in getting into the entry in considerable 
 numbers, where they were met by the Marshal's posse. A 
 struggle took place between them, which resulted in the posse 
 clearing the entry of the enemy. Esquire Horsfield came 
 down stairs while the contest was going on, and, seeing that 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 65 
 
 great excitement prevailed, he made his way through the 
 crowd up stairs again to the hindlord, Mr. Levering/ and pre- 
 vailed upon him to close the bar, as liquor stimulated the dis- 
 turbance. This repulse maddened the crowd, and they re- 
 turned to the charge with greater fury than before, yelling and 
 uttering savage shrieks. They struck the butts of their rifles 
 on the ground, and fairly jumped with rage. They came to 
 the door and a number entered and filled the hall. Those 
 who remained outside pointed their rifles up at the windows 
 to intimidate, and one, who entered, thrust the muzzle of his 
 gun up the stairvia\-, threatening to fire. They shouted 
 their determin ition to have the prisoners. These proceed- 
 ings caused great consternation among the Marshal's posse, 
 who began to grow alarmed for their own safety. • 
 
 Philip Schlaugh was so much frightened he mounted his 
 horse when the second rush was made, and rode for Easton as 
 fast as his animal could carry him. Esquire Horsfield begged 
 the Marshal "for God's sake" to deliver up the prisoners, and 
 worked his way down stairs to be ready to make his escape. 
 The Marshal and his friends, up stairs at this time in charge 
 of tlie prisoners, consulted with Judge Henr}' and others as 
 to what was best to be done. He was advised to surrender 
 the prisoners to Tries. This he refused to do, but said he 
 would march them to Philadelphia, and if the mob thought 
 proper to take them from him, on the way, it would be their 
 act, not his, and he told them to prepare immediately to start 
 for the city. Several refused to go, saying they would not 
 thus endanger their lives, but if he would suffer them to return 
 to their homes they would meet him in Philadelphia on Mon- 
 day or Tuesday following. Fries was still demanding their 
 release and threats of bodily harm were made against Eyerley, 
 Henry and others, in case the prisoners were not given up. 
 The Marshal, considering the lives of these gentlemen in 
 
 7 Abraham Levering was the landlord of the Sun tavern at the time of the rescue of 
 the prisoners, and the fifth in succession. He was a son of John and Susan Levering, 
 Nazgreth, and born December, 1757. His wife, Christiana, a daughter of Lewis 
 Gassier, Lititz, was the popular hostess of the tavern for nine years. Levering entered 
 upon the management June ist, '1790; retired from the tavern in June, 1799, and died 
 in Bethlehem, 1S35. 
 
66 
 
 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 danger, rather than expose them to injury, concluded to de- 
 liver the prisoners to Fries, and they were released and turned 
 over to him. In a few minutes there was not an armed man 
 on the ground, while the people of the town and neighbor- 
 hood, who had collected as witnesses of the proceedings, quietly 
 dispersed and returned to their homes. The contest was 
 bloodless and the insurgents won. 
 
T'he frie| I^ebellion. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Th\e JPfesider^t Issues His Proclamation. 
 
 Immediately, after the rescue of the prisoners at Bethlehem, 
 John Fries returned to his home in Milford township, but 
 far from satisfied with the part he had taken in the affair. The 
 excitement having subsided and reflection assumed its wonted 
 sway, he doubted the propriety of his course, and began to 
 have fears that he and his friends had gone beyond legal resist- 
 ance. Like every man, who places himself in the wrong, he 
 was anxious to unburden his mind by talking with others upon 
 the subject, in the hope of justifying his conduct. For this 
 purpose he went to see John Jamison,' an old acquaintance, 
 two days after the occurrence, to whom he gave a full account 
 of the affair at Bethlehem, and the part he took in it. He 
 threw the blame upon the Germans, who, he said, he could do 
 nothing with, as they had gotten the idea into their heads 
 General Washington was opposed to the law, and therefore 
 they need not allow it to be carried into execution. 
 
 An effort was now made to harmonize matters so the asssess- 
 ments could be taken, thus putting an end to the disturbance 
 that had so long agitated this and neighboring counties. It 
 was agreed among the leading men in the disaffected districts 
 of Bucks the proper course would be to meet and choose a 
 committee from the three counties. For this purpose a meet- 
 ing was called at the tavern of Conrad Marks, Monday, March 
 15, wdiich some 200 people attended from the three counties. 
 A committee of four from each county was appointed, with 
 authority to consider the situation, and report what was best 
 to be done under the circumstances. We have not been able 
 
 1 John Jamison was a descendant of William Jamison, who settled in Richland town- 
 ship, in the neighborhood of Quakertown about 1730. He was a farmer and of no par- 
 ticular prominence. 
 
 (67) 
 
6S THK FKIKS RKHKI.LION. 
 
 to procure the names of ^ill on the committee, but have scver.i 
 from this county; John Jamison, George Klinc,^ Danii ^ 
 Roberts,^ Conrad Marks, Dr. ]>akcr, a man named Davis and 
 Captain Jarrett. They advised the people to desist from 
 further opposition to the assessors and other officers in the 
 execution of their duties, and enjoined upon them to L^ive due 
 submission to the hiws of their country. This seemed to be 
 the sentiment of all present at the meeting, and no dissent 
 was experienced. The people of Lower Milford were now in 
 favor of having the assessments made, but, Mr. Roberts, upon 
 being consulted, was not willing they should choose an assessor, 
 but if Mr. Clark, who had not yet given up his commission, would 
 take the rates, it would answer every purpose. A second 
 meeting was advertised to be held at George Mitchcl's tavern 
 on March 25, to take the sense of the people ufjon the subject 
 of permitting Clark to make the assessments, h'ries was at 
 the meeting held at Conrad Marks, and, as it does not ap- 
 pear he took any part in the proceedings, he probably cpiietly 
 acquiesced with others in the peaceable measures adopted. 
 Upon this occasion he and Mitchel had some conversation on 
 the subject, when he admitted his former resistance to the 
 law, a fact he never denied. He now expressed a willingness 
 to give in his submission, and allow the law to be inforced. 
 Apparently wishing to make some amends for his former harsh 
 treatment of the officers, he told Jacob Iluber that his house 
 should not be assessed until he had given the assessors a 
 dinner, and that if he were not at home when they came his 
 son would be tliere to provide for them. With this the op- 
 position to the law in Milford ended, and, from that time for- 
 ward to his arrest, there was no better ordered citizen in the 
 county than John Fries. Me returned to his usual occup^i- 
 
 2 The Kline family were sympathizers with Fries in his opposition to the house tax law, 
 and Jacob Kline, Sr., and three others of the name were arrested for treason. Jacob 
 Kline was present at the meeting at Mitchel's tavern and was then well dispoK<d. 
 
 ^ Daniel Roberts was a descendant of Edward Roberts, who, with his wife, settled 
 near Qiiakertown, 1716. She was a daughter of Everard and Elizabeth Holton, who 
 settled at Cheltenham, Montgomery county, 1682. The ancestry of the Boltons is traced 
 back to the Lord of Bolton, the lineal representative of the Saxon Earls of Murcia. The 
 late Judge Roberts, of Doylestown, was a descendant of Edward Roberts. 
 
THE FRIKS RI;I:KI.I.I0N. 69 
 
 tic^n, vetidiu; ci'\'iiiL;", and, if liis puscnt y;()od conc'uct be any 
 evidence, he had entirely repented his i)reviou.s couise. 
 
 Tlie Marshal ke|)t Jndi^e I'eters full)- informed of the opera- 
 tions of tile insur_L;'ents, and also of his own movements. 
 Immediately ui)on the rescue of the prisoners at 15ethlelu-m 
 he announced the fact to the Judi^e, who laid the matter be- 
 fore the I'Y'tleral authorities without chjay. Upon bein^ thus 
 officiall}' informed of the truth of what had heretofore reached 
 him inthcshapeof rumors, alth('Ui,di prett>' well authenticated, 
 the President called his cabinent tf)i^ether to deliberate upon 
 the steps t<) be taken in relation thereto. They were now 
 fully cognizant of tlu' resistance that had been offered to the 
 law, and was satisfied it could not be ext'cuted in the disaffected 
 districts unices the opi)osition should end. It was now de- 
 termined the I*resi(K'nt should issue his proclamation, and mi- 
 deavor, by tliis mild means, to call the deluded disturbers of 
 the peace back to their duty, before a resort was had to harsher 
 measures. For this purpose he caused to be issued, fi'om the 
 se.it of government at l'hil<uleli)hi.i on March 12, 1799, the 
 following : 
 
 By the President of the United States of Aineriea : 
 
 PROCLAMATION. 
 
 WHKRKAS, combinations, to defeat the execution of thel.iws 
 for the valuation of lands and dwelling liouses \vithin the 
 United States, have existed within the counties of Northamp- 
 ton, Montgomery and Bucks, in the .State of l\Mins)'lvania, 
 have proceeded in a manner subversive of the just authority 
 of the govemment, by misrepresentations to reuuler the laws 
 odious, by deterring the of^cers of the United .States to for- 
 bear the execution of their functions, and by opeidy threaten- 
 ing their lives. And, whereas, the endeavors of the well- 
 effected citizens, as well as of the executive officers to con- 
 ciliate compliance a\ ith these laws, have failed of success, and 
 certain persons in the county of Northampton, aforesaid, have 
 been hardy enough to perpetrate certain acts, which, I am 
 advised, amouiit to treason, being overt acts of levying war 
 against the United States, the said i)ersons exceeding one 
 
70 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 hundred in number, and armed and arrayed in warlike manner, 
 having, on the seventh day of the present month of March, 
 proceeded to the house of Abraham Levering, in the town of 
 Bethlehem, and there compelled William Nichols, Marshal of 
 the United States, for the District of Pennsylvania, to desist 
 from the execution of certain legal processes in his hands to 
 be executed, and having compelled him to discharge and set 
 at liberty, certain persons whom he had arrested by virtue of 
 a criminal process, duly issued for offenses against the United 
 States, and having impeded and prevented the commissioners 
 and assessor, in conformity with the laws aforesaid, in the 
 county of Northampton, aforesaid, by threats of personal 
 injury, from executing the said laws, avowing, as the motive of 
 these illegal and treasonable proceedings, an intention to 
 prevent, by force of arms, the execution of the said laws, and 
 to withstand, by open violence, the lawful authority of the 
 United States. And, whereas, by the Constitution and laws 
 of the United States, I am authorized, whenever the laws of 
 the United States shall be opposed, or the execution thereof 
 obstructed in any State, by combinations too powerful to be 
 suppressed by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings, or 
 by powers, vested in the Marshal, to call forth military force 
 to supress such combinations, and to cause the laws to be duly 
 executed, and I have accordingly determined so to do, under 
 the solemn conviction that the essential interests of the United 
 States demand it. 
 
 Thcrefo7-€, I, John Adams, President of the United States, 
 do hereby command all persons, being insurgents as aforesaid, 
 and all others whom it may concern, on or be/ore Monday 
 next, being the eighteenth day of the present month, to dis- 
 perse and retire peaceably to their respective abodes : and I 
 do, moreover, warn all persons whomsoever, against aiding, 
 abetting or comforting the perpetrators of the aforesaid treason- 
 able acts, and I do require all of^cers and others, good and 
 faithful citizens, according to their respective duties and laws 
 of the land, to exert their utmost endeavors to prevent and 
 suppress, such dangerous and unlawful proceedings. 
 
 In testimony thereof, I have caused the Seal of the United 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 71 
 
 States of America to be affixed to these presents, and signed 
 
 the same with my hand. Done at the city of Philadelphia, 
 
 the twelfth day of March, in the year of our Lord, 1799, and 
 
 of the Independence of the said United States of America, 
 
 the twenty-third. 
 
 By the President : 
 
 (Signed) JOHN ADAMS. 
 
 (Signed) TiMOTHY PICKERING, 
 
 Secretary of State. 
 
 The proclamation reached Milford township, on the fifteenth 
 of March. Its appearance created a good deal of excitement 
 and talk among the people, who were now convinced the 
 government was disposed to treat the late disturbance with 
 more seriousness than the participators in it had believed. It 
 was reported to the meeting at Conrad Marks, on the eigh- 
 teenth, where it became the subject of discussion and conver- 
 sation. On the evening of the day, it first made its appear- 
 ance in the township, George Mitchel carried a copy down to 
 Frederick Heaney's, to whom he read it, who agreed to sub- 
 mit to it ; and he made no further opposition. Soon after 
 the appearance of the proclamation, a statement of the part 
 John Fries had taken in opposing the law was published in 
 the newspapers; Israel Roberts carried a copy to him to read 
 what was said of him. The account of his conduct, as 
 published, seemed to affect him greatly; and, upon being 
 questioned, he admitted he had never before considered the 
 matter in such serious light as he had within a few days. He 
 said he had not slept half an hour for three or four nights, and 
 that he would give all he was worth in the world if the matter 
 were settled and he clear of it. He expressed a willingness 
 to surrender himself if the government would send for him. 
 
 The meeting advertised at George Mitchel's tavern, on 
 March twenty-five, was held at that time. About forty 
 persons were present, among them, John Fries and Frederick 
 Heaney. It was agreed that Clark should make the asse- 
 ments. Neither Fries nor Heaney voted upon the question, 
 but both expressed a willingness that others should do so, and, 
 
72 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 in fact, lioped they might vote for him. They seemed to 
 yield entire obedience to the authorities, and appeared sensi- 
 ble of their previous misconduct. In Northampton county, 
 the reception of the President's proclamation had the same 
 good effect as in Bucks, and almost wholly quieted the dis- 
 turbance. But little opposition to the law took place after 
 that date, the most serious being the attack on Mr. Balliott, a 
 collector. He was waylaid u[)on his return from Bethlehem, 
 whether he had been on business, and so severely beaten a 
 physician was brought from that place to attend him. His 
 injuries, however, proved not to be very serious, and he soon 
 recovered. About the same time Henry Artman, Adam 
 Stephen and Henr)^ Shankwyler, of Millarstown, went to 
 Philadelphia, and surrendered themselves to the Federal 
 authorities, and entered into bail before Judge Peters for 
 their appearance. These men were among the most violent 
 opposers of the law in Northampton county. The opposition 
 to the law had the efTjct of ciusing a repeal of the provisions 
 of the house tax, requiring a statement of the windows of 
 each dwelling, at the sessions of 1798-99, and before the most 
 serious disturbances had taken place. 
 
 The reader, no doubt, will be as much astonished as the 
 writer, at the course of the government after this period. 
 From and after March 25 John Fries and his aiders and abet- 
 tors gave their entire submission to the authorities, and com- 
 ported themselves as cjuietly and orderly as the best citizens. 
 They allowed their property to be assessed, and acquiesced in 
 the law being carried into execution. Under all the circum- 
 stances it does not appear that the extreme measures after- 
 wards pursued were called for, but that a lenient government, 
 such as ours professes to be, should have overlooked the 
 faults and even offenses of the past, in consideration that a 
 very obnoxious law, and at best of questionable propriety, was 
 allowed to go into full force and effect. The pursuing of 
 Fries, in this view of the case, had the appearance of perse- 
 cution, which created greater sympathy, in his behalf, than 
 would otherwise have been extended to him. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 73 
 
 The President's proclamation gave the proceedings of the 
 insurgents, in Bucks and Northampton, an importance they 
 otherwise would not have received ; and, from this time for- 
 ward to the conclusion of the " Rebellion," it was a National 
 affair, and attracted the attention of all sections of the 
 Union. Many expected to see another " Western Insurrec- 
 tion" or a " Shay's Rebellion," with a more disas!:rous termi- 
 nation. The timid friends of republican government were 
 alarmed lest this disturbance might be a rock on which the 
 ship of State would founder and go to pieces, while the 
 enemies of our institutions predicted such would be the re- 
 sult, and appeared delighted at the prospective overthrow of 
 the government. 
 
 The President caused his proclamation to be immediately 
 sent to the Governor of Pennsylvania, then in Philadelphia 
 attending upon the session of the Legislature, and Governor 
 Mifflin^ transmitted a copy to the Assembly, accompanied by 
 the following message: 
 
 Message of the Governor of Pennsylvania, to the Tivo Houses of 
 Assembly : 
 
 Gen FLEMEX : — It is announced, by proclamation issued by 
 the President of the United States, dated the 12th inst., that 
 combinations, to defeat the execution of the laws for the 
 valuation of lands and dwelling houses within the United 
 States, have existed in the counties of Northampton, Mont- 
 gomery and Bucks, in the State of Pennsylvania : That in the 
 judgment of the President it is necessary to call for the mili- 
 tary force, in order to suppress the combinations aforesaid, 
 and cause the laws aforesaid to be duly executed ; and that 
 the President has accordingly determined to do so, under the 
 
 ^ Thomas Mifflin was born in Philadelphia, 1744, of Quaker parentage, and brought 
 up to mercantile pursuits. When the war for independence broke out, Congress ap- 
 pointed and commissioned him a Brigadier-General and he was given command of the 
 Pennsylvania troops. He served with great credit in various positions, among which 
 was Quartermaster-General. He was elected a member of Congress, 1783, and made 
 Speaker. In this capacity he acted during the closing scenes of the Revolution and re- 
 ceived back the commission of Washington when he formally tendered his resignation. 
 He was elected Governor of Pennsylvania, 1790, the first under the new Constitution, 
 and served three terms, nine years. He died at Lancaster, January 21, 1800. 
 
74 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 solemn conviction that the essential interest of the United 
 States demands it. 
 
 That I have received no communication from the President 
 on this important occasion, yet it is my duty, as Executive 
 Magistrate of Pennsylvania, to call your attention to the sub- 
 ject, that if any means ought to be taken on the part of the 
 State to co-operate with the Federal government, they may 
 be devised and authorized by the Legislature. 
 
 (Signed) Thomas MiFFLiN. 
 
 Philadelphia, March 77, lygg. 
 
 The matter was referred to a committee of the House, 
 which made report condemning the disturbance in the strong- 
 est terms, but proceeded to say, that as the President had 
 taken proper steps to quell the insurrection, they did not 
 deem it necessary for the State to take any action in the mat- 
 ter ; but whenever it should become necessary to co-operate 
 with the general government they would do so cheerfully. To 
 the report was addeded the following resolution, but was 
 stricken out on its passage : 
 
 Resolved, " That the Governor be, and is hereby requested 
 to cause full and due inquiry into the causes of the said riots, 
 to be made, and to make special report to this House there- 
 upon, and particularly of any circumstances which may be al- 
 leged, or discovered, tending to show the origin of the same 
 agency of foreign incendiaries, in the seditions views of do- 
 mestic traitors." 
 
»._^J •** ' i'.,. 
 
 ^■Sl 
 
 :^ 
 
 ■^^^ 
 
^•he jFie§ P^ebellion. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 '^Froops Called Out to Suppress tl^^e Ii\surrectior\. 
 
 While the Legislature took no further action concerning 
 the house tax troubles, the Representatives from Northamp- 
 ton county issued an address to the people of the State, in 
 which they say that, on a recent visit to their constituency, 
 they found nothing that " looks like an insurrection." They 
 were highly indignant at the course of the Federal govern- 
 ment, as were the people of the State, generally. There was 
 now a change of policy ; the " Fries Rebellion" was relegated 
 to the military arm for treatment. 
 
 On March 20 the Secretary of War made the following 
 requisition, on Governor Mifflin, for militia to assist in quell- 
 ing the insurrection : 
 
 War Department, March 20, 1799. 
 
 Sir: — To suppress the insurrection now existing in the 
 counties of Northampton, Bucks and Montgomery, in the 
 State of Pennsylvania, in opposition to the laws of the United 
 States, the President has thought it best to employ a military 
 force, to be composed, in part, of such of the militia of Penn- 
 sylvania whose situation and state of preparation will enable 
 them to march with promptitude. As the corps of militia 
 first desired on this occasion are the troops of cavalry belong- 
 ing to this city, and one troop from each of the counties of 
 Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Montgomery and Lancaster, 
 these troops I have the honor to request your Excellency will 
 order to hold themselves in readiness to march, on, or before, 
 
 175) 
 
76 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 the 28th instant, under the command of Brigadier-General 
 Macpherson.' 
 
 I have the honor to be, with the greatest respect, your Ex- 
 cellency's most obedient servant. 
 
 (Signed) James McHenry.* 
 
 His Excellency, Thomas Mifflin. 
 
 Upon the receipt of the Secretary of War's communication, 
 Governor Mifflin addressed the following letter to the Ad- 
 jutant-General of the State, directing him to issue general | 
 orders for complying with the President's request : 
 
 "Philadelphia, March 20, 1799, 3 o'clock, p. m." 
 
 " Sir .-—The Secretary of War, has this moment com- 
 municated to me, the President's intention to employ a mili- 
 tary force, in suppressing the insurrection now existing in the 
 counties of Northampton, Bucks and Montgomery, with a re- 
 quest that the Troops of Cavalry, belonging to this city, and 
 a troop from each of the counties of Philadelphia, Bucks, 
 Chester, Montgomery and Lancaster, may be ordered to hold 
 themselves in readiness to march on, or before, the 28th 
 instant, under the command of Brigadier-General Macpherson. 
 
 " You will, therefore, issue general orders for complying 
 with the President's request ; and communicate by express 
 with the commanding officers of the several corps. As soon 
 as the troops are ready to march you will make your report to 
 me, sending the returns of the officers from time to time as 
 you receive them." I am, sir, 
 
 Your most obedient Servant, 
 
 (Signed) Thomas Mifflin. 
 
 To Peter Baynton,' Esq., 
 
 Adjutant General of Militia of Pennsylvania. 
 
 1 William Macpherson, the son of Captain John Macpherson, Philadelphia, was an 
 officer in the i6th British foot. At the first ojjportunity he sold out his commission and 
 succeeded in escaping from the British lines to Philadelphia, where he offered his services 
 to the Board of War. He was commissioned a major in the Pennsylvania line. His 
 brother John, a Captain, fell at Quebec. 
 
 2 James McHenry, Secretary of War, from 1796 to 1800, was born in Maryland, 1753, 
 and died in Baltimore, May 8, iSig. He served in the Revolution as aide-de-camp of 
 Lafayette; was a delegate from Maryland to the Continental Corgress, 1783-S6; a 
 member of the Convention that formed the Federal Constitution, 17S7, ai.d appointed 
 Secretary of War by Mr. Adams. 
 
 3 The records show that Peter Baynton was appointed Adjutant-General of Pennsyl- 
 vania, February 27, 1799, and vacated the office May 1, iSco. We have not been able to 
 find any further mention of him. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. "J"] 
 
 In obedience to the order of his immediate Commander-in- 
 Chief, Adjutant-General Baynton issued orders caHing into 
 service a portion of the mihtia of the State, as follows: 
 
 " GENERAL ORDERS." 
 
 " PinLADELrniA, March 20, 1799." 
 "The following corps of cavalry are to hold themselves in 
 readiness to march on, or before, the 28th instant : 
 
 "Captain Dunlap's, Captain Singei's, Captain MorreU's, 
 Captain Leeper's, of the city of Philadelphia ; Captain Lesh- 
 er's, of the county of Philadelphia ; Captain Sims', ^ of the 
 county of Bucks; Captain Taylor's, of the county of Ches- 
 ter; Captain Montgomery's, of the county of Lancaster, and 
 Captain Kennedy's, of the county of Montgomery. 
 
