Allegheny Uprising Page #4

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military goods.

''We'll have Captain Swanson whipped

or hanged.''

Don't you think this is a little obvious?

You gotta make it plain.

Them people are thick-headed.

''We may do as we please for we have

the law and government in our hands.

''Any bounty captured

must be spent in our town,

''the only town tolerating drinking,

swearing, Sabbath-breaking,

''and any outrage we have a mind to do.

''Signed, James Smith and his

Black Boys of the Conococheague.''

Well, it should convince the Governor

he's dealing with rioters and rebels.

They've blockaded the valley.

No word can get through

except what they choose.

They wouldn't dare treat

His Majesty's troops with such indignity.

They've no respect for law.

Their magistrates are with them,

leading them.

Have Magistrate Duncan come in.

l've called their magistrate to Philadelphia.

Magistrate Duncan.

This gentleman informs me

that you've encouraged and protected

rioters in the Conococheague Valley

in their illegal and disorderly proceedings.

There have been no illegal

nor disorderly proceedings.

Burned my goods. They burned my goods.

The pack train was illegal,

Your Excellency,

contrary to your proclamation.

There's what's left of the military supplies.

Does that look like trade goods?

This gentleman has been misinformed.

They were not government goods.

Were government troops fired upon?

Not one shot has been fired against

the royal garrison, Your Excellency.

l swear those goods

were lndian trade goods.

More than that l cannot say.

More than that l will say.

My pack leader managed to

evade the blockade.

Callendar.

Where's that advertisement?

These were found nailed to the trees

all through the Conococheague Valley.

The one you have in your hand was taken

from the wall of MacDougall's Tavern.

Sound reason

for everything they've done, indeed.

Bloody-minded cutthroats!

May l see it, sir?

There's something queer

about this advertisement, mighty queer.

No Conococheague man ever did this.

l find it disagreeably necessary

to apply to General Gage

for the assistance of His Majesty's troops.

Reinforcements will be

ready to march in a week.

l demand military escort

for my supply train.

You shall have it.

You will issue a warrant

for the apprehension of James Smith.

You will lend your assistance

in discovering and apprehending

all persons who may be concerned.

l issue no warrants against Jim Smith

or any of the valley men.

-Jim? Where's Jim?

-There he is.

Jim, they're issuing a warrant

for your arrest. You've got to leave.

Governor Penn himself is issuing it.

And General Gage is sending

reinforcements in a few days

to put down the insurrection.

-You must go, Jim.

-No.

Those traders

will do anything to hang you.

And Gage has promised them

military escort for their pack trains.

Callendar will probably rush through

a train before the reinforcements arrive.

He'll be afraid to wait

with too many soldiers about.

He will that,

if he's carrying lndian trade goods.

-Well, we'll let the train through.

-Let it through?

Jim, are you crazy?

What is it, Jim?

What are you thinking about?

We'll use him as bait for a trap.

lf Fort Loudoun

becomes a warehouse for illegal goods,

its commandant is done for.

lt'll be proof that he's

unlawfully conniving with traders.

We'll prove we're not rebels.

We have him now. He's taken the bait.

Tell the valley men

to come to MacDougall's.

Jim Smith wants you to

come to MacDougall's!

Jim Smith says, ''Come to MacDougall's! ''

Jim Smith says, ''Come to MacDougall's! ''

Jim Smith says, ''Come to MacDougall's.''

-Come to MacDougall's.

-Come to MacDougall's.

-Come to MacDougall's.

-MacDougall's.

Come to MacDougall's.

James, there's your search warrant,

and it's all in order.

You'd better come along to serve it.

Just a minute, men.

M'Cammon, Calhoon, Stewart,

Lewis and Janie here are out on bail.

We promised the Captain

they'd be tried for treason.

Now it isn't beholden for men out on bail

to be appearing before

a fort making demands.

lf you think it'll be hurting you,

then l'll stay.

That won't be necessary, Tom.

We'll try you immediately.

Jim, you can appear for the defense.

l'll choose a jury,

and if it isn't to your liking you can object.

The prisoners over there before the bar

and the jurymen down here on this side

of the table, as l call off your names.

Burke, Callahan, Brown, Reynolds,

Allison, Bouquet, Forbes, Spears,

Josephs, Owens, Grant, Pierry.

-Jim, have you any objections?

-No objections.

Gentlemen, what is your verdict

on Tom Calhoon?

Not guilty.

-John M'Cammon?

-Not guilty.

-Stewart?

-Not guilty.

-Lewis?

-Not guilty.

-Janie McDougall?

-Guilty.

-What?

-Guilty as charged.

MacDougall, the court charges you to

lock your daughter in the wine cellar

until the court has time to pass sentence.

-You...

-Come along, lassie.

The moment you began whispering,

l knew it was some filthy lndian trick!

l think you'd best forget him.

He's bad medicine for lasses.

Mac, what, what's the matter with me?

Why does he treat me like this?

Janie-wanie, you called him right, lndian.

To him a squaw belongs at home.

l hate him.

Aye, and if you're like your mother,

you'll break your heart with your hate.

Go on with ye, you MacDougall, you.

Something must be amiss. They let me by.

They've no stomach for firing on troops.

They had the look of cats

that had just swallowed a flock of birds.

They're all about the fort, sir,

close to 300 of them, armed.

-Shut and bolt the gates.

-l've already done that, sir.

Order full garrison on the wall.

What do you mean

by coming here with that rabble?

ln the name of public safety,

we want permission to inspect

the trader's goods stored in your fort.

You've a rare appreciation of public order

with an armed mob at your back.

l have a search warrant

to inspect the goods.

The goods are under my protection.

l've orders from General Gage.

Here, do you see this?

That's General Gage's own order.

What more do you want?

Here, do you see this?

lt's the King's proclamation.

We want to see the goods.

Nothing short of that

will satisfy the people around here.

You'll inspect no goods in my care.

l've my orders.

lt might be as well to remember,

this road is not a military road.

And while we're talking,

you might get it through your head.

We built your fort.

We'll not have it used against us.

Now, will you let us in?

l will not.

You're using our fort

as a storehouse for illegal goods.

According to the King's proclamation,

you're a criminal.

And we'll deal with you as a criminal.

Back, boys.

Be back, boys.

We'll kill every mother's son

of them, the dirty rattlesnakes!

Come on, let's get him out of the road.

McGlashan, those men

were under a flag of truce.

-Arrest the man who fired that shot.

-Yes, sir.

Don't jiggle him so much, lads.

l'll put a torch to that fort myself,

if l die doing it.

That was no army musket, Tom.

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