Miscellaneous Newspaper Articles From the Past
Fayette County Pennsylvania
The Centinel, (Gettyburg, Pennsylvania)
June 29, 1808
Information wanted on my son named John Monroe, who about 19 years ago, lived with Mr. John Way in the state of Delaware, Newcastle county, Hockessin township. He was eight years of age, when I left him and removed to Fayette county, Pennsylvania . After residing in Fayette six years, I received a letter from the said John Way, informing me that my son had left him. Since that time, (which is about thirteen years ago) I have heard nothing of him. I have travelled many miles for the purpose of ascertaining whether he is dead or alive, but without success. Any person giving information respecting him, (whether dead or alive) will confer a particular favor upon an affectionate, but much distressed parent, and the same shall be thankfully acknowledged by Rebecca Monroe, Fayette county, Pa. June, 18, 1808
The Centinel, (Gettyburg, Pennsylvania)
June 14, 1809
Brownsville, May 29 - Melancholy Accident
Yesterday afternoon, a Ferry boat in crossing the River opposite this Town, was by violence of the storm unfortunately sunk, and Miss Dianna Vears, an amiable young lady was lost; there were three or four other passengers in the boat, who with great difficulty made the shore.
The Centinel, (Gettyburg, Pennsylvania)
August 22, 1810
From the Genius of Liberty - Law Intelligence - Singular Perjury
At the court of common pleas held at Uniontown, Fayette county Pa an action for defamation was tried between John Slack plaintiff and Thomas Harrison defendant, during the investigation a most daring and unheard of perjury was fully proved to have been commuted by the defendant in order to support the charge he made against the plaintiff; - the case was as follows:
Thomas Harrison, a Virginian, in travelling from Virginia to the westward, put up at the house of John Slack, who keeps tavern about six miles east of Uniontown, on the road leading to Fort Cumberland, and lodged with Slack all night; next morning, with much apparent distress, Harrison alleged that four hundred and twenty-five dollars in bank notes had been taken out of his saddle bags, while they were in Slack’s possession, and shewed the strap of his bags cut in two; Harrison asserted positively that the money was taken out after his arrival there, for he had counted his money at the last stage; Slack and his family were much alarmed at this occurrence.
Harrison came on to Uniontown. Slack followed him; Harrison with great plausibility charged Slack or some of his domestics with taking his money, and immediately sued Slack. On the same day, Slack brought suit against Harrison for slander. Previous to the last January term, Harrison communicated to his counsel, that a witness lived at Wheeling, Virginia, named Thomas Bailey, who had lately lodged all night with Slack and heard Slack in a conversation with his wife, acknowledge that he and Rodick (Slack’s son-in-law) had taken Harrison ’s money. Whereupon, a commission was directed to the clerk of Ohio county to take the deposition of Thomas Baily of or near Wheeling, which was executed and returned to the January court.
The action of Harrison against Slack was called for trail, but the counsel for Slack thought it prudent to see what testimony had been procured under the commission to Wheeling, before the jury was sworn to try the cause; upon reading the deposition of Thomas Baily, he found it so conclusive against his client, that he applied for a postponement till next term, for the purpose of ascertaining the character and standing of Baily, who had sworn so handsomely and roundly for Harrison; the following is an extract from the deposition of Thomas Baily: “Some time about the last of Juen or the first of July 1809, I lodged at the tavern kept by John Slack on the top of Laurel Hill; when I arrived in the evening, there were a number of persons in the tavern drinking and gambling; but, I went to bed in a room by myself; about twelve or one o’clock at night, was lying awake, and heard a conversation in a room adjoining, which I then and did believe to have been between the tavern keeper and his wife; It began by the person whom I supposed to be the wife, saying you ought not to keep such a disorderly house since that affair with Harrison, for the tavern has never made anything since you and Rodick (Slack’s son in-law) took Harrison’s money, and you had better give Harrison his money and let him go about his business”; he (Slack) then answered “If I was to give up my par, Rodick would not give up his.” The causes were postponed till next term.
Slack in the meantime went to Wheeling to enquire after Baily, but could hear of no such person; upon conversing with Col. Chaplin, before whom Baily had appeared, and made oath as above stated, and with Archibald Hamilton, Esq. who wrote Baily’s deposition; it was suspected, T. Baily was in reality T. Harrison and that Harrison had assumed the name of Baily for the purposed of swearing to the act about mentioned.
