A Minister

This story has come about through a letter from a mid-western state asking that we search the Bedford County records for a German who came to America two hundred years ago to help the English fight the Colonists.

Years ago I used to hear the old timers say that "if a family would check back far enough into their ancestoral history they were bound to find that one was a horse thief".

This is what happened-in part:

In checking the Pennsylvania Archives we discovered this man did come here at that period, and that he had been a minister in the eastern part of the state. We then checked Blackburn's History of Bedford County and found the story written here. We also noted that the Bedford Gazette of May 4, 1883 and the Myersdale Commercial had reprinted the story of an incident that took place March 19, 1795.

Because of the long period of time we decided to tell this story in this column since we had found the information for our inquirer.

After the Revolutionary War was ended this German decided to remain in America. He tried to enter the field of ministerial work. His first application was rejected, but through an uncle's influence he was finally accepted.

His first charge was near Selinsgrove. It seems he was more interested in temporal affairs than in spiritual affairs. When his true character became known, especially that he had a wife and children in Europe, he was forced from the area. A short time later he found a small church near Chambersburg that needed a minister, but his reputation soon followed, thus he had to leave again. His next church was in Bedford for a short time. He moved to Somerset and later to Berlin. Again his conduct and character followed. During a church meeting which was called to decide by all members whether he should or should not remain as their minister, a bitter dispute took place among the members and when they decided against him the minister became so enranged that he stabbed a church member, who died almost immediately. The minister was brought to the jail in Bedford because this area was still a part of Bedford County.

At the Court trial he was found guilty on April 27, 1795 and was sentenced to hang. Several efforts were made to have him pardoned but they failed. Thus on October 11, 1795 the current Sheriff, Jacob Bonnet, led the minister from his cell, seated him on his coffin and drove him by wagon to a tree located at the corner opposite the present Episcopal Church and hung him from a hickory tree. Another historian states he was hanged from a scaffold which had been erected there.

One of our best known historians of the past fifty years was Miss Annie Gilchrist, longtime editor of the Bedford Inquirer. She used to tell a story about a German minister who had committed a murder. He was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. On the day of his execution he was taken from the jail and seated on his coffin which had been placed on a large cart or wagon. He was taken to the corner of John and Richard street. Before the noose was placed about his neck and over the tree limb, he said he had one final request. He wanted to smoke his pipe. He was given this request. After he finished his smoke the noose was placed around his neck and the vehicle was pulled away. The rope broke and the minister fell to the ground. In the fall, his clay pipe was broken. When he discovered the breakage he immediately jumped up and began to curse his executors.

Whether these two stories are about the one and the same man we have no way of knowing, but from the general details there is a similarity.