More on York County Horse Thieves
Recently I quoted the notice for the 1858 annual meeting of the York County Horse Thief Detecting Society. Since the by-laws required that all members be present at the meeting, I am listing the names below. Perhaps one of your ancestors was among those charged to go out on “every road and by-road” looking for the thief. If they all showed up for the meeting, the innkeeper needed a really big room.
I haven’t found yet what the penalty was for a convicted horse thief in 1858. It was probably pretty stiff, but I don’t think it was a physical as that related by Lewis Miller in his Chronicle of York, Pa. Miller, who was born in 1796, relates a punishment witnessed sometime earlier: “Old Mr. Joseph Kraft, Saddler, told me that he saw when old Filby was put to the whipping post and lashed, and his ears cut of[f] and nailed to the post, and the boys pelting him with rotten eggs. It was done for stealing a horse of Mr. Ritter….”
One note on the following list of 1858 YCHTDS members. Since our forebears had a fondness for repeating the same names through the generations, the first name or initial of the father was used to designate the proper person. For example Michael Smyser, of P. could have been the son of Peter or Phillip; Michael Smyser, of M. would have been the son of Michael, Matthew or Martin. Occasionally they named the township in which the individual lived.
MEMBERS
Michael Smyser, of P.
John Smyser of P.
Adam Smyser of P.
George Smyser of P.
Henry Smyser of P.
Daniel Smyser of P.
John Houser
Jacob Hinkle
David Bank
Peter Lint
John Loucks, Hellam
John Bailer
Jacob Herman
Michael Smyser of M.
Michael Meyer, Paradise
Henry Meyer, Paradise
Dr. Francis Koch
John Flory, Jr.
Philip Smyser
Samuel Forscht, Bor.
John Sleeger
Dr. H. M. McClellan
Jacob Kessler
Joseph Forry
Jacob Rudy
Jacob Roemer
Daniel Kauffman
Jonas Appleman
Emanuel Appleman
Jacob Appleman
Ab’m F. Hiestand
Herman Hoke
Adam Bahn
P.A. Small
J. Leonard Leckrone
John Leckrone, of P.
Jacob Butt
John Roth
Samuel Hively
Jesse Appleman
Nathan Spangler
Samuel Throne
Samuel Johnson
Martin Ebert, of Ad.
Ad. Herman, of Jacob
Samuel Rudy
Michael Dietz
Emanuel Herman
Wm. Smyser
Henry Lehr
H. Spangler, of Rudy
Jacob Gotwalt
Joseph Dietz
Daniel Loucks
Michael Weidman
Samuel Bahn
John F. Hiestand
Israel Reinhart
Elias Witmer
Joseph Hinkle
Frederick Segmiller
John Emig, Sen., Co.
Henry Bott
Peter Bott
John C. Throne
George Bank
Wm. F. Hiestand
Henry Ebert
Jacob Myers, Freystown
MANAGERS
Joseph Hinkle
John Bailer
Daniel Loucks
Jacob Bott
Michael Smyser
Daniel Kauffman
Adam Bahn
Michael Ebert
John Houser, Esq.
Jesse Appleman
Samuel Johnston, Esq.
John Emig, Codo.
President–Dr. Francis Koch
Vice President–Henry Smyser
Secretary– H. M. McClellan
Treasurer–Philip Smyser
