Message
List,
Just a historic side note, if I may.
Tim Murphy is one of those legends who gets larger the farther away from
the actual events that you are. If he saved the Valley in 1782, he saved
it from the local inhabitants as the majority of the raids which
constituted "The Destructives" ended in 1781. The incidence that he
is famous or infamous for took place in October of 1780. The legend
is that he was responsible for the bottled up inhabitants and garrison
at the Middle Schoharie fort not surrendering. The truth of the
matter is that he, contrary to direct orders, twice fired upon a Loyalist
officer carrying a white flag. Had the situation been reversed and Murphy
carrying a white flag had been fired upon by a Loyalist, the Loyalist would have
been deemed a dastardly coward.
I am not sure of the abundance of
double-swivel barrels in the Schoharie Valley. I know that Murphy's was an
expensive piece made by a very famous, in his own time, Pennsylvania rifle
maker name Joseph Gulcher.
I also believe that the inference of not
many people owning firearms at the time period the original inquiry was looking
for may be slightly off and referring to a later period. I believe
that the time period was the first decade of the 1800's and if so the Militia
Laws would still have been in effect. Therefore each male between the
age of 16 and 60 would have been required to have some sort of firearm with
accompanying accoutrements. Where I grew up almost everybody owned at
least one gun and where I live today almost everybody owns at least one gun. No
I didn't grow up in Dodge City and I don't live in Tombstone. (8^)
Respectfully submitted
Rolland Miner
Director
New World Dutch Barn Survey 2000