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 PS 1059.B123J7 
 
 Johnsville In the olden time and other 
 
 3 1924 022 014 546 
 
n 
 
 Cornell University 
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 the Cornell University Library. 
 
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 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022014546 
 
JOHNSVILLE 
 
 IN THE OLDEN TIME, 
 
 ASP 
 
 OTHER STORIES. 
 
JOHNSVILLE 
 
 IN THE OLDEN TIME 
 
 OTHER STORIES, 
 
 BY 
 
 NATHAN J. BAI LEY. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 FEINTED BY EDWARD 0. JENKINS' SONS, 
 
 20 NoHTH William Stbbbt. 
 
 1884. 
 
NOTE. 
 
 The following stories were written to ieguile an occasional leisure 
 
 hour, and if tJiey afford the reader as much pleasure in their perusal 
 
 as they did the Author in composing them, they will have answered 
 
 the end for which they are published. 
 
 The Author, 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 JOHNSVILLE IN THE OlDEN TiME, ... . . . 9 
 
 Autobiography of Walter Peleg, Esq., 26 
 
 The Issops and the Whites : A Story of Domestic Life, 46 
 
 The Early Settlers of the Valley op the Sprout, . . .57 
 
 The Robbers of Windam Peak : A Tale op Fishkill Hook, . . 72 
 
 The Fight at Stebbins' Corners, ..... 79 
 
 The Gold-Diggers of Moccasin Hill : A Tale of the Last Century, . 90 
 
 Youthful Recollections, 96 
 
 The Moving Lights : A Story of Fox Hill, . . 105 
 
 LfoiDENTS op the REVOLUTION — That Might Have Been, . . 114 
 
 The Ghost of Brinckerhofp's Pond, ... . 119 
 
 A Chapter on Genealogies, .... 125 
 
 Abel Way ; or, Political Doings in the Olden Time, . . 1 33 
 
 Another History Wanted, 142 
 
 Ben Downie's Bar Fight, Courtship, etc., . . . . 148 
 
 An Abstract from the Minutes of the Spankers Club of Peekskill, 158 
 Hawks, the Schoolmaster, . ....... 168 
 
 The Buried Treasure : A Tale op Dobbs Ferry, . 176 
 
 A Legend of Adrian Pond, ......... 184 
 
 Petrus Kuypbrs : A Chapter in the Early History of the Five Cor- 
 ners, . . ..... 190 
 
a CONTEKTS. 
 
 PAOl! 
 
 Captain Adam Smith Tubns Lecturee, and Pikes Off his First Gun at 
 
 Bangtown, 196 
 
 The Big Turtle of the Benny Pond, ....... 204 
 
 The Legend of Manitou Hill, ... . 209 
 
 The Wonderful Astrologer ; or, The Dutchman's Wager, . . 213 
 
 The Outlaws of the Revolution : A Legend of Joe's Hills, . .226 
 Aunt Peggy Prim : A Story of the Olden Time, . . . .234 
 
 A Brief History of Peter Pickeeal, with Some Account of the Owl 
 
 Debating Society, . . . . ... 243 
 
 The Black Cat of Wall Street, . . .... 251 
 
JOHNSYILLE 
 
 IN THE 
 
 OLDEN, TIME 
 
 " HE little village of Johnsville, some forty years ago, was a 
 bustling, active place, full of hubbub and gaiety, and, as such, 
 presented a striking contrast to its present quiet, dreamy-like 
 appearance. 
 
 The good dames of the village, in the olden time, were an energetic 
 people. They arose betimes in the morning, and devoted the early 
 hours of the day to scrubbing, dusting, baking, scolding, and to house- 
 hold operations in general. Their afternoons were spent in social in- 
 tercourse, in meeting around from house to house, enjoying sociable 
 tea-drinks, and discussing the news of the day. As the ladies of those 
 days, especially in that vicinity, were inveterate smokers, the village 
 every afternoon was enveloped in a dense cloud of smoke, which made 
 navigation through it at some times diiBcult. But everything has its 
 advantages, as the more vigorously the good matrons puffed away, the 
 more their imaginations became befogged, and hence their discussions, 
 which ofttimes were rather boisterous and excited, happily ended in 
 smoke. 
 
 Johnsville, in the days we write of, enjoyed a lucrative trade with 
 the country around. The anvil of the village blacksmith resounded 
 with heavy blows from early morn until the shades of evening inter- 
 posed. The old shoemaker and his one-eyed apprentice were forced 
 to peg and wax away to keep the understandings of their customers in 
 good order and repair. The village store, with its large assortment of 
 calicoes, and other finery of that age, never lacked for a supply of cus- 
 tomers. The inhabitants of the adjacent mountains came down in un- 
 2 
 
10 JOHNSVILLE IK THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 told numbers to barter eggs for mackerel, and sucb was the quantity of 
 the latter article carried off to the hill country, that the street, or road, 
 leading from the village in that direction, became known in time as 
 Mackerel Avenue. The village Doctor, whose business it was to sup- 
 ply the community with a full measure of health, discharged his oner- 
 ous duty with entire satisfaction. He possessed a never-faihng remedy 
 for every variety of sickness. No matter what epidemic turned up, 
 whether cholera or cholera infantum — the Doctor in all cases adminis- 
 tered his never-failing remedy, epsom salts. The wisdom of the Doc- 
 tor's treatment of his patients, in time, became manifest — as they 
 finally became so thoroughly salted as to be ever afterwards imper- 
 vious to all attacks of disease. Consequently the Doctor to guard 
 against starvation was obliged to remove to another locality where the 
 saving power of salt had not been so thoroughly tested. 
 
 Militia trainings, in the days we write of, were in vogue throughout 
 the country. "Muster-day" was a great institution — on such occa- 
 sions all went to see the sogers. Ethiopia, in particular, was let loose. 
 For months and days prior to " muster," the colored gentry through- 
 out the country were usually wide awake. All of them invariably had 
 the promise of a look at the sogers, and the loan of a horse for that 
 day, if they were good boys, and did up their work betimes. They 
 therefore would, without exception, perform the various services re- 
 quired of them, at such times, with alarming dispatch — not forgetting 
 to give the promised horse occasionally a sly mess of oats. 
 
 In those good old days Johnsville eclipsed all her sister villages in 
 military matters ; within her jurisdiction existed an uniformed company, 
 known as the " Butterfly Guards." This organization remained in full 
 force for many years, and attained to a great proficiency in arms, under 
 its gentlemanly commander, Colonel Oliver Ladue. Owing to the 
 lapse of time, we fail to remember why the appellation of Butterfly 
 Guards was apphed to this organization — ^but presume it was owing to 
 the variegated character of the uniform worn. 
 
 The regular militia, also, in those days frequently had their company 
 parades in Johnsville. On such occasions they shouldered arms, and 
 performed other various warlike evolutions under the dread orders of 
 their commander, Captain Benjamin Punch. 
 
 Captain Punch deserves more than a passing notice. He was a 
 
JOHNSVILLE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 11 
 
 soldier frank and furious. Had he received his military education at 
 West Point, and flourished in this our day — when wars and rumors of 
 wars pour in upon us like a flood — the world would have stood aghast 
 at his deeds of heroism, and his fame would have eclipsed that of the 
 first Napoleon, in the same degree that the light of the glow-worm 
 pales before the full blaze of the orb of day. ~ But, unfortunately for 
 Captain Punch, and mankind in general, he lived in " piping times of 
 peace " — hence his military exploits, which otherwise might have dazzled 
 the world, were smothered for the want of a proper outlet — and his 
 name, instead of being recorded in the annals of fame, remained eon- 
 fined to the limits of his own township. The poet has well sung, 
 
 ' ' Full many a flower is bom to blush unseen, 
 And waste its sweetness on the desert air." 
 
 Training-day was always a great event to the urchins of Johnsville. 
 We remember on one occasion, when Captain Punch and his brave 
 grenadiers had assembled to perform the arduous exercises of bloody 
 war — ^liow through the Kvelong day, barefooted, and with rimless hat, 
 we hung on to the rear of the grand army, as it marched and counter- 
 marched through the streets of Johnsville. We remember, too, how 
 we became inspired by the stirring music of the fife, and the heavy 
 rub-a-dub of the drum, and, like young Norval, we longed to be a sol- 
 dier. On the afternoon of that eventful day, Captain Punch marched 
 his company into a field, in the rear of the mansion then occupied by 
 Captain Stephen li. Waldron, for the purpose of giving his brave sol- 
 diers an opportunity to recuperate. While the company were thus re- 
 posing on their laurels, Captain Punch received a message that the 
 ladies of Johnsville and vicinity had assembled at a certain house in the 
 village, and had expressed a desire to witness the manoeuvres of his 
 company. 
 
 Captain Punch on receipt of this intelligence was in ecstasy. In a 
 few words he informed his men of the nature of the communication 
 he had received, and it was not long before the little army was again 
 in motion. In an incredibly short space of time the company was 
 drawn up in a line under the great hickory tree in the centre of the 
 village, directly in front of the mansion where the blooming damsels 
 alluded to had assembled. 
 
12 JOHI^-SVILLE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 Captain Ptrnch, in imitation of the ancient heroes, such as Hannibal, 
 and Pompey the Great, concluded he would make a short address to 
 his soldiers. As tl»e Captain was a member of the Johnsville Debating 
 Society he retained in his noddle a remnant or two of his old speeches, 
 which he thought might prove acceptable on the occasion, with a few 
 variations. He therefore commenced his remarks by informing his 
 companions in arms " that there was a tide in the aflEairs of men, which 
 taken at its flood flowed on to fortune." 
 
 The Captain, who was a bachelor, no doubt thought it was flood time 
 with him, as the eye of many a fair damsel surveyed with intense 
 admiration his nodding plume and tinseled uniform. The Captain 
 continued his remarks by saying, " that in times of peace it was the 
 bounden duty of every nation to prepare for war ; it was for this pur- 
 pose they had assembled." He comphmented his men on their soldier- 
 like appearance, on their powers of endurance, and their ready obe- 
 dience to all his commands. He felt confident if the constitution of 
 their country should be endangered they would wade up to their necks 
 in gore for its preservation, and for the maintenance of those rights so 
 dearly purchased by their fathers. In conclusion, he said "he felt as- 
 sured that, while his brave companions lived, and could shoulder a 
 musket, no blot, even as large as a fly-speck, would be allowed to rest 
 on the escutcheon of their national liberties." 
 
 The Captain's speech was received by his men with vociferous rounds 
 of applause, so loud and so prolonged as to startle man and beast far 
 and near, and which sent the neighboring cats pell-mell to their allot- 
 ted retreat, with a velocity unparalleled in the annals of their race. 
 
 The ladies who, during the Captain's remarks, had been hanging 
 gracefully on the picket fence opposite, showed their appreciation of 
 his effort by showering upon him innumerable bouquets in the shape 
 of hoUy-hocks, 
 
 HoUy-liocks in July, sweet shrub in early June, 
 
 clover-blossoms, and sweet-scented shrubs. The Captain, at this mark 
 of favor, gracefully removed his cap, shook his ambrosial curls, and 
 bowed his thanks. 
 
 After a short drill by the company, in which they acquitted them- 
 selves to the satisfaction of all concerned, they were dismissed ; where- 
 
JOHNSVILLE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 13 
 
 upon these doughty warriors hied to their respective habitations with- 
 out loss of time. The Captain alone remained behind — having received 
 a private invitation to take tea with the ladies, which invitation he 
 very thankfully accepted. And so ended one of the old-fashioned 
 training-days in Johnsville. 
 
 Johnsville, in point of literature, always occupied elevated ground. 
 In confirmation of this fact, we would say that its school-houses were 
 always located on the highest land within the village. The old semi- 
 nary of learning, which, like a proud sentinel, stood for more than half 
 a century at the eastern entrance of the village, made no pretensions to 
 architectural display. But the old edifice was not without its orna- 
 ments, for within its walls were congregated minds which have since 
 made their (|^° M) mark in the world. 
 
 Education at the time we write of was not quite so costly an 
 article a§ at the present day. Three dollars and twenty-five cents per 
 annum for each child under eighteen years of age was formerly the 
 price of tuition in the old Johnsville Academy. But probably we should 
 explain why knowledge was measured out so cheap in " the olden time." 
 It was the custom in those days for the school-teacher to board around 
 from house to house — ^we mean of course at the homes of the children ; 
 his board being given him, he, therefore, as it will be seen, could 
 afford to work cheap. 
 
 The schoolmaster was always a welcome boarder. As he was expected 
 to know everything — especially all the little household matters that had 
 transpired while at his last place — ^he was on this account received at 
 his numerous boarding-places with open arms. During the two weeks 
 the teacher boarded in any one family, the children of that household 
 were favored with happy times. No matter how many pranks they 
 cut up during school hours, they escaped an application of the birch ; 
 but when the two weeks had expired, and the master had changed his 
 quarters, such delinqiiencies were paid up with interest. 
 
 One of the principal exercises in the old Johnsville Academy was 
 chewing shoemaker's wax. This article possessed an adhesiveness which 
 rendered the operation of masticating it tedious and difficult. A small 
 piece, about the size of a chestnut, in the mouth of a boy ten years of 
 age would usually last throughout the day. The shoemaker who fur- 
 nished the scholars with this ingredient, so essential at that time in the 
 
14 JOHNSVILLE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 acquirement of knowledge, Kved on the border of the little stream that 
 stiU meanders through the village. 
 
 On one occasion the old shoemaker, after preparing a fresh supply 
 of wax, closed the door of his shop and left for dinner. The wax lay 
 on a little bench inside, but in full view of any passer-by who might 
 choose to look in through the shop-window. Two school-boys after a 
 while sauntered that way. These boys were very unlike in their appear- 
 ance. One was a delicate, flaxen-haired youth, the other was short in 
 stature, but great in circumference. The lads drew near the shop-win- 
 dow ; they looked within and saw the wax, and for a while feasted 
 their eyes on the tempting pile so dangerously near. 
 
