Frederick County, Maryland Newspaper Data for Frederick County, Maryland Burnt to death - A Negro man named Frank HARPER, living near Buckeystown, Frederick County, Md., was burnt to death yesterday week, by falling in the fire while drunk. [Balitmore Sun, Mon. Nov. 8, 1841 - submitted by C. Horton] A brief paragraph was published in your paper last week stating the fact that a gross outrage had been perpetrated in Cumberland County, in this State (Penn.) , by the abduction of a colored family therefrom [sic] into slavery. I am in correspondence with a highly respectable gentleman in the town of Carlisle, who has put me in possession of the particulars of the case, the chief of which I propose to give you, and they are as follows: The family abducted consisted of a man named Butler, his wife and one child. They lived on the southern border of Cumberland County, near to a place known as Weakley's saw mill, which is within 12 or 15 miles of the Maryland line. They had come there from Adams County, and were highly esteemed by their neighbors -so says the Carlisle American -`for their industry, sobriety and general good behavior.' This unoffending and meritorious family was on the night of the 10th inst., as appears from subsequent developments, stealthily seized and forcibly carried into Maryland as slaves. The next morning the family were missing, and the house was found empty. Articles of clothing were strewn around in confusion. The bread which had been put to rise for Saturday's baking stood on the hearth ready to be worked for the oven. The bed in which the little girl had been wont to sleep showed by its rumpled state that it had been robed of its occupant. Outside, a carriage track was discovered, leading first to the house and thence to Paper Town, a village on the Baltimore Turnpike, where it was lost. The whole affair had been conducted with profound secrecy. Four or five white families live within a stone's throw of the house, but they heard nothing of the occurrence, and knew not what had transpired till the next morning. It was evident that the parties were well acquainted with the neighborhood, and well skilled in their business. The people in the vicinity are much excited by the outrage, and the greatest indignation pervades the whole township. The leading men of the district, including such as the Peffers, Woods, Morrisons, Sterretts, &c., ex press themselves determined, at any cost, to bring the perpetrators to punishment. They have taken the matter vigoriously [sic] in hand, and already have arrested and lodged in jail two of the offenders; one proves to have been a resident of the neighborhood, the other lived in Littletown, Maryland. The latter was the chief actor in the nefarious business. His name is Myers. He admits that he carried off the negroes, and claims to have acted under legal authority. He came, he says, about two weeks since, with papers duly made out, authorizing him to arrest the parties in question. He called on the United States Commissioner, Thomas M. Biddle, who informed him that he had resigned his office. He then went back to Frederick - where the reputed owner lives -and got authority from the Court to come and carry them off by force, which he did. He professes to stand upon the law, and appears to have no scruples as to the character of the transaction. He doesn't hesitate to say that he follows the business of hunting up runaways, and expresses himself as confident that he will be released in a few days on bail. He is said to be an ill-conditioned fellow, with a hang-dog look that well befits his calling. He formerly had his abode in Adams County, but that he might be more convenient to his business, and more secure in its prosecution, he moved across the line. - His house is quite close to the boundary. The manner in which this miscreant was caught is worth relating. When his connection with the abduction was ascertained, the services of Sheriff McCartney were put in requisition for his arrest; a more competent person could hardly have been found, for Mr. Cartney, from a long experience in the same line of business, was well up to the ways of border negro catchers. It is a comfort to think that the skill thus acquired is to be employed hereafter against rascals with whom he used to co-operate. Myers, if taken on a Pennsylvania process, had to be caught this side of the Maryland line. Of this McCartney was well aware. Myers's house is within thirty or forty yards of the boundary, close to the public road. A Justice of the Peace living in the neighbor- hood was persuaded by the Sheriff to co-operate in making the arrest. He sent word to Myers-McCartney lying in wait -that he wanted him to come over and witness an affidavit. The bait did not take; word was brought back that Myers was `not well.' - Another expedient was adopted. McCartney crossed the line, unobserved, and took the stage which was coming to Pennsylvania, past Myers's house, which stands on the side of a hill. He enlisted the driver in his service, and gave him his cue. Handing him a large printed bill, headed `Reward for Runaways,' he said: `Put your horses briskly down the hill; pretend, until you get over the line, that you can't hold them; as you pass Myers's house, hold up the handbills, and hallo, “Letter from the Sheriff,” and seem as though you had more to say if your horses would only stop.' The driver followed directions, and the ruse succeeded. Myers followed the stage to the place where it stopped across the line; McCartney, jumping from his seat inside, seized him, saying, `You are my prisoner.' The prisoner made fight, grabbing for the Sheriff's neck. A scuffle ensued, in which the former was thrown upon his back, and with the aid of one of the passengers whose help was invoked, was handcuffed and made secure. He was brought to the county jail at Carlisle, in which he is now a prisoner. His intended victims are in the jail at Frederick. It is alleged