JAMES WILSON — NATION BUILDER among ourselves. Such a system we con ceive the constitution framed by the late convention to be." The relentless fight was waged not only during the Revolution, but until Wilson triumphantly achieved Pennsylvania's en dorsement of the United States Constitu tion in 1787 over the venomous opposition of the Bryan-Cannon adherents, and with his own hand wrote a new constitution for Pennsylvania, which was adopted by the people in 1790. In 1779 the Bryan faction realized the growing strength of Wilson's opposition and determined to break his in fluence, if possible. He had speedily built up a large and lucrative practice. The lead ing business men and merchants of Phila delphia were his clients, among them Robert Morris. The emission of bills of credit by Congress had inflated the currency, and the price of food stuffs rose; the public mind was inflamed against Morris and other mer chants, and an attempt was made, through a committee appointed at a town meeting, to regulate the prices at which flour and other commodities should be sold. Morris and other merchants refused to sell on terms dictated to them, and some of the flour was used to supply the French fleet. This was early in October, 1779, and Wilson was at that time Advocate-General for France, as well as counsel for Morris. Those opposed to him had little difficulty in working up a popular sentiment against him, particularly as he had but recently been of counsel for Roberts and Carlisle accused of treason, and had obtained the acquittal of a number of persons tried for that crime. Could any mob ever be made to understand that a man might be an ardent patriot and at the same time discharge his duty as a lawyer to a client unjustly charged with an unpopular crime? On the night of October 3, 1779,. signs were posted throughout Philadelphia, threatening Robert Morris, Wilson, and others. The following afternoon a mob as sembled, armed with muskets and revolvers, and after marching for several blocks through
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the city, headed towards Wilson's residence, at the southwest corner of Third and Walnut streets. An eyewitness records that Gen eral Thomas Mifflin went to the leader in the march, and it is said warned him that if they attacked Wilson's house they would be fired upon, and "one of the men in the ranks struck or pushed him [Mifflin] with his musket." In the meantime a large group of Wilson's friends assembled at his resi dence to protect him, including Robert Morris and George Clymer, both signers of the Declaration of Independence, General William Thompson, General Thomas Mifflin, Major Francis Nichols, Captain James Camp bell, John Lawrence, Samuel C. Morris, and a score or more of others. Their only ammu nition consisted of some cartridges with which Clymer and Nichols had filled their pockets at the arsenal at Carpenter's Hall. And it is a fact worthy of note that in Wil son's house at this time there was a majority of those who eight years later represented Pennsylvania in the United States Constitu tional Convention. Shortly before the ar rival of the mob, an eyewitness who had no part in the contest, records that he talked with Wilson and that he said that he "had good information he was intended to be taken up and that he was determined to de fend himself." The mob finally attacked the house, and a fusilade of shots resulted. Captain Campbell, of Wilson's old county, Cumberland, and who had been married but a week, was killed in the house, and General Mifflin was wounded by a bayonet thrust. One or two of the mob were also killed and many wounded. A disinterested eyewit ness, in a personal letter, wrote that "al though the whole of the mob was preparing to fire, I think a third single shot was fired before any return of fire was made from Mr. Wilson's house." Finally, led by Major Lenox, a part of the First City Troop, which had been held in rendezvous for the emer gency, galloped up and charged the mob, dispersing it after the front door had been battered in. Had it not been for this rescue,