 Finally the boys held a council of war and mutually agreed to make 
 an assault on the premises. The window of the shop, fortunately for 
 the enterprise, lacked a pane of glass. The boys measured this aper- 
 ture with the nicest accuracy. After accomplishing this feat, the diam- 
 eter of the thin boy was taken, when it was decided that he, the thin 
 boy, by a little squeezuig, could pass through the opening in safety. 
 The thin boy accordingly passed into the shop, and handed out the 
 wax to his portly companion, and then returned by the same way he 
 had entered. 
 
 The lads divided their booty equally. He of the flaxen hair having 
 to pass the shop on his way home from school, hid his part of the plun- 
 der in a hollow log near ; but the portly youth, living in an opposite 
 direction, thought he would take his portion of the spoils vrith him. 
 For security he placed the wax in the crown of his hat, which being 
 accomplished, the boys rejoined their school-fellows, and freely indulged 
 in the various sports then going on. The portly lad, after exercising 
 for a short time, felt a growing uneasiness on the top of his head. On 
 investigation he discovered the alarming fact that the wax he had 
 placed in his hat had become imbedded among his hair. He essayed 
 to remove the wax, but aU in vain. In his distress he sought help from 
 his schoolmates. The urchins around him willingly lent a helping 
 hand — they pulled and tugged away at the unnatural bump, but it was 
 no go, as the bump, at every pull, waxed stronger and stronger. After 
 exhausting all their efforts, the boys concluded that the sticking qual- 
 ities of the wax were of a superior order, and that the bump could 
 not be removed by any ordinary means. But they concluded what 
 
JOHNSVILLE IS THE OLDEN TIME. 15 
 
 could not be removed could be covered up ; they therefore procured 
 a sheet of foolscap, which they placed carefully over the "rising 
 mound," and after surveying their vs^ork vrith great satisfaction they 
 told the sufferer he would pass current for the balance of the day. 
 
 Soon the school-bell rang for the afternoon session. The boys obeyed 
 the summons and passed into the school-room. The lynx-eyed school- 
 master was a phrenologist, and had an eye to bumps. He was not long, 
 therefore, in discovering the unusual protuberance on the head of the 
 unfortunate scholar. He surveyed the miniature obelisk for a while in 
 apparent alarm, but when the facts of the case became known to him 
 he humanely endeavored to remove the obstacle, but was unsuccessful. 
 The lad was sent home and the wax finally dethroned by parental 
 hands, but by what process we never understood. It gives us pleasure 
 to add that the intellect of the boy was in no wise impaired. 
 
 The old shoemaker has passed away ; his shop, too, has long since 
 disappeared, and very few, if any, of the present iahabitants of Johns- 
 ville know the place where it stood. 
 
 The trustees of the Johnsville Academy visited the institution occa- 
 sionally. They generally gave the principal timely notice of such visits, 
 in order that he might have time to scour up his pupils. The visit of 
 the trustees was always a great occasion. For days prior to such events 
 the neighboring hedge was ransacked for rods to bring the discipline 
 of the school up to a proper standard. On the day of visitation the 
 scholars were expected to wear their " Sunday-go-to-meetings " — hence 
 old pantaloons with large patches at the knees, and at other places not 
 necessary to mention, were discarded — but for that day only. 
 
 The trustees always arrived at one o'clock precisely. For fifteen 
 minutes prior to that hour not a Avhisper could be heard throughout 
 the school, but the slightest squeak in the vicinity of the door turned 
 aU eyes in that direction. On the entrance of the trustees, which was 
 generally in " Indian file," the school rose en masse, and with bow and 
 courtesy welcomed the guardians of education. Business then com- 
 menced in earnest. Class after class was examined in spelling, reading, 
 arithmetic, grammar, etc., and the whole generally wound up with a 
 display of elocution. The largest boy in the school generally declaimed 
 that well-known pathetic effusion beginning with : 
 
 " Pity the sorrows of the poor old man " ; 
 
16 JOHKSVILLE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 and the smallest urchin vnnding up by reciting : 
 
 "You'd scarce expect one of my age." 
 
 On the conclusion of the exercises one of the trustees usually delivered 
 a short address, reminding the children if they would be healthy, 
 wealthy, and wise, they should rise betimes in the morning and be 
 punctual at school. The address was generally concluded by the 
 speaker mating some allusion to himself, to show what education had 
 done for man. 
 
 Formerly, during the winter months, debating societies were all the 
 rage in Johnsville. Every young man in the place was a Demosthenes — 
 *'. e., in his own estimation. The societies generally held their meetings 
 with closed doors, but now and then the members would relax a little 
 and invite their sweethearts and a few select friends. 
 
 On such occasions they were careful to select an easy question, one 
 that did not transcend the powers of the speaker. When an open de- 
 bate was to come ofE, the speakers appointed to open the argument on 
 either side could be heard for several days previous, in the barns and 
 corn-cribs around, practicing flights of oratory. 
 
 We were once favored with an invitation to one of the Society's 
 meetings, which we not only thankfully, but joyfully accepted. The 
 old Academy on the occasion was brilliantly illuminated — a double 
 amount of tallow candles having been pressed into service. The elite 
 of the village were present, and expectation ran high. The question 
 for discussion was, " Which passion is the strongest, love or avarice ? " 
 
 Captain Benjamin Punch, of whom we have already made honorable 
 mention, opened the argument in favor of love. The Captain, in the 
 discussion of the question, appeared to be perfectly at home. His 
 description of the power of love was certainly a masterly effort. As 
 he proceeded in his argument, we thought the Captain's heart warmed 
 up with the eloquence of his subject. Tlie speaker frequently in the 
 course of his remarks used the simile, "love, like a potato, springs from 
 the eye." At the conclusion of the Captain's speech the ladies present 
 smiled their approval. 
 
 The village Doctor replied to the Captain. He, too, was at home. 
 He portrayed the power of avarice with a thought that gave us to 
 understand that he had fully studied the subject. The Doctor spoke 
 feelingly, and his arguments, Kke his medicines, had a telling effect. 
 
JOHNSVILLE IN THE OLDEW TIME. 17 
 
 Several other speeches followed jpro and con., and the debate was con- 
 chided. A vote was then taken as to the merit of the arguments ad- 
 duced. The right of suffrage being extended to all present, the question 
 was decided, by the help of the ladies, in favor of love. 
 
 We would here remark that the wisdom of the first settlers of Johns- 
 ville can not be suflBciently estimated. They have certainly placed 
 their posterity under lasting obligations ; for, when they built the vil- 
 lage, they built it not for a week nor for a year, but for all time. In 
 other words, by some happy calculation on their part, they erected the 
 identical number of tenements required for all future wants of the 
 inhabitants. Hence, the fourteen dweUings now comprising the vil- 
 lage are the veritable originals — the same erected by the early fathers 
 of the place, and which for so many years have weathered storm and 
 flood. 
 
 The name of Punch formerly had a copious existence in Johnsville, 
 owing to the obesity of the inhabitants. The rotund portion of the 
 population, and their name was many, were always spoken of as Punch 
 Pierce, Punch Bogardus, Punch Ostrander, Punch Rowland, and so on. 
 
 Speaking of Punch Rowland reminds us he once favored \is with a 
 call. He came down upon us during a driving snow-storm. Owing 
 to the severity of the weather we expected no visitors on that day, and 
 had taken the opportunity to polish our hall oil-cloth. Oil-cloths in 
 those days were invariably of a blue color ; they had a very slippery 
 surface at all times, but when freshly burnished with a little grease or 
 oil they were lubricous in the extreme. 
 
 Mr. Punch Rowland, therefore, as it will be seen, bore down upon 
 us at an unfortunate period. He came plowing along through the im- 
 mense snow-drifts. Old Boreas at the time was doing his best, driving 
 the snow hither and thither at a slashing rate. But our visitor kept 
 the even tenor of his way \ he heeded not the peltings of the pitiless 
 storm. 
 
 Our hall-door was ornamented with a ponderous knocker, but Row- 
 land either did not perceive it or else he had lost all faith in knockings, 
 either temporal or spiritual. He bolted into the hall without stopping 
 to sound the customary note of alarm. The moment, however, he set 
 foot on the newly polished oil-cloth he was floored in a twinkliug. Oh, 
 what a fall was there, my countrymen ! In his efforts to gain his equi- 
 3 
 
15 JOHNSVILLE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 Hbrium lie performed astonishing feats of ground and lofty tumbling. 
 No clown in the pit of a circus ever turned so many somersets within 
 a given time. Rowland during his iiounderings, we think, must have 
 been convinced that the ups and downs of this life were many. He 
 finally, by sliding, skating, and rolling, reached the door communicating 
 with the sitting-room. Here again a new fatality befell him ; not notic- 
 ing that there was a step down at the foot of the door, he stumbled 
 and pitched into the room, landing on all fours — what snow he had 
 failed to deposit in the haU he succeeded in shaking off in this last 
 effort. 
 
 Our friend rose slowly and stood for a few moments with a bewil- 
 dered air. During the calm that then ensued we took the opportunity 
 to contemplate the appearance of our visitor. Mr. Eowland after a 
 while recovered the power of speech. He commenced by letting us 
 know he had just dropped in to say his-mother had the jumping tooth- 
 ache, and wanted to know if he could borrow a little kamfire. Feeling 
 the case was m-gent, we immediately furnished Mr. K. with the desired 
 article, but-deemed it prudent to hold on to the bottle containing it 
 until our visitor had regained the outer world. The wisdom of this 
 course was soon apparent, for, as our friend left the sitting-room, he 
 again failed to take heed to his ways. I^ot minding the step, he pitched 
 out into the hall, where he again performed a second edition of gym- 
 nastic feats. After floundering a while he shpped out among the snow- 
 banks and we saw him no more. 
 
 The people of JohnsviUe formerly had their trials; and who has 
 them not ? But we are speaking of jury trials, where justice is doled 
 out to transgressors by twelve men of sound and disposing mind. 
 
 The village in its early days was fortunately blessed with an upright 
 judge. Judge Smith, to whom we refer, was the early lawgiver of the 
 place. He was a good citizen ; no one was more highly respected than 
 the Judge. He was frequently called Doctor, from the fact that he 
 had been educated for a physician. He commenced the practice of 
 medicine when quite young ; but having unfortunately killed his first 
 patient by overdosing, the people of that locality took the alarm. The 
 sick immediately revived and sat up. The well used every precaution 
 to keep so. 
 
 The doctor, finding his occupation gone, threw his physic to the 
 
JOHNSVILLE IK THE OLDEN TIME. 19 
 
 dogs, removed to Johnsville, and commenced the study of law. Judge 
 Smitli could not be called a profound jurist. He was somewhat emi- 
 nent for his charges, however. We do not mean his charges to a jury, 
 but charges for his opinions on legal questions. "We once consulted 
 the Judge on a question of law for which we paid a quarter of a dollar ; 
 had we given him an additional quarter to have kept his advice to him- 
 self, we should have been a gainer by the operation. 
 
 The people of Johnsville in those days were great growers of pork. 
 They were very proud of their pigs ; they kept them constantly on 
 exhibition, i. e., by letting them run in the streets. At twelve o'clock 
 precisely every pig went home to dinner. As they pushed along in 
 quest of their food, they invariably succeeded in giving vent to extra 
 grunts and squeals, which, speaking within bounds, were truly appal- 
 
 Getting tired of the squeals and grunts of the various porkers, which 
 constantly kept poking their noses at us tln-ough the picket fence, we 
 called on the Judge to ascertain if pigs were entitled to run in the 
 street. "We found the Judge at dinner, but concluded to wait until he 
 had refreshed his inner man, as our case was not urgent. We were 
 accordingly ushered into the study. While there waiting we embraced 
 the opportunity of glancing at the Judge's library. Two volumes lay 
 on the centre-table which appeared had very recently been consulted ; 
 one was a New York Directory for 1795, the other was styled, " Who 
 Killed Cock Eobin." The Judge evidently was engaged in examining 
 a murder case. 
 
 Before we had time for further investigation the Judge made his 
 appearance. We acquainted him with the object of our visit. The 
 Judge, in his usual affable manner, informed us that he would immedi- 
 ately examine the law relative to pigs running at large. We called 
 punctually at the expiration of the half hour. The Judge commenced 
 delivering his opinion by expatiating largely and elaborately on the 
 natural propensities of swine. He then gave us a treatise on the best 
 mode of curing hams. Finally, he came to the point desired. He 
 mentioned that he had looked into the law concerning pigs, and, ac- 
 cording to his construction of it, no one individual could keep more 
 than six grunters in the street at any one time. 
 
 On hearing the learned opinion, we broke out into a profuse perspi- 
 
20 JOHNSVILLE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 ration. We fortunately succeeded in drying up with the help of our 
 bandana before the Judge had time to notice how deeply we were 
 affected. We rose, gave an inward groan, paid the customary fee of 
 twenty-five cents, and departed. We leave the reader to guess how 
 many pigs the Judge owned. 
 
 In referring to the past we have been frequently struck at the num- 
 ber of great men who formerly resided in Johnsville. The world, we 
 are aware, places its own estimate on greatness. . Therefore, in the 
 opinion of the world we have great generals, great statesmen, great 
 lawyers, great preachers, great merchants, etc. But it will be observed 
 that the men so-called great, are great only in one particular. If ow we 
 believe a man to be truly great should excel in more particulars than 
 one — the reader here has a key to our definition of greatness. There- 
 fore when we speak of the great men of Johnsville, we speak of men 
 who were great in many ways ; great in bulk, great in promises to pay, 
 great sleepers, and finally, great consumers of mush and milk (no ref- 
 erence is here made to the present generation). 
 