by some that they are really slaves, and that `Butler' is an assumed name. Their story is that he, Butler, was legally entitled to his freedom after serving two more years; that the daughter, who is now 13, was to be free at 28; and that his wife is a free woman. The facts of the case have not yet been fully assertained,[sic] but the men who have taken it in hand are determined, so far as it may be in their power, to see that full justice is done to all parties, innocent and guilty. Some of the Carlisle lawyers express the opinion that if these people should be proved to be slaves, as alleged, Myers will have been guilty of no legal offence; that it is the right of the slave- holder, under the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Prigg vs. the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to seize his property wherever he may find it. This falls in with opinions expressed here, at the time of the decision in the Daniel Webster case, by some of the Vandyke partisans. It was proposed to re-arrest Daniel and carry him off summarily, under the Prigg decision. The Fugitive Slave law of 1850 these men said was cumulative, and did not set aside other methods authorized for the rendition of slaves. They did not try the expedient; but it is not improbable that their Southern brethren have been advised that there was no use of attempting to recover their runaways under the act of 1850, and that they had best fall back on the club law laid down in the Supreme Court in the Prigg case, and successfully acted upon in several instances in this State. Well are we satisfied that this should be the resort hereafter. It will hasten the final issue If force is to be the word, the slave- holders will find that that is a game at which two can play. They had better remember the fate of Gorsuch. Besides, Pennsylvania has laws made and provided for the preservation of the peace and of the rights of her citizens in such cases, and it will not be easy for Frederick County Courts or other slave- holding tribunals to override these laws. - Grave questions of jurisdiction will be raised, by no means favorable to Slavery. I propose, if there should be nobody else to do it better, to keep you informed of what may transpire in this case in the course of its progress. [Douglas Monthly, July 1, 1859- submitted by Candi H.] September 5, 1810 The Centinel, Gettysburg, PA; Submitted by Nancy Piper Extract of a letter dated Georgetown, August 23, 1810 “We had a duel the other day at Bladensburg, between Rixen Stone Esq. of Frederick , and Mr. Gwyn, an officer in the navy. The occasion of it originated at Frederick . Mr. Stone, while at dinner, said that the federalists were a parcel of cowards - that were there occasion to fight, they would be the last to turn out and there was not one of them in the navy fit to wear a button. Gr. Gwyn rose from the table, went to the bar and wrote a note to Stone. The latter came immediately, and was told by Gwyn, that he had behaved very much unbecoming the character of a gentleman. The reply of Stone was that he had not observed Gwyn present; that if he had, he should not have said what he did, as he did not mean any personality. Gwyn said that the evasion was not satisfactory. Gwyn came to Georgetown and Stone was told that he ought to challenge and fight him. This he accordingly did and a duel ensued. Stone was wounded in the abdomen and died yesterday. March 30, 1825 Republican Compiler, Gettysburg, PA; Submitted by Nancy Piper On Sunday night, the 20th instant, the Store of Capt. Jacob Houck, of Frederick md., was entered by robbers, and about $1100 take therefrom - 1,060 dollars were in small notes, none of a highter denomination than $20, and about $40 in silver change. June 14, 1826 Republican Compiler, Gettysburg, PA; Submitted by Nancy Piper Fire in Frederick On Thursday morning the 1st inst., about 1 o’clock a fire broke out in the house of Mr. Klinehart in Frederick , Md. And spread with such rapidity that four dwellings and a stable were entirely destroyed and several others much injured. In the stable there were two horses, a cow and fourteen hogs, all of which perished in the flames. The sufferers were Mr. Joshua Dill, Mr. Klinehart, both of whose houses and out buildings are wholly consumed, as well as part of their furniture; Dr. Lewis Welsheimer, a part of whose apothecary shop and many articles in the cellar, as well as furniture above stairs was consumed; Miss Kessler, who occupied a one story building adjoining and Mrs. Reynolds; several other buildings in the vicinity sustained some injury but comparatively unimportant. --Balt. Patriot August 9, 1826 Republican Compiler, Gettysburg, PA; Submitted by Nancy Piper Frederick, Aug. 1 Distressing Accident A small boy between four and five years of age, the son of Mr. John H. Abbott, soap boiler and tallow chandler, of this city, on Friday last, was playing a short distance from the soap kettle while boiling which bursted and scalded the child so dreadfully that he died the day following. With such power was the soap thrown from the kettle that another son, about 19 years of age, who was sitting some distance off with his back towards the kettle was very much scalded but not seriously injured. – Reservoir. August 24, 1825 Republican Compiler, Gettysburg, PA; Submitted by Nancy Piper Fatal Accident On Thursday last, a colored woman was shot in the vicinity of Emmetsburg , Md. , by a journeyman hatter of that place. It appears that several young men had been a hunting and on their return stopped where a number of females were washing and the young man seated himself on a wheelbarrow. When about rising, his gun went off and lodged the contents in the side of the colored woman, (at 5 or 6 yards distance,) who immediately fell and expired. An inquest was held over the body which after the examination of witnesses, reported that the death was accidental. Copyright © 2006 by Genealogy Trails