Our Scotch-Irish forbears were home-keeping,
humane, peace-loving men, just and kind, albeit
somewhat shrewd at a bargain, but when neces-
sity drove they could fight right lustily. Dire
calamity taught them how to meet the savage.
To these courageous Presbyterians we owe pro-
tection at a time when, according to a letter of
Dr. John Ewing in 1757, the Provincial Govern-
ment at Philadelphia "was affording little or no
assistance to poor, distressed frontiers; while
our public money is lavishly squandered in sup-
porting a number of savages, who have been mur-
dering or scalping us for many years past."
57
Small wonder our doughty pastor, John Elder,
organized and led a party of Rangers, the famous
^Taxton Boys'' ; or, that later, he was granted a
commission as colonel by the Provincial Govern-
ment, to have supervision of the string of forts
that stretched from the Delaware to the Susque-
hanna.
They have been bitterly scored, those fighting
fore-fathers of ours. Even in their own time
they were ill appreciated. We find one mild
Quaker writing, "They are a parcel of Scotch-
Irish, who, if they were all killed, could well
enough be spared." Governor Penn propheti-
cally sends word to a brother in England, "Their
next move will be to subvert the government and
establish one of their own !" Even Parson Elder
himself complains, "They call us Scotch-Irish
and other ill-mannered names !" But when such
historians as Parkman condemns the "Pennsyl-
vania borderers" for "a fanaticism that interprets
the command that Joshua should destroy the
heathen into an injunction that they should ex-
terminate the Indians" — true he exonerates Par-
son Elder as "a man whose worth, good sense
and superior education gave him the character of
counsellor and director throughout the neigh-
borhood, and caused him to be known and
esteemed even in Philadelphia" — and Mc Master
openly calls the "Paxton Boys" brutes and fa-
natics, and charges every Presbyterian minister
with having lauded their foul deed as an act
acceptable to God, it behooves their descendants
to get at the truth. The time has arrived, as
58
Parson Elder said it would in his letter to Gov-
ernor Penn in 1764, "when each palliating cir-
cumstance will be calmly weighed."
What was this deed that aroused such bitter
criticism? It was the killing of six helpless In-
dians in their Conestoga settlement on the night
of December 14, 1763, by about thirty Paxton
Boys. This so-called "Conestoga Massacre'^ was
followed on December twenty-seventh by the
raid of Lancaster jail and the murder of the
other Conestoga Indians hurried there for pro-
tection.
Later the Paxton Boys, largely augmented by
other Rangers, march to Philadelphia to present
their wrongs, greatly to the consternation of the
Quaker City, which orders out the militia. The
invaders are quickly persuaded to turn back,
leaving two of their number to exploit their
grievances to the Council. Possibly, were it not
for the fright of these honored rulers at their
own doors, the doings of the Rangers in the wilds
of Lancaster County would have stirred up less
trouble.
What can be said of these daring law defiers?
It was brutal, unchristian, strongly to be con-
demned? Yes, if one does not know what led
them to take justice in their own hands.
Page 19
Presented as published in 1913. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Our Scotch-Irish forbears were home-keeping, humane, peace-loving men, just and kind, albeit somewhat shrewd at a bargain, but when necessity drove they could fight right lustily. Dire calamity taught them how to meet the savage. To these courageous Presbyterians we owe protection at a time when, according to a letter of Dr. John Ewing in 1757, the Provincial Government at Philadelphia "was affording little or no assistance to poor, distressed frontiers; while our public money is lavishly squandered in supporting a number of savages, who have been murdering or scalping us for many years past."
Small wonder our doughty pastor, John Elder, organized and led a party of Rangers, the famous "Paxton Boys"'' ; or, that later, he was granted a commission as colonel by the Provincial Government, to have supervision of the string of forts that stretched from the Delaware to the Susquehanna.
They have been bitterly scored, those fighting fore-fathers of ours. Even in their own time they were ill appreciated. We find one mild Quaker writing, "They are a parcel of Scotch- Irish, who, if they were all killed, could well enough be spared." Governor Penn prophetically sends word to a brother in England, "Their next move will be to subvert the government and establish one of their own !" Even Parson Elder himself complains, "They call us Scotch-Irish and other ill-mannered names !" But when such historians as Parkman condemns the "Pennsylvania borderers" for "a fanaticism that interprets the command that Joshua should destroy the heathen into an injunction that they should exterminate the Indians" — true he exonerates Parson Elder as "a man whose worth, good sense and superior education gave him the character of counsellor and director throughout the neighborhood, and caused him to be known and esteemed even in Philadelphia" — and Mc Master openly calls the "Paxton Boys" brutes and fanatics, and charges every Presbyterian minister with having lauded their foul deed as an act acceptable to God, it behooves their descendants to get at the truth. The time has arrived, as
Parson Elder said it would in his letter to Governor Penn in 1764, "when each palliating circumstance will be calmly weighed."
What was this deed that aroused such bitter criticism? It was the killing of six helpless Indians in their Conestoga settlement on the night of December 14, 1763, by about thirty Paxton Boys. This so-called "Conestoga Massacre'^ was followed on December twenty-seventh by the raid of Lancaster jail and the murder of the other Conestoga Indians hurried there for protection.
Later the Paxton Boys, largely augmented by other Rangers, march to Philadelphia to present their wrongs, greatly to the consternation of the Quaker City, which orders out the militia. The invaders are quickly persuaded to turn back, leaving two of their number to exploit their grievances to the Council. Possibly, were it not for the fright of these honored rulers at their own doors, the doings of the Rangers in the wilds of Lancaster County would have stirred up less trouble.
What can be said of these daring law defiers? It was brutal, unchristian, strongly to be condemned? Yes, if one does not know what led them to take justice in their own hands.