 One of the truly great men of JohnsviUe was Daniel ISTorthard, 
 horse doctor. He possessed all of the above characteristics, besides a 
 profound knowledge of the different diseases that horse-flesh is heir to. 
 Northard was once the principal witness in an important horse case. 
 A friend of the doctor's had purchased a horse which, as is usual in 
 such cases, was warranted sound and kind. The purchaser was not 
 long in discovering that his newly acquired animal was nearly worth- 
 less. He employed Northard to examine the horse. The doctor gave 
 the nag a critical examination, which consisted principally of thump- 
 ing and knocking the old horse around — he finally decided that the 
 beast was not only broken-wiuded, but was troubled with an incura- 
 ble disease. 
 
 The ill-condition of the horse being thus indisputably estabhshed, 
 the purchaser at once brought suit for damages. The seller of the nag 
 knew his only escape from the severity of the law lay in procuring a 
 supple lawyer. He fortunately secured the services of a legal gentle- 
 man every way qualified for the emergency, who at that time resided 
 in Fishkill village, where the people not only arrive very early at 
 maturity, but are noted for their great flippancy of speech. 
 
 The day of trial arrived. The country for miles around was all 
 
JOHKSVILLE TH THE OLDEN TIME. 21 
 
 agog. Twelve able-bodied men were chosen as jurors. His honor 
 Judge Smith, and his snuff-box, occupied the judicial seat. The plain- 
 tiff's counsel opened the case ; he produced evidence to show the pur- 
 chase of the horse, and the guarantee given that the animal was sound 
 and kind. He next proved by JSTorthard that the animal .was diseased, 
 and from the character of the complaint must have been so for many 
 years. The plaintiff here rested. Before Northard left the stand he 
 was subjected to a severe cross-examination by the defendant's counsel, 
 which we herewith append verbatim : 
 
 Lawyer. Mr. Northard, what is your profession ? 
 
 Mr. N. I'm a Presbyterian, old school. 
 
 Lawyer. I did not ask what your rehgious views are, I ask what's 
 your business ? 
 
 Mr. N. My business is to tell about this boss. 
 
 Lawyer. You do not understand me, Mr. Northard ; I mean what 
 business do you follow for a livelihood ? 
 
 Mr. N. Oh ! I'm a boss doctor. 
 
 Lawyer. You know a horse when you see one, I presume ? 
 
 Mr. N. Oh, yes. 
 
 Lawyer. Well, sir, wiU you tell us how many incisors a horse 
 has? 
 
 Mr. N. A boss has no scissors at all. 
 
 Lawyer. I did not say scissors, I said mcisors. 
 
 Mr. JV. A boss has no scissors in him ; I never saw one that had. 
 
 Lawyer. Well, sir, if a horse has no scissors in him, will you tell 
 us how many front teeth he has ? 
 
 Mr. jy. Both jaws ? 
 
 Lawyer. Yes, sir, both jaws. 
 
 Mr. N. Well, I don't know exactly, but I guess about seven. 
 
 Lawyer. Mr. Northard, will you explain to the jury what is under- 
 stood by the nerve of a horse ? 
 
 Mr. N. A boss has no nerve ; I never saw that complaint in a boss 
 in my life. 
 
 Lawyer. Mr. IS^orthard, when a horse has the blind staggers, what 
 treatment do you pursue ? 
 
 Mr. JV. Well, if he don't stagger much, I props him up. 
 
 Lawyer. Suppose he staggers a good deal ? 
 
22 JOHlSrSVILLE IJf THE OLBEN TIME, 
 
 Mr. N. Then I bleed him in the mouth, and ties a tow string 
 around his tail. 
 
 Lawyer. I hope you tie the string tight ? 
 
 Mr. N. I do. 
 
 Lawyer. That's all, Mr. ]S"orthard ; I am much obliged to you. 
 
 The evidence being all in, the plaintiff's counsel made a strohg speech, 
 calling loudly for damages (the reader will notice that the order of 
 speaking was in this case reversed). The defendant's counsel, in reply, 
 labored hard to convince the jury that ISTorthard knew nothing about a 
 horse. "We believe Northard was the first to be convinced of the fact. 
 After counsel on both sides had finished summing up, his honor Judge 
 Smith arose and charged the jury. The judge succeeded in extin- 
 guishing what little light the jury had on the subject, which being 
 accomphshed, the jury retired for consultation. After being miifour 
 minutes they notified the judge they could not agree, and asked to be 
 discharged. The judge requested them to hold on four minutes longer, 
 at the end of which time, if they had not agreed on a verdict, they 
 might decamp. The jury failed to agree, and thus ended the most 
 important horse trial known in the annals of Johnsville. 
 
 "Witches and witchcraft formerly pervaded to a great extent the 
 minds of the people of Johnsville. Every house in the village had one 
 or more horseshoes nailed over the doors and windows to guard against 
 the ingress of witches — those were spirited times. The negro popula- 
 tion, which, in those days, stood thick on every hand, were perfectly 
 orthodox on that point. Every descendant of Ham had seen at least 
 a dozen ghosts, and was acquainted with an equal number of witches. 
 
 At the house of Mr. Adrian Monphor (one of the old residents of 
 the village) the negroes of the surrounding country would congregate 
 during the long winter evenings, and spin their yarns of spirits seen 
 and unseen. 
 
 Speaking of Mr. Monphor remhids us he had an excellent apple 
 orchard. We are indebted to the old gentleman for many a harvest 
 apple, taken clandestinely, for which favors we shall ever hold the old 
 gentleman in affectionate remembrance. 
 
 Mr. Monphor's habitation was provided with a kitchen of very ample 
 dimensions, — the fire-place was enormous, — so was the old gentleman's 
 wood-pile, which usually occupied full three-quarters of the street. The 
 
JOHNSVILLE IN THE OLDEN TIME. . 23 
 
 quantity of wood consumed in the old gentleman's kitchen still weighs 
 heavily upon us. Mr. M.'s kitchen, as we have already hinted, was 
 the place where the colored population most did congregate. The cel- 
 lar of the house always contained plenty of good cider. The darkies 
 were no strangers to this fact, — for, when they had assembled to dis- 
 cuss the subject of ghosts and witches, they drew strong drafts on the 
 cider-barrel below. They undoubtedly believed while there were spirits 
 without there should be spirits within. 
 
 Mr. Monphor finally concluded to get rid of his sable visitors. To 
 his mind they adorned too many tales. To accomplish his purpose he 
 procured a mask, an article at that time unknown to the Ethiopians. 
 He chose Saturday night as a fitting time to make a descent upon his 
 swarthy visitors, for on such nights a full kitchen was always expected. 
 Mr. Monphor, on the night of his attack, waited until his visitors had 
 got fairly at work. Mad Tom, the great ghost-finder and orator, had 
 the floor. Tom, owing to his frequent calls on the cider- jug, was grow- 
 ing eloquent. He had seen a new ghost that very day. At the men- 
 tion of a new ghost every nostril in the company became suddenly di- 
 lated. At that critical juncture a squeak was heard in a distant part of 
 the room. In a twinkling every eye was turned that way, when a side- 
 door was seen slowly to open, through which came an enormous head, 
 ornamented by a ferocious-looking mask. 
 
 Had every negro in the crowd been suddenly borne aloft, hitched to 
 the tail of a comet, their consternation could not have been greater. For 
 a moment they stood transfixed, then came a general rush for the outer 
 door ; the door was an antiquated one, divided in the centre. The fly- 
 ing host fortunately succeeded in opening the upper portions of the 
 door, but the under part remained fixed and immovable ; in consequence, 
 the terror-stricken sons of Ham were obliged to sail over. In so doing, 
 the flank and rear movements were prodigious ; their huge feet plowed 
 the air in all directions. When landed safely on the other side, the 
 visiting portion of the crowd struck a bee-lme for home ; those belong- 
 ing to Mr. M. dove deep into the depths of the friendly wood-pile, 
 where they remained in statu quo " till daylight did appear." 
 
 Mr. Monphor effectually cleared the kitchen, for his visitors came 
 no more. 
 
 As the reader may well imagine, the faith of the colored population 
 
24 JOHNSVILLE TN THE OLDE.W TIME. 
 
 in ghosts and witctes, after that evening, remained sure and steadfast. 
 Their remarkable escape from the infuriated monster (as they termed 
 liim) gave their principal orator, Mad Tom, fuel for the marvellous 
 during the remainder of his eventful Kfe. 
 
 The traveller, journeying eastwardly from Johnsville, will notice op- 
 posite the mansion of Abraham Brinckerhoff, Esq., a road diverging 
 to the left. This road, known as " the Clove," was formerly, accord- 
 ing to tradition, the rendezvous of a numerous family of witches. 
 And tradition further asserted that, in the times of fuU moon, the road 
 was travelled by a headless horseman, whose charger was caparisoned 
 over with gold. 
 
 The young men of Johnsville (having, we presume, in view of the 
 gold) formed a league to capture the headless rider. But, distrusting 
 their own ability to bring the enterprise to a successful termination, 
 they invited three select friends, residents of the neighboring mountain, 
 to join them in their hazardous undertaking. The gentlemen so 
 selected were Mr. Joseph Glover, Mr. Daniel Higgs, and Mr. Peter 
 Wood. By the assistance of these gentlemen the necessary arrange- 
 ments were soon perfected : Mr. Joseph Glover being unanimously 
 chosen to head the expedition. 
 
 The night selected for the enterprise arrived. The valiant cavaliers, 
 mounted on fleet chargers, assembled at the place of rendezvous on 
 school-house hill. Glover, in a short and decided address, exposed the 
 dangerous nature of the undertaking; he conjured all to stand firm 
 when confronting the headless horseman. Finally, he spoke of the 
 glory that awaited them if the enterprise should be successful. 
 
 At the conclusion of the address every horse's head Was turned to- 
 ward " the Clove." The party rode gaily forward, each man anxious 
 to meet the foe. Soon they entered " the Clove." The pale round 
 moon was just lifting herself above the horizon. The lowing of the 
 distant herd broke pleasantly on the ear of the adventurers as they 
 journeyed on. Everything seemed to betoken a favorable issue. Soon 
 the party arrived at that portion of the road where tall trees shut out 
 the light of day. Extreme caution was now necessary. Glover rode 
 a few paces in advance. The next moment a buzzing sound was heard 
 in the tree-tops overhead, which checked for a moment the advance of 
 the party. They again moved forward cautiously, but had not pro- 
 
JOHNSVILLE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 25 
 
 ceeded far when the heavy clatter of horses was heard in the distance, 
 which every moment sounded nearer. The little party halted ; every 
 cheek was blanched with fear. The trying hour had come ; for, through 
 the moonlight's pale glimmer, the headless horseman could be seen 
 bearing down with alarming speed on the little band. He was encircled 
 by a belt of fire. From the nostrils of his horse catne forth vivid flashes 
 of light. Flesh and blood could stand no such sight. The JohnsviUers 
 turned and ingloriously fled. Glover, uttering a wild cry, vainly en- 
 deavored to rally his flying men. In the effort the girth of his saddle 
 broke, by which fatality the heroic leader of the little band was un- 
 horsed. All of the party escaped, except Glover, who remained a pris- 
 oner in the hands of the headless horseman. Great solicitude was felt 
 all that night as to the fate of Glover ; but next morning, to the joy of 
 all, he made his appearance at the village. He stated that the headless 
 horseman was none other than Mr. Beaty, a resident of "the Clove." 
 It appears that Beaty heard of the enterprise, and concluded he would 
 play the headless horseman. By the use of phosphorus he had pro- 
 duced the light which occasioned such terror to his would-be captors. 
 Wben Glover fell from his horse he was severely stunned. Beaty con- 
 veyed him to his house, near by, and by proper restoratives Glover soon 
 revived, and was accommodated with lodgings for the night. 
 Keader, our reminiscences of Johnsville are concluded. 
 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
 
 OF 
 
 WALTER PELEG, Esq 
 
 NFOETUNATELY, Tery few men condescend to write 
 their own history, the many preferring to have their deeds 
 chronicled by others after they have shuffled off this mortal 
 coil. Hence, the numerous biographies which appear from 
 time to time are not only very imperfect, but lack those minor matters 
 belonging to every-day life which are so essential in making up the 
 true character of man. 
 
 Not wishing that posterity should indulge in any false estimates of 
 my character, I have concluded to be my own biographer, and in so 
 doing, I shall be careful not to extenuate, but studiously adhere to 
 facts. 
 
 I was born in FishkUl village on the identical day that the battle of 
 Bunker BCll was fought. I will not say positively that the commanders 
 of the different forces engaged in deadly combat on that day were aware 
 of my debut into the world ; but it is a coincidence which should not 
 be overlooked. At least my dear father thought so, for no sooner had 
 he heard of the battle of Bunker Hill than he asserted that I was des- 
 tined to carve my way to fame and fortune by the sword. 
 
 My mother was of the best Dutch stock — a descendant of the Van 
 Yoorhees family, who, as their name purports, were always to be found 
 ia the Yam, of every enterprise. In the days of my childhood, the 
 ladies of Fishkill village organized very many societies. In fact, they 
 had a society for everything : for, discussions on help ; for ascertaining 
 
AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF WALTER PELEG, ESQ. 27 
 
 the best method of clear-starching ; for general supervision of contem- 
 plated marriages ; for the better government of unruly husbands ; for 
 regulating ecclesiastical matters ; for ameliorating the condition of the 
 poor ; and many others not necessary to mention. 
 
 My mother held one or more offices in all these societies, and as I was 
 at that time of too tender an age to be left at home, I was invariably 
 present at all the meetings of the various societies. In consequence, at 
 a very early age I obtained a remarkable insight into business matters, 
 which proved of immense value to me in after years. And I would 
 here recommend all mothers to pursue a similar course, i. e., get your 
 offspring into society at as early an age as practicable. 
 
 My father, during the period of my childhood, continued to cherish 
 the idea that I should be given a military education — in view of which 
 he purchased an endless variety of works on mihtary tactics ; also the 
 hfe of every hero who had distinguished himself on the field of battle. 
 My mother, however, had other views concerning me, which will ap- 
 pear as we proceed with our history. 
 
