APPENDIX. 569 



refuge in the house 01 Benjamin Elliott, and there, with arms, were de- 

 termined to defend themselves and to repel force with force. Thus 

 protected, no attack was made upon them. The enemy was content 

 with marching through the streets, under flying colors and to the music 

 of the fife. They met at William Kerr's house and elected delegates to 

 a convention to be held at Lewisburg. At this election all were per- 

 mitted to vote who had marched in the ranks that day, and all others 

 were excluded. 



"This political animosity continued for more than a year. The 

 subject was again before the Council in June, 1789. On the 12th day 

 of that month a committee, to whom the matter had been referred, 

 made a report, whicli, if it had been published or preserved, would 

 have thrown greater light upon these transactions than can now be 

 obtained from any source. By order of Council, the next day was 

 assigned for further action upon the report. On the 13th the following 

 resolution was adopted : 



"Resolved, That the consideration of the report of the committee to whom was re- 

 ferred the representation from llie Justices and others of Huntingdon county, relative 

 to some late disturbances in that county, be postponed. 



"As the Council had delayed so long, and as the excitement had 

 subsided, perhaps no wiser course could have been pursued at that time. 

 This daring opposition to the execution of the laws, formidable as it 

 seemed, was not sufficiently powerful to accomplish its purposes, and its 

 interference with the functions of government in Huntingdon county 

 could not retard their progress elsewhere. Unassisted by similar com- 

 binations in other parts of the State or nation, its ultimate failure and 

 discontinuance were necessary consequences; and while it was the duty 

 of the Executive to protect the incumbents of places of trust in their 

 official capacities, and the lives and liberty of the people, yet it was 

 good policy to refrain from the employment of military power until it 

 became absoljjtely unavoidable. That the fury of this political tempest 

 would soon exhaust itself must have been apparent. It ended without 

 loss of life or limb, and with but slight personal injury to any. We 

 cannot excuse those who instigated and encouraged this unlawful con- 

 duct, but the civil authorities were competent to bring them to punish- 

 ment. We have not ascertained whether this was done. One of them 

 was under bonds in February, 1790, for his appearance at the next 

 Supreme Court in this county, but whether he was brought to trial, and 

 if so, whether it resulted in conviction, we are not informed. 



" It has generally been stated and believed by those who have had 

 nothing but traditionary accounts of these occurrences, that the records 

 of the court were burned by McAlevy and his men, but there is no 