 "Officers commanding the above troops of Cavalry will 
 make report to the Adjutant-General as soon as their respec- 
 tive corps are ready to march." 
 
 " By order of the Commander-in-Chief." 
 (Signed) " PETER BaVNTON," 
 
 "Adjutant-General of the Militia of Penns}'lvania." 
 
 Of the quota of troops called for, one company of cavalr}' 
 was taken from Bucks and another from Montgomery, but 
 Northampton was so far gone in rebelli )a her militia were 
 not thought reliable, and none were takjii from that county. 
 The President designated William Macpherson as command- 
 er of the troops about to make the expedition into Bucks and 
 Northampton, and, to give him sufficient rank, he was ap- 
 
 ^ ^Valter Sims bought the China Retreat property, 361 acres, 1798. This was a 
 famous place in its day, on the west bank of the Delaware three miles below Bristol. In 
 1787 the farm belonged to one Benger, an Irish sporting gentleman, who imported the 
 famous horse Messenger. He sold it to one Van Braam Honchgust, the Dutch Governor 
 of an East India island, who erected an elegant mansion upon it, and named it "China 
 Retreat." From him it passed to Captain Sims. Captain John Green, son-in-law of 
 Captain Sims, was the first American sea captain to carry our flag to China. He died, 
 in 1797. In 1833 an additional building was erectedand a school established there called 
 " Bristol College," but lived only a few years. The buildings were used as an hospital dur- 
 ing the War of the Rebellion, and afterward a State school for the education of colored 
 soldiers' orphans, was opened there. Captain Alden Partridge established a military 
 school at China Retreat about 1842-3, which was kep up fur a few years. 
 
78 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 pointed a Brigadier-General in the United States army on 
 March i8. At the time he held the same commission in the 
 militia of Pennsylvania, which he resigned on the 22d, so as 
 to accept the new honors that awaited him. General Mac- 
 pherson resided in Philadelphia, and, after the Revolution | 
 raised and commanded a celebrated volunteer corps known as ' 
 the " Macpherson Blues," which, in its day, was the best 
 drilled corps of citizen soldiery in the country. The troop of 
 cavalry ordered out from Bucks belonged to the lower end of 
 the county, and commanded by Captain Walter Sims. He 
 was preparing to leave the country when the order of the 
 Adjutant-General was issued, and, the next day. tendered his 
 resignation as captain. The letter was addressed to the first 
 lieutenant, William Rodman,' and answered on the 23d, in the 
 name of the company. As we have not found any evidence of 
 an election to fill the vacancy of Captain Sims being held be- 
 fore the troop marched, it probably went out under Lieutenant 
 Rodman. General Macpherson subsequently ordered out a 
 company of cavalry from Cumberland county. 
 
 Not considering the militia called out sufficient to quell the 
 disturbance, the War Department ordered all the regulars 
 that could be spared from other service to join them. The 
 number was about 500, and they were ordered to rendezvous 1 
 at Newtown' and Bristol' and from there proceed to the seat 
 of war. Two companies left New York, March 17, for Bris- 
 tol, there to await the arrival of other troops; a detachment, 
 
 jii( 
 
 5 William Rodman, grandson of Dr. John Rodman, who settled at Burlington, N. J., 
 early in the last century, was born in Bensalem township, Bucks county, 1757. He was a 
 patriot in the Rovolution ; a member of the State Senate, and was elected to Congress 
 in i8r2, serving two terms. The late Mrs. John Fox, of Doylestown, was his niece, 
 daughter of his Brother Gilbert. 
 
 * Newtown, the county seat of Bucks county from 1725 to 1813, is situated in a delight- 
 ful country, six miles from the Delaware and twenty-five from Philadelphia. The popu- 
 lation is about 1500. It was to this place Washington brought the captured Hessians 
 from Trenton, December 26, 1776, 
 
 ' Bristol is on the west bank of the Delaware, opposite Burlington, N. J., twenty 
 miles above Philadelphia. It was made the county seat of Bucks in 1705, and so re- 
 mained until its removal to Newtown in 1725. It is the only sea-port in the county. 
 Population, 5000. 
 
 Ire: 
 
 )(1 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION 79 
 
 mder Captain Jolin Henry* reached Trenton' from New 
 ;^ork on the 23d; encamped there over night, and marched to 
 <Jewtovvn the next morning, there to await further orders. 
 )n the 2 1st a detachment of artillery, under Lieutenant 
 Voolstencroft" passed through Harrisburg from Reading: on 
 he 27th Captain Irvine's" artillery marched from Carlisle;" 
 .nd, on the 30th, a company, commanded by Captain Shoe- 
 naker,'^ sixty strong, passed through Lancaster'^ all for the 
 
 * John Henry, Pennsylvania, was appointed captain of arlilleryists and engineers 
 une I, 1798, and resigned December 31, 1801. 
 
 . 8 Trenton, the capital of New Jersey, is at the head of tide water on the Delaware. It 
 /as founded by William Trent, a successful merchant of Philadelphia, about 1715. 
 i'rent died in 1724. The town increased rapidly. It was made a borough in 1746, and 
 . post office established as early as 1734. This was the scene of tlie capture of the Hes- 
 ians by Washington, the turning of the tide in Revolutionary affairs. The population 
 if Trenton is about 75,000 and it is the seat of extensive and valuable manufactures. 
 
 '« Charles Woolstencroft, of Pennsylvania, was appointed lieutenant 2d artillerists and 
 ngineers June 4, 179S ; in regiment of artillerists April i, 1802; promoted captain 
 '/larch 15, 1805; transferred to corps of artillery May 12, 1814, and died September 28, 
 817. He received the brevet rank of major March 15, 1815, for 10 years' faithful service 
 n one grade. 
 
 " Callender Irvine, of Pennsylvania, was appointed captain 2d artillerists and engin- 
 ;ers June i, 179S, and resigned May 20, 1801 ; appointed superintendent of military 
 itores October 24, 1804; appointed commissary general of purchases August 8, 1812, and 
 lied October 9, 1841, at Pliiladelphia, Penna. 
 
 1- Carlisle, the county seat of Cumberland, was laid out in 1701, and a survey of the 
 own and adjacent lands made in 1702. It was so named from Carlisle, in Cumberland 
 ;ounty, England. In (753 it contained but five dwellings. It was the seat of a govern- 
 ment cavalry school for many years; the barracks being built in 1777 by the Hessians 
 :aptured at Trenton were burnt down by Lees forces when they invaded the Cum- 
 serland Valley in June, 1863. Dickinson's College, chartered by the Legislature, 1783, 
 s located at Carlisle. Few sections of the State are richer in historic incidents. 
 
 " Peter Shoemaker, of Pennsylvania, was appointed ensign, 2d infantry, April 11, 
 [792 ; in 2d sub-legion, September 4, 1792; ist lieutenant, March 3, 1793; captain, 
 March 3, 1799; honorably discharged June 29, 1800. 
 
 " The city of Lancaster, the capital of the county of the same name, is on the Penn- 
 sylvania railroad, between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, sixty miles from the latter. It 
 was laid out by Governor Hamilton, 1730 ; became the seat of justice in 1734, and was 
 incorporated, 1742, It was an important place in Revolutionary times. Congress re- 
 paired there in September, 1777, and thence removed to York. It is the seat of Franklin 
 ind Marshal College. Lancaster is in the heart of one of the very finest agricultural re- 
 gions in the country, and for a long time enjoyed the reputation of being the largest in- 
 land town in the United States. It contains many industries. Lancaster was the capi- 
 tal of the State for some time, and the seat of government was removed to Harris- 
 burg, 1812. 
 
So THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 same destinatioi^ The President also made requisition on the 
 executive of New Jersey for two thousand militia, to hold 
 themselves in readiness to march. Of this force the eight 
 troops of cavalry were to be prepared to march at a moment's 
 notice. The order provides that, " Those who shall be warned 
 for duty in consequence of these orders are to take care that 
 their swords be not loose, but well riveted in their belts, that 
 their blades be sharp and bright, their pistols clean, and in 
 good order for videt duty ; their horses at all times well shod, 
 fed, and gently exercised, their saddles and valise pads well 
 stuffed, and their girths and breast plates sufficiently strong." 
 This order was issued on March 22. As Governor Mifflin was 
 an old soldier he understood the importance of minute direc- 
 tions on such occasion. At a meeting of Captain Mosher s 
 company of infantry, at Lancaster, it was resolved they were 
 ready to march at a moment's warning for the support of gov- 
 ernment. The Daily Advertiser, of March 30, says that 
 various detachments of regular troops are already on the 
 march for Northampton, which will, it is supposed, form a 
 body of about 500 men. 
 
 The time for the marching of the force from Philadelphia 
 under the immediate command of General Macpherson, was 
 fixed for April 3, and on the first instant the following orders 
 were issued : 
 
 " GENERAL ORDERS." 
 
 The troops, which are under orders to march on Wednes- 
 day, the 3d instant, will assemble on their own parades pre- 
 cisely at 8 o'clock, a. m., on that day, in a complete state of 
 preparation to take up the line of march. 
 
 "The different commanding officers will receive their in- 
 structions as to the route, &c,, on Tuesday morning at 10 
 o'clock, for which purpose they will attend at my quarters. 
 Lieutenant John Williams, of the 2d troop of cavalry, of the 
 Blues, is appointed aide-de-camp, and is to be respected ac- 
 cordingly." (Signed) William Macpherson, 
 Philadelphia, April i, ijgg. Brigadier-General. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 8l 
 
 For some reason, not explained, tlie march of the troops 
 was delayed until Thursday, April 4, at 8 o'clock, a. m., to 
 which effect orders were issued on the 2d. The comnimd was 
 to rentlezvous on the evening- of that day at the Spring- House 
 tavern, on the Ridge Road, sixteen milei from Philadelphia, 
 whence the)' were to march for the disaffected districts. 
 
 Despite the orders to march on the 4th, the entire force did 
 not leave on that day. One company of United States Ar- 
 tillery, commanded by Captain Elliott," left the city on the 3d, 
 the day first named, and, on Friday, the 5th, two troops of 
 volunteer cavalry, and the four city troops of horse, got off, 
 but the main body, under command of General Macpherson 
 in person, left the morning of the 4th. They assembled at 
 their quarters at an earl\' hour; thence proceeded to the 
 place of general rendezvous, and took up the march amid the 
 shouts of the populace. As they passed through the city to 
 the sounds of martial music, with frying colors, and "decked 
 in all the pomp, pride and circumstance of glorious war," they 
 created a great sensation. The streets were lined with citizens 
 who had turned out to witness the display ; and while the men 
 whirled their hats and shouted their huzzas, the ladies waved 
 their handkerchiefs and otherwise manifested their admira- 
 tion of the glittering pageant. But once since the close of the 
 war of Independence had so large a body of troops been 
 called together in this section of the Union, and, upon this 
 occasion, the number, as Avell as the nature of their service, 
 caused the display to receive more than usual eclat. Passing 
 out of the city the troops struck the Ridge Road,'" along 
 which they marched to the Spring House, Montgomery 
 county, where they made their camp the same evening. 
 
 As they marched through the country, the people flocked to 
 
 '5 Joseph Elliott, South Carolina, was appointed Lieutenant of Artillery, March 14, 
 1792; transferred to ist artillery and engineers, May 9, 1794; promoted captain July 
 19, 1796, and resigned December 29, iSoo. 
 
 1' The Ridge Road opened about 1700-1701, was one of the early roads leading from 
 the Whitemarsh district to Philadelphia. In " Watson's Annals" I find this mention of 
 it: "William Harmer, John Fisher, Daniel Howell, Edward Burch, Thomas Rutter and 
 Nicholas Scull applied (to Colonial Council) for a road from the limelcilns for carting of 
 lime to Philadelphia, extending from the ' kilns into Plymouth road near Bressoon.' This 
 ■ was the beginning of this road. The recent History of Montgomery county says : "We 
 
82 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 the highways to gaze at the " Federal Army," as they called 
 it, but. as the expedition was disapproved, they received but 
 few marks of approbation in the rural districts. 
 
 Headquarters was still at the Spring House on the 9th, on 
 which day General Macpherson issued an address to the in- 
 habitants of the disaffected districts. It was published in 
 German, and the object appears to have been to call the peo- 
 ple back to their duty; but inasmuch as they had ceased their 
 opposition to the law some time before, and quietly submit- 
 ed to its provisions, the address was uncalled for and without 
 effect. The advent of the troops had a tendency to irritate 
 any existing soreness in the public mind, instead of allaying 
 it, and therefore did harm instead of good. The following is 
 the address : 
 
 " William Macpherson, Brigadier-General" of the armies of 
 the United States, commander of the troops ordered to act 
 against the insurgents of the counties of Northampton, Mont- 
 gomery and Bucks, in the State of Pennsylvania, to the peo- 
 ple of the aforesaid counties : 
 
 Fellow Citizens : — " Being ordered by the President of 
 the United States to employ the troops under my command, 
 or, according to circumstances, further military force to pro- 
 cure submission to the laws of the United States, and to sup- 
 press and disperse all unlawful combinations, which have been 
 made to obstruct the execution of the aforesaid laws, or any 
 of them, by main force and power, I, therefore, have thought ] 
 
 know, by William Scull's map, of 1770, that the Egypt or Ridge road had been laid out 
 for several years, for it is denoted thereon as leading to Friends' Meeting house in 
 Providence." On a map of Norriton, made in 1771, it is called " Road to Philadelphia 
 called Egypt road." It was extended through the borough of Norristown sometime be" 
 fore 1770. The Ridge Road terminates in Philadelphia at Ninth and Vine streets, and is 
 known after it enters the city limits as Ridge Avenue, and is a much traveled highway 
 leading to the northwestern part of the city, on which a line of passenger cars runs. In 
 1829, the United States mail was robbed on the Ridge Road, within the present built-up 
 portion of the city, which created great excitement at the time. The robbers, Porter, 
 Wilson and Potete were arrested and tried. One of them turned states evidence and the 
 two others were hanged. How far General Macpherson marched on the Ridge Road 
 before leaving it and striking across country to the Bethlehem road along which he 
 marched to reach the Spring House, is not knovv'n. No doubt he marched up Ninth 
 street, to Vine, and there took the Ridge Road, as this seems to have been his most 
 practicable way of leaving the city. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 83 
 
 it proper to inform the people of the said counties, and all 
 others whom it may concern, of the danger to which they ex- 
 pose themselves by combining in unlawful proceedings, or 
 giving any assistance or encouragement to those who are con- 
 cerned therein ; and likewise to re[)resent to them how just 
 it is to submit to the laws, in general, but particularly to those 
 against which they have opposed themselves in the most 
 violent manner. It cannot be unknown to you, my fellow 
 citizens, nor to any part of the people of the United States 
 that submission to the laws, constitutionally made, is abso- 
 lutely necessary for the support of the government ; and that 
 in a republic, where laws are made by general consent, this 
 consent must be manifested by the majority of such persons 
 as have been appointed for that jnirpose by the people in 
 general, according to the constitution." 
 
 After pointing out the duty and necessity of the people to 
 submit to the laws when made, he proceeds to discuss the 
 constitutional power of Congress to lay the tax in question, 
 and points out the article under which the law was passed. 
 " The United States were threatened with the resentment of a 
 very powerful, very ambitious and very revengeful nation," 
 and that the tax was necessary to raise money in order "to 
 provide for the common defense and general welfare" of the 
 country. He next speaks of the tax and the manner in which 
 it was to be assessed, of which he says : 
 
 " In laying this tax Congress paid the greatest attention to 
 the situation and wants of the people, and distributed it in 
 such manner the burden almost totally falls on the richer 
 part, and the poorer class are greatly screened from the effects 
 thereof. It is laid on land, dwelling houses and slaves ; but 
 as there are no slaves in this State, the whole tax falls upon 
 the lands and dwelling houses. The lands are to be taxed 
 exactly to their value, be the owner whom he may, but the 
 dwelling houses are appraised at a different rate. The poor 
 man whose house, outhouses and lot, not exceeding two acres, 
 are worth less than $100 has nothing to pay ; and if it were 
 worth $100 the tax would be only 20 cents. According to the 
 same rule, other houses of a higher value pay as follows: If 
 
^4 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 worth $200, 40 cents ; $300, 60 cents ; $400, 80 cents, and 
 $500, one dollar, from which you will perceive, my fellow- 
 citizens, that the house tax is according to the value of the 
 house, at 20 cents to $100; but for houses from $500 to a 
 $1000 value the tax rises for each $iOO, 30 cents ; so that a 
 house of the value of $600 will have to pay six times 30 cents 
 or $1.80., If worth $700, $2.10; $800, $2.40; $900, $2.70; 
 $1000, $3. 
 
 "At this rate the rich man, with a house rated at $1000, has 
 to pay three times as much tax as the poor man whose house 
 is rated at one-half that sum, viz: $500; and thus the tax 
 operates progressively to the most costly houses and opulent 
 people, until the value of their houses is taxed in proportion, 
 five times as high as those of their poorer fellow citizens, 
 whose houses are worth only from $100 to $500. A house 
 worth $100 pays 20 cents, which is only the one-fifth part of 
 one per cent, of its value ; a house worth $30>,cco paj-s $300, 
 which is one whole per cent, of its value, and consequently 
 five times as much in proportion as the former. Hereb)', 
 my fellow citizens, you must be convinced that an opposition 
 to this tax in our counties is not only contrary to the Con- 
 stitution, the laws, and every principle of good government, 
 but, in itself, inconsistent and ridiculous, as the tax which is 
 opposed is the most easy on the poorest citizens, whom they 
 irritate to opposition. Many of their houses., however, would 
 have no tax to pay, an.d very few more than $1.00 each, for 
 very few of their houses would be rated at more than $500. 
 It is true, they will be subject to a land tax, but the tax on 
 houses must first be deducted from the whole quota of the 
 State, and what is then deficient will be laid upon the land. 
 The houses in this State will probably pay the greatest part 
 of the tax, perhaps the whole, and, in that case, no tax will 
 be laid upon the land, and those whose houses are rated at 
 less than one hundred dollars will be exempt from the tax. 
 As a further proof of the attention of Congress to the wishes 
 and accommodations of the people, they have, during the 
 last session, repealed that part which required a statement of 
 the windows of each dwelling house, and which, as it after- 
 
THE FRTKS KKBELLION. 85 
 
 ward appeared, \i'as more disagreeable than nccessar)- or 
 useful. Therefore no further account of the windows has 
 been demanded. I'o ascertain the value of the lands and 
 houses was a difficult matter, anti connc.-cted with a i^reat deal 
 of expense, but wdien once done need not be rej)eated. Cireat 
 pains were takcMi and the most effective measures employed to 
 select people of j^ood character who understood the business 
 well, and whose interest weie ecjually involved with their fel- 
 low citizens to have the business accurately executed. " He- 
 sides, this act is not perpetual, being only for one year, and 
 will n< t be continued unless the pul)lic good demands it, and 
 not otiierw'se than with the consent of the i:)eopie through 
 their representatives. As for those wlio have, in so treason- 
 able a manner, opposed the execution of such lawful, necessary, 
 and, for that part of the citizens who are the least able to pay 
 taxes, indulgent law, there can, therefore, be p.o excuse. The 
 bad consequences which they draw upon themselves by their 
 criminal conduct the\' cannot impute but to their own blind- 
 ness, obstinac}' and malice. On tlie contrar\', ever\' necessary 
 step will, and must be, taken to bring them, and all others who 
 have aided and abetted them, to sidDmission and trial by due 
 , course of law, in order that their punishment may serve as an 
 example to others and prevent a Jike course in the future. 
 The necessity of emploving arms against a number of our 
 fellow citizens is painful, but the consccjuences must be im- 
 puted to those, whose traitorous conduct has produced the 
 present disturbances, and not to government, who, according 
 to its most sacred duties, is obliged to maintain order, and 
 enforce obedience to the laws. 
 
 " Rut all those wh.o return quietly to t'.eir homes, and 
 abstain from any participation in these unlawful acts, either 
 through open aid or secret abetting, counsel, or information, 
 shall obtain the utmost protection to their persons and 
 property. 
 
 " Every precaution shall be taken that the march of the 
 troops shall not be troublesome to the citizens; all subsistance 
 shall be punctually paid for, and the strictest discipline ob- 
 served. Let me, therefore, my fellow citizens, warn and 
 
S6 THE FRIES REBELLION". 
 
 entreat you as you love your country and extenuate the happi- 
 ness consistent with liberty, order and peace ; as you wish to 
 avoid the necessity of human bloodshed, which is as much 
 repugnant to my wishes as those of the President ; as you 
 abhor the horrors of a civil war, and the crimes and punish- 
 ment of traitors, let me conjure you to shut your ears against 
 the counsels of those malicious persons who would lead you 
 to destruction in order to satisfy their own ambition, while 
 they screen themselves from punishment due to their crimes; 
 who try to seduce you to take up arms against the laws and 
 governments of your country, and involve yourselves in a 
 contest, as hopeless as it is criminal, against the power of the 
 United States; who speak to you of peace and liberty while 
 they are kindling civil war; who complain of expenses while 
 they are forcing the government to augment them, in order to 
 suppress sedition and revolt ; and who plume themselves 
 upon being Republicans, while transgressing the most essential 
 principles of Republican government ; to wit : obedience to 
 the laws made by the decision of the majority. 
 
 "Therefore, I forewarn you not to aid or abet those violaters 
 of the law in any manner, so that you may avoid a participa- 
 tion of their crimes, and the consequent punishment. 
 
 "Given under my hand and seal at Headquarters, April 
 6, 1799." 
 
 (Signed) WiLLlAM Macpherson. 
 
 (Signed) John Williams, Aid-de-Camp. 
 
^■he f^T'ie^ Rebellion. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 t^ev. Cl-^arles Menr-y I lelmutH Issues aii Address 
 
 When the address of General Macpherson was pubh'shed, it 
 was accompanied by a letter, from the Rev. Mr. Hehiiuth/ ad- 
 dressed to the German population in general, and the people 
 of Northampton, in particular: 
 
 "TO THE TEOrLE OF NORTHAMPTON COUNTY." 
 
 "■ Frioids and Brethren in the Faith : — Excuse my address- 
 ing these lines to you ; where there is fire, everybody is bound 
 to extinguish it, and the clergyman is no more to be blamed 
 for lending his aid than any other citizen. I am depressed 
 with anxiety on your account. I know the consequence of 
 conduct like yours ; many of you will doubtless be appre- 
 hended and confined, some perhaps will pay the forfeit with 
 their lives. You know it is the duty of the clergy of the city 
 to warn such miserable persons, and prepare them as much as 
 in their power for the awful change. My heart was much op- 
 pressed. 
 