 The first dozen years of my life I shall pass over, being, in my opin- 
 ion, a very uninteresting period in every one's history. At the age of 
 twelve years I stiU continued to accompany my mother to the meetings 
 of the various societies, although they were composed exclusively of 
 females ; yet owing to my long sojourn among them, I had become to 
 be regarded as a fixture. But my membership came to a very sudden 
 and unfortunate termination, which happened on this wise : At a so- 
 ciety's meeting for the better government of unruly husbands, old 
 Squire Squab was under consideration. Squire Squab had risen, within 
 a few years, from comparative obscurity to an honorable and distin- 
 guished position in society. In a word, he had acquired wealth. His 
 wife and daughters, with commendable zeal, had been laboring for 
 many months to polish him, in order that he might properly adorn 
 the position to which his immense wealth entitled him ; but not suc- 
 ceeding to their satisfaction, they had brought the matter before the 
 society for consideration. ' 
 
 Squire Squab, fortunately, was possessed of two legs ; but, unfortu- 
 nately, one leg was some three inches shorter than the other. To 
 rectify, as far as possible, this error of nature, the Squire always wore 
 on the foot of his short leg a heavy-soled shoe. Btit to the great regret 
 
28 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP WALTER PELEG, ESQ. 
 
 of liis family and friends, he had long been in the habit, which he in- 
 variably pursued when he walked abroad, of turning up his pantaloons 
 at the bottom — which peculiarity of his, the ladies of the society con- 
 tended, unnecessarily exposed the deformities of nature. 
 
 Mrs. Jonas Flirt, who, by the way, was a talented speaker, came down 
 unceremoniously on the Squire for what she considered an unparalleled 
 breach of propriety, i. e., in rolling up his pantaloons at the bottom. 
 After having exhausted the powers of rhetoric on the momentous sub- 
 ject, she moved that a committee of three be appointed to wait on 
 Squire Squab, with full powers to abate the nuisance. The motion 
 being approved, Mrs. Flirt immediately, and, as we thought, with un- 
 due haste, named as the committee three prominent members of the 
 society. At the instant, the thought occurred to my youthful mind 
 that Mrs. Flirt was aiming to avoid responsibility. I, therefore, with- 
 out thinking of the risk I was incurring, sung out, " Mrs. President, I 
 move Mrs. Fhrt be added to that committee." 
 
 Had a tornado passed through the room, the consternation could not 
 have been greater. As I had never before spoken a word at any of the 
 society's meetings, and not being considered a member, I was regarded 
 for a few moments by all present with silent indignation. Mrs. Flirt 
 gave me a withering look, which annihilated, for the time being, my 
 reasoning faculties. I could at that moment have sold myself for six 
 and a quarter cents. After the society had somewhat recovered from 
 their amazement, some member moved that Mr. Peleg have permission 
 to withdraw from the meeting. I required no second invitation to de- 
 part, as I bowed myself out without loss of time. 
 
 My mother reprimanded me severely that evening for the blunder 
 I had committed in disturbing the meeting. But my father came 
 nobly to my rescue. He had been reading that afternoon a newly-pur- 
 chased work on military tactics. He therefore contended — in view, I 
 presume, of the military knowledge he had that afternoon acquired — 
 that I was forced to make the motion, which had given so much umbrage, 
 by what he termed an uncontrollable spontaneous genius. With other 
 like plausible reasons he soon convinced my mother that I was decid- 
 edly a boy of metal, and had not, after all, been guilty of any great im- 
 propriety. A little further conversation between my parents resulted 
 in their mutually agreeing that I was destined at no distant day to make 
 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WALTER PELEG, ESQ. 29 
 
 my mark in the world. They recommended, however, as a conciliatory 
 measure, that I should send to the society a letter of apology. 
 
 I at once, as requested, set about inditing a letter to the society. I 
 wrote and rewrote, but failed to accomplish anything of a satisfactory 
 character. In my distress I sought help from old lawyer Van "Whipple, 
 who was a particular friend of my father, and who consented, for a small 
 consideration, to lift me out of my difficulties. After enjoining my 
 legal friend to secrecy (as I wished the letter to appear as my own pro- 
 duction), we succeeded in producing the following epistle, which I for- 
 warded to the ladies, bound round with many colored ribbons, strongly 
 tinctured with cologne water : 
 
 Deae Ladies: — Owing to the heterogeneous condition of man's mental 
 faculties, which, under violent impulses, not unfrequently reverse the verti- 
 cal capsicum of that organic structure denominated the brain, thereby totally 
 decapitatiug at times the most discreet indications intended to be conveyed, 
 an obfustiflcation of this nature suddenly overtook my lapsidoxical percep- 
 tions at a late meeting of your society, by which inextricable confusion of 
 principles, I was betrayed into an unfortunate proceeding, causing much un- 
 due pain to your honorable body, and excessive mortification to myself. 
 
 Ladies, if I could recall the unfortunate mistake I committed in offering, 
 in an unguarded moment, an indiscreet motion before your august body, I 
 can assure you it would be the happiest moment of my life. When I think of 
 the motherly kindness you have bestowed upon me during my infantile 
 years, of the advice, and the many tokens of regard I have received from 
 your dewy hps ; of the many sweet remembrances of your love, wbich now 
 come rushing on my bewildered imagination, I repeat, when these considera- 
 tions crowd in upon my already overtaxed understanding, I deem myself the 
 most ungrateful of mortals. 
 
 Ladies, whichever way I turn myself, mountains of difHculties beset my 
 path, and the inquiry comes up from the latent recesses of my beart, how can 
 I mitigate or assuage the deep wound I have so unconsciously bestowed on 
 my dearest friends. Ladies, I throw myself on your unbounded generosity, 
 on those charitable and benevolent cbords of sympathy for which your so- 
 ciety has ever been so universally distinguished. By your forgiveness, I 
 shall, like a crushed flower watered by tender hands, be restored to my 
 wonted fragrance, and be long preserved for future usefulness to mankind. 
 I subscribe myself, ladies, your unworthy and repentant servant, 
 
 Walter Peleg. 
 
 My letter had the desired effect. ISTumerous were the eulogies be- 
 stowed upon it by the members of the society. I was not only freely 
 
30 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF WALTER PELEG, ESQ. 
 
 pardoned for the offence I had unwittingly committed, but the ladies 
 drew up a paper which they presented to my father, stating that I possess- 
 ed rare literary talent, and strongly recommended that I should be 
 educated for the law. My father at first was not disposed to abandon 
 his long-clierished scheme of making me a military man, still, on ma- 
 ture reflection, he coincided in the better judgment of the ladies, much 
 to the satisfaction of my mother. 
 
 Accordingly, preparations were at once made to give me the necessary 
 education, that I might be able to unravel the profound mysteries of the 
 law. For this purpose I was sent to a neighboring village, and placed 
 under the tutorage of good Dominie Yan Yranken, who was to give me 
 not only an insight into Latin, but in such other studies as the good man 
 was able to impart. 
 
 I still remember with lively satisfaction the many pleasant days 
 passed under the hospitable roof of the good Dominie of SwartwoutviUe. 
 The Dominie was remarkably kind, and of a pleasant disposition. He 
 labored hard- to advance me in my studies. Not being a brilliant 
 scholar, my progress was necessarily slow, but the few ideas I managed 
 to imbibe I succeeded in holding on to with a wonderful tenacity ; in 
 consequence, the little knowledge I did acquire, was acquired well. 
 
 In those days ministers were few and far between. My worthy pre- 
 ceptor alternately filled three pulpits — at Fishkill village, Hackensack, 
 and Hopewell. Much of his time was therefore necessarily spent in 
 visiting his flock, thus scattered over a large district of country. Dur- 
 ing his absence from home, which was very frequent, I was invariably 
 left to my own guidance. At such times I took the opportunity to 
 overhaul the good man's sermons (as they were left loosely scattered 
 around his study), and endeavored to improve on them by writing a 
 discourse of my own from the same text. This practice I can recom- 
 mend to all who may be similarly situated, as I think it qualified me 
 in after years to criticise understandingly the discourses of the most 
 eminent divines. 
 
 At the expiration of six months I returned home to recruit my ener- 
 gies, which had become wonderfully depleted by the manifold exercises 
 I had been subjected to. My mother had been made aware of my com- 
 ing, and had prepared an agreeable surprise for me. As I rode through 
 the gateway leading up to the family mansion, bestride of the Dominie's 
 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WALTER PELEG, ESQ. 31 
 
 switch-tail mare, fairy-like music commenced swelling on my ears in 
 unceasing echoes. The old horse had never before listened to anything 
 in the way of music, except occasionally a little psalmody, and appeared 
 to be wonderfully distressed at the new-fangled sounds which fell on 
 her ears. She was apparently undetermined whether to go forward or 
 backward ; but I succeeded, by bestowing on her sundry kicks against? 
 her ribs, in urging her aliead, though by a side-way operation, and hap- 
 pily reached the portico in safety. But just as I was in the act of 
 alighting, a hand-organ concealed behind the haU-door commenced to 
 operate. The next moment the old nag and myself were going down 
 the gravelly walk with a velocity rivaling that of the magnetic telegraph. 
 As we turned into Canister Street about forty dogs, with more zeal 
 than judgment, essayed to arrest our flight, but they only served to 
 bring me into fresh difficulties, for, as one of their number, more ven- 
 turesome than the rest, attempted to seize the old nag by the leg, she 
 indignantly repelled the f amiharity by sending her heels suddenly aloft, 
 by which process I was, in a twinkhng, unhorsed aud thrown uncere- 
 moniously into the embraces of a friendly mud-hole, with which the 
 village in those days largely abounded. 
 
 The old horse, bereft of her burden, quietly pursued her way back 
 to the parsonage, satisfied, no doubt, she had sufficiently distinguished 
 herself. I was drawn from the mud-hole by a crowd of vociferous 
 boys. My appearance as I arose from my watery bed might be likened 
 to that of a drowned rat. My friends immediately formed a proces- 
 sion, largely sprinkled with the canine species, and conducted me home. 
 As I entered for the second time the parental inclosure, I was excused 
 from " facing the miTsic," as warbhng of every kind had ceased, and 
 the old hand-organ had evidently played out. 
 
 My mother, on seeing me depart with so much celerity, had fainted 
 and still lay unconscious. She had invited, it appeared, the ladies of 
 the society for the better government of unruly husbands to assist in 
 welcoming me home. As I entered the house, the ladies were standing 
 around my maternal ancestor applying their smelling bottles to her ol- 
 factories with a diligence I shall ever gratefully remember. I saluted 
 the ladies with the Latin phrase : Benignissifnae muUerum, spero vos 
 valere, which, to them, was about as clear as the mud-puddle from 
 which I had so recently been extracted, but which, as I intended, 
 
33 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WALTER PEL EG, ESQ. 
 
 deeply impressed them with the greatness of my mental endow- 
 ments. 
 
 My mother, after awhile, was restored to consciousness, when I was 
 accommodated with a change of apparel, and luckily managed without 
 further casualties to get through the remainder of the day and even- 
 ing, wliich was pleasantly spent among my assembled friends. 
 
 I had brought the Dominie's bill for tuition and board with me, the 
 sum total of which, to my unsophisticated mind, was enormous. As I 
 counted it over, the thought occurred to me that my father, before pay- 
 ing it, might wish to know whether I had received an equivalent ; I 
 accordingly prepared myself for an emergency of the kind, which suc- 
 ceeded admirably. 
 
 In a conversation with the old gentleman on knowledge in general, I 
 took occasion to hint that I had made wonderful progress in my studies 
 while at school, and had got along as far as trigonometry. 
 
 " Trig-a-what ? " said the old gentleman, while a playful smile illu- 
 minated his countenance. 
 
 " Trigonometry," I repeated. 
 
 " Humph ! " exclaimed my ancestor, apparently satisfied I had made 
 great proficiency. 
 
 Our conversation for a time ceased, and I took occasion to stroll 
 about, leaving my father to his own refiections. After the lapse of 
 half an hour I returned. The old gentleman stiU sat ruminating. ■ As 
 I drew near he beckoned to me, saying, " "Walter, what did you say 
 that study was? " " Trigonometry," I answered. " Oh, yes," said he, 
 with a shake of the head, " I've got it." 
 
 My place of repose was in a room adjoining the one occupied by my 
 father and mother. The evening of the day on which the above col- 
 loquy took place I retired to rest rather early, but was not disposed to 
 sleep. As I lay on my downy couch cogitating, I heard my father 
 and mother ascending the stairs preparatory to retiring for the night. 
 As they entered their room my father remarked, " Walter, I think, is 
 getting along very well at school." " Ah ! " said my mother, " is he ? " 
 " W^iy? yes," repUed the old gentleman, " he tells me he has got into 
 Trigonometry." "Got into what?" said my mother. "Trigonome- 
 try," rejoined my father. " Why, Samuel," asked my mother, " what 
 can that be ? " " How should I know ? " replied the old man in a petu- 
 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WALTER PELEG, ESQ. 33 
 
 lant strain. Fearing I might be called upon to explain I slid a few feet 
 under the cover and commenced a sonorous snoring. Luckily I was 
 not disturbed. The next morning I presented my father with the 
 Dominie's bill, which he freely disbursed without a word of comment. 
 
 During my vacation a picnic excursion was planned under the aus- 
 pices of the ladies of the village. Being favored with an invitation, I 
 concluded to accept, to gratify my mother, who was particularly anxious 
 I should take under my escort for that day, Miss Arabella Higgins. 
 If there was a man on earth I dreaded to see, it was old Higgins. In 
 consequence, I felt somewhat sldttish about inviting his daughter to 
 accompany me on the contemplated excursion. Higgins had a perfect 
 contempt for professional men, and, in fact, all others who did not, 
 like himself, grub and toil from Monday morning until Saturday night. 
 He had through life exercised the most rigid economy in doors and out. 
 He had never been known to spend a day in any kind of recreation, 
 was an uncompromising enemy to festivities of every character, and 
 regarded picnics as the chmax of humbugs. Such was old Higgins. 
 Still I made up my mind " to beard the Kon in his den," and invite his 
 charming daughter. Miss Arabella, to accompany me to the forthcom- 
 ing picnic. 
 
