A recent post cited the legendary murder of Capt. Arthur FORBIS by Conrad SHOEMAKER, and the latter's execution for the deed. Although a couple of variations of this legend have been published, notably by David Schenck and Fred Hughes, I have found almost nothing in historical records to substantiate it. In fact, there is considerable evidence to suggest that the legend is at least partly untrue, and that Forbis died of British-inflicted wounds two to three weeks after the battle. The irony of this legend is that some years later the Shoemaker and Forbis families would become indirectly related. Elizabeth WILEY, who married Arthur Forbis, was apparently a GGAunt of Mary Ann WILEY, who married my ancestor, Jesse Shoemaker in 1834. Jesse was Conrad Shoemaker's grandson. It is also worth noting that at least two members of the Wiley family served in Captain Forbis' militia company at the Battle of Guilford Court House. It is true that Conrad Shoemaker signed the Regulator petition and that Arthur Forbis did not. However, I doubt that this is a reliable indicator of their subsequent activities in the Revolution. For example, some of the Wileys also signed the Regulator petition and, as noted above, became active participants against the King in the Revolution. By the way, The Colonial Records of North Carolina indicate that Forbis' rank was that of a captain in the militia. There is no indication he was promoted above that rank before his death. My research of this incident is not yet complete, though I expect to finish it this year. If anyone has seen some first-hand documentation of this legend, please let me know. Thanks, Dave Shoemaker