Peter Miller and Michael Whitman

   The following story of Peter Miller and Michael Whitman was written by Hiram E. Steinmetz based on an interview of Mary Hahn, a member of the Seventh Day Baptists (known today as the Cloister) at Ephrata. It was published in the 1901-02 Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society; v. 6, no. 3 & 4. The story has been told repeatedly as a beautiful example of the power of forgiveness. However, it is an oral story with very little proof of truth and becomes more questionable as it grows. 

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The Story

   Peter Miller was a minister in the German Reformed Church in his early life. "He was born in the district of Sautern, in the Palatinate (Chur-Pfalz) in 1709. He came to America as a minister of this church in 1730." He preached at various points. He served as pastor of Bethany Reformed Church, near Ephrata, and doubtless others in this section. 
   He withdrew from the German Reformed Church and joined the Seven Day Baptists at Ephrata. He moved to their settlement and became their pastor. He resided there during the American Revolutionary War. He was a man who had an extensive acquaintance and was widely known. He enjoyed the personal acquaintance of General Washington, who visited Ephrata and the Cloister during the war. 

   Peter Miller was a talented and highly-educated man. At the request of Thomas Jefferson he translated the Declaration of Independence into seven foreign languages, and helped in this way to explain to the world the reason for the American Revolution. 

   Michael Witman [Whitman] also resided at Ephrata. He was a deacon in the German Reformed Church; the withdrawal of Peter Miller from the church greatly incensed Witman, who now secured an unenviable notoriety for his abuse of Miller and the Seven Day Baptists; on one occasion he struck Miller in the face, and on another occasion he spit in his face. Miller endured it all with Christian fortitude. He never spoke a cross word to or against Witman for his shameful conduct. 

   Witman kept one of the two hotels which were then in Ephrata, about a mile from the Cloister or Seven Day Baptist settlement. It was located on the site where the Eagle Hotel, in Ephrata borough, now stands. The other was the house lately purchased by Mr. T. A. Willson, and remodeled by him located, on West Main street. 

   There were possibly ten houses in the present limits of Ephrata borough at that time. On a winter evening two men came to the hotel of Witman for supper and shelter for the night. He was ignorant of the character of his guests, but was outspoken in his views in regard to the war, and spoke freely in favor of the British. "He was a Tory. He had been to Gen. Howard and offered his services." However, these two men were American spies. Witman entered the dining room, where the men were partaking of their evening meal. He sat on the window sill. He began to express his opinion. After proceeding at some length the men sprang up and said we have to arrest you for treason to the American cause, or words to that effect. Witman escaped through the window, and, most singular, indeed, fled to the Seven Day Baptist settlement and hid in the Brothers' House, upstairs, behind a chimney, and remained there until the next night. This house was not locked, but kept open day and night, a fact possibly known to Witman. He then escaped to Zion's Hill, where he remained until, famished from cold and hunger, he surrendered. He was taken to General Washington. He was tried for treason, found guilty and sentenced to be hung.

    As before stated, Peter Miller was personally acquainted with General Washington. Whether he was in communication with General Washington in reference to this matter is not known. However, after the death sentence was passed, Peter Miller arose early in the morning, took his cane and set out on foot, through the snow, to visit General Washington at Valley Forge, to intercede for the life of Witman. 

   He was told that his prayer for his friend could not be granted. "My friend!" exclaimed Miller. "I have not a worse enemy living than that man." 

   "What!" rejoined Washington. "You have walked sixty miles to save the life of your enemy? That, In my judgment, puts the matter in a different light. I will grant you his pardon." 

   The pardon was written, signed by General Washington and handed to Miller, who at once set out for West Chester, fifteen miles distant, where the execution was to take place on the afternoon of the same day.

   He arrived just as Witman was being carried to the scaffold, who, seeing Miller in the crowd, remarked: "There is old Peter Miller. He has walked all the way from Ephrata to have his revenge gratified to-day seeing me hung." 