 Arabella Higgins was one of those bright spirits which heaven occa- 
 sionally lends to earth ; whether at home or abroad, she had a smile for 
 every one, no matter who. The laborer, in going or returning from 
 his daily toil, would pause to gaze on her sweet countenance, and felt 
 the happier for that recognition she was ever ready to bestow. No 
 one unacquainted with the fact, would have supposed for a moment 
 that any tie of consanguinity existed between Higgins and the bright 
 spirit that called him father. Yet Higgins, with all his faults, was 
 proud of his child — ^notwithstanding his miserly habits and disposition, 
 on her he was lavish of expense. 
 
 On reflection I deemed it prudent to visit the Higgins mansion dur- 
 ing the absence of the " head of the house." I knew the old gentle- 
 man was at work in his fields during the day — as it was haying-time. 
 I therefore concluded to call on Arabella in the afternoon instead of 
 the evening, so as to avoid meeting the old tiger. Accordingly, 
 adorned in my best habiliments, I started on my hazardous enterprise. 
 I approached the home of the Higginses, I must confess, with ieelings 
 5 
 
34 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF WALTER PELEG, ES(^ 
 
 not altogether void of anxiety. As I ascended the steps of the piazza, 
 the knocker on the door seemed to bid me welcome ; I seized it and 
 gave a ponderous rap, as much as to say, whose afraid. 
 
 The next moment the door was thrown open, and who should stand 
 before me but Higgins himself. The first thought that flashed on my 
 mind was, I had not made my will ; my knees knocked violently to- 
 gether ; I really thought I was gone ; but fortunately the next moment 
 manhood returned, and I was myself again. I rushed up to Higgins, 
 seized him by both hands, and inquired affectionately after his welfare. 
 The old man did not recognize me ; he evidently thought I was some 
 distinguished stranger. I told him I had a message for the ladies 
 which I would like to deliver in person. The old gentleman rather 
 gingerly pointed me to a chair, and left saying, " he would hunt up the 
 females." 
 
 Before seating myself I placed the hall-door ajar, as a precautionary 
 measure, not knowing but that Higgins, instead of notifying the ladies 
 of my presence might be in search of some bludgeon with which to 
 dispatch me. Fortunately I was relieved from all such apprehensions 
 by the appearance of Mrs. Higgins, who gave me a cordial welcome. 
 After mailing known my errand, which was favorably received, I was 
 strongly urged to stay to tea, and as matters thus far had progressed 
 satisfactorily, I concluded that I might as well make a day of it, and so 
 I concluded to remain. 
 
 In the course of haK an hour Arabella made her appearance. She 
 was the same frank, angelic spirit as ever ; she had grown much taller 
 since I last saw her. As she took my offered hand, she exclaimed, 
 with a sweet smile, "Walter, I am very glad to see you." Her easy, 
 frank maimers soon made me feel at home, and I rejoiced greatly that 
 I had concluded to stay to tea, 
 
 Arabella, when I made known my request, said she would be happy 
 to attend the picnic. When I hinted about obtaining her father's con- 
 sent, she rephed that her father was not near as cross as he used to be. 
 The gentle influence of the daughter was stealing imperceptibly on the 
 father's heart. 
 
 I saw nothing of Higgins until t-ea-time, when I received a formal 
 introduction to him. He eyed me very keenly for a moment, and then 
 said, " Young man, your are stretching up in the world." I replied, 
 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP WALTER PELEG, ESQ. 35 
 
 " that duriBg the last six months I had considerably enlarged my pro- 
 portions." Ever since I entered the house my thoughts more or less 
 had been occupied how I could ingratiate myself into the good graces 
 of the elder Higgins. The present moment I deemed favorable for 
 the trial. I commenced by saying that I thought agriculture the no- 
 blest pursuit of man (Higgins of course was not aware that I was pre- 
 paring for the law). I dwelt largely and elaborately on the unfortu- 
 nate ravages of the grasshoppers, and other destructive insects, which 
 had within a few years been the pest of farmers. After having ex- 
 hausted this particular theme, I commenced to deplore the extrava- 
 gance of the rising generation. I predicted that unless a change for the 
 better occurred, starvation and want would be the inevitable fate of all 
 those coming on the stage of action. As I eloquently proceeded, the 
 old gentleman nodded assent. I found I had hit him in a vital part. 
 For Higgins, as if to endorse all I was saying, kept passing to me the 
 gingerbread and sweetmeats without cessation. 
 
 After tea I made preparations to return home. Before taking final 
 leave, I mentioned to Higgins that the ladies of the village were pre- 
 paring for a picnic, and I had been particularly requested to make one 
 of the party. I told him I presumed he did not approve of such a 
 waste of time, and inquired what he thought I ought to do under the 
 circumstances, adding that I was fearful if I did not attend, the ladies 
 might take offence. The old gentleman answered, " There were times 
 when a body had to give into other people's notions." He thought, on 
 the whole, I had better go. I asked him if he thought he could trust 
 Arabella with me. He thought he could ; whereupon I thanked him 
 kindly, and politely withdrew. 
 
 As I wound my way homeward, I came to the conclusion that 
 Higgins, after all, was a clever fellow, and I determined for the future, 
 come what would, I should stand up for Higgins. 
 
 Arabella came to see my mother the next morning. She stated her 
 father desired me to accept his horse and gig for the picnic excursion. 
 I regretted exceedingly the old gentleman had grown so polite, as his 
 gig was a sorry affair, destitute of paint, and never failed, when in mo- 
 tion, to make hideous groans. The boys of the village had nicknamed 
 it " old crazy." Not wishing to offend Higgins (for I had made up my 
 mind to stand by him), I accepted his offer, although I had already 
 
36 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WALTER PELEG, ESQ. 
 
 made partial arrangements with Cooper, the stage proprietor, for a 
 splendid "turnout." I bad determined, as I was to wait on the 
 prettiest girl in the village, my equipage for the occasion should be 
 excelled by none. But, alas for human expectations, I was doomed for 
 a certainty to go in Higgins' gig " old crazy." 
 
 We read that even in the darkest hours of adversity we can find a 
 few crumbs of consolation. And such was my experience on that 
 occasion ; for I reflected, even when seated in Higgins' old gig, with 
 Arabella by my side, I should be happy, and no one would dare to cast 
 at me a look of derision while in company with one so miiversally 
 esteemed. 
 
 Arabella also told my mother not to make any arrangements about 
 eatables, as she and her mother would attend to that duty. I flattered 
 myself that morning that I was growmg in the estimation of the Higgins 
 family. 
 
 Picnic-day arrived. The morning dawned brightly, not a cloud 
 dimmed the horizon ; the dewdrops, which during the night had clus- 
 tered on the grass and flowers, disappeared as the sun sped his way 
 through the heavens. The village at early morn was in a buzz of 
 excitement ; vehicles of every kind and character rapidly traversed the 
 streets; well-filled baskets and pails of provisions flitted before the 
 eyes as they were carried by willing hands to the place of rendezvous. 
 The ladies of the various societies were out in full costume, surrounded 
 by an innumerable company of juveniles. Everything betokened a day 
 of unalloyed happiness to all concerned. 
 
 I decorated myself that morning with unusual care ; I dumped cologne 
 water in my hat, boots, and difl^erent pockets, as I was anxious, if pos- 
 sible, to make up in some degree for the shortcomings of the old gig. 
 At eight o'clock I appeared at the Higgins domicile. In front of the 
 door stood the old horse and gig ready for action. I knocked for ad- 
 mission. Higgins opened the door ; he smelt the cologne, and, I thought, 
 stuck up his nose a little — but of this I'm not certain ; at all events he 
 gave me a cordial reception. I thanked him for the loan of his horse and 
 gig. He begged me not to mention it. Mrs. Higgins at that moment 
 hove in sight, followed by a retinue of colored domestics, each armed 
 with a formidable dish of eatables. How the gig was to contain the 
 numerous vessels was to me a poser. But Higgins easily managed the 
 
AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF WALTER PELEtt, ESQ. 37 
 
 matter — he was in the habit of stowing away. Among the good things 
 provided was an enormous chicken-pie, baked in a tin pan about two 
 feet in diameter, the crust of which, to my unpracticed eye, resembled 
 grated cheese. 
 
 Mrs. Higgins, as she gazed admiringly on the chicken-pie, said, 
 " Walter, you and Arabella must try and eat up all that pie." I hinted 
 we would do it justice. A.t that moment Arabella made her appear- 
 ance, dressed in raiment of the purest white. As she fastened her jet- 
 black eyes upon me and bade me good-morning, my heart bumped 
 fearfully, and it was with great difficulty that I could control my emo- 
 tion. "We were soon comfortably seated in the gig. Higgins pro- 
 nounced us all right, when I gave the horse the word " go." As we 
 passed out of the gate into the street, I waved my handkerchief to the 
 Higgins household by way of a parting salutation ; a passing breeze 
 must have carried a little of the cologne, with which the handkerchief 
 was strongly saturated, into the nostrils of Higgins, as he gave a pon- 
 derous sneeze, and I fancied I could hear the old gentleman exclaim, 
 " Why, where did that come from ? " 
 
 As we rolled along to the place of rendezvous, I asked Arabella what 
 the horse was named ; she said " Firefly." I thought the nag had not 
 jixuch_fire left in him, or else he had not as yet got fairly at his work, for 
 he moved forward with the greatest caution. As we passed down fhe 
 main street of the village, the wheels of the old gig uttered most dismal 
 strains, and every bolt in the vehicle took up the lamentation. As we 
 jogged on, I heard now and then a boy sing out, " Why, if there don't 
 go old crazy." We arrived without accident at Cooper's Hotel, where 
 the picnic procession had already formed, and was in the act of moving ; 
 in consequence, we had to take our position in the rear. Though we 
 were last, yet, in our opinion, we were not least. 
 
 Our friends drove off at a rapid pace. Firefly lingered strangely be- 
 hind, but, like the Irishman's horse, he had the satisfaction of driving 
 all before him. I did not like to hit him very hard, fearing Higgins 
 might count the ridges on him when we returned ; consequently we 
 took our time. In going down Poor-house HiU one of the breeching- 
 straps burst, bringing the gig in contact with the horse's heels. Firefly 
 in a moment was up and doing. Forgetting the infirmities of age, he 
 dashed down the hiU at a fearful pace. As we sped along the music 
 
38 AUTOBIOaRAPHY OF WALTER PELEG, ESQ. 
 
 from the old gig was awful. Had the horse kept the road, all would 
 have been well ; but he failed to adhere to the " beaten track," for at 
 the bottom of the hiU he pitched through the fence opposite the Poor- 
 house with an eagerness which led me to believe he was a candidate for 
 that institution. 
 
 As the gig followed through the fence it gave a sudden lurch and 
 toppled over ; out went the chicken-pie, myself following in close pur- 
 suit. I was rendered senseless by the fall. When memory returned, 
 I found myself seated in the exact centre of the chicken-pie — the crust 
 of which, happily, was made of such good materials that I had made 
 but a shght indention in it. Arabella was but slightly hurt. She had, 
 however, unfortunately fallen on my new beaver hat, giving it very 
 serious impressions. Its appearance when replaced on its owner's head 
 strongly indicated that some one had been on a bender. 
 
 By the assistance of our " poor friends," who clustered around us, 
 regarding our spilt eatables with longing eyes, our vehicle was soon 
 righted. On inspection I found it minus a spoke or two, in addition 
 to those which had gone before. Arabella and myself both concluded 
 that, in consideration of our soiled apparel, and the further dilapidation 
 of the gig, it would be best to return home ; whereupon we jogged 
 slowly back, as surveyors have it, to the place of beginning, leaving 
 our eatables in the keeping of the poor, who showered down upon us 
 innumerable blessings for our condescension. 
 
 On our way home, Arabella, I thought, eyed my hat rather sharply. 
 She was evidently disposed to be witty. She remarked we had started 
 on a picnic and brought up at the Poor-house. She was curious to 
 know if I did not think the matter looked rather ominous. I parried 
 her jokes as well as I was able. I took off my crushed beaver, holding 
 it in such a way that its freshly made creases could be seen to advan- 
 tage, telling her that she knew how to make lasting impressions, and 
 hinted that impressions could be made elsewhere than on hats. Thus 
 we whiled away the time until we arrived at the Higgins mansion. 
 Fortunately the old man was not at home. I tied Firefly in front of 
 the house and stealthily departed. During the remainder of my vaca- 
 tion I kept clear of Higgins. 
 
 Philosophers tell us that the world (meaning, no doubt, its inhabitants) 
 is daily grooving wiser,' and that mankind has but just discovered the 
 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WALTEK PELEG, ESQ. 39 
 
 true art of living well. As a proof they point us to the many discov- 
 eries which have been brought into existence within the past fifty years, 
 in the shape of steamships, railroads, telegraphs, to say nothing of the 
 thousand and one minor inventions, each important in itself, and all in 
 their proper sphere, conferring blessings irrespectively on the human 
 family. 
 
 Notwithstanding such undeniable proofs of the world's advancement 
 in those matters which so greatly contribute to man's temporal happi- 
 ness and comfort, yet the aged, like myself, ever recur with pleasure to 
 the days of youth, and mourn over the innovations made in the good 
 old customs of our fathers. Although my native village has moved 
 very moderately in the paths of progression, owing doubtless to a pre- 
 ponderance of Dutch element yet even within her borders, many of the 
 good old customs of my boyhood have become obsolete, giving place to 
 others, which the rising generation fail not to remind us, are more in 
 keeping v/ith the times, i. e., more aristocratic and fashionable. 
 
 These reflections have been forced upon us by recurring to those 
 days when the venerable fathers of our village were prone to congre- 
 gate on the veranda of the Ackly House and regale themselves with 
 pipe and quid while waiting the arrival of the stage-coach, which, in 
 those days, constituted the only public conveyance by land between 
 New York City and Albany. 
 