 1 J. Henry Charles Helmuth was a distinguished Lutheran clergyman, of Philadelphia, 
 for his piety and zeal, and he is credited with hoping his appeal to the German popula- 
 tion might restore quiet and order. We give both the address of General Macpherson 
 and Mr. Helmuth because they are part of the documents bearing on the "Rebellion," 
 and help to make up its history. Macpherson's address is a stilted affair and not called 
 for. From its date, the Rev. Jlelmuth's letter was written before the troops marched, 
 and not published until after that of the General's. A citizen of Northampton replied 
 to it with some bitterness, calling him to account for meddling with things that did not 
 concern him. We were not able to find a copy of this letter among the contemporane- 
 ous records and newspapers we examined. 
 
 (87) 
 
gg THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 " I thou;^ht, alas ! perhaps the same circumstances as those of 
 1794 will again occur; perhaps other thoughtless people will 
 fall into the same wretched situation because they were igno- 
 rant, and were deluded, and what would be your feelings if you 
 had to witness their sorrow and anguish, their agonies of 
 death? You should have warned the miserable creatitres ; he 
 would then perhaps have been saved; but you neglected to 
 warn him, and are therefore responsible for the destruction of 
 him and h.is. Such were the melancholy reflections that in- 
 duced me to write you these lines. 
 
 " 1 trust that \'ou will thii k, vv^hen you read this, as you may 
 in truth : This man is sincere for our welfare — why then 
 should we think it improper in him to send us this advice .•' If 
 he even should now and then say some things that are not 
 perfectly agreeable to us we will still take it in good p.irt, for, 
 perhaps, he is in the right, perhaps we have been deluded, we 
 may have been deceived. If such be your thoughts you will 
 soon find them perfectly correct. 
 
 "You have hitherto entitled yourselves to the character of 
 industrious and religious citizens of the Union, and most of 
 the Germans still deserve that praise ; but, sorrowful to re- 
 late, you have suffered yourselves to be spurred on to the 
 most abominable injustice, to actual rebellion against the 
 government you yourselves have chosen. How happy it is 
 that your number is but small, amongst the serious, and that 
 the far greater part of them view your inconsiderate conduct 
 Avith detestation ! You all know that government cannot ex- 
 ist without taxes ; at least your Bible should so instruct you ; 
 read Romans, I2th chap., 1-7 ; read it attentively. 
 
 " Do but reflect reasonably on your conduct. Even the holy 
 passion week have you profaned with the works of actual re- 
 bellion. You have undertaken to oppose a tax, which is as 
 favorable to the country people as any tax can possibly be ; 
 for the rich inhabitants of the cities pay by far the greatest 
 proportion of it ; you have undertaken to oppo.se the tax 
 which never would have been made had not the govern- 
 ment been necessitated to make defensive preparations against 
 the attacks of the French ; a nation that aims at the over- 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. '89 
 
 throw an-.l distraction of all religion, against a people that 
 would scarcely have dared to attack and plunder us if they 
 had not bjen certain they had their adv^ocates among us. 
 
 "You do not consider the dreadful consequences of such 
 opposition as you have made ; I will therefore inform you of 
 some of them. 
 
 " In the first place, an army of several thousand men will 
 be m irched into your neighborhood ; you well know that in 
 spite of every possible attention of commanding officers, ex- 
 cesses will be committed by an army. You will be more or 
 less prevented from following your usual occupations, and 
 yourselves and families will be put in greater terror and ap- 
 prehension. 
 
 "Second, Tiie army will cost money, and the money the 
 government will have to raise by direct ta.xes, for which you 
 must thank your own opposition. The western expedition in 
 1794 cost a million of dollars ; from this you miy judge what 
 expenses you will bring on yourselves and fellow citizens by 
 your scandalous insurrections. 
 
 " Thirdly, If you make any further opposition you will 
 necessarily be treated as rebels, and, before a month has 
 passed, many of you will be in prison. They will be torn 
 from their wives and children, and some will probably suffer 
 an ignominious death. 
 
 " Alas ! my heart bleeds for you. You have been told a 
 thousand falsehoods. You have been told that the militia ap- 
 proved of your violence, and would not march against you. 
 But you have been wrongfully deceived. For my own part I 
 have heard many speak of your conduct, but I have not heard 
 one approve of it ; your best friends (if those are your best 
 friends who agreed with you in political opinions) say the oc- 
 currences in Northampton are very unjustifiable ; the in- 
 surgents must be subdued ; what would become of us if every- 
 body were to create an insurrection ? This is the substance of 
 what is thought and said of your conduct— and you may de- 
 pend upon it, that the government could, at a very short no- 
 tice, muster upward of 20,000 men, if such a number were 
 
go THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 necessary, wlio would willingly march against you. Every 
 one cries shame ! shame ! upon you. 
 
 " I beseech you to mark well the character of these men 
 who have enticed you to tiiis insurrection. Are there not 
 many of them who spend more money at the taverns in the 
 course of a few evenings than their whole tax amounts to ? 
 Honest Christian men will never advise to rebellion, but more 
 especially against a government which has scarcely its equal 
 under the suti. No ; the)' are wicked, restless men, who have 
 deceived themselves and you. 
 
 " It is your misfortune that you have suffered the habit, to 
 grow upon you, of scandalizing the government ; of cursing, 
 instead of blessing it ; and then indeed there are enough to be 
 found, who, having particular ends in view, will scheme with 
 you ; persons who wish for your friendship on election day, in 
 order that they may get a lucrative office under the very gov- 
 ernment that they blaspheme. When matters come to ex- 
 tremities, these deluders know perfectly well how to slip their 
 necks out of the halter and let the deluded suffer. These, 
 who, in comparison with the former, are innocent, will be left 
 to bake as their deceivers have brewed. Think of me when 
 you experience this sorrowful truth. 
 
 "Alas! you have been most scandalously deceived: from 
 my sold I pity you ! But what is now to be done ? Listen, and 
 take m\^ advice. It is possible that the Marshal will be sent 
 with an armed force to seize the wretches who ojaposed him 
 in arms. For God's sake do not let yourselves be prevailed 
 upon to abet those rebels; for should you be found in their 
 company, you will certainly be punished with them. 
 
 " Rather endeavor to persuade them to deliver themselves 
 up to the proper authority, and this would be the wisest 
 course they could pursue; but if they will not do so give the 
 Marshal every assistance he may require, for it is your duty. 
 
 " Take my advice ; affection for you and the impulse of con- 
 science have compelled me to write you this letter. 
 
THE FUIKS RKBKI.LION. 9I 
 
 If you follow my counsels you will tlo well, if not, I have 
 done ni}' duty. Re assured that I remain your friend," 
 
 (Signed) "J. Hkx\kv Chari.ES Helmuth." 
 
 " Philadelphia, March 28, I'jgg^ 
 
 The troops quartered at the Spring House" tavern and farm 
 houses in the neighborhood the night of April 4, and, the 
 iiext morning, several cavalry companies resumed the march 
 up the old Bethlehem roacP for Seller's tavern." This was the 
 
 '•i The Spring House is on the Rethleheni road, in Gwynedd township, Monijjoniery 
 county, twenty miles from Philadelphia. It is an old settlement. The inn has been a 
 famous hostelry in its time and was probably licensed as early as 1735. The village con- 
 sists of a store and a dozen houses. I'\iur incorporated turnpikes meet here. On his 
 pedestrian Uip to Niagara, iSo^, Alexander Wilson, the ornithologist, stopped over 
 night at the Spring House, and wrote its praise inverse : 
 
 " The road was good, tlie passing scenery gay. 
 Mile after mile passed unperceived away. 
 Till in the west the day began to close, 
 
 And Spring House tavern furnished us repose, 
 There two long rows ui' market folks were seen, 
 
 Ranged front to front, the table placed between. 
 Where bags of meat and bones, and crusts <>f bread, 
 
 And hunks of bacon all around were spread ; 
 One pint of beer from liij to lip went round. 
 
 And scarce a crumb the hungry house dog found ; 
 Torrents of Dutch from every quarter came. 
 
 Pigs, calves and saurkrout the important theme ; 
 While we, on future ]jlans revolving deep. 
 
 Discharged our Ijills and straight retired to sleep." 
 
 '■' The Bethlehem road was originally laifl out from the land of Peter Trexler, in the 
 present Lehigh county, then in Pucks, to the Spring llnuse tavern, Philadelphia county, 
 now Montgomery, i735- '*>' R"bert Thomas, John Ro.jeris, Hugh Evans, and Jan Jan- 
 sen, viewers. It was one of the great arteries of travel for more than a century from ],e- 
 high to Philadelphia, and was tapped by numerous latteral roads. It was gradually ex- 
 tended up the country as the settlements went north, reaching Nathaniel Irish's stone 
 quarry, in the Hellertown road, at Iron Hill, 1738, and Bethlehem and Nazareth, 1745. 
 It crossed the Lehigh a short distance below Bethlehem, at the head of the island now 
 ownedby the Bethlehem Iron Company. It was piked in 1S05-06. The Old Bethlehem 
 road unites with the New Bethlehem road at Line Lexington. 
 
 * Sellers' tavern, the present Sellersvilie, is on the North Penn. railroad, in Rockhill 
 township, Bucks county, and, before the railroad was built, was a noted inn on the Beth- 
 lehem road. Philip Henry ZoUer was the first of the family to settle in that section 
 about the middle of the last century. His son, Samuel Sellers, built a house and opened 
 a tavern there, about 1780, a small stone square structure, two stories and an attic. Here 
 his son, Thomas, was born, 1787. On the death of his father he took possession and 
 owned it many pears, keeping a store and tavern. He was the first postmaster, 1S20; 
 was prominent in affairs, and elected sheriff and to the Legislature. It has had several 
 owners, each occupant making some alterations. After Thomas Sellers came Peter 
 Kneckel, Amos Jacoby, Simon Jacoby, Harry Jacoby &c., down to C. M. Hartzell, the 
 
g2 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 present Sellersville in Rockhill township/ Bucks county, on 
 the line of the North Pennsylvania railroad. They got there 
 that day and encamped on the farm of Andrew SchHchter, 
 which, we believe, is still in the family, and was occupied by a 
 grandson a few years ago. General Macpherson probably did 
 not follow with the main body until the 6th, as his address 
 bears the date of that day. There is, however, a conflict as to 
 the date of its publication, for while the address itself is dated 
 the 6th, the Philadelphia Daily Achtertiser^ states it was pro- 
 mulgated on the 5th, the day the cavalry resumed their 
 march. If this date be correct General Macpherson probably 
 marched with the cavalry. The whole force was now as- 
 sembled at Sellers' tavern, where headquarters was established. 
 Judge Peters arrived at ii o'clock on Saturday morning to be 
 at hand to bind over, for appearance at court, any persons who 
 might be arrested. General Macpherson appointed Robert 
 Goodloe Harper,' Esq., an additional aide-de-camp, and other 
 
 present owner. The interior was recently modernized, and a new porch built in front, 
 but the old walls are there. The village was erected into a borough, 1874, and the popu- 
 lation is about 1200. 
 
 * Rockhill, a townsliip in Bucks county, was settled by Germans between 1720 and 
 1730, and that nationality continues largely the ruling element. It lies in the northwest 
 section of the county and borders Montgomery. The township was organized in 1740, 
 with an area of 14,343 acres, and is one of the most pxjpulus townships in the county. 
 Perkasie Manor, a tract of 10,000 acres, granted by William Penn, in trust to his son 
 John, 1 701, was partly in Rockhill. The township is well watered and fertile. Sellers' 
 tavern, the first objective point of Macpherson's army, is in Rockhill township. 
 
 5 The Daily Advertiser, which had its birth as The Peniisyli'atiia Packet and General 
 Advertiser, 1771, and was the first newspaper established in Philadelphia, in the Revolu- 
 tionary period. Its publisher was John Dunlap, a man of varied abilities and broad en- 
 terprise, and took David C. Claypole into partnership. In 1784 it developed into a daily, 
 the first daily newspaper published in America, under the name of The Daily Adver- 
 tiser. It wielded great influence. On September 19, 1796, Washington's farewell ad- 
 dress to the people of the United States, first appeared in its columns, the manuscript of 
 which Washington allowed Claypole to retain. During the prevalence of the'yellow 
 fever in Philadelphia, in the summer and early fall of 1798, the office of the Advertiser 
 was removed to Germantown. The paper ceased to exist many years ago. 
 
 ' Robert Goodloe Harper was born near Fredericksburg, Va., in 1765. For a time he 
 served in the army during the Revolution, He graduated at Princeton, 1785; was ad- 
 mitted to the Bar of Charleston, S. C, 1786; member of Congress, 1794-1801. Served 
 in the War of 1812, being promoted from Colonel to Major-General. He was elected 
 U. S. Senator from Maryland and served in that body, 1816-1821. As an associate of 
 Joseph Hopkinson he participated in the impeachment trial of Judge Chase of the U. S. 
 Supreme Court ; in 1821 he became the Federalist candidate for Vice President of the 
 United States. He was an eminent jurist and statesman. He died at Baltimore, January 
 15. 1825. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION, 93 
 
 arrangements were made to perfect the organization of the 
 troops, and have them in the best possible shape for the war 
 they were about entering on. 
 
 From this point the active operations of the campaign were 
 to commence. Thev^ were within striking distance of the 
 houses of the leaders of the disturbance in Bucks county, 
 whom they sought to secure. Fries was the first object of 
 capture, and, the same day the troops encamped at Sellers' 
 tavern, a scout was organized to effect his arrest. Some of his 
 acquaintance had given General Macpherson information of 
 his whereabouts, and one, a neighbor, agreed to accompany 
 the troops as guide. The detail for this purpose consisted of 
 four companies of cavalry, two commanded by Captains Port- 
 er and Wharton, but the names of the commanders of the 
 other two we have not been able to learn. The troops left 
 camp soon after noon piloted by David Penrose, who lived at 
 Bunker Hill." It was known he was engaged that day to cry 
 a vendue for one Fried at this place, and it was the intention 
 to capture him while thus employed. They continued their 
 march up the old Bethlehem road in the direction of that 
 point. 
 
 In the forenoon, when Fries was on his way to the vendue, 
 he passed by the residence of William Edwards, father of the 
 late Caleb Edwards, Ouakertown, who, with his son, was 
 making fence along the road. Mr. Edwards told Paries he 
 would be arrested if he went to the vendue, and he had bet- 
 ter stay away. He replied he was not afi'aid, and that no one 
 or two men would take him. Edwards said there would be 
 more than one or two there, but Fries made no reply and con- 
 tinued on his way. He was afoot and accompanied by his 
 little black dog. Mr. Edwards' son soon m'ounted his father's 
 stallion and rode down to the vendue, where a large number 
 of people were collected ; the fact that the troops were ex- 
 pected probably bringing more together than usually as- 
 sembled at such places. When the troops were first seen ap- 
 
 8 Bunker Hill is on the New Bethlehem road, the line between Richland and Rockhill 
 townships, and contains a store and a dozen dwellings. The old inn has been closed 
 many years. 
 
g4 THE FRIES REBELLION", 
 
 n 
 
 preaching, about half a mile below the tavern, Fries was o 
 the head of a barrel, bell in his hand crying off an article ;: 
 this he knocked down to the bidder without much cere- 
 mony, then jumped to the ground and took to his heels. 
 The commanding officer rode up and ordered the people tO' 
 stand, but, having become alarmed, they did not heed his 
 order, and broke and ran in all directions, pursued by the 
 troopers. Among the others was one Trumbower, who, 
 choosing to trust to his heels, was chased by a soldier. He made 
 for a fence which he mounted and sprang over, but just at this 
 time the trooper rode up and made a stroke at him with his 
 sabre, which he fortunately avoided and the blow fell upon 
 the fence. The sabre was broken into three pieces, and Trum- 
 bower made his escape. The name of the soldier was Owen 
 Foulke, belonging to one of the Philadelphia companies of 
 cavalry. Caleb Edwards ran for his horse which he mounted 
 to ride home ; he was stopped by the soldiers ; but David 
 Penrose, the guide, coming up, told them to let him go, and 
 he was permitted to ride away. 
 
 In the meantime Fries had succeeded in getting away from 
 the crowd, and, for the time being, eluded his persuers. In 
 the confusion, which followed the arrival of the troops and 
 flight of the crowd, it was some little time before an attempt 
 was made to follow him. As none of the command knew him, 
 they had to trust to their guide for his recognition. A search 
 was instituted among those who remained upon the ground 
 and about the premises, and, not finding him, inquiry was 
 made as to the direction he had taken. This information was 
 soon furnished. Upon leaving the vendue ground, Fries made 
 for a nearby swamp, in a meadow on the farm of John Kach- 
 line, half a mile from Bunker Hill, where he concealed him- 
 self in a bunch of briars. The soldiers distributed themselves 
 through the meadow as he was suspected of being there, and 
 made a thorough search. He would have remained undis- 
 covered, had not the presence of his dog betrayed his hiding 
 place. He offered no resistance. He was brought back to 
 the tavern, when a horse of Samuel Edwards was seized, upon 
 
THE -FRIES REBEELEON. '95 
 
 which he was tied and taken under the escort of the troops 
 down to Sellers' tavern, where he was placed in close confine- 
 ment. 
 
 There is a difference of opinion as to the place of capture 
 of Fries. The Philadelphia Advertiser of April 8, 1799, 
 jn speaking- of the affair, states he was taken in a wood and 
 was not secured until after a pursuit of nearly five miles. Our 
 information was obtained from Caleb Edwards, of Quakertown, 
 who was present at the vendue the day of the arrest, and was 
 conversant with all the facts of the case. We think his state- 
 ment more reliable than that of a newspaper editor who lived 
 at a distance of thirty miles from the scene of action. The 
 same evening a detachment of cavalry from the first and third 
 city troops left camp about sunset to arrest Eberhart, another 
 of the insurgents. He was taken in his own house, in the 
 night, and, of course, made no resistance. The troops called at 
 the houses of several other disaffected persons, but found none 
 of them at home, they having probably fled at their approach. 
 They returned to camp the ne.xt morning before day-break, 
 after a ride of between forty and fifty miles. As soon as 
 Eberhart heard of the approach of the troops, he became 
 much alarmed and began to sec the danger in which he stood. 
 The day that Fries was taken he called upon Mr. Foulke and 
 begged him to shield him from the militar}%and pleaded, in ex- 
 tenuation of the opposition he had made to the law, that he 
 was drunk at the time. An officer, who writes from the camp 
 at Sellers' tavern, under date of April 6, says when the cap- 
 ture of Fries was announced, "The joy manifested on this oc- 
 casion was not to be described ; the cheers from the encamp- 
 ment were loud and repeated." The following extract from a 
 letter written at Quakertown, on April 8, considered the mat- 
 ter in a less serious light, and the writer presumed to turn the 
 campaign and capture of Fries into ridicule. The author was 
 probably an ofificer or soldier of the command although that 
 fact is not stated. He says: 
 
 " It will doubtless afford you much satisfaction to hear of 
 the success of our arms against the rebels. Truxton's splen- 
 did naval victory must yield to the superior splendor of the 
 
g6 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 late action, which took place on the 5th instant, in the neigh- 
 borhood of Quakertovvn. Fries, the noted insurgent leader, 
 who, by profession, is a vendue cryer, and who, on that ac- 
 count, had obtained some ascendency over the multitude, was 
 informed on the morning of the day of the action, (which was 
 a day on which he was also to cry a vendue) that the federal 
 troops were in the neighborhood, and that they were resolved 
 to capture him, and all the world beside if they opposed them. 
 Fries laughed at the account, said he would cry the vendue in 
 spite of the standing army, and seemed to talk as if he was 
 not afraid of them. However, while he was busily engaged in 
 his work of the lungs to his great surprise he beheld, about 
 half a mile distant, the troops approaching. He carried no 
 arms for his defence but his heels, and, of course, the formid- 
 able appearaiice of a regular and disciplined eirviy struck him 
 with such a panic he threw down the fire shovel he was crying 
 and made the best of his way to the woods. 
 
 " The troops, with uncommon spirit and intrepidity marched 
 on towards the crowd assembled at the vendue, and, with a 
 menacing air, demanded the leader of the rebels. A boy of 
 about eighteen, never having (I suppose) seen such boldness 
 and intrepidity in military array, fled with uncommon precipita- 
 tion. Several of the troopers desirous of exhibiting their zeal 
 and activity in the cause of humanity, pursued the poor soul. 
 For some time, by dint of dodging and taking the advantage 
 of fences, he kept them at bay. They grew more and more 
 warm, as the battle increased in dif^culty, and at last dis- 
 charged their pistols at him and shot a hole through his hat ; 
 this brought him to the ground. The troops drew their 
 swords, and it is declared, by a person near the scene of action, 
 that they wounded him severely, and would, no doubt, have 
 killed him, had not some of those that were in the war been 
 informed, that the person captured was not Fries, but a Dutch 
 boy, 18 ! ! ! Fries had a dog — (this dog, no doubt, will be en- 
 titled to a commission or a pension for life for his services) — 
 this dog having missed his master was in search of him. 
 Though as rank a rebel as Fries, no doubt, yet it is ten to one, 
 that the sharp-scented warrior would not have smelt his track, 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 97 
 
 and of course he would have escaped, had it not been for his 
 own ofificei-s and federal dog. The troops, understanding that 
 Fries had gone such a particular course, and upon some per- 
 sons among the insurgents panting after him, the troops had 
 the dog as a pilot, till they finally came in sight of the true 
 rebel. Thus was Fries taken by his dog. A dog worth two 
 of Homer's hero's dogs ! for he has, in a manner, quelled the 
 formidable insurrection, an insurrection that has called forth 
 the energies of government from all quarters. Now, if this 
 Federal dog is treated according to his n^.erit, he will doubt- 
 less obtain an appointment in the army; a troop of dogs under 
 his command might be used to great advantage among the 
 savage Germans, and thus might tluy obtain new iKinors 
 ec|ual to the dogs of Cortez in South America." 
 
 Another informant says that the night after the arrest of 
 Fries, he was taken to the house of Samuel Thomas, father of 
 the late Edward Thomas, of Quakertown, who lived in Rich- 
 land township, near Fester's tanyard, on the Bethlehem road, 
 where he was confined in a back room of a brick building- 
 standing a few years ago, and probably at this time, and, in 
 i86i, inhabited by Enos P. Nace. 
 
 After the capture of John Fries, the military endeavored to 
 make a prisoner of his son, Daniel, an active youth of i8, who 
 was somewhat implicated with his father in his operations. 
 They attempted to capture him at home, but he eluded them 
 and took to the fields and woods. He was chased by the 
 light horse into what was then called " Smith's Meadow." 
 near Swamp Creek. ^ The bogs bore him and he ran across 
 without hindrance, but the horses were too heavy and broke 
 through, one of the riders falling off and breaking his arm. 
 Seeing they could not persue young Fries acros-^ the meadow, 
 they turned back and he escaped. During the imprisonment 
 of his father, Daniel went to Philadelphia to be present at the 
 trial and watch events. The authorities, hearing of him be- 
 
 » Swamp Creek rises in Lower Milford township, Lehigh county, a mile from Steins- 
 burg. Several small streams flow into it within a half mile, and it becomes a consider- 
 able stream in the neighborhood of Milford Square, where it receives other affluents. It 
 empties into the Perkiomen half a mile below Sumneytown, Montgomery county. 
 
