The Christiana Riot and the Treason Trials of 1851: An Historical SketchHensel, W. U. (William Uhler)
History
The Christiana Riot and the Treason Trials of 1851: An Historical Sketch
Hensel, W. U. (William Uhler)
Christiana (Pa.) -- History; Riots -- Pennsylvania -- Christiana
After the fight, my wife was obliged to secrete herself, leaving the
children in care of her mother, and to the charities of our neighbors.
I was questioned by my friends as to what I should do, as they were
looking for officers to arrest me. I determined not to be taken
alive, and told them so; but, thinking advice as to our future course
necessary, went to see some old friends and consult about it. Their
advice was to leave, as, were we captured and imprisoned, they could
not foresee the result. Acting upon this hint, we set out for home,
when we met some female friends, who told us that forty or fifty armed
men were at my house, looking for me, and that we had better stay away
from the place, if we did not want to be taken. Abraham Johnson and
Pinckney hereupon halted, to agree upon the best course, while I turned
around and went another way.
Before setting out on my long journey northward, I determined to have
an interview with my family, if possible, and to that end changed my
course. As we went along the road to where I found them, we met men
in companies of three and four, who had been drawn together by the
excitement. On one occasion, we met ten or twelve together. They all
left the road, and climbed over the fences into fields to let us pass;
and then after we had passed, turned, and looked after us as far as
they could see. Had we been carrying destruction to all human kind,
they could not have acted more absurdly. We went to a friend’s house
and stayed for the rest of the day, and until nine o’clock that night
when we set out for Canada.
The great trial now was to leave my wife and family. Uncertain as to
the result of the journey, I felt I would rather die than be separated
from them. It had to be done, however; and we went forth with heavy
hearts, outcasts for the sake of liberty. When we had walked as far as
Christiana, we saw a large crowd, late as it was, to some of whom,
at least, I must have been known, as we heard distinctly, “A’n’t that
Parker?”
“Yes,” was answered, “that’s Parker.”
Kline was called for, and he, with some nine or ten more, followed
after. We stopped, and then they stopped. One said to his comrades,
“Go on,--that’s him.” And another replied, “You go.” So they contended
for a time who should come to us. At last they went back. I was sorry
to see them go back, for I wanted to meet Kline and end the day’s
transactions.
We went on unmolested to Penningtonville; and, in consequence of the
excitement, thought best to continue on to Parkesburg. Nothing worth
mention occurred for a time. We proceeded to Downingtown, and thence
six miles beyond, to the house of a friend. We stopped with him on
Saturday night, and on the evening of the 14th went fifteen miles
farther. Here I learned from a preacher, directly from the city, that
the excitement in Philadelphia was too great for us to risk our safety
by going there. Another man present advised us to go to Norristown.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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