 The stage-coach formerly was a great institution. Its arrival and de- 
 parture always created a lively sensation. It not only brought the daily 
 mails, but frequently much startUng wayside intelligence, which was 
 peculiarly acceptable in that day to the gossips of the village. 
 
 The driver of the coach, in particular, was a man of consequence ; 
 invariably when nearing the village he would quicken the pace of his 
 horses, and failed not to notify the inhabitants of his coming by numer- 
 ous blasts from his echoing horn. As the coach dashed through the 
 main street of the village, the driver's whip was brought in full requisi- 
 tion ; its inspiring music as it floated arouud the ears of the awakened 
 steeds, was the signal for heads to protrude from the windows of the 
 different dwellings, each one anxious to spy out the contents of the 
 passing vehicle. 
 
 When the coach was behind-time, which was not unfrequently the 
 case, the venerable fathers, in order that they might exercise becoming 
 
40 AUTOBIOGEAPnY OF WALTTllE PELEG, ESQ. 
 
 patience while waiting for tlie sound of the driver's horn, would in- 
 dulge in a horn of another kind, to be had at the bar of the hotel. 
 
 But I iind I am digressing. 
 
 After a few years devoted to study under the supervision of Dominie 
 Van Yranken, I became an inmate of the law office of Lawyer Gripe in 
 Pouglikeepsie. 
 ■ Lawyer Gripe stood high in his profession. His most prominent 
 bump, speaking in a phrenological sense, was caution. He seldom or 
 never spoke in the positive mood when consulted on legal matters. 
 Knowing the uncertainties of the law, he kept his clients in the same 
 glorious state of uncertainty. His opinions invariably were delivered 
 somewhat after the following : 
 
 If this or that should so turn out, 
 Or something else is brought about, 
 And then if that should next take place. 
 Then so, or so, will be the case. 
 
 Lawyer Gripe, unfortunately, too frequently indulged in this doubt- 
 ing propensity when addressing a jury. To give an instance : A Mrs. 
 Bumble, residing in Academy Street, rejoiced in the ownership of a 
 son about ten years of age, who, beyond question, was the most incor- 
 rigible lad in the street. Adjoining the Bumbles resided a family com- 
 posed exclusively of females. Young Bumble took every opportunity 
 to annoy this family. On one occasion, when he had been a little ex- 
 tra abusive in the use of language not very polite, one of the females 
 seized him and bestowed upon him a little healthy correction. His 
 outcries soon brought Mother Bumble to his rescue. Mother B. was 
 always rough and ready. She pitched into the corrector of the son, 
 whom she soon put liors de eambat. The result of which was, Mrs. 
 Bumble was prosecuted for assault and battery. Lawyer Gripe was 
 her counsel. After the examination of the witnesses was concluded, 
 Mr. Gripe addressed the jury as follows : 
 
 Gentlemen of the Jury : I have been led to infer, during the course of 
 this trial, that each one of you at some period of your life was blessed with a 
 mother. Of this, however, I am not positive. But reasoning from estab- 
 lished principles, it is but reasonable to presume such must have been the 
 case. Perhaps some of those natural protectors of yoiu- helpless infancy are 
 
ESQ. 41 
 
 still alive ; if so, you of all men, laiow how to appreciate so great a boon to 
 man as a mother. 
 
 Gentlemen : My client, who sits veiled before you, is not only a mother, 
 but a widow. She has an only son coming up in life, promising to be the 
 stay of her declining years. She has been arraigned at this bar for trial, 
 charged with committing assault and battery. Simply, gentlemen, because, 
 she resented a high-handed attack on her son. The noblest attribute of the 
 brute creation is the indomitable defence of their young. If this quality, 
 which shines so resplendent in the breasts of the animal kingdom, is com- 
 mendable, how much more should it be esteemed when we see it strikingly 
 illustrated in the hmnan family. 
 
 Here one of the jurors, who had a cold in his head, used his handker- 
 chief rather freely. Mr. Gripe, thinking he was weeping at the pa- 
 thetic picture he was drawing, elevated his voice, saying : 
 
 " Perhaps some of you, gentlemen of the jury, remember the time 
 when your anxious mother, under similar circumstances, rescued you 
 from the gripe of some ferocious female." 
 
 It will be only necessary further to say that Mr. Gripe sufficiently 
 melted the jury, who, without leaving their seats, returned a verdict of 
 acquittal. 
 
 I soon became tired of the dull routine of office life, and spent much 
 of my time in the different courts when in session, where I made two 
 very important discoveries, I noticed during the examination of wit- 
 nesses, the jury, as a general thing, employed such times in meditation, 
 relying on the lawyers when summing up to post them in relation to 
 the evidence taken. I also noticed that juries were greatly influ- 
 enced in their decisions by the manner or mode in which the lawyers 
 addressed them. Those lawyers, I observed, who were somewhat 
 frantic in their gestures, and indulged in many complimentary epithets 
 to the jury, were very generally successful. 
 
 Deeming these two points all that was necessary for one to know in 
 order to acquire legal fame, I bade adieu to Poughkeepsie and returned 
 to Fishkill, where I rented an office, and gave notice to the inhabitants 
 of the place, by many conspicuous signs placed in and around the btdld- 
 ing, that Walter Peleg, practitioner at law, was ready to serve them in 
 any legal way. 
 
 1 had not been many days installed in my office when I received an 
 invitation to deliver a lecture before the " Blinkers "Association " of 
 6 
 
42 AUTOBIOGEAPHT, OF WALTER PELEG, ESQ. 
 
 Hortonsville, a Tillage some six miles east of FisliMU. I gladly ac- 
 cepted the invitation as I was anxious to make a favorable impression 
 on the people of that section, knowing if I succeeded I should be 
 greatly benefited in a pecuniary point of view, as the inhabitants there- 
 abouts were great sticklers for legal rights. 
 
 JVTy mother, with perhaps laudable ambition, was exceedingly anxious 
 I should make an impression in another way. She had more respect 
 for the outer than for the inner man. As there were several aristo- 
 cratic families residing in the vicinity of Hortonsville, possessed of mar- 
 riageable daughters, she was desirous my appearance should be of a 
 captivating kind ; consequently she had the arranging of my dress for 
 the occasion. Among the many decorations I was subjected to, my 
 hair, a few hours before starting, was done up in papers in order that it 
 might possess a graceful curl. My mother was careful to instruct me 
 to remove the papers when neariug my destination, but becoming ab- 
 sorbed in the lecture I was about to deliver, I forgot the instructions 
 so given, and passed into the lecture-room on my arrival at Hortons- 
 ville without removing my head ornaments. I was, however, reminded 
 of my neglect in the course of the evening, for on making a favorite ges- 
 ture on which I had bestowed much practice, and which consisted in 
 twirhng a book around the head balanced on the fingers of the right 
 hand, I swept off several of my head appendages. I was somewhat 
 disconcerted for the moment, but having thoroughly committed my 
 discourse, my embarrassment was but slight. 
 
 The "Bhukers" concluded that my way of dressing the hair was a 
 new fashion just introduced, and they hastened to adopt it, — for on the 
 following Sabbath all of them appeared in Hopewell church with their 
 hair tastily decorated in paper. They continued the custom for several 
 months before discovering their error. In the meantime, on account 
 of their flashy headgear, the name of the village was changed to " Gay 
 Head," which title it retains to the present day. 
 
 At that time the young men of Fishkill village became imbued with 
 a military spirit. I was solicited to address them on the subject. My 
 address was so well received that steps were immediately taken to or- 
 ganize a military company. So great was the military enthusiasm I had 
 awakened that a company was soon formed and called the " Fishkill 
 Fusileers," which included all the youiig men of the village. Mr. Ben- 
 
ATJTOBIOaEAPHy OF WALTER PELEU, ESQ. 43 
 
 jamiu Tub and myself were the candidates for captaincy. Mr. Tub was 
 elected, having received two more votes than myself, consequently I 
 dropped into the ranks as a private. 
 
 Old Mr. Buckram, the then fashionable tailor of the village, was em- 
 ployed to make the military suits for the company. Buckram always 
 made good fits, having been subject to fits in infancy, — ^he therefore 
 always gave fits to his customers. If a coat had been cut a little too 
 large, Buckram assured his customer that large coats were in the nick 
 of fashion. If cut a httle too small it was ditto. Buckram, in cutting 
 coats, therefore never failed to suit. 
 
 Mr. Benjamin Tub felt greatly elevated in being elected Captain of 
 the FishkiU Fusileers. He entered on the duties of his office with great 
 zeal, — for which, in some respects, he was eminently fitted. He had 
 cultivated, to some extent, an acquaintance with the fine arts ; was a 
 horticulturist of some promise ; was also a great admirer of sunflowers, 
 which conspicuously studded his dwelling at certain seasons of the year. 
 Thus it will be seen that Mr. Tub was not without quahfications for 
 the office conferred upon him. 
 
 As soon as Mr. Buckram had finished the military suits for the com- 
 pany, Captain Tub gave notice that training-day was near. Every man 
 was ordered to appear armed and equipped, on the ensuing Saturday, 
 in front of the Ackly House. 
 
 Training-day arrived, creating a new era in the history of the village. 
 The Ackly House was gorgeously decorated on the occasion. The 
 American flag, among other emblems, was conspicuously displayed from 
 several parts of the building. The ladies of the different societies con- 
 gregated on the veranda, heavily laden with bouquets and sweet smiles. 
 The Fusileers, in their gay uniforms, arrived on the ground with com- 
 mendable promptness ; their regimentals, to an observant eye, presented 
 rather a singular appearance. A long man wore a short coat, and a 
 short man wore a long coat ; but as Buckram was the maker of the regi- 
 mentals, no one questioned at the time but that all was right. Sub- 
 sequent investigations, however, proved that Buckram, in order to ex- 
 pedite business, had sent home the regimentals without reference to 
 whom they belonged, — -in consequence every man got a coat intended 
 for his neighbor. 
 
 Captain Tub greatly delayed his coming. The Fusileers began to 
 
44 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF WALTER PELEG-, ESQ. 
 
 manifest signs of impatience at the tardiness of their leader. Just as 
 they were on the eve of appointing a committee to look him np, the 
 Captain came dashing around the corner, mounted on his brown colt. 
 His appearance was hailed with great enthusiasm. The ladies on the 
 piazza of the hotel pressed forward to obtain a glimpse of the intrepid 
 warrior. As they caught sight of the hero they peppered him with 
 bouquets, which the Captain vainly endeavored to catch in his hat. The 
 Fusileers, to a man, stood uncovered. Captain Tub, I saw at a glance, 
 was greatly pleased with his reception. He had taken the utmost pains 
 to make a favorable impression, if one might be allowed to judge from 
 the many decorations bestowed on his horse and himself. His nag's 
 mane and tail streamed with ribbons of every known color. The Cap- 
 tain himself was certainly a beauty, — on each shoulder, for epaulets, he 
 had secured an enormous sunflower. His hat was decorated with many 
 feathers, the most conspicuous among which was the peacock's. In 
 lieu of spurs a shoemaker's awl protruded from the heel of each boot. 
 
 The Captain requested his men to " fall in," signifying he had some- 
 thing important to communicate. His men accordingly " fell in," form- 
 ing a line of beauty, as philosophers call it, waving in and out, here and 
 there, centre everywhere, circumference nowhere. When order was 
 restored, the Captain produced quite a formidable document, which he 
 commenced to read. The document struck me as reading rather sin- 
 gular for a military paper, — it contained many expressions such as " my 
 dear brethren," " firstly," " secondly," and so on. When the Captain 
 had read for about fifteen minutes the village Dominie came elbowing 
 his way through the crowd. On reaching the Captain, he gave him a 
 slap on the back, exclaiming : " Why, Tub, you've got the wrong pa- 
 per; you've got my sermon for to-morrow." Tub's countenance in 
 a moment went down to zero. The whole scene was so ludicrous that 
 all, young and old, bond and free, sent up a universal shout. 
 
 The colt must have taken umbrage at what might have been consid- 
 ered disrespect to his rider,— for he darted off, scattering the crowd like 
 a passing whirlwind. Tub hung on well for a short distance ; but not 
 understanding the rules of horsemanship, he inchned his heels inward, 
 which brought the awls in contact with the colt's hide. The colt un- 
 doubtedly considered there was rather too much point about the affair, 
 for with one bound he scaled the fence fronting the graveyard on the 
 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WALTER PELEG, ESQ. 45 
 
 opposite side of the street, and deposited the Captain unceremoniously 
 among the tombs. 
 
 The Captain, for a few moments, uttered most doleful cries. He 
 was taken up and placed on a bier, which was fortunately near at 
 hand, and conveyed to his residence, followed by the members of his 
 company with trailed arms, and so ended the first training of the Fish- 
 kill Fusileers. 
 
 It appeared that the Captain had engaged the village Dominie (the 
 Dutch church in the village at that time had dissolved connection with 
 Hackensack and Hopewell) to prepare a suitable speech for him to 
 deliver. In calhng for the document, the Dominie, through mistake, 
 handed Tub the sermon he had just written, intended for his pulpit 
 on the morrow. (Mr. Peleg's manuscript here suddenly terminates. 
 We are in hopes, in overhauling his effects, to discover the remaining 
 portion of it.) 
 
THE ISSOPS AND THE WHITES. 
 
 A STOEY OF DOMESTIC LIFE. 
 
 KE ISSOP was a great admirer of female beauty, though 
 perhaps a more bashful youth never lived than Ike. At school, 
 if a pretty girl came within easy reach of his eye he would in- 
 variably place his spelling-book close to his nose, and commence 
 mumbhng over his lesson, with a bumble-bee like music, but his eyes, 
 all the while, would be peering cautiously over the top of the page at 
 bonny lassie. 
 