With this impression, Slack prevailed upon Hamilton to come with him to court in order to identify Harrison, and to shew that he had personated Baily at Wheeling, and under that name had become a witness to his own suit; on their way from Wheeling to Uniontown court, Hamilton and Slack called at Mr. Hezlip’s tavern in Brownsville, where Harrison at that time resided; shortly after their arrival, Mr. Hamilton in looking out of the window, saw Harrison and at once recognized him as being the same person whose deposition he wrote at Wheeling, when deposed under the name of Thomas Baily; Hamilton and Slack came on to court, but Harrison immediately absconded and has not been heard of since.
Archibald Hamilton, Esq., was sworn as a witness in the action of slander, and proved the facts above stated. The jury gave a verdict in favor of Slack against Harrison for five hundred dollars damages. From all the circumstances disclosed in this trial it appeared evident, that Harrison had devised and preconcerted this plan, for the purpose of making money out of Slack, and that the nefarious and a abominable fraud of becoming a witness to his own self, to support his own villainy and to rob a worthy citizen not only of his money but what is more precious, of his reputation and means of making a living, formed as part of his original plan.
As a person those capable of deliberate villainy and ingenious perjury is unfit to run at large, and in order to prevent and restrain him from coming any further depredations, it is hoped that all Editors of Newspapers (especially those to the westward) will publish the above transaction, together with the following description of the person.
Thomas Harrison is about 5 feet 10 or 11 inches high, big boned though not fleshy, 24 or 25 years old, dark hair and eyes, a high small forehead, smooth and shining, a red scar or mark on the bridge of his nose, small weak eyes, small round teeth, chews tobacco, and shews it at the side of his mouth, his mouth inclines a little downwards at one side when he speaks, something of a down look, he had on when he absconded, a straight bodied coat of a grey color with large lapels.
The Centinel, (Gettyburg, Pennsylvania)
September, 5, 1810
Uniontown, Aug. 25
Murder
On Saturday the 13th inst., near the White rocks, and about one mile from Col. Oliphant’s Furnace, the person of a young woman (Polly Williams) was found under a large shelving rock by some little girls who were huckleberrying; they alarmed the neighborhood of the furnace, and on Sunday a Coroner’s inquest was held on the body, and declared it to have been murdered. A young man called Philip Rogers, who is suspected to be the perpetrator, was apprehended and committed to jail. Since his commitment, the Grand jury has found a bill against him.
The Republican Compiler, (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
March 3, 1819
Upwards of fifty people, we are informed, are sick in Bridgeport, Fayette county. This camality is attributed to the open winter which we have experienced. Several of the persons now sick are not expected to live. - Uniontown paper
Gettysburg Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
December18 1822 Page 4
Union, Pa., Dec. 3
Accident
On Monday the 25th ultimo, a six horse team, belonging to William L. Miller of New haven, in this county, took fright while standing in the streets of Connellsville, and ran to the fording of the Yough river, above the bridge, but the current being too strong, swept them down below the bridge, into water from 15 to 20 feet deep. The wagon being heavy sunk to the bottom and took with it the six horses, the two foremost horses, however, making several plunges, the hook of the stretchers coming loose they swam to shore, the other four were drowned. - Genius.
Gettysburg Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
December 25 1822 Page 3
Brownsville, Pa. Dec. 2
Drowned, in the Monongahela, opposite this place, on Wednesday night last, by falling from a boat, Mr. John McLaughlin, of Bridgepoint. His body has not yet been found. - Register
Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
March 31 1824 Page 3
Brownsville, March 8
On Saturday afternoon last, we were visited by an almost incessant rain, which continued until late last evening; and which, added to the snow that had fallen previous, has swelled every stream to their most extreme height. The Monongahela river commenced rising on Saturday evening and since that time until today at 3 o'clock, has risen upwards of forty feet, (plump.) from low water mark. It is now higher than it has been for upwards of 16 years. - Spy.
Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
July 21, 1824
Accident
A few days since a man was so dreadfully mangled in Fayette county that he is not expected to survive. It is stated that, in company with others, he dug a hole in the earth in which there was placed a large quantity of powder and a fifty-six pound weight. A match was then applied to the powder, when, we are informed, a fragment of the weight struck the unfortunate man in the face, and lacerated him in a most shocking manner. - Westmoreland Repub.
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