98 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 ing in the city, made efforts to arrest him, but in this they 
 were frustrated. Information of wliat was going on being 
 conveyed to his friends, they concealed Daniel in a joiner's 
 shop, until night, when he quietly left for home and reached 
 it in safety. He was never apprehended. He lived and died 
 near Sumneytown, Montgomery county, where I interviewed 
 him in his /Sth year and received these facts from his own 
 lips. 
 
 The next day after the arrest of Fries, he was taken before 
 Judge Peters and examined, and what he said was reduced to 
 writing and signed by him. The following is a copy of what 
 was produced at his trial and admitted in evidence against 
 him. The confession is said to have been made voluntarily. 
 THE EXAMINATION OF JOHN FRIES, APRIL 6, 1 799. 
 
 "The examinant, confesses that he was one of the party 
 which rescued the prisoners from the Marshal at Bethlehem ; 
 that he was also one of a party that took from the assessors, at 
 Quakertown, their papers and forewarned them against the 
 execution of their duty in making the assessments. The 
 papers were delivered with the consent of the assessors, but 
 without force ; perhaps under the awe and terror of the num- 
 bers who demanded them, and were by this examinant de- 
 livered to the assessors. He confesses that, at the house of 
 Jacob Fries, a paper was written on the evening preceding the 
 rescue of the prisoners at Bethlehem, containing an associa- 
 tion or agreement of the subscribers to march for the purpose 
 of making that rescue ; but he is not certain whether he wrote 
 that paper. He knows he did not sign it, but it was signed 
 by many persons and delivered to the examinant ; he does 
 not know where the paper is. The examinant confesses, also, 
 that, some weeks ago, he wrote (before the assessors came into 
 that township) an agreement which he, with others signed, 
 purporting that, if an assessment must be made, they would 
 not agree to have it done by a person who did not reside in the 
 township, but they would choose their own assessor within 
 their township. A meeting has been held in the township 
 since the affair at Bethlehem for the purpose of making such 
 a choice; examinant went to the place of election, but left it 
 
THE FRIES RERKLLION. (J9 
 
 before the election opened. The examinant further ac- 
 knowledges that his motive in going to Bethlehem to rescue 
 the prisoners was not from personal attachment or regard to 
 i any of the persons who had been arrested, but proceeded 
 from a general aversion to the law, and an intention to im- 
 pede and prevent its exaction. He thought that the acts for 
 the assessment and collection of a direct tax did not impose 
 the quota equally upon the citizens and therefore were wrong. He 
 cannot say who originally projected the rescue of the prison- 
 ers, or assembled the people for the purpose. The township 
 seemed to be all of one mind. A man, unknown to the ex- 
 aminant, came to Quakertown, and said the people should 
 meet at Conrad Marks' to go to Millarst'nvn. The examinant 
 says that, on the march of the people to Bethlehem, he was 
 asked to take thq lead, and did ride on before the people un- 
 til they arrived at Bethlehem. The examinant had no arms, 
 and took no command, except that he desired the people not 
 to fire until he should give them orders, for he was afraid, as 
 they were so much enraged, there would be bloodshed. He 
 begged them, for God's sake, not to fire, unless they had 
 orders from him, or unless he should be shot down, and then 
 they might take their own command. That he returned the 
 papers of the assessors, which had been delivered into his 
 hands, back to the assessors privately, at which the people 
 were much enraged, and suspected him (Fries) of having 
 turned from them, and threatened to shoot him, between the 
 house of Jacob Fries and Quakertown." 
 
 (Signed) "John Fries." 
 
 Taken April 6, 1799, before Richard Peters. 
 
 As soon as this examination had been taken, Fries and 
 Eberhart were sent off to Philadelphia under the escort of a 
 detachment of the city cavalry, where thej^ arrived the same 
 evening, Saturday, and were lodged in jail to await their 
 trial for treason. Their arrival and commitment were an- 
 nounced in the newspapers the next morning, and created 
 considerable excitement. 
 
 I The troops broke camp at Sellers' tavern and marched for 
 Quakertown, where they encamped, it is supposed, on the 6th. 
 
lOO THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 They pitched their tents at three different points within the 
 Hmits of the borough, two campanies being located at Pen- 
 rose's pottery, belonging to the late Richard Moore. The 
 same evening a detachment of cavalry was despatched in pur- 
 suit of persons who were accused of having participated in the 
 late disturbance. They were absent from camp all night, and 
 after a hard scout returned the next morning with several 
 prisoners. It was reported that Clergyman Eyerman was of 
 the number, but this turned out to be a false rumor. He had 
 put himself out of harm's way immediately upon his release at 
 Bethlehem. While the army remained encamped at Quaker- 
 town the troops were active in the pursuit of the disaffected, 
 and scouts were sent out in all directions to apprehend them. 
 On the seventh a detachment was sent into the region known 
 as the Rocks,'" where some of the insurgents resided, and cap- 
 tured several of them, whom they brought to camp, and 
 placed in confinement. The troops remained here until the 
 8th, when they struck their tents and marched for Millars- 
 town, Northampton county. The presence of the troops 
 at Quakertown inspired terror among the inhabitants in all 
 that region of country, and their conduct caused great distress 
 and suffering. In their zeal to arrest the guilty their dis- i 
 pleasure often fell upon the innocent. Armed parties patrol- ] 
 led the country in all directions, day and night, and it was 
 only necessary to cast suspicion upon the most upright citi- 
 zen to secure his arrest. Many persons took advantage of this 
 state of things to have revenge upon their personal or political j 
 enemies. The houses of quiet, unoffending people were en- j 
 tered at the dead hour of night by armed men, and the hus- | 
 band torn from the arms of his wife and screaming children ; 
 and their terror was greatly increased by the belief that death 
 awaited those who should be taken, whether they were in- 
 nocent or guilty. The scenes of distress which took place 
 among these poor people, upon such occasions, are described 
 by the eyewitnesses as heartrendering. In many instances 
 the troops added insult to injury, by exulting over the 
 misfortunes of the poor creatures who had fallen into their 
 
 1" The " Rocks" probably refer to the rocky section of Milford township. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 lOI 
 
 hands. So general was the alarm that many of the inhabitants, 
 persons of considerable property and respectable standing, 
 came in and surrendered themselves to the military authori- 
 ties. 
 
^he ^Fie^ Rebellion. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The ^rmy N/Iarclr\es F'rom Quatiertown to ^ller^" 
 
 to-wr\, ar\cl I^etut-r\s to Ph^ilacielpt^ia via 
 
 I^eaciin$3. 
 
 While the troops were encamped at Quakertown, and en- 
 gaged in pursuit of those denounced as insurgents, an alarm- 
 ing system of terror prevailed. This was carried to such ex- 
 tent that a large majority of both officers and men, belonging 
 to the expedition, became dissatisfied and disgusted with the 
 duties they were called upon to perform. An officer thus 
 writes to a friend in Philadelphia, from camp under date of 
 April 8, 1799. 
 
 " The system of terror here, J am sorry to say, is carried far 
 beyond what, in my opinion, the public good requires. De- 
 tachments are out every day, and night apprehending one or 
 other individuals. I am well informed that from the time the 
 members from this district in the State Legislature went 
 among the people and stated to them the impropriety of in- 
 terfering with the civil power, the magistrates could have ef- 
 fected everything that government could require in the ap- 
 prehension of any person in the district. There is scarcely 
 an officer or private in this expedition who is not satisfied of 
 this fact. The scenes of distress which I have witnessed 
 among these poor people, I cannot describe, when we have 
 entered their houses. Conceive your home entered at the 
 dead of night by a body of armed men, and yourself dragged 
 from your wife and screaming children. These poor people 
 
 (102) 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. IO3 
 
 are extremely ignorant, but they have feehngs, and they always 
 consider that death awaits any one who is seized, be he 
 culpable or not. I am sorry to say there have been any 
 instances of an inhuman disposition exhibited ; they have not 
 indeed been many, but vaunting exultation over men, even if 
 they are guilty, when they are captives is neither a proof of 
 generosity or courage. Great numbers of the inhabitants are 
 coming in voluntarily and surrendering themselves; many of 
 them persons of respectable property, and of good standing 
 in the neighborhood." 
 
 The following is an extract from another letter, written 
 from the same place while the army was encamped there and 
 of the same date, which will give the reader some idea of the 
 unpleasant state of feeling existing in the section of Bucks 
 county where the disturbance had taken place. 
 
 " Some of the townships have been at variance ever since 
 the commencement of our Revolution ; and they have been 
 characterized according as they took part for or against 
 Britain, as Tory or H7//^ townships; they consist for the most 
 part of Germans. The townships denominated Tory have 
 always been attached to Mr. Adam's administration; the 
 others of course had different politics. Much bitterness has 
 been constantly exhibited on both sides; but an anecdote, 
 which occurred on this occasion, will, however, give you a 
 closer view than a general relation. It appears that persons 
 of both descriptions were opposed to the window tax, or 
 rather the Tories were opposed to the tax, and the Whigs to 
 the assessors. The landlord of the house in which we were 
 quartered had given information against several of his neigh- 
 bors who lived in a 'Whig' township, and said they should 
 be hanged together with Fries, but particularly Fries for hold- 
 ing a captain's commissions in the last war. A person present, 
 who heard him make this declaration, supposing he meant in 
 the British service, said it was not so ; the landlord replied 
 that it was true, and that a reference to the proceedings of 
 Congress would show it, as well as the name of the Conti- 
 nental battalion in which he served." 
 
I04 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 Among the letters written from Quakertown, while the 
 troops were encamped there was one giving the name, and 
 number, and persons who were taken, or had surrendered, 
 which breathes quite a belligerent spirit toward the un- 
 fortunates implicated, as the following extract will show : 
 
 " We are here now two days, and shall proceed immediately 
 to Millarstown ; when we reach that place I expect to be per- 
 mitted to return home. We have been successful since we 
 set out, and shall have a drove of rascals sufficient to fill a 
 jail; we have already taken thirty-one of them; against, 
 which there is sufficient proof to convict of high treason; the 
 others of misdemeanor. Some of them are frightened almost 
 to death ; the fear they are in is punishment almost sufficient 
 for the greatest of the offenders. By to-morrow night we 
 shall have about fifty more bad fellows; small fry are admitted 
 to bail. The main guard is pretty well filled. 
 
 "Some of the above persons came in and surrendered them- 
 selves, by way of making peace, which saved the troops the 
 trouble of going for them, and may save their lives as they 
 expect by it." 
 
 The following are the names given and the offences for which 
 
 they were arrested : 
 
 TREASON. 
 
 John Fries, John Everhard, Jacob Huber, John Huber, 
 Frederick Heaney, Christopher Socks, Jacob Klein, Sr., John 
 Klein, Jr.. Daniel Klein, Abraham Braith, Jacob Klein, John 
 Getman, George Getman, William Getman and Daniel Weidner, 
 
 MISDEMEANOR. 
 
 Aaron Samsel, Peter Hamberg, Abraliam Strong, Peter 
 Heidrick, Jacob Huber, Henry Huber, Michael Breich, Abra- 
 ham Heidrick, Henry Mumbower, George Mumbower, Peter 
 Gable, Jacob Gable and Daniel Gable. 
 
 HELD AS WITNESSES. 
 
 George Mitchell and William Thomas. 
 
 These sum up fifteen held for treason ; fourteen for mis- 
 demeanor, and two at witnesses, thirty-one in all. There is 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. I05 
 
 hardly a name in the list that cannot be found amon<^ the 
 residents of the German districts, of Bucks to-day, and are 
 among the most prosperous, intelligent and respectable citizens. 
 
 While this volume was in preparation," we received a letter 
 from Mr. James C. Iden, an intelligent and highly respectable 
 citizen of Buckingham township, Bucks county, detailing 
 some interesting incidents connected with the Fries Rebellion, 
 from which we imkc the following extracts. He writes: 
 
 " I remember of hearing my mother say, that on the after- 
 noon on which the insurgents marched to Ouakertown, 
 and took the assessors, Foulke and Rodrock, prisoners, 
 her father, James Cliapman, managing to elude them, arrived 
 unmolested at his home, one mile west of Quakertown, (I 
 think on the farm now occupied by P. Moyer) on the road to 
 Milford Square. But apprehending an attack from Captain 
 Fries and his party, he sent his family to pass the night at one 
 of his neighbors, and then proceeded to barricade the doors 
 and windows of his dwelling, having armed himself with guns, 
 pistols, axes, etc., to repel an attack, should one be made. It 
 proved, however, to be a needless precaution, as no attack was 
 attempted. 
 
 " One day, while the military were encamped within the 
 disaffected districts, a company of troops was detailed to make 
 some arrests. The persons, after whom they were sent, having 
 got wind of their approach concluded to leave for parts un- 
 known. Being closely pursued they took refuge under an 
 arched bridge, and the troops rode over and passed them. 
 Waiting a little while they ventured out again and made good 
 their escape. The troops soon finding themselves at fault, 
 and, suspecting how the matter stood, returned to the bridge 
 and searched under it, but were too late as the quarry had 
 flown. They returned to camp quite mortified at their ad- 
 venture, and declaring it was the last time they would ride 
 ; over a bridge without examining it thoroughly. 
 
 ' " On another occasion a party was sent out to reconnoitre, 
 but, finding nothing that required their attention, they con- 
 
 * 1859-60. 
 
I06 THE FRIKS REBELLION. 
 
 eluded to have some sport by shooting at a mark, taking a 
 farmer's wheelbarrow for their target. Being within hearing 
 distance of the camp, the report of their guns produced a 
 great commotion therein, it being supposed they had met 
 with resistance, and probably would send for reinforcements. 
 After waiting on the tiptoe of e.Kpect ition for some time their 
 trepidation was allayed by the return of the party to quarters, 
 without, however, their having had the honor of receiving any 
 wounds in their country's defense, or bearing with them any 
 of the trophies of war. They and their commander, how- 
 ever, when the cause of the firing was inquired into were fated 
 to have their feelings wounded by a severe reprimand from 
 his superior officer for such a flagrant breach of the rules of 
 military discipline, accompanied by a peremtory order to lay 
 siege to no more wheelbarrows during the campaign. 
 
 " Many of the insurgents were arrested and examined as to 
 the e.Ktent of their participation. One person, (a German) on 
 being questioned as to whether he had carried arms, replied 
 that he had carried an old mustick (musket,) but she was ' goot 
 fer nossing, she would not ,^<3 /ooscJ He was asked, ' if so, why 
 did you carry it'? His reply was, ' O, I dunnow — I dought 
 mebby I might schkeer some potty.'" 
 
 In the same letter Mr. Iden furnishes us the following sketch | 
 of J imes Chapman, one of the assessors, which we insert at 
 this point for want of a more appropriate place: 
 
 I 
 "James Chapman, my grandfather, I may say, was born in 
 
 Springfield township, in October, 1743; that he learned the 
 
 trade of a cabinet maker, but quit it about the time of his ' 
 
 marriage, and commenced farming, surveying and conveyanc- jj 
 
 ing, which he followed until age prevented, residing most of " 
 
 the time in the vicinity of Quakertown. After the close of 
 
 the Revolution he was employed by Judge Wilson, of Penna., 
 
 Governor Hooper, of N. J., and others, to survey and locate 
 
 lands for them in what are now Carbon, Monroe, Pike, and 
 
 Wayne counties. He suryeved and located the State road 
 
 from AUentown through Mauch Chunk, Wilkesbarre and 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. IO7 
 
 Towancla to the State line, (a profile of which I have) also the 
 North and South road leadi^^" from the Wind Gap to the 
 State line. 
 
 '• In locating some lands for himself he entered a tract on the 
 south side of Nesquehonino V^alley — the tract lying immedi- 
 ately south of it being the one on which the Lehigh coal 
 mines were afterwards discovered ; he giving the preference to 
 the former on account of the ciuality of the timber, thereby 
 missing, as it were, by a hair's breadth the accpiisition of 
 almost boundless wealth. He held the appointment of county 
 surveyor for many years, also the office of director of the 
 poor at the time the almshouse was built in 1808. Some per- 
 sons urged the directors to build it one story higher, which he 
 opposed, saying that ' the taxpa}-ers of Bucks count)- would 
 conclude that it was high enough by the time it wixs paid for.' 
 He was one of the county commissioners in 18 12, when the 
 court house was erected in Do)desto\vn. When his term ex- 
 pired he was appointed clerk to the board of commissioners, 
 which he held until a few months before his death, which oc- 
 curred near Mechanics\'ille, in Buckingham township, 1821, 
 aged nearly 78. 
 
 " Being noted for his personal appearance, his weight being 
 270 pounds, and also for his great sociability and fund of 
 anecdote and read}- repartee, in connection with the length of 
 his public life, there were comparatively few residents of the 
 county at that day to whom he was not known ; persons of all 
 ages and conditions addressing him by the familiar title of 
 ' Uncle Jimmy Chapman.' The generation to which he be- 
 longed, have now nearly all passed away ; the venerable Na- 
 thaniel Shewell,' of Doylestown township, being the only sur- 
 vivor of his friends and associates, who now remains with us 
 at the advanced age of nearly 100 years. ""''^ 
 
 1 Nathaniel Shewell, a leading character of his generation in Bucks county, a descend- 
 ant of Walter Shewell, who came from Gloucestershire, England, 1732, and settled in 
 what is now Doylestown township. He built a handsome dwelling on a tract he pur- 
 chased and called it " Painswick Hall," after his birth place. Betsy Shewell, the wife of 
 Benjamin West, was a member of the family. Mr. Shewell was elected sheriff of the 
 county, 1800, serving a full term of three years, and was appointed county treasurer, 
 1820. Mr. Shewell died at the close of i860, his will being proved January 2, 1861. 
 
 * About 1859-60. 
 
Io8 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 The army remained in camp at Quakertovvn until April 8, 
 when the march was resumed toward Bethlehem, Northamp- 
 ton county, in which region of country there were many in- 
 surgents whose arrest was desired. On that day they march- 
 ed but ten miles, when they agairr halted, and encamped, as 
 some arrests were to be made in that neighborhood. It was 
 a great relief to the inhabitants of Quakertown and the sur- 
 rounding country when the army left that place, and many a 
 prayer that they might never return was offered up. The ab- 
 sence of the soldiers and harassing scouts soon restored the 
 usual quiet in that section of the country, although the in- 
 terest in the campaign was still kept up. Of the prisoners 
 named, 19 were sent to Philadelphia, under an escort of 
 cavalry commanded by Lieutenant Melbecke, where they ar- 
 rived on Thursday, the i8th inst., and were turned over to the 
 civil authorities. Conrad Marks, who will be rembered as an 
 active participant in Bucks county, surrendered himself on 
 the 17th to the deputy marshal. A writ had been issued for 
 his arrest, and several parties of cavalry were sent in pur- 
 suit of him, but he eluded them all, and, at last , thought 
 proper to give himself up. He ofTere'd bail but it was refused, 
 and he was sent to the city and thrown into prison. 
 
 The army now proceeded to Millarstown, Lehigh county, 
 where they again encamped, reaching this place probably on 
 the loth. We have no means of knowing how long they re- 
 mained there, but probably did not leave before about the 
 16th. While encamped here they were joined by two more 
 troops of horse, and a column of infantry. A grand review 
 and inspection was held, and the troops are said to have pre- 
 sented a very handsome appearance. From this point parties 
 of cavalry were sent out in pursuit of the insurgents, and some 
 arrests were made, but neither the number nor names is given. 
 It is related that one of the captured was brought before a 
 well known magistrate and was an.xious to know the fate that 
 awaited him, to which the ofificial replied with becoming dig- 
 nity, " in a fortnight the Circuit Court will meet, when you 
 will be tried, and, in a fortnight after, will be in hell, sir." 
 This circumstance is mentioned to show the bitterness of the 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. IO9 
 
 times, more than for any otlier purpose. Many excesses were 
 also committed while the troops lay at Millarstown, and the 
 same system of terror was maint.iined. An officer writing 
 from camp under date of April 1 1, says : 
 
 " With respect to military operations, they still continue; 
 and the number of ])ersons confined in heavy irons increases. 
 1 before mentioned to )'ou that some old men have suffered 
 from their fetters. Several of them, who have been thus ac- 
 coutred, marched through the county under a heavy guard. 
 Rail to any amount has been offered for their appearance to 
 take their trial, but this would not suit the system of terror, 
 nor would it act as a warning to those who may be disposed 
 to vote as they think best at the ne.xt election. All the ef- 
 forts that have been made, however, will not i)roduce resist- 
 ance, and when I tell you that a number of the troops who 
 derive their authority from the Federal government, live at 
 free quarters on tne people, you will not question their 
 patience." 
 
 Another ofificer writing from the same place, under date of 
 April 10, thus speaks ot the expedition, and tlie unhajipy 
 situation of things while the army remained in the countr)': 
 
 " We are now quartered in a Whig town where the people 
 have always been true Republicans. It appears now to be 
 converted into an actual war between Whig and Tory. The 
 people of Ouakertown I find have always been opposed to 
 those who advocate arbitrar}' measures, and the funding sys- 
 tem and standing arm)'. This place, however, appears to have 
 been one of the places where the greatest opposition has been 
 made to the assessors, who, being many of them engaged in 
 hostility against the revolution must, of necessity, have ex- 
 cited disgust and abhorrence in the breast of those who had 
 fought, or whose fathers had bled, in fighting against the 
 British. The inhabitants are principally Germans. Nearly 
 all the male inhabitants, on the approach of our army, fled 
 from their homes, and their wives and children exhibit a very 
 unhappy scene of distress. Had I conceived that some things, 
 which I have witnessed here could have taken place, I should 
 
no THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 never have given my assent to march a mile on the expedi- 
 tion. 
 
 " One effect produced by the distress is that every individual, 
 whom I meet, is disgusted, and a sentiment generally pre- 
 vails, which, contrary to expectation, will, I apprehend, com- 
 pletely destroy the federal influence at the next election. Had 
 the Governor seconded Messrs. Hartzell, and the Senator 
 from this district, by ordering a single troop of volunteer 
 horse that is here under drums, I am persuaded that this 
 business, of which so much has been made, would have termi- 
 nated within the 24 hours that it took place ; and that no 
 other weapons than reasoning would have been found neces- 
 sary. Great numbers of the people have surrendered ; there 
 are about seven detained in irons and I am grieved to see 
 among them some old men, whose wrists are raw to the bone 
 with the hand-cuffs. I would wish to see more humanity 
 among my countrymen, but, unhappily we copy too much the 
 cruel and unfeeling practices of the English. 
 
 " A liberty pole had been erected in this place, which was 
 cut down by force on the approach of the army. The inn- 
 keeper, near whose house it stood, was arrested when we came 
 up, although he had been previously at Philadelphia and 
 given bail ; but, when a volunteer army proceeds thus what 
 would the people have to fear from mercenaries, who have no 
 interest at stake, no principle but obedience to arbitrary 
 orders." 
 