 As we have just said, Ike was a bashful youth, and consequently 
 when young ladies were around was a great coward. If, when on the 
 highway a gay bonnet hove in view, worn by its owner, Ike would 
 be filled with the wildest alarm ; but on such occasions he invariably 
 displayed the greatest strategic qualities, for he would dash over the 
 fence, and into the nearest corn-field, or crouch down in the meadow- 
 grass, as most convenient, where he would lie snugly ensconced until 
 the object of his dread had passed by, and was wholly lost to view. 
 
 Ike's mother was a great favorite with the young people of the 
 neighborhood. Far and near she was known by the familiar name of 
 Aunt Phebe. She was a widow, and had been such for nearly a dozen 
 years, for in the fourth year of her married life she was called to part 
 with her husband, who died after a few days' illness. Of course on 
 her devolved the education of her two children, Jennie and Isaac. 
 
 Fortunately she had been left in comfortable circumstances. In 
 fact, by her less affluent neighbors, she was looked upon as wealthy. 
 Her little pink-colored house, which stood prominently at the entrance 
 of the village, was the very pink of neatness ; embowered as it was 
 amid tall trees and clambering vines, which were kept well trained 
 and pruned, it failed not to arrest attention from every observant trav- 
 
THE ISSOPS AND THE WHITES. 47 
 
 eller. Internally the little dwelling compared favorably with its outer 
 surronndings, for from the cellar to the garret the most perfect order 
 and neatness reigned. Although the furniture was decidedly anti- 
 quated, both in fact and in appearance, yet it more than made up for 
 such deficiency by its poKsh and lustre, for on every day, if we may 
 except the Sabbath, every article of furniture, from the foot-stove to 
 the much prized side-board, was carefully dusted and polished by the 
 brawny hand of the colored maid. Miss Dinah, who for years had done 
 the honors of Sunshine Cottage, by which name Mrs. Issop's residence 
 was familiarly called. 
 
 Miss Dinah was decidedly one of the institutions of the day. Al- 
 though she had seen some sixty summers, yet time had dealt very 
 gently with her, for her countenance was still devoid of the slightest 
 wrinkle, and her powers, both mental and physical, retained all the 
 freshness and vivacity of youth. When Mrs. Issop was but a little wee 
 bit of a tiling, she had taken the whole charge of her, — in fact she was 
 a sort of an heirloom in the family, — and when her young mistress bade 
 adieu to the paternal roof as Mrs. Issop, Dinah, from choice, followed 
 her, and from that hour had been the factotum of her young mistress' 
 household. 
 
 Mrs. Issop's children were, as may be supposed, great favorites with 
 Miss Dinah. Jennie was nearly a young lady, at least she so consid- 
 ered herself, for she was in her fifteenth year, while Isaac was two 
 years younger. Ike, in the opinion of Dinah, was the pink of perfec- 
 tion ; ofttimes when he merited the corrective powers of the birch, 
 and was about to receive the application, Dinah's vigorous arm stood 
 between him and the impending danger. " Tut, tut, Mistress," she 
 would say, " leave him to me ; I'll attend to him "; which she gener- 
 ally did by giving him a hunk of gingerbread, and patting him on the 
 head, saying, "Be careful, Isaac, you may not come off so well next 
 time." Ike, whenever such dangers befell him, always fled for protec- 
 tion to Dinah, for in times of tribulation she proved to him a shield and 
 a strong tower. 
 
 Next door to the Issops resided a family by the name of White, who 
 were decidedly aristocratic, in fact they were considered the bon-ton of 
 the place. Mrs. White's daughters, Mary and Ella, were the acknowl- 
 edged leaders of the new fashions introduced in the village. They had 
 
48 THE ISSOPS AND THE WHITES. 
 
 friends in Boston, who gave them the earliest information of every 
 new style of dress, and what bonnets were in vogue. Therefore, when 
 the Misses White appeared in church with any new article of dress, 
 such article was narrowly criticised, and by the time the next Sabbath 
 rolled around, every young lady of the place possessed a similar article, 
 or one that would be considered a respectable imitation. 
 
 A controversy had long existed between Mrs. Issop's Dinah and 
 Mrs. White's servant Betty, as to which family was the most aristo- 
 cratic. Many a friendly set-to they had on the subject around the 
 kitchen fire. In every encounter Betty contended that her family, the 
 Whites, was the " fustest family in the place." She would say with 
 some asperity in her manner, " Don't our young ladies set all the fash- 
 ions ? Aint our house the grandest and most splendiferously furnished 
 of any in the village ? " and with an air of fancied triumph would ask, 
 " Don't Missus, when she wears her new brocade, look real quality ? " 
 " Why, Dinah," she would continue, " don't you know that dress cost 
 a heap of money ; it is the real stuff, I tell you, and no mistake." To 
 which arguments Dinah would wrinkle up her nose as though she 
 snuffed something shoddy, and in reply would pitch into Betty, some- 
 what in the following style : " Why, Betty, you is nothing but a chile 
 — do you suppose titivations can make a fine lady ? no, no, nor money 
 either for that matter. Now, there is Missus and our Jennie, it makes 
 no difference whether they have on any highf elutins or not, any one 
 who has had any broughten up, can see they are real giniwine quality. 
 1^0, no, Betty, you've got a heap yet to larn. Now, mind what I tells 
 ye, 'tis hedieation and broughten up wot gives the polish." But though 
 Dinah was ever ready to maintain her rights, and vindicate the honor 
 of the family, yet her big heart harbored no envy, for she generally 
 wound up her speech with a softening conciliatory tendency. She 
 would say, " Betty, I don't wish to say anything agin your folks, for 
 Mrs. White and the two young ladies are proper nice people ; every 
 time I goes over to your house, Mrs. White says to me, ' Good-morn- 
 ing, Miss Dinah'; she speaks just as a lady ought to speak. You see, 
 I knows wot belongs to edication and polish. I am always agoing to 
 stick up for your people, Betty, you may count on that; but you 
 mustn't come around here trying to put your folks above my family, 
 for if you do, this chile will be after you, sartin sure." 
 
THE ISSOPS AND THE WHITES. 49 
 
 These harmless controversies between the two champions for family 
 distinction were qnite frequent, though neither was able to convince 
 the other so as to decide which family was entitled to the highest seat 
 in the scale of aristocracy ; yet there was a point on which they mutu- 
 ally agreed, for at the close of each debate they would shake hands and 
 say, " Well, one thing is certain, our two families are the fust in the 
 place, anyhow," and with this pleasing understanding they would sepa- 
 rate in the best of spirits. Although, as we have remarked, these dis- 
 putes between Dinah and Betty were of frequent occurrence, yet they 
 went no further, for the two famihes have ever been, and still con- 
 tinued on the most friendly terms, and the idea as to any superiority 
 had never entered the minds of the members proper of either house- 
 hold. 
 
 Mrs. White's eldest daughter, Mary, was at boarding-school, and as 
 she was expected home a week before Christmas, which time was draw- 
 ing near, the family had begun to make preparations for her arrival. 
 Mrs. White, wishing to please her daughter, and to give her an agreea- 
 ble surprise, had purchased a new piano, and made some other addi- 
 tions to the parlor furniture. These new additions to the parlor had 
 caused Betty, the maid, to go off in the greatest ecstasy. " Now," she 
 thought to herself, " Miss Dinah will have to give up and acknowledge 
 clear beat. Dear me, I wonder what she will say when she sees our 
 new things. I mean to send over for her this very night ; won't I 
 crow over her, though ! " So Betty, with the help of a scribe, for- 
 warded a message to Dinah, requesting the pleasure of her company 
 that evening for an hour or two when work was done up. Betty 
 thought she could afford to be generous on that occasion, as she was to 
 reap a great triumph, so she provided a nice little supper for her old 
 antagonist on family points. " Dinah," she said, " liked good strong 
 tea, and she was a mighty good judge of it ; no better judge of tea 
 lived than Miss Dinah." So she went to her mistress and explained 
 matters, and craved a drawing of the Old Hyson kept for special occa- 
 sions, but she forgot to mention the main object for which Dinah had 
 been invited. 
 
 Dinah was much pleased with her invitation, particularly as it was a 
 written one. She got Ike to spell it out for her. Ike, who was 
 Dinah's rightJiand man, especially when he knew gingerbread was 
 7 
 
50 THE ISSOPS AND THE WHITES. 
 
 coming, labored hard to decipher the document, and, for a wonder, 
 got through the epistle without breaking down. "When he had fin- 
 ished, Dinah remarked, " That's a proper nice note ; that's real quality 
 way of inviting people. I'll have to go, for sure; Betty and me, you 
 know, are great friends ; though there is some p'ints on which we do 
 differ. I'll own up to that, any day." 
 
 Dinah, after finishing her work for the day, commenced preparations 
 for the contemplated visit. She put on her best cap and dress, and 
 when her toilet was completed, surveyed herself in the glass with 
 much satisfaction. She was very much afraid of going too early, for 
 she said the invitation looked Idnd of formal, and so she lingered 
 around until some one hinted that it was time she was off, when she 
 departed with the air and carriage of one clothed in the robes of dig- 
 
 In order to conceal the object she had in view, Betty invited a few 
 cronies to meet Dinah, who had already arrived, and were engaged in 
 social chit-chat as Dinah entered the spacious kitchen of the Whites' 
 mansion. Dinah, during the first half-hour of her visit, was extremely 
 dignified, but as the odoriferous perfume of the Old Hyson greeted her 
 olfactories, her stiffness relaxed, and by the time she had drank her 
 third cup of tea, she became exceedingly voluble. " This tea," she re- 
 marked, " is the real giniwine article ; just the kind one would expect 
 to drink in such a house as this." So profuse she became with her 
 compliments, they fell like snowflakes. Every one came in for a 
 share of her laudations, and throughout the evening the best of feeling 
 prevailed. As the guests were about to depart, Betty, in a careless 
 way, remarked that she would like them to step into the parlor. As 
 they entered the spacious, and, to some extent, newly-furnished room, 
 an exclamation of surprise escaped the hps of several of the guests. 
 " Dinah," said Betty, " I want you to look at our new piano, as you are 
 a judge of such furniture." 
 
 As Dinah's eye caught a view of the highly-poHshed instrument, she 
 trembled. Had she at that moment been struck by an iceberg, the 
 revulsion in her feehngs could not have been greater, as from fever 
 heat she travelled down to zero. But she tolerably well succeeded in 
 conceahng her chagrin ; she stepped up to the piano and gave one of 
 the keys a gentle touch, saying, " That's the real quality sound ; it's 
 
THE ISSOPS AND THE WHITES. 51 
 
 proper nice." But lier eyes studiously avoided the triumphant gaze of 
 Betty. 
 
 On her way home Dinah kept mumbhng to herself somewhat in the 
 following manner : " No great shakes of a piano ; anybody could see 
 that ; but I wasn't going to tell 'em so. I never mortifies people, es- 
 pecially when they use me well ; but they have got to use me well, I 
 tell ye. Lor ! they ought to have seen my old missus' piano, all striped 
 with gold, that was worth takin' folks into the parlor to look at. 
 'Shaw ! what does folks know now-days? " With these and hkc solilo- 
 quies Dinah reached her home. 
 
 Mrs. Issop and Jennie were still engaged at their needlework in the 
 sitting-room. Dinah immediately marched into the apartment and 
 opened her batteries. Her first exclamation was, " Missus, the Whites 
 have gone crazy." Mrs. Issop for the moment was seriously alarmed, 
 for she eagerly asked, " What is the matter ? " 
 
 "Matter ! " said Dinah, laying an awful stress on the word, " why, 
 they have gone and got a new piano and ever so many fixins, just be- 
 cause Miss Mary is coming home next week. I suppose Miss White 
 will hold her head pretty high now ; but she mustn't show off any of 
 her airs around me." 
 
 " Why, Dinah," said Jennie, " what makes you talk so ? You know 
 Mary-is very kind. Don't you remember that beautiful head-dress she 
 gave you last fall, and which she brought all the way from Boston ? 
 Mary certainly has been very kind to you, Dinah." 
 
 " Lor ! " said Dinah, " so she has "; and a big tear immediately rolled 
 down her cheek. " Why, what a poor memory I'se got," she con- 
 tinued. " That was a real pretty head-dress, and 'tis just as good as 
 new, for I was looking at it only last Sunday. Sartin sure. Miss Mary 
 is a great friend of mine. Now I jist remember Miss Mary is very 
 fond of punkin-pie. When she was a little girl and come to see me, I 
 would say, ' Mary, won't you have a piece of punkin-pie ? ' and the 
 way the dear chile relished it done me a heap of good ; and then she 
 would say, ' Dinah, I wish our Betty could make such punkin-pies as 
 you does.' Lor ! go way, if that chile didn't know everything. Now, 
 there's that big punkin in the garden, if I don't hetchel it off the vine 
 to-morrow morning in no time, and when Miss Mary comes home she 
 shall have one of my superiest pies." With these sayings and reflec- 
 tions Dinah retired to rest, greatly mollified in spirit. 
 
52 THE ISSOPS AND THE WHITES. 
 
 Ike was a great admirer of Mrs. "WTiite's second daughter, Ella, and 
 was never tired of gazing at lier, particularly if lie could do so without 
 being seen in return. He would often climb the big pear-tree in his 
 mother's yard, where, screened by the foliage, he would sit for hours 
 watching Ella, as she skipped around her mother's door-yard, or helped 
 her httle brother Tom to fly his kite. But Ike never ventured near the 
 object of his afiection. If he did not believe the sentiment of the poet, 
 he at least practiced it, for, with him, distance oft lent enchantment to 
 the view. 
 
