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Facts and Events
William Duffield
- Bates, Samuel Penniman; Fraise, Richard Jacob. History of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Publisher Warner, Beers & Co. Chicago, 1887.
- Page 505 - Chapter 20 – Borough of Mercerburg – Early Traffic – It was nothing uncommon at that time to see from fifty to one hundered pack-horses in a row, laden with salt, iron and other commodities for the Monongahela, Pennsylvania country. Sometimes dishonest and unscrupulous people surreptitiously took goods which, falling into the hands of the Indians, were injurious to the settlers. This led to the practice of inspecting, military-like, whatever these tradesmen carried. Justice William Smith was one of these inspectors.
- Page 506 – (Taken from) Pritts, Joeseph. Incidents Of Border Life... Published by Author, Chambersburg, Pa. 1841
- “In the life and travels of Colonel James Smith, an interesting incident, having some relation to this place, is mentioned. The King’s Royal Proclamation of 1763 was then circulated, prohibiting any person from trading with the Indians until further orders.
- “Notwithstanding all this, about the 1st of March, 1765, a number of wagons loaded with Indian goods and warlike stores were sent from Philadelphia to Henry Pollen’s, Conococheague, and from thence seventy pack-horses were loaded with goods in order to be carried to Fort Pitt. This alarmed the country, and Mr. William Duffield raised about fifty armed men, and met the pack-horses at the place where Mercersburg now stands. Mr. Duffield desired the employers to store up their goods and not proceed until further orders. They made light of this, and went over the North Mountain, where they lodged in a small valley called the Great Cove. Mr. Duffield and his party followed after, and came to their lodging, and again urged them to store up their goods; he reasoned with them on the impropriety of their proceedings, and the great danger the frontier inhabitants would be exposed to if the Indians now should get a supply; he said it was well known that they had scarcely any ammunition, and were almost naked; to supply them now would be a kind of murder, and would be illegally trading at the expense of the blood and treasure of the frontiers. Notwithstanding his powerful reasonings these traders made game of what he said, and would only answer him by ludicrous burlesque.
- “When I beheld this and found that Mr. Duffield would not compel them to store up their goods, I collected ten of my old warriors that I had formerly disciplined in the Indian way, went off privately after night, and encamped in the woods. The next day Smith and his men brought the traders to their own terms, prevented them from carrying the goods to their place of distination.”
- 06 March 1765, James Smith, leader of the Black Boys, stopped a pack train led by Robert Callender of the Baynton, Wharton, and Morgan Co., and burned illegal goods, including rum and gunpowder, that British official George Croghan was trying to trade to the Native Americans. The British authorities, however, sided with Croghan.
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