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Historian recalls early counterfeiters' operationsA gang of ,counterfeiters was headquartered in the mountains east of Waynesboro 200 years ago, according to an excerpt from “Waynesboro,” a new history nearing publication by Todd Dorsett, 16, of 21 E. Third St.Dorsett said the deadline for ordering copies of the hardbound history, at $17 apiece, has been extended from June 25 to July 15.Orders may be placed at the Alexander Hamilton Memorial Free Library, 45 E Main St, or with Dorsett at his homeFollowing is the excerpt which details the operation and capture of the early counterfeiters.An old story which is told about counterfeiters, lives only through old narratives and a cave, situated on the western slope of the South Mountain, near the Maryland and Pennsylvania border The story goes that around the 1770’s, a notorious counterfeiting gang was headquartered in Franklin County, near the Maryland border, in the shadow of theSouth Mountain Thisheadquarters was on land presently part of Glen Afton Farms, near Harbaugh’s Church.To first introduce the criminals involved, we must start as early as 1768. On July 12,’ 1768,Frederick Calvert, the proprietor of Maryland, gave a patent to Christopher Shockey for eighteen hundred twentyacres Two hundred of these#•acres were afterwards sold to Valentine Shockey This Valentine -Shockey was one of the outlaws who operated the counterfeiting ringThe primary counterfeiters were Valentine Shockey, his brother, Benjamin Nugent, his brother William Nugent, some Doanes, some Fritzes, John Rosborough, John McCartney, and Charles Johnston This operation flourished for some years, until they werediscovered and imprisonedThe counterfeit money was made in the aforementioned cave This is “Schockey’s Cave”, and is said to be on the South Mountain, on the Falls Creek, east of the Great Falls It is situated a short distance south of that area known as Buena Vista Springs, and not far from Pen-Mar This cave also sheltered the outlaws in times of despair. It has been reminisced upon by chroniclers of earlier times, many of them renowned in the area, as the story of the counterfeiters, their notoriety, and their deliverances to justice It is also called Shockey’s office.Valentine Shockey lived between the present stone house, built by George Har-baugh in 1805, and the barn, on the Glen Afton Farm He owned the farm before it was sold to George Harbaugh’s father, Jacob Sr It is said that this house was burned, around 1780, in order to induce Shockey out of the mountain His family wasfirst allowed to remove and the residence then was burned Dr. Henry Harbaugh, who was bom and reared at the site of the house wrote, ‘‘On a certain occasion, when a possee were in hot pursuit of the counterfeiter, they came to his house in the evening, but he escaped to the mountain They waited for some time, and then set fire to his house, with the hope that, the lurid sight would allure him from his hiding place, and if he should come to the rescue of his house, theymight be able to capture him The flames soon raged and struck forth fearfully from the doomed house — the family having of course been allowed to escape On the woods around, and upon the mountain more distant, shone the red glare of the burning house The possee lay around in ambush, watchful and silent, but the old fox was too wise to be called forth by such a ruse From the side of the mountain he saw with stoic calmness how the fire wasturning his home into flames, andsmoke^and ashes ”*Shockey was later captured, and while in the York jail, sold his two hundred acres to Jacob Harbaugh Sr , on February 13, 1787Shockey was captured by a party under command of Colonel James Johnston This party was accompanied on their venture through the mountain, by several citizens — ‘Squire John Bourns among them In a narrative of Dr John FrancisBourns, a grandson of the ‘Squire, Valentine Shockey, and his brother, are known as “the two brothers, Shockke” Since this narrative was written by a most conscientious individual, and a local resident as well, it will here be reproduced It goes“A brief halt was made, then the march, or rather dash, was resumed, and up and into the mountains they rode, accompanied by citizens until they had approached so near the hiding resort that absolutequiet became needful in every movement Strategy had been planned, the countersign given out, and, dismounted, the party divided, walking stealthily apart through the dense woods to surround the marauders’ den or cave “ * Squire Bourns appeared rather as a non-combatant, he simply had a staff in his hand. But for the night’s darkness he might have been noticed, however, to wear'at his side a bayonet, as he wore that weapon when a soldier under Washington three years before “The night waned, and the silence continued-through the forest, interrupted only by the occasional bark of a fox, or the hoot of an owl But as the morning began to dawn the soldier’s intent ear caught from a little distance a rustling sound like that made by animals moving through the underbrush , and quickly its cause was revealed in the approach of a man whom Bourns in the twilight mistook to be one of hisparty who wore a military hat, and by the planned whistle he called for the countersign This was not returned, and, being in doubt, the canny Scot started toward the man whom he followed until the growing light proved the fugitive was bent on eluding him, and he immediately shouted the battle rally for his party to hear and join him. Being fleet afoot, ‘Squire Bourns gained on the disguised marauder*, who proved to be one of the brothers, Shokke, and he ordered him to halt and surrender The man, .without halting, looked back, muttering an angry reply, and making a misstep he Jell to the ground, when the ‘Squire, coming up, had his bayonet instantly in use to keep his burly foe from rising. Within a very few minutes Colonel Johnston, with the rest of the loyal party, rode up, when the march was started upon down the mountains homeward, with the prisoner in company ”The prisoner, Shockey, wasthen taken to the York gaol.This Shockey was not the last of the party There are still some of them who had eluded capture The Nugents were among these A reward of five thousand dollars had been offered for the capture and safe conveyance to any of the countygaols of Pennsylvania It may here be noted that Shockey was taken to the York gaol, instead of the county gaol at the county seat, Carlisle Another reward was offered for the capture and delivery to any county gaol, any of the counterfeiters individuallyOne of the Nugents in the band, William, was captured by Ephraim Hunter This man resided m the county in which the cave is situated Thepetition of Hunter for the reward was dated November 22, 1782 This petition and the receipt of Michael Graybill, the gaoler at York, were presented to the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, which had set the reward
Newspaper Details
Waynesboro Record Herald
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, US
Thu, Jun 24, 1976
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
King C.
WA, USA 06 Jul 2019
Other Publications Near Waynesboro, Pennsylvania
Waynesboro Village Record
Waynesboro Record Herald