 A third letter written from the same point, says : 
 
 " There are several of these poor creatures who are im- 
 plicated by information, stirred up in the neighborhood, from 
 the embers of old quarrels and animosities, whose distress is 
 very great. Numbers of them, I am informed, are willing to 
 give themselves up, relying on their innocence, provided they 
 were sure of being admitted to bail ; but it is generally under- 
 stood they will not. Pray, is there no magistrate in the city 
 who has authority to receive bail? Is there no one who feels a 
 sentiment that justice is incompatible with cruelty, and that 
 the mildness of our laws does not authorize the infliction of 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. Ill 
 
 severe punishment before trial and execution ? I can scarcely 
 persuade myself that I tread on the soil of Pennsylvania when 
 I witness the sufferings of these poor, well-meaning, but 
 ignorant, Germans. They are treated in no respect like citi- 
 zens of the same country." 
 
 The army marched from Millarstown to Allentown, the 
 present county seat of Lehigh, by way of Bethlehem," but we 
 cannot fix the exact date of leaving Millarstown. It was after 
 April 15, for the troops were there then. They remained at 
 Allentown only a few days, and, while there, do not appear to 
 have been as active in making arrests and committing excesses 
 as at other points. While the -army lay here an amusing oc- 
 currence took place which is thus related by one who belong- 
 ed to the expedition : 
 
 " One night a sentinel, stationed near a wagon, reported 
 that he heard some person about to make an attack upon it. 
 The alarm was given, the drums beat to arms, and the whole 
 command turned out. The arms were loaded with ball cart- 
 ridge, and a member of Congress was sent out to reconnoitre, 
 who, upon his return, reported that the enemy (insurgents) 
 were in rear of the baggage in great force. The troops march- 
 ed to the point, and a platoon was ordered to fire, when a 
 heavy groan was heard, and a body fell to the earth. Some 
 of the boldest ventured forward, and behold they had shot a 
 bull which was making free with the forage that hung out of 
 the tail of one of the wagons. The animal was paid for. This 
 is believed to be the only thing the army killed on the ex- 
 pedition." 
 
 From Allentown the troops marched to Reading, in Berks 
 county, by the way of Greenmeyer and Karackerstown, where 
 they arrived on Saturday, April 20, at one o'clock. Writs had 
 been issued for the arrest of sixteen persons in Greenmeyer 
 township, but fourteen of them came in and surrendered 
 
 2 Jacob Rice, of Bethlehem, in a note to the author, on the march of the army from 
 Millarstown says : "The troops marched from Millarstown to Allentown, which lies 
 northeast from the first named place, about 8 miles. Bethlehem lies due east from Al- 
 lentown, distance 6 miles, consequently their route was not by way of Bethlehem. The 
 troops, with the exception of a few horse, never came to Bethlehem." 
 
112 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 themselves, nnd the troops were sent in pursuit of tlie other 
 two, but tlie\' could not be found. The arni)- made no stay at 
 this place, but ;dmost immediateh' resumed the march for 
 Philadelpliia, where a portion of the cavalr\' arrived on the 
 22d, and the remainder, with Gener.d Macpherson, the ne.xt 
 day. The regulars did not return to the seat of government 
 at the same time as the volunteer corps, but remained en- 
 camped there for a while. 
 
 While the ami}' was in Reading, the members of one of the 
 troops of \-olunteer ca\-<dry committed a gross outrage upon 
 the person of one of the most respectable citizens of the 
 town, without the least cause or jjrovocation, which created 
 great indignati<m in the community. This consisted in forci- 
 bly taking Jacob Schneider, the editor of the Reading Adlcr'' 
 to the market house, and publicly whipping him, b}' the order 
 of their captain. The following is Mr. Schneider's own ac- 
 count of the affair, taken from the Adlcr of April 22, 1799. 
 
 " On Saturday afternoon last, the troops, who were sent to 
 seize upon some people in Northampton, called ' insurgents,' 
 on their return from that expedition, arrived in this town, and 
 last night and this morning they all, except the regulars, 
 marched for their respective homes. 
 
 " It is an old proverb, but certainly a true one, that in every 
 fold, be it great or small, there can be found rotten sheep, so 
 it happened here. This army was small, yet it was not with- 
 out its rotten members, and some extremely so. But among 
 the whole there were none that exceedeci Captain Mont- 
 gomery's troop, of Lancaster Light Horse, not because, as 
 
 3 The Reading Adler is the oldest German newspaper published in the United States, 
 having been established November 6, 1796, by Jacob Schneider and George Gerrish. The 
 second number was issued January 10, 1797, and each successive number of the paper 
 has been i.ssued every week to the present time, without a single omission, covering a 
 period of a hundred years. In 1S02, John Ritter, nephew of the senior member of the 
 firm and a practical printer, was substituted for Mr. Gerrish. From 1843 to 1847, ^^'^• 
 Ritter represented the county in Congress, and died in 1851, aged 73. The Ritter family 
 had a continuous interest in the paper from 1802 to 1857, a period of fifty-five years. 
 Other changes have taken place in the proprietorship, the last in 1874, when it fell to the 
 possession of William S. Ritter. The Adler is a paper of great influence among the 
 Germans, and a political power in the county. The Reading Eagle, a daily published 
 by Jesse G. Hawley, may be called a child of the Adler. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 1 13 
 
 they boasted themselves, it was their trade to catch rebels 
 and abuse them — but because they carried their trade so far 
 as to enter the houses and abuse peaceable and inoffending 
 citizens, in a manner the most scandalous and cowardly. 
 
 " As for example a part of them came to my printing office 
 on Saturday last, not as men of character desirous of support- 
 ing the law and the security of the peaceable citizens, but like 
 a banditti of robbers and assassins. They tore the clothes 
 from my body, and forcibly dragged me from my house be- 
 fore their captain, who certainly proved himself worthy the 
 command of his corps. He ordered his troops to take me to 
 the public market house and give me twenty-five lashes on 
 the bare back, and they proceeded to obey his orders ac- 
 cordingly, and certainlv would have fulfilled them exactly had 
 not some of Captain Leiper's troop, of Philadelphia, interfer- 
 ed, reproached them for their illegal and tyrannical conduct, 
 in consequence of which only a part of the sentence of Cap- 
 tain Montgomery (six lashes) was inflicted." 
 
 Complaint of this outrage was made to General Macpher- 
 son by Colonel Heister' and Colonel Frailly, but he did noth- 
 ing, and no redress could be had. Mr. Schneider was anti- 
 P^ederalist. 
 
 The prisoners in custody were confined in the common jail 
 of the city of Philadelphia, until their trial. It is said their 
 confinement was made unusuall}^ severe, and that an order 
 was issued that none of their families, or friends, should be 
 permitted to visit or hokl intercourse with them, which was 
 carried into effect. 
 
 The expedition, so far as its object, was to arrest those 
 who had disturbed the public peace in the counties of Hucks 
 and Northampton, had been entirely successful, and the lead- 
 ers of the so-called insurrection were in the hands of the 
 Federal authorities. The next step in the drama, or farce, 
 for we hardly know which to call it, was the trial, condemna- 
 tion and execution of the prisoners ; and the preliminaries to 
 
 < The Heisters are an old and influential family of Berks and Lancaster counties, and 
 have furnished one Governor to the State, Joseph Hcister, elected in 1814. 
 
114 
 
 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 this finale were urged with as much haste as common decency 
 would permit. For an account of the proceedings attendant 
 on the trial we refer our readers to the next chapter, where it 
 will be as fully recounted as time and space will permit. 
 
^he fpiel Rebellion. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Trial of JohrL Furies. 
 
 The trial of John Fries was the most extraordinary judicial 
 proceeding our country ever witnessed. The political ran- 
 cour, which had raged with such fierceness during the 
 closing scenes of the administration of Mr. John Adams, 
 was carried upon the bench and into the jury box, 
 and aided, no doubt, to determine the law and the 
 facts of this case. The Judge evinced an apparent dis- 
 position to carry out the high handed measures which had 
 been begun, and whether intentional or not, leaned with a 
 strong bias against the accused. 
 
 The Circuit Court of the United States, before which Fries 
 and the other prisoners were to be tried, commenced its ses- 
 session at Philadelphia, on April ii, 1799, the Hon. James 
 Iredell,' one of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of 
 the United States, being upon the bench. The case was at- 
 tracting such wide-spread interest, the court room was filled 
 with an excited and deeply interested multitude, as soon as 
 the doors were thrown open. After the court was duly 
 opened for business, Judge Iredell delivered his charge to the 
 
 1 James Iredell was of Irish ancestry, born in Lewes, county of Sussex, England, Oc- 
 tober 5, 1751. His father was a merchant in Bristol. Iredell settled at Edenton, N. C, 
 1768 ; studied law and was admitted to the bar, 1770. He was appointed to the Supreme 
 Court of the State, 1777, and Attorney General, 1779. In 1790 Washington appointed 
 him one of the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, and he held that of 
 fice to his death, 1799. He exerted a strong influence in favor of the Revolution, 
 although he did not take an active part at the beginning of the controversey — v/hile at the 
 bar he aided much in giving tone and order to the judicial system of the State. 
 
 UI5) 
 
Il6 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 grand jury, a production which was characterized by great 
 partisan bitterness. He reviewed, at considerable length, the 
 Alien and Sedition Laws, argued their constitutionality, 
 and said they were called for by the spirit of the times. He 
 next passed to the case of Fries, which he noticed with con- 
 siderable particularity. He contended, in advance of the 
 trial, and in the absence of testimony to sustain his opinion, 
 that the crime with which he stood charged was Treason ; 
 which, he said, consisted in opposing, by force of arms, the 
 execution of any acts of Congress. The case was given to the 
 grand jury, which retired to their room, where they made 
 such examination of it as was necessary to satisfy their minds 
 of the nature of the offence. When they returned into court 
 they presented a true bill as against John Fries, who now 
 stood indicted for Treason, the highest crime known to our 
 law. The following is a copy of the indictment under which 
 he was to be tried, viz: 
 
 Indictment in the Circuit Court of the United States of Ameri- 
 ca, in and for the Pennsylvania District of the Middle 
 Circuit : 
 " The Grand Inquest of the United States of America, for 
 the PennsyK^ania District, upon their respective oaths and af- 
 firmations, do present that John Fries, late of the county of 
 Bucks, in the district of Pennsylvania, he being an inhabitant 
 of, and residing in the said United States, to wit, in the dis- 
 trict aforesaid, and under the protection of the laws of the 
 said United States, and owing allegiance and fidelity to the 
 same United States, not having the fear of God before his 
 eyes, nor weighing the duty of his said allegiance and fidelity, 
 but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the Devil, 
 wickedly devising and intending the peace and tranquility of 
 the said United States to disturb, on March 7, in the year of 
 our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine, at 
 Bethlehem, in the county of Northampton, in the district 
 aforesaid, unlawfully, maliciously and traitcrc iisl}- did com- 
 pass, imagine and intend to raise and levy war, insurrection 
 and rebellion against the said United States; and to fulfil and 
 bring into effect the said traitorous compassings, imagina- 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. II7 
 
 tions and intentions of him the said John Fries, he the said 
 John Fries, afterwards, that is to say, on March seventh, in 
 the said year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and 
 ninety-nine, at the said county of Northampton, in the dis- 
 trict aforesaid, with a great multitude of persons, whose names 
 at present are unknown to the Grand Inquest aforesaid, to a 
 great number, to wit, to the number of one hundred persons 
 and upwards, armed and arrayed in a warlike manner, that is 
 to say, with guns, swords, clubs, stones, and other warlike 
 weapons, as well offensive as defensive, being then and there 
 unlawfully, maliciously and traitorously assembled and gather- 
 ed together, did falsely and traitorously assemble, and join 
 themselves together against the said United States, and, then 
 and there, with force and arms, did falsely and traitorously, 
 and in a warlike manner, array and dispose them against the 
 said United States, and then and there, with force and arms, 
 in pursuance of such their traitorous intentions and purposes 
 aforesaid, he, the said John Fries, with the said persons so as 
 aforesaid traitorously assembled, and armed and arrayed in the 
 manner aforesaid, most wickedly, maliciously and traitorously 
 did ordain, prepare and levy public war against the said 
 United States, contrary to the duty of his said allegiance and 
 fidelity, against the Constitution, peace and dignity of the 
 said United States, and also against the force of the Act of 
 the Congress of the said United States, in such case made and 
 provided. (Signed) '• W'lLLlAM Rawle,"' 
 
 "Attorney of the U. S. for the Pennsylvania District." 
 
 The case was not immediately taken up, but other business 
 on the docket occupied the time of the Court until April 30, 
 when it was called up in order. Fries had employed eminent 
 counsel to defend him, viz: Hon. Alex. J. Dallas,' father of 
 
 - William Rawle, born in Philadelphia, April 28, 1759, completed his law studies at 
 the Middle Temple, London, and returning to Philadelphia, 1783, was admitted to the 
 bar. In 1791 he was appointed U. S. District Attorney for Pennsylvania by Washing- 
 ton. He was one of the original members of the Franklin Institute and Historical So- 
 ciety of Pennsylvania, Chancellor of the Law Association ; a fine classical scholar, a 
 deeply read and learned jurist and writer of ability. He died April 12, 1836. 
 
 3 Alexander J. Dallas was born in the Island of Jamaica, June 21, 1759; was educated 
 in London, and studied law at the Temple ; arrived in Philadelphia with his wife, 
 June 17, 1783, was admitted and began the practice of the law. He rose rapidly in his 
 
Il8 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 Vice President Dallas, and Messrs. Ewing and Lewis/ The 
 United States were represented by Messrs. Rawle and Sit- 
 greaves, the latter being a resident of Easton, in Northamp- 
 ton county, and at that time the United States Attorney for 
 the Pennsylvania district. As soon as the case was called up, 
 Mr. Lewis preferred the following motion, in writing, viz : 
 
 " And now the prisoner, John Fries, being placed at the 
 bar of this Court, at the city of Philadelphia, being the place 
 appointed by law for holding the stated sessions thereof, and 
 it being demanded of him if he is ready for his trial for the 
 treason in the indictment mentioned, he moves, orctcniis, that 
 his trial for the same offence may not be proceeded on here, 
 and that the same may be had in the count}- in which tht- 
 same acts of treason in the said indictment mentioned are 
 laid, and wh^re the offence therein mentioned is alleged to 
 have been committed." 
 
 This motion was argued at length by Messrs. Dallas, Lewis 
 and Ewing. The application was founded on the judiciary 
 act, passed September 24, 1789, the 29th section of which 
 provides, " That in cases punishable with death, the trial shall 
 be had in the county where the offence was committed ; or 
 where that cannot be done without great inconvenience, 
 twelve petit jurors at least shall be summoned from thence." 
 Messrs. Sitgreaves and Rawle replied on the part of the 
 United States; when the Court overruled the motion, both 
 judges delivering opinions upon the points raised. One of 
 the reasons given by Judge Iredell why the prisoner should 
 not be tried in the county where the offence was committed 
 was, that the inhabitants were in such a state (^f insurrection, 
 that a fair trial could not be had. All motions being now dis- 
 posed of, the next thing in order was to fix a time for the 
 trial, which was set down for the first day of May. 
 
 profession, and, in 1801, was appointed District Attorney of the United States by Presi- 
 dent Jefferson. In October, 1814, he accepted the portfolio of the Treasury in the Cab- 
 nent of President Maddison. He died at Trenton, N. J., January 14, 1S17. 
 
 * William Lewis was born on a farm in Chester county, 1751, and ccmn-.enced the 
 study of the law without previous educatian to fit him for it. His preceptor was Nicholas 
 Wain, and became his partner after admission. He has been accorded the highest place 
 among his contemporaries, in spite of his roughness of speech. He diafied the famous 
 Act of 1780, abolishing slavery. He died at Philadelphia in his 70th year. 
 
THE frip:s rebellion. 119 
 
 The prisoner beincj brought in and placed at the bar of the 
 Court on that day, was duly arraigned ; when the indictment 
 was read to him, to which he pleaded " Not Guilty," and 
 placed himself upon his country for trial. A jury was then 
 called and empanelled, which consisted of the following per- 
 sons : William Jolly, Philadelphia; Samuel Mitchell, and 
 Richard Leedom,' Bucks county; Anthony Cuthbert, Alex- 
 ander Fullerton, John Singer, Philadelphia; William Ramsey,' 
 Bucks ; Samuel Richards, Philadelphia ; Gerardus Wynkoop,' 
 Bucks; Jos. Thornton, Philadelphia ; Philip Walter, North- 
 ampton ; John Rhoad, Northampton. 
 
 A question arose as to the last two jurymen being qualified, 
 as they were Germans, and did not understand English, but it 
 was agreed that any dfificulty of that nature could be explain- 
 ed to them. Sev^eral of the witnesses being also Germans, 
 and not able to speak English, a Mr. Erdman was, on that ac- 
 count, sworn as interpreter. 
 
 Mr. Sitgreaves opened the case on the part of the United 
 States. He said, " Treason is defined in the Constitution of 
 the United States, section in., art. in.," in the words fol- 
 lowing: " Treason against the United States shall consist only 
 in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, 
 giving them aid and comfort." He charged that Fries was 
 guilty of treason in levying war. He then proceeded to elabo- 
 rate upon the phreesology or description as adopted in our 
 
 5 Richard Leedom settled at the " Black Bear," now Richboroug^h, Northampton 
 township, Bucks county, over a century and a half ago, where he hept store many 
 years. His stone dwelling is still standing. He became a prominent man. In his day 
 the place was called " Leedoms," and is situated on the Middle road, 19 miles from 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 s The Ramseys, of Warwick, Bucks county, are descended from William, a staunch 
 Scotch-Irish Presbyterian, who was born in Ireland, 1698, and came to .-Xmerica, 1741. 
 He had several children, among whom was a William, probably the person mentioned 
 in the text — Robert Ramsey four years in Congress from Bucks county, was a member of 
 this family. 
 
 ' The Wynkoops, a prominent family in Bucks county a century ago, are descended 
 from Cornelius C. Wynkoop, an immigrant from Holland to New York before 170c. 
 They came into Bucks prior to 1750. Gerardus Wynkoop was the son of Gerrit, and an 
 officer of the Revolution. He was a member of the .\ssembly for nineteen years, and 
 long its Speaker. He died about 1812. Henry Wynkoop was a member of Congress, 
 1789, and on intimate terms with Washington. 
 
120 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 Constitution, which is borrowed from the statute of Great 
 Britain, passed in the reign of Edward the III., and which had 
 never been changed. He then passed to an exposition of the 
 full meaning of the word treason, as understood under our 
 Constitution, and pointed out what is necessary to constitute 
 the crime ; and that, according to the definition of Lord Hale, 
 it must consist both in levying war, and in levying war against 
 the government of the United States — that if the people as- 
 sembled in this hostile manner only to gratify a spirit of re- 
 venge, or for any other purpose independent of war against 
 the United States, it would only amount to a riot. He re- 
 viewed, at considerable length, the leading operations of Fries 
 and his friends, pointing out their combination and con- 
 spiracy to resist the federal authorities, and their actual resist- 
 ance, with arms in their hands, at Bethlehem. He now called 
 witnesses to prove the facts stated in his opening. Among 
 those subpoenaed and called upon the stand were, William 
 Henry, William Barnett, John Barnett, Christian Winters, 
 Christian Roths, Colonel Nichols, Philip Sclaugh, Joseph 
 Horsefield, J(^hn Mohollon, Jacob Eyerley, Samuel Toon, 
 George Mitchell, Wm. Thomas, James Chapman, John Rod- 
 rock, Cephas Childs and others. In the main their testimony 
 sustained the facts alleged by Mr. Sitgreaves, and most if not 
 all the overt acts set forth in the indictment were sub- 
 stantially proved. 
 
 Among the witnesses called was Judge Peters, then upon 
 the bench, who was examined more particularly as to the 
 circumstances under which he issued warrants in Northamp- 
 ton county, and in relation to other facts within his knowl- 
 edge previous to the examination of John Fries, on April 6. 
 At this stage of the trial the confession of Fries was read, the 
 same which was taken before Judge Peters, immediately upon 
 his capture, and which was printed in a previous chapter. 
 
 The prosecution having now rested their case, Mr. Dallas 
 remarked to the Court, that, though they wished to give as 
 little trouble on the part of the defendant as possible, they 
 desired to call two or three witnesses to prove that the indis- 
 position which was manifested to permit the assessments to be 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 121 
 
 made was owing to the uncertainty these people were in of 
 the real existence of the law; that the prisoner himself was 
 under the idea that it was no law ; and that they had no in- 
 tention of opposing Congress by force of arms, but that they 
 wished for time, in order to ascertain its real existence, and, if 
 the law were actually in force, they wished, agreeably to their 
 former custom, to appoint assessors from their own respec- 
 tive townships ; that it could be shown that Fries was perfect- 
 ly quiescent after the proclamation, and that some of the wit- 
 nesses were mistaken as to some of the facts which they had 
 sworn to. Mr. Dallas alluded to the fact, that since the jury 
 had been impanneled, a newspaper in the city had attempted 
 to intimidate the counsel and jury, to warp the sentiments of 
 the latter, and to deprive the prisoner of the benefit of the 
 best talent the bar could afford. He proceeded to an exami- 
 nation of the law of treason, and argued that none of the acts 
 complained of amounted to the crime charged. 
 
 After Mr. Rawle had argued the constitutional definition of 
 treason to the Court, in support of the positions taken by his 
 colleague, Mr. Sitgreaves, Mr. Dallas opened the case for the 
 defendant in an able and eloquent speech. He reviewed the 
 whole ground, all the testimony of the witnesses produced by 
 the United States, and denied that from the facts proved there 
 was anything like the levying of war against the United States. 
 He argued that treason could not be made out of the act al- 
 leged, and that at most it was but a conspiracy to resist the 
 execution of an unpopular law. He explained the disadvan- 
 tages under which the prisoner appeared before the Court, 
 and spoke of the popular resentment that had been engender- 
 ed against him ; and he called upon the jurors to drive from 
 their minds everything like bias, and to give the prisoner the 
 advantage of every reasonable doubt they might entertain of 
 his guilt. Having concluded, he called three witnesses, John 
 Jamison, Israel Roberts and Everhard Folke, to prove the 
 facts he had alleged. 
 
122 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 The te>^tiimny on both sides being closed, Mr. Ewing 
 opened the case to the jury for the defendant, and was follow- 
 ed by Mr. Sitgreaves and Mr. Rawle, for the United States. 
 The jury was then charged by both Judges at considerable 
 length, who reviewed all the facts of the case, and the law 
 bearing upon it, showing a strong bias against the prisoner. 
 The case was then given to the jury which retired to their 
 room, and after an absence of about three hours came in with 
 a verdict of Guilty. The trial had occupied the undivided at- 
 tention of the Court from the first to the ninth of May, and 
 during all this period the public mind was in the greatest pos- 
 sible state of e.Kcitement, and the attendance upon the trial 
 large. The jury did not separate the whole time. When the 
 verdict was announced, it was received with satisfaction or 
 disapprobation, according to the political bias of the persons 
 present ; for, strange as it may seem, politics was mixed up 
 with the whole of the affair. 
 
