June 10, 2011 by Amy Elliott Bragg
Settlers beware
[Pioneers along the Detroit-Chicago Road, Roy C. Gamble. Source.]
This week in the news: Americans for Prosperity posted dastardly fake eviction notices on Delray homes to “get people’s attention” about the new public bridge to Canada. Scum move, dudes.
In 1837, the Whig campaign against Governor Mason’s re-election did the same thing to try to rile up settlers all over the state into voting for their fella, former Detroit Mayor C.C. Trowbridge.
Vote Trowbridge; keep your house. Vote Mason; YOU’RE MOVING TO DETROIT! Fear-mongering at its finest.
SETTLERS BEWARE!
Conrad Ten Eyck, U.S. Marshal, left Detroit yesterday for the Grand River Country for the pretended object of electioneering for Stevens T. Mason. It is well known here that his real object is to arrest the Settlers on the Government lands. Be on your guard, he has a large lot of blank capias* and after the election every Settler will be brought to Detroit.
Daniel Goodwin Esq., U.S. District Attorney, was seen on Saturday several times with Ten Eyck. Some forty or fifty persons have already been arrested by Mr. Titus, one of Ten Eyck’s deputys!
Gov. Mason has no doubt been advised by Ten Eyck of this movement. Settlers, are you willing to be dragged from your homes and brought three hundred miles at this season? If you are not, Beware — beware of Conrad Ten Eyck, U.S. Marshal, and Silas Titus, his deputy.
Ten Eyck is the same man who has tried to rob the state of $13,000 for the passage of the rail-road across his farm. If Trowbridge is elected he cannot get it. He will dupe you and then arrest you. Mark him well.
Detroit, Oct. 30, 1837
*Arrest warrants