Meshach Browning through the "western wilderness" became legendary. This wilderness was the Allegheny Mountains, especially in Garrett County, Maryland and the surrounding regions of what is now West Virginia. He was known as a profit hunter. Meshach Browning and his son-in-law, Dominick Mattingly, were selected to collect donations to build a church at Johnstown, Maryland. The result of their labors was St. James Church, dedicated in 1853 under the pastorate of Rev. William Lambert and prosperous for many years. Meshach Browning died on November 19, 1859 in Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. In 1859, a book reviewer of Meschach Browning’s newly published book
Shadrach Dingle Zak went to South America in search of the Dingle fortune, Shadrach begged Zak’s wife, Lisa, to take him in. Sticking to the Dingle code of loyalty, Lisa agreed and Shadrach spent the next few months trying to seduce her and order was restored when Zak returned but Shadrach’s behaviour continued to provoke disgust among his family and their neighbours alike. A life of heavy drinking took a toll on Shadrach and his daughter, Chastity, worried that her father would die of alcoholism-related illnesses. Attempting to wean him off alcohol, Chas bet Zak and Shadrach that they could not stay