Individual Details

Event

On the morning of May 1, 1778, Joseph Hallowell happened to be up early,
and hearing the noise of wild turkeys, hastened in pursuit. About the break
of day he came into the woods near the Welsh road, a short mile's distance
from the west of his house, when his attention was soon arrested by most
peculiar sounds coming from down the road. He stooped among the bushes, and
as he peeped therefrom, to his surprise, beheld a detachment of the British
army from Philadelphia hastening northwards, piloted by several he knew,
who had resided in Horsham. He estimated the number at about six hundred
men, one-half of whom were mounted on horses, being now on their way, by
Horsham Meeting-house to attack General Lacey on the rear of his camp near
Hatboro'. Fortunately they were too late, for the division that had
proceeded up the Middle road made the attack too soon, and Lacey, by moving
northeastward with his forces, escaped the danger. The detachment he saw
was under the command of Major Simcoe.

Event

Joseph Hallowell stated that, when a boy of fifteen, he could, in some
directions, journey through the open woods to the Schuylkill River, and
that he had several times done so on horseback in pursuit of his father's
cattle when they had gone astray, the one that carried the bell being
called the "king-cow." John Tomlinson, a neighbor of his, having gone with
produce to Philadelphia while it was in possession of the British, on his
return was captured by a party of Lacey's men, who sheared off closely the
hair on one side of his head, deprived him of his clothing, and, instead,
gave him an old shirt and a pair of breeches which he found filled with
vermin. The neighbors afterwards jested on the matter by saying that he was
a fortunate man to have safely returned to his home with so much more than
what he had taken with him. Mr. Hallowell stated that after 1785 he had no
knowledge of any wild turkeys having been seen anywhere through all that
section. He verified the great abundance of wild pigeons seen at times near
the close of the last century, and of their still breeding in the woods of
that vicinity as late as 1810.