 The Court met on the 14th of May to pronounce sentence 
 upon the prisoner. As s>>oii as Court was opened, Mr. Lewis, 
 one of the counsel for Fries, asked for a rule to show cause 
 why a new trial should not be granted, which caused judg- 
 ment to be suspended, and the prisoner was remanded back to 
 prison. The ground upon which this motion was based, was 
 that John Rhoads, one of the jurymen on the trial, had de- 
 clared a prejudice against the prisoner after he was summoned 
 as a juror on the trial. He read depositions to substantiate 
 the facts stated. Mr. Lewis was sustained in the application 
 by Mr. Dallas, who advanced additional reasons for a new 
 trial. The motion was argued at considerable length by 
 counsel, and the two judges delivered separate opinions. The 
 Court was divided in opinion, Judge Iredell being in favor of, 
 and Judge Chase" opposed to, a new trial; but the latter 
 
 * Samuel Chase, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born in Md., April 
 17, 1741, and died June 19, 1811. He became an eloquent advocate and learned lawyer. 
 He rendered valuable services during the Revolution; was Chief Justice of Md., mem- 
 ber of the Maryland Convention for considering the Federal Constitution, and, in 1796, 
 Washington appointed him Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 1 23 
 
 finally yielded to the former upon the ground that a division 
 in the Court might lessen the weight of the judgment if finally 
 pronounced, and a new trial was accordingly granted. Before 
 the second trial came off the yellow fever broke out in Phila- 
 delphia, which caused a removal of the prisoners to Mont- 
 gomery county for greater protection against the malignant 
 disease and where they remained until the fever had abated, 
 when they were returned to Philadelphia.'" The late Hon. 
 James M. Porter," of Easton, wrote us the following interest- 
 ing recollections of his residence at Norristown, at that period, 
 which we publish in full: 
 
 " I was very young at the time of those transactions, but I 
 still have a recollection that they transpired When the yel- 
 low fever prevailed in Philadelphia, 1 think in 1799, Isaiah 
 Wells, Esq., was sheriff of Montgomerj' (perhaps jailor at that,) 
 and the prisoners were removed from Philadelphia to Norris- 
 town. Mr. Wells was very kind and allowed the prisoners 
 great liberties, in going out and returning to the jail. Several 
 of them, if not all, were farmers and accustomed to work on 
 their own properties at home; he allowed them to get work 
 and be paid for it, in order to get pocket money, and have 
 exercise ; but required them always to be in the jail at night. 
 One, whose name was Moyer, worked one day for my father, 
 who lived about one mile from the jail. I remember the fact 
 of his working there very distinctly — splitting wood. We had 
 nothing but iron wedges, and this Mr. Moyer was the first 
 person I ever saw use wooden wedges or gluts in splitting the 
 
 In 1804 he was impeached for misdemeanor in the conduct of several political trials, in- 
 cluding that of John F"ries, but was acquitted, and resumed his place on the Bench, 
 which he retained until his death. 
 
 * A session of the Court was held at Norristown, commencing October 11, 1799, ow- 
 ing to the yellow fever prevailing in Philadelphia, and the case of John Fries was called 
 but not tried at that time. His second trial was afterward had in Philadelphia when the 
 fever had abated. 
 
 ■' James Madison Porter, was born at Selma, Pa., in January of 1793. He served in 
 the Second War with England ; studied law, was admitted to tlie Par at Easton, 1813 
 where he became a resident. He took at* active part as member of the Constitutional 
 Convention f Pennsylvania, 1838 ; was appointed Secretary of War, 1843, but rejected 
 by the Senate. He was a founder of Lafayette College, Easton, 1826, and President of 
 its Board of Trustees. He died November n, 1862. 
 
124 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 wood. In the evening he complained of not being very well, 
 and our family wished him to remain all night. This he de- 
 clined, saying that Mr. Wells was very good to them, but he 
 had desired them to be there every night, and he would be as 
 good as his word. The next day he got worse with the jail 
 fever and died with it at Norristown." 
 
 The second trial of John Fries was had in the Circuit Court 
 of the United States, at Philadelphia, which commenced on 
 April 29, 1800. Judge Chase presiding, assisted by Judge 
 Peters, of the District Court. The former indictment had 
 been withdrawn, by the District Attorney, and a new one 
 drawn in its stead, upon which Fries was arraigned and, as be- 
 fore, plead, " Not Guilty." Mr. Dallas and Mr. Lewis, who 
 were engaged on the first trial as counsel for the prisoner, 
 were retained to defend him also upon the second ; but they 
 withdrew from the case at the commencement, because of the 
 extraordinary course of the Judges in laying down their 
 opinions as to the law before hearing counsel, thus prejudic- 
 ing the case. They alleged that this preceeding was not only 
 illegal but wholly unprecedented, and they therefore declined 
 to have anything more to do with the case. This conduct of 
 Judge Chase afterward became the subject of the first of the 
 articles of his impeachment, on which he was tried before the 
 United States Senate, in February, 1805. Their withdrawal 
 left Fries without legal assistance. The Court asked him if he 
 wished to have counsel assigned him, but, as he did not ex- 
 press any desire for it, the trial went on in the absence of it. 
 Mr. Rawle and Mr. Ingersol conducted the prosecution. 
 
 Of the jurors called, thirty-four were challenged without 
 cause, and the following were admitted and sworn, viz : 
 Samuel Wheeler, foreman ; Henry Pepper, John Taggart, 
 Cornelius Comegys, Ephraim Clark, Thomas Baily, Lawrence 
 Cauffman, John Edge, Charles Deshler, Henry Dubois, Isaac 
 Dehaven, and John Balliott. Before the jurors were sworn, 
 they were individually asked, upon oath, " Are you any way 
 related to the prisoner," to which they all answered "No." 
 
 i 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. I25 
 
 " Have you ever formed or delivered an o[)inion as to the 
 guilt or innocence of the prisoner, or that he ought to be 
 punished ;" to which they generally answered not to their 
 knowledge. Some of them admitted that they had spoken in 
 disapprobation of the transaction, but not as to the prisoner 
 particularly. Mr. Taggart, after he was sworn, remarked to 
 the Court that he felt uneasy under his oath, inasmuch as he 
 had often spoken of the prisoner as very culpable, but that he 
 had never made up his mind to hang him ; that when he took 
 the oath he did not conceive it to be so strict,' and therefore 
 he vvished to be excused. The Court informed him that as he 
 was now sworn, it was impossible to excuse liim, and he ac- 
 cordingly took his seat with the others. 
 
 Mr. Rawle opened the case on the part of tlie United 
 States. Before any of the testimony was admitted for the 
 prosecution, Judge Chase cautioned the prisoner to attend to 
 the examination of the witnesses against him, and to ask them 
 any questions he might deem proper, but to be careful not to 
 ask any question that might possibly criminate himself. He 
 said that the Court would be watchful of him, and would 
 check anything that might go to injure him, and would be his 
 counsel and grant him every assistance and indulgence in their 
 power. The testimony was much the same as that produced 
 upon the first trial, and sustained the facts laid in the indict- 
 ment. The prisoner offered no evidence. Mr. Rawle sum- 
 med up the testimony, briefly, after which Judge Chase 
 charged the jury. 
 
 The jury retired about six o'clock in the evening, when the 
 Court adjourned until ten. When they entered the jury room, 
 the jurors agreed, that without previous argument among 
 themselves, the opinion of each one should be expressed by 
 ballot, which was done, and they were unanimously in favor 
 of conviction. At the hour to which they had adjourned, the 
 Court again assembled, when the jury was brought in and de- 
 livered the verdict of Guilty, amid the most profound silence. 
 During the trial, Fries was tranquil, and bore himself with 
 
i26 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 great propriety, but, after the verdict was rendered, he became } 
 much affected ; and in view of his impending fate remained 
 depressed in spirits down to the time of his liberation. It is 
 said that he confidently expected an acquittal, based on the 
 opinion of his counsel that his offence did not amount to 
 treason. 
 
 After the retldition of the verdict, Judge Chase remarked 
 to the prisoner that as he had no counsel on the trial, if he. or 
 any person for' him, could point out any flaw in the indict- 
 ment, or legal ground for arrest of judgment, ample time 
 would be allowed for that purpose. The Court met on Fri- 
 nay, May 2, to sentence the prisoner. The sentence was pro- 
 nounced by Judge Chase, who addressed Fries at length, re- 
 marking to the other prisoners at the bar, that what he should 
 say to him would apply generally to them. He reviewed the 
 offence of which he had been convicted, after a fair and im- 
 partial trial, and pointed out the enormity of the crime in re- 
 sisting the acts of a government so free and liberal as that of 
 the United States. He called his attention to his near ap- 
 proach to the close of his career on earth, and besought him 
 to prepare for that other life which was beyond the grave. He 
 entreated him to employ the balance of his days in repenting 
 of his sins, and in seeking that pardon which God alone can 
 give. In conclusion, Judge Chase said : 
 
 "What remains for me is a very necessary but a very pain- 
 ful part of my duty; it is to pronounce that judgment which 
 the law has appointed for crimes of this magnitude. The 
 judgment of the law is, and this Court does award, ' that you 
 be hanged by the neck until dead ;' and I pray God Almighty 
 to be merciful to your soul.' 
 
 Samuel Sitgreaves, who conducted the prosecution at the 
 first trial of John Fries, was one of the ablest men Penn- 
 sylvania ever produced. He was born in Philadelphia, 1763, 
 where he studied law and was admitted to the bar. He re- 
 moved to Easton, Northampton county, about 1786, and, by 
 reason of his great abilities immediately took a high position 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 12; 
 
 at the bar, and became prominent in politics. His first ap- 
 pearance in public life, was as a member of the Constitutional 
 Convention of Pennsylvania, 1790, in which he took an active 
 part. He was elected to Congress, 1794, and served until 
 1798. In the impeachment of Senator Blount, of Tennessee, 
 before the United States Senate, he was one of the leading 
 managers, and discharged his duties with great power, talents 
 and fidelity. In 1799 ^•'- Sitgreaves went to England as 
 Commissioner under Jay's treaty, and was absent at the time 
 of the second trial of Fries. After the election of Mr.^^ffer- 
 son he retired from politics and devoted himself to his profes- 
 sion. He became disgusted with the Federalists, but could 
 not affiliate with the Democrats. He spent the balance of his 
 days in retirement. 
 
 During the time that John Fries was confined in prison he 
 received much sympathy from the citizens of Philadelphia, 
 and others. Among those, who took deep interest in his fate, 
 was the Rev. Dr. Janeway, an eminent clergymen of that day, 
 who visited him by permission of the authorities, and minis- 
 tered to him spiritual and other consolation. He presented 
 him a handsome Bible, of duodecimo size, with which to con- 
 sole his hours of confinement. After his sentence to death. 
 May 9, and when he expected shortly to be led to the scaffold 
 for execution, he made a bequest of this Bible to his children, 
 as follows, viz : 
 
 "Philadelphia, May 22, 1800." 
 " My Dear Children. ^This Book, presented to me by J. 
 J. Janeway, at his request, I leave as the legacy of your dying 
 father. Let me entreat you to regard it as the best gift of 
 Heaven ; as revealing the only way of salvation for lost sin- 
 ners. I beseech, I command you to read and to study it. I 
 pray that the spirit of God may open your eyes, that you may 
 read it in faith, to the salvation of your immortal souls. 
 
 (Signed) "JOHN FRIES." 
 
 The Bible is now in possession of John Fries' descendants, 
 who live in Whitemarsh, Montgomery county, and is cherish- 
 ed by them as a great treasure. The bequest is in his hand 
 
128 
 
 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 writing, and to judge by the language he was by no means an 
 illiterate man. He lived many years after this period, and at 
 his death the sacred volume passed into the hands of those 
 for whom he had intended it. 
 
^he ^m^ Rebellion. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Peifdon of Ffies. 
 
 The conviction and sentence of Fries increased the excite- 
 ment aheady prevailing. The two poh'tical parties took up 
 the question of his guilt or innocence and discussed it with 
 great bitterness ; the Federalists contending he was guilty of 
 treason and ought to suffer the extreme penalty of the law ; 
 the Democrats taking the opposite ground, that he was the 
 victim of tyranny and oppression. The newspapers of that 
 period teem with this violent partizan discussion, and give us 
 an insight into the bitterness that prevailed. When the news 
 spread into the districts where Fries had resisted the execu- 
 tion of the tax law, and it became known, among his neigh- 
 bors and followers, that he had been condemned to death, the 
 minds of the people were more inflamed than at any past 
 period ; and had they possessed the power would undoubteci- 
 ly have torn him from the hands of the federal government. 
 
 There was a strong feeling in favor of Fries, and this in- 
 creased after his conviction. He was considered a deluded 
 man, who had probably been led astray by other more respon- 
 sible parties. For this reason, also, there was a desire to save 
 him from execution. This was participated in by both politi- 
 cal parties, and an immediate effort was made to obtain a par- 
 don from the President. Fries does not appear to have been 
 actuated by the feeling of a martyr, nor to have had any de- 
 sire to be distinguished in that way; but was anxious to es- 
 
 (129) 
 
I30 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 cape from the unpleasant position in which he found himself. 
 Soon after his sentence, he caused to be presented to the 
 President the following petition : 
 
 " PETITION OF JOHN FRIES." 
 To the President of the United States : 
 
 "The petition of John Fries respectfully showeth ; that 
 your prisoner is one of those deluded and unfortunate men, 
 who, at the Circuit Court of this district, has been convicted 
 of treason against the United States, for which offence he is 
 now under sentence of death. In this awful situation, im- 
 pressed with a just sense of the crime which he has commit- 
 ted, and with the sincerity of a penitent offender, he entreats 
 mercy and pardon from him on whose determination rests the 
 fate of an unfortunate man. He solicits the interference of 
 the President to save him from an ignominious death, and to 
 rescue a large, and hitherto happy family, from future misery 
 and ruin. If the prayer of his petition should be granted, he 
 will show, by a future course of good conduct, his gratitude to 
 his offended country by a steady and active support of that 
 excellent Constitution and laws, which it has been his mis- 
 fortune to violate and expose. 
 
 (Signed) "JOHN FRIES." 
 
 PJiiladelpJiia Prison, May, 1800. 
 
 To the above petition was attached a recommendation, in 
 the following words : 
 
 " The subscribers most respectfully recommend the peti- 
 tioner to the President of the United States. They are warm- 
 ly attached to the Constitution and laws of their country 
 which they will, on every occasion, and, at every hazard, mani- 
 fest their zeal to defend and support. But when they reflect 
 on the ignorance, the delusion, and the penitence of the per- 
 sons involved in the late insurrection, their pity supersedes 
 every vindictive sentiment, and they sincerely think that an 
 exercise of mercy will have a more salutary effect than the 
 punishment of the convicts. It is on this ground that the 
 subscribers, knowing the humanity as well as the fortitude of 
 
TME FRIES REBELLION. I3I 
 
 the President, venture to claim his attention on the present 
 awful occasion, in favor of the wretched father of a numerous 
 family." 
 
 In this manner was the application for pardon brought of- 
 ficially before the President for his consideration. 
 
 At the time of the first conviction of Fries, Mr. Adams was 
 in Massachusetts, on a visit at Quincy.' Colonel Pickering' 
 and Mr. Wolcott,^ two of the members of his Cabinet, imme- 
 diately wrote him the result of the trial, and expressed their 
 satisfaction at the verdict. The latter mentioned, incidentally, 
 that Mr. Lewis, one of the counsel of the accused, had stated, 
 on all occasions during the trial, that the offence which he had 
 committed did not amount to treason. He also stated that 
 Fries, had frequently said, that " persons of greater conse- 
 
 ' Quincy, the home and birih place of the Adamses for several generations, and one of 
 the most beautiful towns of New England, is situated in the township and county of 
 Norfolk, Mass., eight miles 5. by E. of Boston. Here were born John Hancock, 
 Josiah Quincy, Jr., and the two Adamses. Quincy is noted for its fine granite quarries, 
 which employ over a thousand workmen, and here the first railroad in America was put 
 in operation, 1826, for the purpose of transporting the granite from its bed to tide water, 
 a distance of three miles. In a stone church, completed in 3828, at a cost of $40,000, is a 
 beautiful marble monument to the memory of John Adams and his wife. Quincy was 
 incorporated in 1792, and the population is about 10,000. 
 
 " Tinnothy Pickering was born at Salem, Mass., July 17, 1745, and died there January 
 39, 1829. He graduated at Harvard, 1763; studied law and admitted to the Bar, 1768. 
 For sometime he was register of deeds, Essex county, and in 1766 was confirmed by Gov. 
 Bernard, lieutenant of militia; in 1775 was elected Colonel, and subsequently joined the 
 Continental Army. In September, 1775, he was commissioned justice of the peace, and 
 two months later, judge of the mariline court for the counties of Suffolk, Essex and 
 Middlesex. He was appointed by Washington Adjutant General to succeed General 
 Reed, and was present at battles of Brandy wine and Germantown. In August, 1780, he 
 was appointed Quarter-Master-General of the army to succeed General Nash Greene, 
 who resigned. He was present at the surrender of Yorktown. On leaving the army, 
 1785, he engaged in business in Philadelphia. In 1787 he removed to the Wyoming Val- 
 ley, Pa., was a member of the Convention, 1789, to frame the new Constitution. On 
 resignation of General Knox, 1795, he was appointed Secretary of War, and later in the 
 same year. Secretary of State to i8oo. He returned to Massachusetts, and in 1802 was 
 appointed President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas; elected U. S. Senate, 
 1803-1812 ; member House of Representatives, 1812-16. 
 
 s Oliver Wolcott was born at Litchfield, Conn., January 11, 1760, and died at New 
 York city, June i, 1833. He graduated at Yale, 1778, studied law and was admitted to 
 the Bar, 1 781. He saw some military service during the Revolution. In 1789 he was 
 appointed Auditor, in 1791 Comptroller, and in 1795 Secretary of Treasury of the United 
 States. He was elected Governor of Connecticut, 1817, and served for 10 years. 
 
132 THE FRIES REBELLION, 
 
 sequence had been at the bottom of the business." These 
 letters reached Mr. Adams the evening of May i6, and, the 
 next morning, he answered them. To Mr. Wolcott he wrote 
 as follows : 
 
 " QuiNCY, May 17, 1799." 
 " I thank you, sir, for the favor of the iith, which I received 
 last night. The termination of the trial of Fries, is an import- 
 ant and interesting, and an affecting event. I am unable to 
 conjecture the grounds of Mr. Lewis' opinion and wish I had 
 a sketch of them. Is Fries a native or a foreigner? Is he a 
 man of property and independence, or is he in debt? What 
 has been his previous life? Industrious or idle, sober or tem- 
 perate ? 
 
 "It is of importance to discover, if possible, the great man 
 alluded to by Fries, in his observation to Mr. Wood, as at the 
 bottom of the business, and the evidence of any agitation 
 among the insurgents ought to be collected. 
 
 " It is of moment, also, to ascertain whether the insurgents 
 had any general view, or exteitsive communications with 
 others of similar dispositions in other counties or correspon- 
 dence with other states. We ought also to inquire whether 
 Fries is the most culpable among the guilty, if that can be 
 known. It highly concerns the people of the United States, 
 and especially the federal government, that in the whole pro- 
 gress and ultimate conclusion of this affair, neither humanity 
 be unnecessarily afflicted, nor public justice essentially vio- 
 lated, nor the public safety endangered. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, sir, your most obedient and hum- 
 ble servant, (Signed) JOHN ADAMS." 
 
 This honest expression of opinion, by Mr. Adams, was not 
 well received by some of the members of his Cabinet, who 
 had marked Fries as a victim to federal power, and they were 
 not well pleased at the prospect of his escaping them, a re- 
 mote chance of which they thought they ctnild see fore- 
 shadowed in the President's letter. In the life of John Adams, 
 by his grandson, Charles Francis Adams, volume i, page 571, 
 the author thus notices this proceeding: "These letters were 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 1 33 
 
 received by the persons to whom they were addressed with 
 some dismay. They did not understand why the President 
 should entertain his own views of the law, after the proper 
 Court had adjucated upon it, and they honestly thought that 
 the public safety required an immediate example to be made 
 of Fries. ' Painful as the idea of taking the life of a man,' 
 said Pickering, ' I feel a calm and solid satisfaction that an 
 opportunity is now presented, in executing the just sentence 
 of the law, to crush that spirit, which, if not overthrown and 
 destroyed, may proceed in its career, and overturn the gov- 
 ernment.' " 
 
 Two views were presented when the question of the execu- 
 tion of Fries camp up, but the conflict was postponed for a 
 time, by a new trial beuig granted. 
 
 After the second conviction, and his sentence to death, by 
 Judge Chase, Mr. Adams took the proper measures to inform 
 himself of the probable guilt or innocence of the prisoner, and 
 of such other matters in relation thereto, as would give him a 
 full understanding of the whole case, that he might act justly 
 and fairly in the premises. 
 
 There can be no doubt that, at one period, Mr. Adams had 
 determined to let the law take its course, and made up his 
 mind not to interpose the executive clemency. Mr. Hamil- 
 ton,* in his letter on the public conduct of Mr. Adams, states 
 that while the trials were pending, he more than once ex- 
 pressed himself to the effect, " that the accused must found 
 their hopes of escape, either in their innocence, or in the 
 lenity of the juries; since from him, in case of conviction, 
 
 * Alexander Hamilton, one of the ablest Araericam statesmen of the early Constitu- 
 tional era of the United States, was born on the Island of Nevis, West Indies, January 
 II, 1757, and educated at Columbia College, New York. While a student he organized 
 an artillery company of his fellow students, and took an active part at the battle of Long 
 Island. In January, 1777, he became Washington's Private Secretary and remained 
 with him until April, 1781. He married a daughter of Philip Schuler, 1780. After the 
 War of the Revolution had been fought to a conclusion, the important part he took in 
 the formation, and adoption of the Constitution, and his services in organizing the 
 finances of the new Republic are too well known to need repetition. He fell in a duel 
 with Aaron Burr, July 11, 1804. Alexander Hamilton was one of the most remarkable 
 men that took part in the Revolutionary struggle and the subsequent formation of the 
 Government. 
 
134 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 they would have nothing to expect." He further states that 
 a short time before the pardon he declared that the mistaken 
 policy of Washington in regard to the Western Insurrection 
 had been the cause of the second troubles. Whatever the 
 cause may have been, it is evident his mind had undergone 
 great change, and that he had come to the determination to 
 pardon them if he could have justification for doing so. Hence 
 his anxiety to learn the full particulars of the case, indepen- 
 dent of the action of the Court and jury. 
 
 Soon after the sentence of death had been pronounced, 
 Thomas Adams, son of the President, waited upon Mr. Lewis, 
 one of the counsel of Fries, and told him that his father 
 wished to know the points and authorities upon which he and 
 Mr. Dallas had intended to rely in case they had defended 
 him upon the second trial. The Attorney-General of the 
 United States made a like request, and, at their solicitation, 
 Messrs. Dallas and Lewis made a full statement of the points 
 of the case, which was sent to the President on or before 
 May 19. About this time a change took place in the 
 Cabinet, and the President was thus deprived of a portion of 
 his Constitutional advisers ; and when the question again came 
 up there were only three persons to consult with. 
 
