Very many people - and among them relatives of the lad Williams - opposed the hanging of Stout, as he was deficient in sense, and generally thought to be almost crazy at all times. The spot of the murder is still pointed out nearly opposite a pathway across Stout's Creek. This murder occurred Nov. 19, 1802. Young Williams is buried in Goodluck graveyard. The following is the inscription on his tombstone:

Oct. 14, 1778. We learn that on Wednesday last the enemy left Egg Harbor after burning several vessels and houses belonging to gentlemen who have distinguished themselves by their attachment to the American cause. They have, it is said, bent their course towards Toms River, in order to destroy our salt works." The burning of houses, spoken of in the foregoing, refers to the burning of Chestnut Neck. Atlantic county, when Pulaski's guards were murdered.

Vessels of the enemy would occasionally get stranded on our beach during the war, as in the following instance:

Dec. 9, 1778. We learn that a few days ago a British armed vessel, bound from Halifax to New York, and richly laden came ashore near Barnegat. The crew, about 60 in number, surrendered themselves prisoners to our militia. Goods to the amount of £5,000 have been taken out of her by our people, and it is said a number of prisoners have already arrived in Bordentown; other particulars not yet come to hand.

Dec, 28, 1778. Capt. Alexander, of the sloop Elizabeth of Baltimore, was taken by the British, but was permitted to leave in his small boat and landed at Cranberry Inlet Dec 28th.

March, 1779. The sloop Success came ashore in a snowstorm at Barnegat about March, 1779. She had been taken by the British brig Diligence, and was on her way to New York. She had a valuable cargo of rum, molasses, coffee, cocoa, etc, on board. The prize master and three hands were made prisoners and sent to Princeton.

The New Jersey Gazette says that in January, 1779, a Refugee named John Giberson was shot near Toms River. My impression is that this item is incorrect as to the place named; tradition locates the place where he was shot just below Tuckerton on a place once occupied by a branch of the Falkinburgh family. Mickle's Reminiscences of Gloucester gives a very minute account of the affair which is moreover substantially corroborated by tradition in this section. Mickle gives the name as William Giberson, not John. During the year 1780 Edward Giles, of Philadelphia, in the schooner Shark, was taken by a sloop of ten guns. Giles was left in schooner and a prize crew of four men put on board of her. Giles had on board of her some choice old liquor with which he managed to get his four captors drunk and then run the schooner into Little Egg Harbor. He helped take the four to Philadelphia.

(Verily it does seem that a proper use of good liquor sometimes effects good, as here it is shown that a man captured a vessel and four men with only a bottle of choice rum!)

About the middle of December, 1780, a British brig in the West Indian trade was taken and brought into Toms River. This brig had run short of water and provisions, and, mistaking the land for Long Island, sent a boat and four men ashore to obtain supplies. The militia hearing of it manned two boats and went out and took her. She had on board 150 hhds of rum and spirits, which our ancestors pronounced "excellent," so they must have considered themselves competent judges of such articles!

The British brig Molly was driven ashore in a snowstorm near Barnegat; her prize crew were taken prisoners by our militia and sent to Philadelphia.

March 19, 1782. The privateer Dart, Capt. William Gray, of Salem, Mass., arrived at Toms River with a prize sloop taken from the "Black Jack" a British galley belonging to New York. The next day his boat with seven men went in pursuit of a brig which was near the bar. A letter from Toms River written a few days after they left said they had not been heard from since.

Between 1830 and 1840, the supply of pine wood suitable for market began to fail, and the coasters again began to inquire "what business could next be found for vessels." This was satisfactorily answered to many by the starting of the charcoal trade. The long ranks of cordwood near all our landings, so well remembered by oldest residents, gave place to piles of charcoal, the dust from which made it almost impossible to tell whether a seafaring man was white or black. Then came the demand for coasting vessels to carry hard coal, anthracite and bituminous, from Philadelphia, Alexandria and other places to other ports.

Before any very large business was done in exporting charcoal, considerable quantities of it were made for the use of furnaces and forges. The "coaling grounds" for Federal Furnace and David Wright's Forge are named in 1795 in ancient deeds for lands near Hurricane and Black Swamp; the Federal company's coaling ground on Hurricane Neck is named in 1797. In 1825 "Jack Cook's Coal Kiln Bottom" and "Morocco Kiln" are named.