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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In June 1778,the British abandoned Philadelphia and marched back to New York. Pennsylvanians cheered, but state authorities warned that Tories and Indians might now attack the backcountry. In Northampton,the militia and other officials ignored reports that war parties had begun to infiltrate the region north of Blue Mountain.Moreover, Prothonotary Robert Levers chose this moment to pick a fight with an army officer over the disposition of items found on the bodyof a dead soldier.This was a trivial matter; however, to defend his principles and his territory, Levers made an issue of it.The resulting fracas had local watchers on their toes. The quarrel began when passers-by pulled a dead man from the Lehigh River at Easton. Since the sheriff had passed away a week earlier, a spectator sent for Robert Levers.The dead man wore a uniform, which tagged him as a soldier in Count Casimir Pulaski’ s Legion. Levers searched the soldier’s pockets and found two $7 Continental bills, two fourpenny lottery tickets, a tobacco box,a receipt for an overdue loan,and an old prayer book. Upon examining these items, Levers identified the dead soldier as Henry Legel, and directed a constable to deliver the man’ s money and personal effects to his office for safekeeping.1 Count Pulaski was one of several European military men who offered their services to the United States during the Revolution.2 As the Continental Army had no experienced cavalry officer, Congress authorized Pulaski to “organize and raise a corps of 68 horse and 200 foot.”3 Pulaski’s second-in-command, a former Prussian officer of Hussars named Colonel Michael de Kowatz, decided to marshal the corps outside Bethlehem because he hoped to acquire saddles, gloves, and other accoutrements from Moravian artisans.The Brethren,however, could not provide the equipment owing to a lack of materials and the placement of a hospital in their town. Nonetheless, Count Pulaski and Colonel de Kowatz maintained cordial relations with the Moravians and, on more than one occasion, earned the Brethren’s gratitude by posting guards at the residence of female Moravians when it appeared that unruly troops might threaten them.4 Nonetheless, some inhabitants complained about the conduct of the general’ s troops.The people “expect protection and not violence and oppression from troops raised and supported at their own expense,”the Board of War informed Pulaski . Some irregularities happen among all troops,the Board said, but from the charges leveled against the Legion “we conclude their conduct to be more reprehensible.”5 The death of one of Pulaski’ s men stirred the rumor mill in Northampton . Levers, a man who observed the letter of the law , raised his guard when Colonel de Kowatz called on him and demanded Legel’ s money on grounds that the money retrieved from the dead soldier’s pockets “belonged to the states.” Levers advised de Kowatz that “he did not think himself indemni- fied to release the money” until the charges for an inquiry had been paid. Levers also informed de Kowatz that he had decided to “consult and receive the directions of the court in this matter.” Levers subsequently asked the court to request Colonel de Kowatz to appear before them so that the incident might be settled.Moreover, he warned the court that de Kowatz would make it appear that the moneywas not the propertyof the dead soldier.That Colonel de Kowatz should be treated with suspicion and hostility came naturally to Levers, for he believed that rather than turn to outsiders for help, especially European-blooded aristocrats, Pennsylvanians should rise and fight for the cause of freedom. The bailiff advised de Kowatz that the court wished him to make an appearance at quarter sessions court, but the colonel protested that he had a prior engagement in Bethlehem on the third Tuesday of June and therefore could not be present. Subsequently, Colonel de Kowatz honored the court’s request that he meet Justice John Arndt at widow Nungessor’s tavern in Easton and discuss the matter. Justice Arndt reported to the court that “Kowatz was indifferent” about the fact that Levers had taken the money, but that de Kowatz judged he had a right to the money because the deceased man was his soldier. The colonel also said he would balance his accounts by debiting the impounded funds in Levers’s name. When the court convened it took into consideration Levers’s application , Colonel de Kowatz’ s response...

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