 On May 20, he submitted to his Cabinet a series of thir- 
 teen questions, which indicate his leaning to the side of 
 clemency. Mr. Walcott remained firmly of the opinion that 
 all three of the leaders in the insurrection. Fries, Heaney and 
 Getman, should be executed, which was called for to inspire 
 the well disposed with confidence in the government, and the 
 malevolent with terror. The other ministers believed that 
 the execution of Fries, alone, would be sufficient to show the 
 power of the law to punish evil doers ; but rather than that 
 all three should be released, they were in favor of the execu- 
 tion of the whole of them. Mr. Adams appears to have acted 
 upon his own judgment, and took the responsibility of the 
 measure without the concurrence of his Cabinet. Having 
 satisfied his own mind that it was a case in which the execu- 
 tive clemency could be exercised with good effect, and that 
 the great excitement, prevailing in the country, would be 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. I35 
 
 much more readily allayed by mercy than the opposite course, 
 he determined to grant an unconditional pardon to all 
 the prisoners. For this purpose he caused to be issued the 
 following : 
 
 "PROCLAMATION." 
 
 " BY JOHN ADAMS, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 
 
 OF AMERICA." 
 
 " Philadelphia, May 23." 
 " Whereas, The late wicked and treasonable insurrection 
 against the just authorities of the United States, of sundry 
 persons in the counties of Northampton, Montgomery and 
 Bucks, in the State of Pennsylvania, in the year 1799, having 
 been speedily suppressed without any of the calamities usual- 
 ly attending rebellion, whereupon peace, order, and submis- 
 sion to the laws of the United States were restored in the 
 aforesaid counties, and the ignorant, misguided and misin- 
 formed in the counties have returned to a proper sense of 
 their duty; whereby it is become unnecessary for the public 
 good that any future prosecutions should be commenced or 
 carried on against any person or persons, by reason of their 
 being concerned in the said insurrection ; wherefore be it 
 known that I, John Adams, President of the United States of 
 America, have granted, and by these presents do grant, a full 
 free and absolute pardon, to all and every person or persons 
 concerned in the said insurrection, excepting as hereinafter 
 excepted, of all felonies, misdemeanors and other crimes by 
 them respectively done or committed against the United 
 States; in either of the said counties, before the 12th day of 
 March, in the year 1799; excepting and excluding therefrom 
 any person who now standeth indicted or convicted of any 
 treason, misprison of treason, or other offence against the 
 United States; whereby remedying and releasing unto all 
 persons, except as before excepted, all pains and penalties in- 
 curred, or supposed to be incurred 'for, or on account of the 
 premises. Given under my hand and the seal of the United 
 States of America, at the city of Philadelphia, this Twenty- 
 first day of May, in the year of our Lord Eighteen Hundred, 
 and of the Independence of the said United States, the 
 twenty-fourth. (Signed) "JOHN ADAMS." 
 
136 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 This proclamation, as will be noticed, did not ennbrace the 
 cases of Fries, Ileany and Getman, already under sentence, 
 and a special pardon was made out for them a few days after- 
 ward, which struck the fetters from their limbs and set them 
 free. The biographer of John Adams states that " the Cabi- 
 net had been consulted at every step, but nevertheless, when 
 the President ordered the pardons made out the next day, for 
 all the offenders, the disaffected members viewed the Act 
 with disappointment, and Mr. Adams was charged with in- 
 consistency, and having been governed by personal motives 
 for the Act. It was said to be a ' fatal concession to his 
 enemies,' as the Act was ' popular in Pennsylvania.' Such 
 was the tone of the disappointed Federalists who saw in it 
 another departure from the policy they would have intro- 
 duced into the federal government." 
 
5^he |^Fie§ Rebellion. 
 
 •'-^!*t^<^*6^-* 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 C-o n c 1 u. si o n . 
 
 The action of President Adams, in pardoning Fries, Haney 
 and Getman, was the cause of much dissention in the Cabinet) 
 and, between him and his political friends, it engendered a 
 bitterness of feeling that was never entirely obliterated. So 
 far as ofificial action was concerned, the act of pardon closed 
 the drama of the " Rebellion," and removed it from further 
 consideration. This final disposition of the affair, however, 
 did not have the effect of taking it out of politics, but, for a 
 number of years afterward, it was made a standing text, par- 
 ticularly in eastern Pennsylvania, for philipics against the 
 Federal party. In the campaign which soon followed, be- 
 tween Mr. Jefferson' and John Adams, it was used with tre- 
 mendous effect against the latter, and assisted very materially 
 in hurling him and his friends from power. It was one of the 
 leading causes which produced the great political revolution 
 
 1 Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, was born April 3, 1743, at 
 Shadwell, Abermarle county, Virginia. He was graduated from Williams' and Mary's 
 College, 1762, and at that early day was noted for his scholarship in languages. He 
 studied law with George Wythe, then at the head of the Vii'ginia Bar, in whom he 
 found a friend through life, and was admitted to the Bar, 1767. He would have made 
 a great lawyer had he continued in the profession, but he naturally inclined to politics. 
 He was elected to the House of Burgesses, 1768, and continued a member until it was 
 closed by the Revolution. When the oppression of Parliament led the colonies to throw 
 off the yoke of Great Britain, Jefferson threw himself into the contest with all his vigor 
 and zeal. We need not recount his subsequent distinguished career. The authorship cf 
 the Declaration of Independence, if he had done nothing else, would make his name 
 immortal. 
 
 (137) 
 
I ',S rHK FRIES RKBKIJJON. 
 
 in this State in i Soo, and the Fcdt-ral p.ir'y never recovered 
 from th ■ orliuni it eiitailed up in it. We remember when the 
 names of Fries. Haney an.l Getman were mingled in our local 
 county politics ; and more than one Democrat, in Bucks county, 
 owetl his elevation to office to the skillful use made of the 
 events growing out of the house-tax law of 1 798. 
 
 The part Mr. Adams took, in the matter of pardoning the 
 insurgents, v\ a i alike creditable to his head and heart, and 
 tends to remove, in some degree, the stigma his approval of 
 the Alien and Sedition law, and the House Tax fastened 
 upon his Administration. That he was moved to it by the 
 best of motives, and prompted by the dictates of a kind heart, 
 there can be no question, ancj it is equally certain the Act was 
 liis own. and against the wish and advice of his Cabinet. He 
 has left behind him a record of the satisfaction it gave him. 
 In his tenth letter, in the Boston Patriot, of May 17, 1809, re- 
 marking on his responsibility for all his executive acts, and 
 that it was his right and duty to be governed by his own 
 judgment, although in direct conflict with the advice of all his 
 ministers, he says: " This was my situation in more than one 
 instance It had been so in the nomination of Mr. Gerry ; it 
 was afterwards so in the pardon of Fries ; two measures that 
 I recollect with infinite satisfaction, and which will console me 
 in my last hour." 
 
 It was suspected at the time of the disturbance, that more 
 prominent men than the unfortunates who fell into the hands 
 of the F'ederal authorities were at the bottom of the rebellion ; 
 and even the narnes of some of the leaders of the Federal 
 party were connected with it. After the trial, John Fries 
 told a Mr. Wood, a clerk in one of the Departments, and who 
 was also clerk of the prison, " that great men were at the bot- 
 tom of this business." Oliver Wolcott, in a letter to John 
 Adams, dated Philadelphia, May ii, 1799, states that B, Mc- 
 Clerachan, a member of the Assembly of Pennsylvania, was 
 certainly an agitator among the insurgents. One authority 
 upon the subject says : 
 
 " Much of the blame attending upon this disturbance is cast 
 
THE FRIES REBE1,[J')N. I 39 
 
 upon Mr, Sitgreaves, formerty a member of Congress from tlie 
 Bucks district, and Eyeriy, both disappointed politici ms Vhc 
 former followed the march of the troops and appears to have 
 been busy in hunting up persons who had pposed the law. 
 Eyeriy was defeated at the election that fall. I'Meswas a 
 Federalist, and ardent supporter of John Adams" administra- 
 tion, on which account it is supposed he was not afraid of an 
 arrest, believing that his Federal friends would not molest 
 him. Probably Sitgreaves and Eyeriy are those to whom 
 Fries refers, that more prominent men were at the be ttom i>i 
 it. It is hinted that they were at the bottom of it and left 
 Fries in the lurch. This is given as the reason th.it the 
 Federal members of the Legislature opposed the institution of 
 any inquiry into the cause of the disturbance. It is said it 
 was the desire of the Federalists to bring odium on the Re- 
 publicans by ordering federal troops into the county to put 
 down the rebellion." 
 
 However this may be — we mean the participation of nren of 
 prominence in the disturbance, we think the matter is now 
 pretty clearly established, that the affair had given to it much 
 greater importance than it merited. We are also well convinced, 
 had the proper steps been taken to quiet the agitation, 
 through the agency of the local authorities there would never 
 have been any need of the interposition of the Federal au- 
 thorities. In his opinion we are sustained by some of the 
 actors in the scenes that grew out of it. Among others, an 
 officer of the army, writing from camp, while it lay in Bucks 
 county, says : " I need not add after what I have before written 
 to you, that every hour's experience confirms me more and more 
 that this expedition was not only unnecessary, but violently 
 absurd. I can take upon me to assert, that excepting in the 
 rash act of rescuing the people under arrest from the Mar- 
 shall, there has not been even a desire of resistance manifested, 
 and the most marked censure of many persons now in 
 custody. I do verily believe that a sergeant and six men 
 might have performed all the service for which we have been 
 assembled at so heavy an expense to the United States, and 
 
I40 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 with such a loss of important time to us, especially those 
 who are in the mercantile line." 
 
 This seems to have been the opinion of all who were ac- 
 quainted with the whole affair, except those violent partisans 
 whose prejudices were too strong and too bitter to permit 
 them to judtje the caseWith fairness. The whole cost of the 
 expedition to the United States is said to have been $80,000. 
 
 When Fries was liberated there was great rejoicing through- 
 out the couritry, but the anti-Federalists failed to give Mr. 
 Adams credit for his act of mercy and clemency. As would 
 naturally be the case, they attributed the act, which he said 
 "would console him in his last hours," to sinister motives, and, 
 if anything, they increased the bitterness of their attack upon 
 him and his' administration. Such, however, is the history of 
 political parties the world over, and we are not surprised to 
 find no departure therefrom in the exciting times of '98 
 and '99. 
 
 The subsequent history of Fries is brief and void of interest. 
 Upon his release from impri.^orment he went directly to the 
 humble home which had sheltered him before he became so 
 famous, and again entered into the ordinary current of life. 
 He resumed his old avocation of vendue crying, and, as 
 before, in company with his little dog traversed the county 
 back and forth, crying the sales of his neighbors and acquaint- 
 ance. The events of the " Rebellion" left some bitterness be- 
 hind it took years to heal, and, from time to time, this linger- 
 ing ill-feeling broke out in that section of the county. There 
 was much hostility against Penrose, who piloted the troops to 
 Bunker Hill when they captured Fries, and the friends of the 
 latter hardly ever forgave him. A few years after his return 
 home Conrad Marks and his friends came down to Quaker- 
 town to whip Penrose, who, with a number of his neighbors, 
 was breaking the roads filled with snow drifts. Marks mis- 
 took his man, got hold of a nephew of the one he sought and 
 received a good whipping for his trouble. It is also related 
 that soon after his pardon the friends of Fries, who lived near 
 Sumneytown, Montgomery county, raised a Liberty Pole, 
 rather as a mark of exultation over the defeat of the schemes 
 
THE FRIES REHKIJJON. I4I 
 
 of the Federalists. John Rodrock, the same who liad re- 
 ceived indignity at the hands of Fries, was in Philadelphia at 
 the time attending market, and, on his retuin sent his hired 
 man to cut the pole down, which he acconiplishcil. fhe peo- 
 ple soon got wind of it and pursued and caught the party be- 
 fore they had crossed the line into Bucks. They placed soine 
 penalty upon them, but the nature of it we have not K arncd.'' 
 
 In a previous chapter we mentioned that John Fries had 
 done his country some service during the Revolutionary War. 
 At that time he was living at Charlestown, Milford tow nship. 
 He was in active service during the war. Between these 
 periods, and while spending some time at home, he was the 
 hero of a spirited affair. While the enemy occupied l^hila- 
 delphia a party of J3ritish light horse, on a foraging expech'i ion 
 in the upper end of Bucks county, were returning to the city 
 through Charlestown in the night. His wife hearing the chit- 
 ter of hoofs, got up and looked out of the window just before 
 daylight, and saw the troopers marching by with a large num- 
 ber of cattle in charge. She said to her husband, "Why, 
 John here goes a troop of Light Hoise all dressed in red ; and 
 I guess they must be the British." Fries got up immediately 
 and dressed, and went first to the houses of Hoover and Wy- 
 kert, near neighbors, whom he awoke and informed of what 
 was going on. He then went around the neighborhood and 
 aroused the people whom he headed and, with them, went in 
 pursuit of the retreating British. They overtook the soldiers 
 near the Spring House tavern, and compelled them to re- 
 linquish the cattle and hasten their march to Philadelphia. 
 The cattle w-ere driven back and returned to their owners. 
 
 John Furies continued to reside in Milford township to the 
 
 - The war on " Liberty Poles," made by the Federalists of 1800, is verified by several 
 persons. Jesse Nace, Phiiadelpliia, writes us as follows on tlie subject, while this 
 volume was being prepared for the press: "Your story of th'^ unwritten history of 
 Bucks county, read before the Historical Society of Penna., and printed in the Philadel- 
 phia Times, revived in my mind, the sayings of my father, Henry Nace, who participat- 
 ed in that event, that 'he people had erected ' Libf rty Poles' and the soldiers (light 
 horsemen) cut them down. I saw no illusion in your address to this fact, and if father 
 were correct, this addition to your paper would substantially strengthen it ]*'ather was 
 born in Tinicum, March, 1777, consequently he was 22 years old when the occurrences of 
 179S-99 took place. He said his first vote was for Jefferson for President.' " 
 
142 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 day of his death, which took place in 1818.' He was buried 
 in the grave yard at Charlestown, where his remains now lie, 
 without a stone to mark their resting place. The allegation 
 that Fries opened a tin store in Philadelphia after his pardon 
 is wholly without foundation. Such a statement is found 
 in a note at the conclusion of the published account of the 
 trial, and was probably inserted there on some rumor which 
 prevailed at that day, without the author taking the trouble 
 to satisfy himself of its truth. When we visited his son Daniel, 
 we questioned him particularly upon this point, and he as- 
 sured us that his father returned to Milford township, where 
 he continued to follow his old occupation to the day of his 
 death. The same was stated to us by some of the old resi- 
 dents of Quakertown, who knew him well in their younger 
 days. At his decease, his son Daniel assumed the occupation 
 of a vendue cryer, which he followed until he removed to 
 near Sumneytown, where he now resides at the age of nearly 
 80 years.* Another son, Soimon, lived at Whitemarsh, and 
 both of them left numerous descendants. The father of John 
 Fries, whose name was Simon, came from Wales, and first set- 
 tled in Maryland, but afterward removed to Montgomery 
 county, in this State, where he died. 
 
 We now conclude this historic episode of Bucks county, 
 and take leave of the reader. In writing the preceding ac- 
 count of the " Fries Rebellion" we were influnced by two 
 considerations ; the first a desire to give a correct account of 
 what was an important affair in its day, and hitherto but im- 
 perfectly understood ; the second, a desire to do justice to 
 
 3 From an examination of the register's office at Doylestown, Bucks rounty, it appears 
 John Fries died about the last of February, 1818, at the age of 70. His will is dated 
 June 6, 1815, and probated March i, 1818. At the time of his death he lived in Lower 
 Milford township, Bucks county. His two sors, John and Solomon, were his executors. 
 The will mentions two pieces of real estate, a lot of 14 acres in Lower Milford, and one 
 of 3 acres in Marlborough township, Montgomery county. The names of his surviving 
 children given in the will, are Solomon, John, Daniel, Sarah, Margaret and Catharine. 
 The wife's name was Margaret. After paying his debts and funeral expenses the residue 
 of this estate was divided among his children, "share and share alike." As we have 
 been unable to find the settlement of his estate, we are ignorant of its amount. 
 
 ♦ iSsS. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. I43 
 
 those who played the leading parts. If we have succeeded in 
 one, or both desires, we have accomplished our purpose. 
 
 Of John Fries we have formed a more favorable opinion 
 than we entertained when we commenced writing. We be- 
 lieve him to have been an earnest and honest, but misguided 
 man, who was moved to the course he took by what he con- 
 sidered his duty. The conduct of Mr. Adams shows him to 
 have been actuated by a sense of duty, as he understood it. 
 and the pardon of the " insurgents" rescues his memory from 
 some of the charges brought against him. He was, no doubt, 
 influenced to some extent, by the high political excitement of 
 the day, but he cannot justly be accused of cruelty in the 
 share he had in the troubles of the period. All the actors 
 in these scenes have long since passed beyond the bar of pub- 
 lic opinion, and their acts should now be judged with fairness 
 and candor from the standpoint of History, whose chiefest 
 honor is impartiality. 
 
 [the end.] 
 
fo^ 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
4 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 Upper and Lower Milford and Salisbury, in Northampton, 
 now Lehigh county. There was much dissatisfaction with the 
 tax law in the townships north and west of the Lehigh, yet I 
 do not know of a single armed man that came to the rescue 
 from any point north of the Lehigh river. 
 
 " My impression has always been that if Colonel Nichols had 
 not given up his prisoners, Bethlehem would have been burn- 
 ed and razed to the ground. Such were the threats which in- 
 duced Joseph Horsfield and others to prevail on the Marshal 
 to yield." 
 
5^he I'Fiel Rebellion. 
 
 ••-^»*^*^*tf-^ 
 
 Last Will ar\d Testamer\t of Jol\r\ Pries. 
 
 In the name of God Amen, I, John Fries, of Lower Milford 
 township, in the county of Bucks, State of Pennsylvania, Yeo- 
 man, though reduced to a low state of bodily strength, yet be- 
 ing of sound mind, memory and understanding, (blessed be 
 Almighty God for the same) and considering the uncertainty 
 of transitory life, think it necessary to dispose of those world- 
 ly goods that God, in mercy, hath given me to enjoy, by this, 
 my last will and testament, in a manner hereafter expressed, 
 that is to say, first of all, I will that all my just debts and 
 funeral expenses be well and truly paid by my executors, 
 hereafter named, as soon after my decease as conveniently 
 may be, and that as soon as possible a true inventory and ap- 
 praisement may be taken of all my movables and effects, out- 
 standing debts and further personal property, which said ef- 
 fects and property together, with my real estate (except tho.sc 
 goods taken by my wife) I do order and direct my executors 
 to sell and dispose by public vendue, as quick as possible, 
 after my decease, as may be convenient : 
 
 Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving wife Margaret 
 one bed and bedding, one chest, one table and such other 
 goods as my executors may think necessary for her own use. 
 I also give and bequeath to my said wife forty dollars yearly, 
 during her natural life, which is to be paid to her by my ex- 
 ecutors out of my estate yearly and every year as long as she- 
 may live, and in case there should not be enough for he-r 
 
 (5) 
 
6 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 maintainance, my will is that my said wife shall have as much 
 of my estate as is necessary for her support. Item: I give 
 and bequeath unto my grandson, Samuel, (a lad that now lives 
 with me) the just and full sum of forty dollars gold and silver 
 money, to be paid to a guardian (whom I shall hereafter ap- 
 point) in one year after my departure. Item: I give and be- 
 queath to my two other grandchildren, the heirs of my daugh- 
 ter Catharine, deceased, (the late wife of George Gable) one 
 share of my estate their mother would have become heir to, if 
 she had been living) to be paid to their guardian (whom I 
 shall appoint) at a convenient time for making the division of 
 my estate. Item: I nominate and appoint my trusty friend, 
 Jacob Loll, of Lower Milford township aforesaid, sole guar- 
 dian of these three minor children above mentioned, whom I re- 
 quest to receive the money as above willed and to put the 
 same on interest in good safe hands, and to pay the said 
 minors severally as they arrive to the age of twenty-one years. 
 Item: I nominate and appoint my two sons, Solomon and 
 John Fries, co-executors of this my last will and testament, 
 giving them full power and absolute authority to sell and dis- 
 pose of the lot whereon I live, situated in Lower Milford 
 aforesaid, containing fourteen acres, (be the same more or 
 less) with all the buildings and appurtenances thereunto belong- 
 ing, or in any wise appertaining, and another lot, situ.ited in 
 Marlborough township, Montgomery count}% containing three 
 acres of land (be it more or less) giving them full power and 
 absolute authority to make and execute good and firm titles, 
 good and effective conveyances in law on the same unto such 
 person, or persons that, may or shall purchase the same, and 
 unto his or their heirs and assigns forever, as I myself might, 
 or could, do were I living, and that as soon after my decease 
 as m'ay be convenient, and the money arising from the said 
 sales, as well as from my personal estate that may be remain- 
 ing after my just debts are paid and legacies aforesaid. Itein : 
 I give and bequeath unto my seven children, to wit, Solomon, 
 John, Daniel, Elizabeth, Sarah, Margaret and Catharine, to be 
 equally divided between them, share and share alike, but the 
 share of my daughter Catharine, who has departed this life, is 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 7 
 
 to be paid to her two children, or their guardian, as above di- 
 rected. Finally, I do revoke, annul, and make void all former 
 and other wills by me heretofore made or declared to be made, 
 either by word of mouth or in writing, ratifying and 
 confirming this only written, on both sides of this sheet 
 of paper to be my last. In witness whereof, I have 
 hereunto set my hand and seal the sixth day of June, in the 
 year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifteen. 
 
 (Signed) JOHN FRIES, [seal.] 
 
 Signed, sealed and acknowledged by the testator, as his last 
 will and testament, in the presence of us, the hereunto sub- 
 scribed witnesses, who, at his request, have set our names, 
 Morgan Custard, Wm. Getman, Bucks county, Pa., on the 9th 
 day of March 1818. 
 
 William Getman, one of the subscribing witnesses to the 
 foregoing writing, purporting to be the last will and testa- 
 ment of John Fries, deceased, appeared before me, and on this 
 solemn af^rmation, taken and subscribed, did declare and say 
 that he was present and saw John Fries, the testator, sign, 
 seal and acknowledge the same to be his last will and 
 testament, and that, at the time of his so doing, he was of 
 sound mind and memory, and of deposing, understanding, as 
 he, this afHrment believed, and, that at the same time, thisaf- 
 firment saw Morgan Custard, the other subscribing witness, 
 sign his name as a witness, at the request and in the presence 
 of the testator, and further that the name William Getman 
 above is of his, this affirment's own proper handwriting, and 
 further saith not. William Getman, afifirmed and subscribed 
 before me, day and date above. 
 
 (Signed) JOHN PUGH, Register. 
 
