In connection with this yearly meeting a number of Friends were
arrested on charges of trespass and inducing a riot, and taken to
court. All were members of Ohio Yearly Meeting, except Halliday
Jackson,[27] of Darby, Pa. For some reason Elias escaped arrest,
although in the letter referred to he said: "I have been expecting
for several days past to have a writ of trespass served against me by
the sheriff, for going on their meeting-house grounds, by which I may
be taken twenty miles or more to appear before the judge, as a number
of Friends already have been, although my mind is quiet regarding the
event."
[27] Halliday Jackson was father of John Jackson, the well-known
educator, principal of Sharon Hill School. Halliday was with the Seneca
Indians in New York State for two years, as a teacher under the care of
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
While at Mt. Pleasant the small monthly meeting of Orthodox Friends
at his home sent a letter "officially" commanding Elias to cease his
religious visits. In regard to this matter, and the general situation
in Ohio, Elias wrote to Valentine Hicks: "The Orthodox in this yearly
meeting are, if possible, tenfold more violent than in any other
part of the Society. Gideon Seaman, and his associates in the little
upstart Monthly Meeting of Westbury and Jericho,[28] have sent a very
peremptory order for me to return immediately home, and not proceed any
further on my religious visit, by which they trample the authority of
our quarterly and monthly meeting under foot."
[28] The Monthly Meeting of Westbury and Jericho was made up of a small
number of Orthodox Friends, representing only a small minority of the
meeting of which Elias Hicks was a member.
Following the Ohio Yearly Meeting, Flushing,[29] in that State, was
visited, and the First-day meeting attended. Elias was met before he
reached the meeting-house by Orthodox Friends, who insisted that he
should not interrupt the meeting. He entered the house, but before
the meeting was fairly settled, Charles Osborn, an Orthodox Friend,
appeared in prayer, and continued for an hour; and then preached for
another hour. Elias thus refers to this occurrence:
[29] Flushing is about 18 miles from Mt. Pleasant. A Wilburite meeting
is the only Friendly gathering now in the place.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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