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Show TAMED LIBERTY BELL. 1 ARLY HISTORY OF AMERICA'S MOST SACRED RELIC. Removed from Philadelphia to the Little Town of Northampton In 1777 to Save It from the British Taken Back In 1778. (Special Letter.) The removal of the Liberty Bell (from Philadelphia to Charleston, S. C, lis probably of more interest to the people of Allentown, Pa., than to those of any city or town in the United States outside of Philadelphia. The reason for this is that It awakens memories of the first trip the Liberty Bell made. If the question, "To what place was the Liberty Bell first taken after it proclaimed its famous message of Independence In-dependence on July 4, 1776," were to be asked of the average man the chances are that the answer would not pe correctly given. The failure to do po would not be due to lack of inter-lest inter-lest in the precious old relic, but to the fact that not in every case is the whole history of the Liberty Bell known. It was to Allentown (or Northampton, Northamp-ton, as the struggling village was then lenown) that the Liberty Bell made its jflrst trip. In September, 1777, a little "more than a year after the bell had fired the hearts of the patriots by proclaiming pro-claiming "freedom throughout all the land," the British became rather too numerous for comfort in the vicinity of Philadelphia. At a meeting of the executive council it was decided to send the Liberty Bell, together with the chimes of Christ and St. Peter's churches, eleven bells in all, to some distant settlement. The patriotism and loyalty to the Continental cause of the citizens of Northampton were well known to the lexecutive council, and it was decided (to intrust the Liberty Bell in the care iof the people of this village. Jonrney of the Bells. In those days farmers from the region re-gion of Allentown made frequent trips to Philadelphia. They would arrive In the city with wagonloads of produce and return empty-handed. On the returning re-turning farm wagons the bells were packed, they being carefully covered with potato sacks and straw. The announcement an-nouncement was then made that the Liberty Bell had been buried in the waters of the Delaware river. Many people are still under the impression that the Delaware was the hiding place of the bell, but that this is wrong is phown by the following entry in the iliary of the Moravian church at Beth-iehem Beth-iehem under date of September 25, 3.777: "The bells from Philadelphia brought in wagons. The wagon with the state house bell broke down here, so it had to be unloaded. The other bells went on." John Jacob Mickley drove the team on which the Liberty Bell was loaded. After his wagon broke down Frederick Leaser, another farmer, came along and the bell was loaded on his wagon , OLD REFORMED CHURCH, and the journey to Northampton resumed. re-sumed. Arriving in this place the bell, together to-gether with the church chimes, was i hidden underneath the floor of Old Zion's Reformed church. The pastor, Rev. Abraham Blumer, assisting in the concealment. Here the bells remained until after the evacuation of Philadelphia Philadel-phia by the British in the latter part of 1778, when they were taken back to Philadelphia. The old church which sheltered the sacred relic was razed in 1838, and a modern edifice erected, which, about fourteen years ago, gave way to the present magnificent church building, which contains a memorial window in honor of the Liberty Bell. |