 Bucks County ss. Be it remembered, that on the 9th of 
 March, 1818, the foregoing last will and testament of John 
 Fries was duly proven, when letters testamentary thereof 
 were granted unto Soloman Fries and John Fries, the ex- 
 ecutors therein named, they having first been duly sworn, 
 well and truly to administer the same. Witness my hand and 
 seal of office. (Signed) JOHN PUGH, Register. 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 I I 
 
 Adams, John, 3, 7, 29, 70, 71, 115; to 
 Wolcott, 132, 12, 14, 17, 133, 137 ; Ac- 
 tion Creditable, 138; Informs Him- 
 self, 133; Acted on his Own Judgment, 
 134 ; Adams' Administration of, 4, 11. 
 
 Adams, Charles Francis, 132. 
 
 Adams, Thomas, 134. 
 
 Administration, 14. 
 
 Advertiser, The Daily, 80, 92. 
 
 Adler, Reading, 112. 
 
 Allentown, Commissioners Meet at, 39; 
 The Army Marches to, iii. 
 
 Army, Continental, i, 10. 
 
 Army, Federal, 82. 
 
 Army, Review of, 108. 
 
 Art man, Henry, 72. 
 
 Artillery, U. S., 8'. 
 
 Arrests Made, Number and Names, 104. 
 
 Army Officer, Letter from, 139. 
 
 Authorities, Federal, 55, 69, 72. 
 
 Assessors, 3, 6, 17, 20; Assessors Give up 
 Assessments, 35. 
 
 Assessment Rates of, 3. 
 
 Assessments, 16. 
 
 Balliott, 21, 39; at Trexlertown Meeting, 
 
 45- 
 Balliott, Colonel, 48. 
 Balliott, Mr., 59, 72. 
 Barnett, William, 59, 61. 
 Barnelt, John, 59. 
 Barnett, William, 62. 
 Baker, Dr., 68. 
 Baynton, Adjutant-General Peter, 76, 77 ; 
 
 Issues Order for Troops, 77. 
 Bethlehem, Marshal Returned to, 48 ; 50, 
 
 SI. 53. 54, 55- 
 Bethlehem, South, 56, 57 
 Bethlehem, 53, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 67, 
 
 69, 72. 
 Bridge, Lehigh, 6. 
 Brunner, Margaret, 8. 
 Brunner, David, 8. 
 Brandywine, 53. 
 Brown, General, 59. 
 Bucks, 69, 72. 
 Blues, Macpherson, 78. 
 Bristol, Troops Ordered to, 78. 
 Bucks County, Troops from, 77, 113. 
 Bunker Hill, 03. 
 
 c 
 
 Camp Hill, 10. 
 
 Cavalry, Troops, 76. 
 
 Carlisle, 79. 
 
 Cabinet, Changes in, 134. 
 
 Campaign, Cost of, 140. 
 
 Chase, Judge, Warrants Returnable to, 
 
 47 ; Conduct of, 124 ; Addresses Fries, 
 
 126, 133 
 Chapman, Seth, 5. 
 Chapman, James, 6, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 22, 
 
 25, 26, 27 105 ; Sketch of, 106, 107. 
 Charlestown, 9, 12, 15. 
 Childs, Cephas, 6, 22, t6, 25, 26, 27, 28, 
 
 2Pi 30, 31, 32, 33; Threatened by In- 
 
 surgents, 34. 
 Clark, Samuel, 6, 16, 17, tg, 25, 26, 22,68. 
 Court, U. S., 20, 32. 
 Cline, John, 57. 
 Congress, 2 ; Act of, July 9, 1798, 3, 3, 4, 
 
 15, 21, 27 ; Power to Lay Taxes, 83. 
 Commissioners, 5, 6. 
 Company, Captain Mosher's, 80. 
 ''ontingent, Northampton, 57. 
 Constitution, The, 70. 
 County, Bucks, 2, 5, 7, 8, 13, 16, 54, 67, 
 
 73. 75. 76, 82. 
 County, Northampton, 2, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 
 
 34, 40, 48, 51, 54, 62, 69, 70, 72, 73, 75, 
 
 75. 76, 77. §2, 113. 
 County, Montgomery, 45, 8, 16, 26, 69, 73 ; 
 
 Troops from, 77, 75, 76, 81, 82. 
 County, Berks, 4, 5. 
 County, Wayne, 5. 
 County, Lehigh, 57. 
 County, Luzerne, 5. 
 County, Lancaster, 75. 
 County, Cumberland, Cavalry Ordered 
 
 from, 78. 
 Contingent, Northampton, 61, 62. 
 Colonies, American, g. 
 Crooked Billet, 10. , 
 
 Cortez, 97. 
 Creek, Boggy, S, 9. 
 Creek, Swamp, 97. 
 
 Davidson, Samuel, 5. 
 
 Davis, 68. 
 
 Dallas, Alex. J., 117; Dallas' Defence of 
 Fries, 121 ; Dallas' and Lewis,' State- 
 ment of Fries' Case, 134 ; Wilhdr:>w, 
 
 134- 
 Demociacy, 2c. 
 Delaware, The, 51, 53. 
 DeKalbe, Baron, 53, 
 Dixon, Mr., 60. 
 
 Districts, German, Inhabitants of, 105. 
 Dogs, Homer's Hero's, 97. 
 Dunlap, Captain, 77. 
 
 Easton, 42, 59. 
 
 Eberhart, Sent to Philadelphia, 99. 
 
 Edwards, Caleb, 9, 94. 
 
 Edwards, William, g, 93. 
 
 Edmonds, Mr., 13. 
 
 Edwards, Jacob E., 3. 
 
 Edwards, San^uel, g5. 
 
 Elliott, Captain, 51. 
 
 Emaus, 48, 66. 
 
 English, The, 28. 
 
 Erdman, Interpreter for Witnesses, iig. 
 
 Europe, 2. 
 
 Eyerley, Jacob, 5, 21, 42 ; Appointed 
 Commissioners, Northampton, 38; Di- 
 vides Township, 39 ; Explains the Law. 
 43 ; Reads Petition, 44, 48, 59, 64, 65. 
 
 Eyerley, Daniel, 51. 
 
 Eyerman, Accompanies Marshal to Make 
 Arrests, 48, 4g, sg ; Clergyman, 100. 
 
12 
 
 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 Federalists, 6i . 
 
 Federalists, Anti, 6i. 
 
 Foulke, IJverhard, 6, 19, 21, 22, 25, 27, 28. 
 
 Frantz, Zeno, 29. 
 
 Foulke aud Rodrock, Messrs., 30. 
 
 Foulke, 31, 32. 
 
 Frailey, Colonel, 113. 
 
 Foulke, Fverhard, 121. 
 
 Fox, John, 6. 
 
 France, 2, 26. 
 
 French, 2. 
 
 Fries, John, 2, 7, 8, 9 ; Children of, 9, 11, 12, 
 13, 14, IS, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25^ 26, 27, 27, 28, 
 29. 30. 31. 34, 3^, 54. 57. 62, 63 ; Captain, 64, 
 64, 6s, 66, 67, 68, 71, 72 ; Military Called 
 for, 75, 93 ; First Object of Capture, 93 ; 
 Macpherson, Head of, 93 : Arrests of, 94 ; 
 Two Accounts of Capture, 9s ; Fries' Dog, 
 Account of, 96 ; Fxamination of, 98, 99 ; 
 Sent to Philadelphia, 99 ; Betrayed by 
 his Dog, 97 ; Trial of, 115 ; Indictment of 
 116; Motion Argued, 118; Sitgreaves 
 Opens Case, 119 : Names of Jurors, 119 ; 
 Pleads Not Guilty, 119 ; Witnesses, 120 ; 
 Confession of, read, 120 ; New Trial 
 Granted to, 123 ; Sentence Imposed on, 
 126 ; Letter to his Children, 127 ; 
 Bible Presented to, 127 ; Verdict 
 Againstr 122 ; Sympathy for, 127 ; 
 Strong Feeling in Favor of, 129 ; Con- 
 viction and Sentence of, 129 ; Movement 
 for Pardon of, 129 ; Petition for Pardon, 
 130; Pickering Favored Execution of, 133; 
 Heaney and Getman, Pardon of, 136 : Par- 
 don of. Engendered Bad Feeling aud En- 
 tered Politics, 137; A Federalists, 139; 
 Subsequent History of, 140 ; Recovers 
 Cattle from British, 141 ; Release Well Re- 
 ceived, 141 ; Death of, 142 ; Character of, 
 143- 
 
 Fries, Daniel, 8 ; 14, S7 ; Tried to Capture, 
 97 ; Death of, 98, 142. 
 
 Fries, Jacob, 22, 23, 27, 31. 
 
 Fries, Solomon, 142. 
 
 Galloway, Joseph, 8. 
 
 Germans, 2, 28, 67. 
 
 Gerry, Mr., 138. 
 
 Getman, 7. 12, 13, 137, 138. 
 
 Green, Richard, 30. 
 
 Greenmeyer, m. 
 
 Government, The, 20, 61. 
 
 Governor, Message of the, 73 ; To Make 
 
 due Inquiry, 74. 
 Graber, James, 17. 
 Grant, Thomas, Jr., s- 
 Great Britain, 9. 
 Griffith, Esquire, 32. 
 Griffith, Mrs., 32. 
 
 H 
 
 Hager, Christian, 12. 
 
 Hagersville, 12. 
 
 Heaney, Frederick, 7, 12 ; Children of, 13, 
 
 71, '37, 138- 
 Heaney, George, 12. 
 Heister, Colonel. 113. 
 Heckewelder, 44. 
 Heller, Meeting at House of, 42. 
 Henry, William, 43. 
 Henry, Judge, Attends Meeting at Hellers', 
 
 43 ; Issued Subpoenas, 4s, 46, 59, 65. 
 Henry, Capt. John, 79 ; Hamilton, Views of, 
 
 133. 
 Harper, Robert Goodloe, 92. 
 
 Hartman, Herman, 51. 
 
 Hartzell, Isaac, 61. 
 
 Helmuth, Rev. Chas. Henry, Address of, 87. 
 
 House-Tax, Insurgents Dam the, 33. 
 
 House, Jacob Fries, 28. 
 
 House, Sisters', 53. 
 
 House, The Question Referred, 74. 
 
 House, Spring, 81. 
 
 Horsfield, Mr., 59, 64, 6s. 
 
 Hotel, Eagle, 51. 
 
 Home, Assessor, 39. 
 
 Hoover's, John and Jacob, 31, 17, 18, 68. 
 
 Iden, James C, Letter of, 41. 
 
 Indians, Mohican, 53. 
 
 Inhabitants, Distress of, no. 
 
 Insurgents, The, 73 ; Persued by Troops, 
 
 105 ; Arrested, 106. 
 Insurrection, Western, 73, 134. 
 Insurrection, Whiskey, i, 10 
 Iredell, Judge, 115 ; Charge to Grand Jury, 
 
 116, 118. 
 Irvine, Captain, 79. 
 
 Jamison, John, 31, 67, 68, 121. 
 Janeway, Rev. Dr., 127. 
 Jarrett, Captain, 55, 64, 68. 
 Jenkinson, Isaac, s- 
 Jury, Case Given to, 122. 
 Jurors, Names of, 124. 
 
 Kachline, John, 94. 
 
 Karackerstown, Fourteen Surrender at, in. 
 
 Kearne Mr. 40. 
 
 Kennedy, Captain, 77. 
 
 Klein, John, 15. 
 
 Klein, Jacob, 19. 
 
 Klitie George, 68. 
 
 Kuyder, Capt , 16, 23, 29, 31. 
 
 Lacey, Gen. John, 10. 
 
 LaFayette, 53. 
 
 Liberty, 21 ; Pole Cut Down, no ; War on, 
 
 141. 
 Laws, Alieti and Sedition, 3, 4, 36, 41, 138. 
 Law, House Tax, 4. 
 Lesher, Captain, 77. 
 Leiper, Captain, 77, 113. 
 Lancaster, Josepli R., 32. 
 Lancaster, 79. 
 Levering, Abraham, 65, 70. 
 Legislature, The, 75. 
 Lewistown, 18. 
 Lee, Henry, 2. 
 Lee's Division, 53. 
 Lewis, Mr., 131. 
 Light Horse, Lancaster, 112. 
 
 Macpherson, General, 8 ; Brigadier-General, 
 76 ; Designated to Command Troops, 77 ; 
 Appointed Brigadier U. S. A., 78, 81 ; Ad- 
 ~ - - - . „- ^^ 
 
 with 
 
 dress of, 82 ; Forewarns People, 
 
 dress of, 87 ; Probably Marched 
 
 Cavalry, 92, 112, 113. 
 Marks, Conrad, 30, 21, 34, 54, 57, 67, 68, 71 ; 
 
 Surrendered, 108. 
 Marks, John, 50 
 Massachusetts, i. 
 Marshal United States, so. 54, 58, 59, 60, 62, 
 
THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 13 
 
 63, 64, 69, 70 ; Armed Force to be Sent 
 
 With, 90. 
 Meadow, Smith's, 97. 
 iMilford, Upper and Lower, 26, 68, 17, 19, 22, 
 
 54- 
 Mifflin, Governor, 73, 76, 80. 
 Montgomery, Captain, 77, 112, 113. 
 Morrell, Captain, 77. 
 Melbecke, Lieutenant, 108. 
 Moravians, 51. 
 Moore, Richard, 100. 
 Mnlhallon, John, 61. 
 Mitchell, George, 15, 17, 17, 19, 19,21, 71. 
 Mill, Mathers', 8. 
 Mill, Stover's, 12 
 Mill, Hoover's, 20. 
 Millarstown, 49, 54, 57, 61, 62, 72 ; Troops 
 
 March for, 100 : Army Encamped at, 108. 
 Michael, Nicholas, 41, 42. 
 Military Force Called for, 73. 
 Militia, Requisition from, 75. 
 Mount Vernon, 3. 
 McHenry, James, 76. 
 McClerachan B., An Agitator, 138. 
 Moretz, At Meeting, 44. 
 
 N 
 
 Nazareth, 48, 51. 
 
 Nanticokes, 52. 
 
 Nace, Enos, P., 97. 
 
 Newtown, Troops Rendezvous at, 78 ; Troops 
 reach, 79. 
 
 New York, Troops Leave, 78 ; Troops 
 March from, 79. 
 
 New Jersey, Requisition for Malitia on, 80. 
 
 Nichols, Colonel, 50, 64 ; Marshal Makes Ar- 
 rests, 48, 70. 
 
 Nitschman, David, 51. 
 
 Northampton, Opposition to Law in, 38. 
 
 Officers, Letters About, 95, 109. 
 P 
 
 Pardon, Recommendations for, 130 ; Proc- 
 lamation of, 135 ; Cabinet Divided on, 136; 
 Proclamation of, 136. 
 
 Patriot, Boston, 138. 
 
 Penrose, DanieL 31 ; Penrose, David, 93. 
 
 Pennsylvania, i, 4, 5 ; The Slate of 99 ; The 
 Governor of 73 ; The State of, 75. 
 
 Peters, Judge, Deposition Sent to, 46 ; Ex- 
 amine Witnesses, 46, 46. 
 
 Peters, Judge, 54. 69, 72 ; John Fries Ex- 
 amined Before, 98 ; Called as Witness, 120. 
 
 Pheister, George L., 22. 
 
 Philadelphia, 7, 18 ; The Marshal Leaves to 
 Serve Subpoenas, 48, 59, 62, 64, 65, 72, 73 ; 
 The Troops Leave, 8i, 81 ; Prisoners in 
 Jail at, 113. 
 
 Pickering, Timothy, 71 : Tlie Views of, 133. 
 
 Politics, The Condition of, 36 ; The Influence 
 of, 109. 
 
 Porter, James M., Recollections of, 123. 
 
 Posse, The Marshal's, 63, 64, 65. 
 
 Pottery, Penrose's, 100. 
 
 President, The, 3, 4 ; He Issues a Procla- 
 mation, 69, 69. 
 
 Proclamation, "The President, 72, 73. 
 
 President, The and Cabinet, 4. 
 
 Pulaski, Count, 53. 
 
 Porter and Wharton, Captains, Search for 
 Fries, 93. 
 
 Quakertowu, 9, 13, 22, 23, 29, 30, 32 ; What 
 
 Took Place, 33, 93, 97 ; Army Encamped 
 at 100, 108 ; The Army Leaves, 108 ; 
 Quincj', Mr. Adams at, 131. 
 
 Rawle, William, 117. 
 
 Rawle and Sitgreaves, 118. 
 
 Rebellion, Fries, 2, 13 ; The a National Af- 
 fair, 73, 75 : Fries, a Factor at Jefferson's 
 Election, 137 ; Great Men at Bottom of, 138. 
 Cost of, 140 : Shays', i ; Shays', 73. 
 
 Revolution, The, i, 53. 
 
 Reed, Collinson, 5. 
 
 Railroad, The North Pennsylvania, 92. 
 
 Reading, 5 ; Troops March to, iii ; Troops 
 March from, 112 ; Outrage at, 112. 
 
 Ritter, Martin, 55. 
 
 River, Lehigh, 57, 61. 
 
 Road, Ridge, 81 ; The Old Bethlehem, 91, 97, 
 
 Roberts, Israel, 17, 20, 21, 71, 121. 
 
 Roberts, Daniel, 68. 
 
 Rodrock, John, 6, 16, 17, 22, 28, 31 33. 
 
 Rodrock and Foulke, 32. 
 
 Rodman, Lieutenant, W. M., 78. 
 
 Roberts, Enoch, 35. 
 
 Roths, Christian, 59, 61. 
 
 Rocks, The, 100. 
 
 s 
 
 Savannah, 53. 
 
 Sacket, Alfred, 18. 
 
 Schmy.ser Michael, 5. 
 
 Schaeffer, George, 44, 49. 
 
 Schymer, John, 44 
 
 Schlaiigh, Philip, 59, 65. 
 
 Schlichter, Andrew, The Farm of, 92. 
 
 Schneider, Jacob, 112. 
 
 Sellersville, 13 : The Present, 92. 
 
 Schneider, Jacob, 113. 
 
 Sentinel, Bull Shot by, iii 
 
 Shawnese, 52. 
 
 Shankwyler, 49, 50, 72,60. 
 
 Shays' Daniel, i. 
 
 Shoemaker, Captain, 79. 
 
 Shewell, Nathaniel, 107. 
 
 Shiflfert, Andrew, 35. 
 
 Sims, Captain, 77, 78. 
 
 Singmaster, 18, 29, 30, 77. 
 
 Sitgreaves, U. S. Attorney, 42 ; U. S. Dis- 
 trict Attorney, Draws up Form of Warrant, 
 46 : 126, 139. 
 
 Smith, Peter, 29. 
 
 Snyder, Mr., 48, 39. 
 
 Spangenberg, Bishop, 32. 
 
 Spring House, Headquarters at, 82. 
 
 Store, Rufe's, 18. 
 
 Staeler, Captain, 62 
 
 Stephen, Adam, 31, 72. 
 
 Spinnerstown, 17 ; 9. 
 
 Sumneytown, 98. 
 
 Swartz, Daniel. 
 
 Tax, Direct, Passed, 3 : On What Laid, 83 ; 
 
 Rates of, 84 ; Law, Unpopularity of, 37. 
 Tavern, Rodrock's, 18. 
 
 Tavern, Jacob Fries', 27, 23, 26, 27, 29, 123. 
 Tavern, Enoch, Roberts, 29, 31. 
 Tavern, Sellers', 30 ; Troops March from, 99, 
 
 91. 
 Tavern, Mitchell's, 27, 68, 71. 
 The Spring House. 91. 
 Tavern, Gennes, 33. 
 Tavern, Gary's, 15. 
 Tavern, Ritter's, 37, 60. 
 Tavern, Conrad Marks', 62. 
 Taylor, Captain, 77. 
 
H 
 
 THE FRIES REBELLION. 
 
 Tavern, The Sun, 58, 60, 62. 
 
 Tanyard, Lester's, 97. 
 
 Terror, System of, 102, 103. 
 
 Trenton, Troops Reach, 79. 
 
 Trail, Judg-e, 42. 
 
 Treasury, Secretary of, 4, s, 21. 
 
 Thomas William. 23. 
 
 Thomas, Samuel, 97. 
 
 Thomas, Edward, 97. 
 
 Trexlertown, Meeting at, 45 ; Captain Jar- 
 
 rett's Company at, 45. 
 Trumbower, Chased by Soldiers, 94. 
 Trumbauersville, 17, 22, 23, 26. 
 Townsliip, Milford, 8, 7, 6, 12, 12, 14, 16, »5, 
 
 29. 32, 67, 71. 
 Township, Rockhill, 12, 13, 92. 
 Township, Tinicum, 18. 
 Township Richland, 6, 6, 97. 
 Township, Hatfield, 8. 
 Township, Plurastead, 6. 
 Township, Plainfield, 12, 13. 
 Township, Bushkill, 13. 
 Township, Weisenburg, 40. 
 Township, Lynn, 40. 
 Township, Lehigh, 59 ; Twelve Arrested in, 
 
 48. 
 Township, Hamilton, 40, 41. 
 Township, Upper Milford, 40 ; Meeting in, 
 
 43- 
 Township, Chestnut Hill, 39. 
 Township, Moore, 40. 
 
 Township, Penn, 40. 
 
 Township, Low Hill, 40. 
 
 Township, Heidelburg, 40. 
 
 Troops, American, 53. 
 
 Troops, Regular, Ordered Out, 78. 
 
 Troops March, 80; Instructions for, 80; 
 March for Quakertown, 99 ; March from 
 Sellers' Tavern, 100 ; Alarmed, 106 ; Ex- 
 cesses Committed by, 109 ; Their Presence 
 Inspires Terror, 100. 
 
 u 
 
 United States, The, 26, 69, 70, 60, 71 ; The 
 Laws of the, 61, 75, 82 ; The Seal of the 
 71 ; Interest of the, 74 : The Officers of the, 
 69 : The President of the, 70, 73, 82. 
 
 Valley, Wyoming, 52. 
 VanBuskirk, 49. 
 Verdict Rendered, 125. 
 Virginia, 3, 21. 
 
 w 
 
 Washington, 2, 3, 10; Mistaken Policy of, 
 
 13 ; 53- 
 
 Wells, Isaiah, 123. 
 
 Whigs and Tories, 103. 
 
 Wheeler, Israel, ?. 
 
 Whiskey, 11. 
 
 Witnesses Called, 121. 
 
 Wiedner, Daniel, 26. 
 
 Wiedner, 27. 
 
 Winters, Cfiristopher, 59. 
 
 Williams, Lieutenant, John, 80. 
 
 Whitemarsh, 8, 10, 142. 
 
 Wolcott, Oliver, 138 ; Favors Execution, 134. 
 
 Woolstencraft, Lieutenant, 79. „«,a- 
 
 Wood, Mr., 138 ; Fries' Observation to, 134. 
 
 Wyker, Reuben L.. 18. 
 
 Wyker, George, 18. 
 
 Wyker, Nicholas, 18. 
 
 Zellers,3o, 30. 
 Zeigler, George I., 25, 26. 
 Zantzenger, Paul 5. 
 Zinzendorf, Count, 52, 53. 
 
 AD 1.4 6 
 

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