   These words were scarcely spoken, when Miller waved the pardon and commanded them to halt. 

   We will not picture the scene that followed. It is said they embraced each other. They walked home to Ephrata together and remained firm friends. We will not attempt to describe the scene, tender, loving, pathetic, when Witman entered the home and he was restored to his family. His life was spared, but his property was confiscated and sold March 15, 1780, to Michael Diffenderfer, four tracts. The circumstances and environments were such that Witman did not remain long at Ephrata, but emigrated with his family somewhere to the West, where is not known. 

   Thus the curtain drops as to Witman, but Miller's noble act lives enshrined in many of the hearts and minds of the people of Ephrata, yea, wherever the narrative is read, being published in different works.     Peter Miller died September 25, 1796, aged eighty-six years and nine months, and is buried at Ephrata. The hotel property of Michael Witman was sold by Michael Diffenderfer March 15, 1787. It was purchased by Col. John Wright. It remained in the family almost a hundred years.

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The facts

1. Peter Miller was the pastor of the Reformed Church in the Tulpehocken area of what is now Berks and Lebanon counties. He went to Ephrata and joined the Seventh Day Baptists in 1735 after Conrad Beissel traveled to the Tulpehocken and preached there. He succeeded Conrad Beissel as leader of the Cloister. He is known to have mastered four languages--German, Latin, (Holland) Dutch, English, and possibly Greek. One twisted version of the story says Peter Miller emigrated to Pennsylvania as a child with his parents. He was a fully educated single adult when he arrived in Philadelphia.

2. The rest of the story until the mention of George Washington could be mostly true but cannot be proven. From there on it becomes a stretch of the imagination except for the fact that Whitman did own the hotel in Ephrata. 

3. Peter Miller was a friend of Benjamin Franklin and corresponded with him on various matters. There is no proof he was a personal friend of George Washington. Some accounts of this story claim Peter Miller and George Washington went to the same school, which is not true because Peter Miller was educated in a theological seminary in Germany. George Washington ordered the Seventh Day Baptists to care for the sick and wounded after the Battle of Brandywine but there is no record he personally visited the place.

4. There is nothing in colonial records about a trial for Whitman. There is record of Michael Widman, tavern-owner, who "absconded to the English from the county of Lancaster." In other words, he took off and joined the British. His entire estate was seized on May 1, 1778, and later sold for the benefit of the revolution. (Pennsylvania Archives Sixth Series vol. 12, p. 289-97.) 

   Lancaster County deed Q-433 clearly recites the law regarding the estates of traitors. It states that when Michael Whitman failed to appear for trial on charges of treason he was automatically convicted of High Treason. Therefore, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had the lawful right to claim and sell his estate. He owned four properties which were sold on public auction to Michael Diffenderfer on March 15, 1780. He sold two of the parcels of land to John Wright on March 15, 1787 (Lancaster County deed FF-452).

5. That Peter Miller should arrive the moment the noose was going on Whitman's neck is a great stretch of the imagination. Whitman never appeared for trial and was not sentenced to be hung. The penalty was confiscation of his property. There is no record of a pardon by Washington in Colonial records.

6. That Peter Miller and Michael Whitman walked home together as friends ties a neat bow on the story but lacks documentation. Mary Hahn was a good story teller. She was born 25 years after Peter Miller died. She may have been told this story by someone in the Cloister but I think she made it more exciting when she told it to the writer of the article above. Or, perhaps the writer added some of his own embroidery to the story. As Mark Twain said, "I remembered more than I knew."

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    Be careful of repeating this story as truth. There is much in it that is questionable and cannot be proven. It has has been retold and distorted so often it begins to resemble the fables of the cherry tree and Washington kneeling in the snow to pray at Valley Forge.

    All that being said, it is true that the power of love and forgiveness is the way to conquer enemies and turn them into friends. There are many other true stories which can be told to teach that lesson.

Ephrata Cloister