 But Ike did not always enjoy the felicity of viewing Ella at a dis- 
 tance, for on one occasion he was favored with a nearer view than he 
 desired. A few days after the return of Ella's sister from boarding- 
 school, the two young ladies called on Mrs. Issop. The day was some- 
 what unpleasant, as a drizzling rain was falling. Ike, at the time, was 
 holding a skein of yarn on each wrist, which his mother was winding 
 off on a ball. He had kicked ofi his shoes, thereby showing that his 
 feet were well protected by two blue-colored stockings. A gentle 
 knock was heard at the door, which opened directly on the piazza. Ike 
 knew by the sound of the voices without who sought admission. His 
 hair instantly bristled up, down went the skein of yam, and away went 
 Ike behind the fireboard. The fireboard swung upon hinges, which 
 enabled Ike to conceal himself with the dispatch that the necessities of 
 the case called for. Mrs. Issop, thinking her visitors would not tarry 
 long, allowed Ike to remain in his place of concealment. But the 
 guests did tarry, much to the discomfort of Ike, for every few moments 
 he would say to himself, " How they do hang on." 
 
 Whether Ella mistrusted that Ike was behind the fireboard we know 
 not, but her eye, with a comical expression, was frequently turned that 
 way. Presently she said to Mrs. Issop, " Something must be behind 
 the fireboard, for I hear a noise there." Ike plainly heard Ella's ob- 
 servation, and, had a pistol been leveled at his head, his consternation 
 could not have been greater ; he broke out in a profuse perspiration, 
 his head reeled, and he would undoubtedly have given the entire world, 
 had he possessed it, to have been dehvered from his perilous situation. 
 To heighten his distress, the fireboard gently swung on its hinges and 
 there stood Ella with a face which betokened that she not only enjoyed 
 the scene, but much admired his cosy retreat. 
 
THE ISSOPS AND THE WHITES. 53 
 
 Ike was a very sorry picture to look at ; his nose was covered with 
 smut, his pantaloons had received a recent fracture at the knee, his 
 hair Somewhat resemhled the quiUs of the porcupine, and, take him 
 aU in all, he was very far from being presentable. Ike thought he 
 was called upon to say something, or to make some explanation as to 
 his situation. So he hallooed out, " Who you looking at ? I aint been 
 doing nothing." Mrs. Issop called to him, saying, "Isaac, you had 
 better come out of there." Ike, it appears, thought so too, for he 
 started from his hiding-place with a rush for the outer door, but unfor- 
 tunately the skein of yarn he had dropped had escaped the observation 
 of his mother, and still remained on the floor. As he was rushing from 
 the room his feet became entangled in the yarn and down he went, to 
 the great merriment of his friends. After rolling over once or twice, 
 he regained his equilibrium, and succeeded in bolting through the door, 
 and was thus speedily lost to view. 
 
 A day or two after the exciting events just related, in which our 
 hero played so conspicuous a part, his sister Jennie invited her young 
 friends to an evening sociable. It was Miss Jennie's first party, and of 
 course to her an important event, and as there were two distinguished 
 strangers to be present, the occasion called for the ablest exercise of 
 Miss Dinah's culinary tactics. The strangers were Mr. Eolf and sister, 
 of Boston, who were the friends and guests of Miss White. 
 
 The village in which the Issops and Whites resided, differed in no 
 respect from other villages. The same custom then prevailed to hon- 
 ize strangers, particularly if they were known to fame, or occupied a 
 place among the elite. Miss White's guests, ever since their arrival in 
 the village, had made an unusual sensation ; every one was seeking an 
 introduction. Mr. EoM had been subject to hourly criticism from the 
 young ladies, and his dress and manners had perhaps received more at- 
 tention since his arrival in the place than they had dm-ing all his 
 former years. While the young ladies were speculating on Mr. RoK, and 
 seeking to know who among them had been favored with an introduc- 
 tion. Miss Eolf was receiving the like attention from the young gentle- 
 men, and many expressions like the following could have been heard 
 by the attentive ear : " I say, Tomlinson, have you been introduced to 
 Miss Eolf ? They say she is a charming creature, positively captivat- 
 ing. As for me, I have not as yet sought an introduction. I shall 
 
54 THE ISSOPS AND THE WHITES. 
 
 wait until the evening of Miss Issop's party, before paying my respects 
 to tMs Boston belle." 
 
 Mrs. Issop's kitchen, for several days prior to the much-talked-of 
 entertainment, was the scene of great bustle and activity. The big 
 cooking-stove glowed with heat, and the chimney puffed away, sending 
 forth huge volumes of smoke. Miss Dinah, who was in her element, 
 stalked around among the wafHe-irons and varions other utensils belong- 
 ing to her profession, talking aloud to herself, as she was wont when 
 engaged in matters of importance. " Now," said she, " this getting up 
 a big company 'pears jist like old times. Why, Missus wanted to know 
 if I hadn't better get Betty to help me. 'Shaw ! I wonder what Betty 
 knows about making sponge-cake and such likes ; jist nothing at all. 
 And besides, I'se got a small account to settle with Betty. I haven't 
 forgot that piano. I do beheve, after all, it was a consarted plan to 
 get me over thar. But never mind, Miss Betty, jist wait until I'se got 
 the table sot for the company, and all the silver on, what's been up in 
 that big chist in the garret for ever so many years, and what nobody 
 knows nothing about, then I'll show you. I use to say, ' Missus, why 
 don't you use your silver ? ' but she would say, ' Dinah, time enough.' 
 I do believe Missus has been saving it all the time for this company. 
 She is a wonderful lady to look ahead. ISTow, Betty makes great 
 reckoning on seeing our table ; but won't she stare, though, I guess, 
 when she gets one good look at it ; she won't be showing folks any 
 more new pianos." 
 
 The knocker on the hall-door suddenly interrupted Dinah's sohl- 
 oquies. Hastily slipping on a clean apron, she proceeded to answer 
 the summons. 
 
 The evening for the company arrived, and all was in readiness. 
 Dinah had her table tastefully arranged. On it stood the long-neglected 
 silver, shining like polished mirrors. The parlor was gaily illuminated, 
 and Miss Jennie and her mother were awaiting the arrival of the 
 guests. Ike, too, was in the room, but, to use a military phrase, he 
 had been forced in at the point of the bayonet ; and it required but 
 slight military skill to discover that he was intent on an early retreat. 
 
 Miss Jennie was attired in white embroidered muslin, with a sash of 
 rose-colored ribbon ; her hair fell in natural ringlets around her neck, 
 looped up with a spray of natural flowers. 
 
THE ISSOPS AND THE WHITES. 55 
 
 The first arrival was Mr. Blue and liis sister. Mr. Blue was clothed 
 in blue (we, of course, refer to his coat and pantaloons), which color at 
 the time was in the extreme of fasliion. His appearance gave evidence 
 that much time had been spent in the preparation of his toilet, for he 
 looked decidedly fixy. Mr. Blue was a young man of few words, for 
 his conversational powers were mostly confined to the adjective " pro- 
 digious." On entering the room he appeared a little startled at the 
 fascinating appearance of Miss Jennie, for he exclaimed aloud, " Pro — " 
 but catching himself, he succeeded in suppressing the remainder of the 
 word ; but all knew what shoiild have followed. His sister was de- 
 cidedly pretty, neatly and tastefully dressed. The true physiognomist 
 would have had no difficulty in pronouncing her leading trait to be 
 amiability. 
 
 The next arrival was Mr. Slope, whose age was about thirty, and who 
 belonged to that class known as bachelors. Mr. Slope was stiff and 
 prim in his manners ; he wholly ignored fashion, for he had not 
 changed his style of dress in many years. He wore his stock so alarm- 
 ingly high as to slightly throw back his head ; his collar came close up 
 under his ears, and protruded to at least three inches beyond his nose. 
 Mr. Slope at once proceeded to pay his respects to the ladies. His bow, 
 which was very low, was as cfuick as a flash, and as he resumed an up- 
 right position, he exclaimed in a stentorian voice, " The compliments 
 of the season," and then fell back, with rapid gait, on Mr. Blue, 
 
 The guests now arrived in such rapid succession as to preclude any 
 further description. The Misses White and Mr. Rolf and sister were 
 among the number. 
 
 Miss Flame was the accredited belle of the evening — she was not 
 only pretty, but played her part with commendable adroitness. She 
 immediately sought an introduction to Mr. Rolf, and wholly monopo- 
 lized his attention for the evening ; but the observant eye could see 
 he was restive under her powers, for his eye frequently wandered, and 
 failed not to light up when it contemplated the pleasant smile of Miss 
 Jennie. Finally, in order to change the scene, he requested Miss Flame 
 to invite Miss Issop to favor the company with a tune on the piano. 
 Miss Flame complied, with the condition that he would unite his request 
 with hers. 
 
 Miss Jennie, to the great surprise of Miss Flame, immediately com- 
 
56 THE ISSOPS AND THE WHITES. 
 
 plied with the request, and seated herself at the piano without the 
 slightest appearance of embarrassment, and as her fingers ran over the 
 keys, it became evident to all she was no stranger to the instnmient. 
 She sang and played with much ability for one of her years, and as her 
 voice, which was naturally clear and musical, rose to its full power, 
 Mr. Blue was heard to exclaim in an undertone, "Prodigious!" As 
 Jennie arose from the piano, Mr. Kolf thanked her in words which 
 conveyed a deeper meaning than they expressed. 
 
 Miss Dinah was greatly delighted at the attention bestowed on her 
 table, for she measured the appreciation of the company by that never- 
 faUing standard, appetite ; and as her friend Miss White whispered to 
 her, " Dinah, you have eclipsed yourself," the old lady's cup of joy 
 was completely filled, and for many days and weeks afterwards, when 
 talking to her cronies, she failed not to impress on their minds that our 
 company was a great success. 
 
 Seven years have come and gone since the evening of Miss Jennie's 
 party, and time has wrought its changes in the families who have been 
 the subjects of our friendly notice. Mrs. White's two daughters are 
 married, and have left the paternal roof. Miss Jennie has become 
 Mrs. Rolf, and resides in Boston. Our garrulous old friend Dinah still 
 holds converse with herself, and retains her peculiar ideas as to what 
 constitutes genteel society. She has recently had an invitation to visit 
 Mrs. Rolf, which invite she daily ventilates among her acquaintances. 
 
 Ike has grown to be a man, but his bashfulness still clings to him 
 with the tenacity of a vice. He made several attempts to capture his 
 favorite, Ella, but his bashfulness held him in clieck, and prevented the 
 consummation of his hopes. He had once mustered sufficient courage 
 to wait upon her to an evening service in the church, but when he 
 entered the ediiice his eyes, to use his own expression, became cloudy, 
 and in consequence he blundered into the wrong pew, and in attempt- 
 ing to find the hymn, he had the misfortune to drop the book, which 
 calamities prevented his ever repeating the like experiment. But he 
 stiE kept on devising ways and means to capture the citadel of his 
 hopes, but amid his preparations a more valiant knight appeared and 
 carried off the prize, and Ike was left to realize that there was much 
 truth in the proverb that "a faint heart never won a fair lady.'' 
 
THE EARLY SETTLERS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 VALLEY OF THE SPROUT. 
 
 a§ HE Sprout Creek, one of the pleasantest streams of Dutch- 
 ess County, forms an important tributary of the Fishkill, and 
 according to the latest surveys rises in the town of Pleasant 
 Valley, passes through La Grange, and from thence to its 
 mouth constitutes the boundary line between the towns of Fishkill and 
 East Fishkill. 
 
 The valley traversed by the Creek is appropriately known as the Val- 
 ley of the Sprout, and comprises within its bounds some of the best 
 farming lands in the county of Dutchess. The early settlers of the 
 valley were " solid men," noted for their industry and thrift, and for 
 those quahties which go to make up the good citizen. They were firm 
 believers in the truths of Christianity, and at an early day contributed 
 largely of their substance for the erection of houses of worship, — the 
 true pillars of every country's greatness. 
 
 A sketch of the early settlers of the Sprout would at this time be of 
 much interest, especially to the present residents of the valley ; and it 
 is to be hoped some local pen will undertake the task of perpetuating 
 the memory of those early pioneers, as the leading facts in their history 
 can now be easily gathered, but if delayed for a few years will be irre- 
 coverably lost. 
 
 The writer of this article, with his usual modesty, makes no attempt 
 at history ; but his ancestors on the maternal side being among the first 
 settlers of the valley, he is constrained to set forth a few facts, as well 
 
68 EAELY SETTLERS OF THE VALLEY OE THE SPEOUT. 
 
 as other kindred matters pertaining to the subject, such as he is con- 
 versant with, and which he trusts will be acceptable to the reader. 
 
 Among the early settlers of the valley the names of Brinckerhoff, Van 
 Wyck, Swartwout, Griffin, Scofield, DuBois, and Montfort stand forth 
 conspicuously. One branch of the Brinckerhoff family early located 
 on lands near the mouth of the Sprout, which place subsequently came 
 into possession of the Van Wyck family, who occupied it for very many 
 years. The old family mansion, though now laboring under the weight 
 of time, retains something of its ancient grandeur. It was here the 
 "father of his country," in Revolutionary days, occasionally tarried 
 for the night ; and the room in which the hero slept is, even now, re- 
 garded with much veneration, and according to report retains in a 
 remarkable degree the impress of greatness. 
 
 General Jacobus Swartwout, of Revolutionary fame, owned and occu- 
 pied a large tract of land adjoining the Van Wyck farm. The General 
 was a representative man, foremost in every good word and work. In 
 ecclesiastical matters he stood head and shoulders above his contempo- 
 raries in that hne. When the present Dutch church of Fishkill village 
 was erected" (now strangely internally altered), the General brought into 
 requisition an immense colored retinue, the Csesars and Pompeys of 
 that day, who were particularly instrumental in the building of the 
 edifice. Though they were not shining Hghts in an architectural sense, 
 yet in the no less important matters of hewers of wood and drawers of 
 water they were considered brilliant. We wonder if the venerable 
 fathers of these latter days, who worship within the sacred edifice, are 
 aware of their indebtedness to the General, and to that much-abused 
 race, the noble sons of Ham. 
 
 The African population of the valley in those times was very numer- 
 ous, and if we may be allowed the expression, were a most useful class 
 of citizens. In clearing the land, and in all matters of stubborn toil, 
 they were ever marshaled to the front, and bore without a murmur the 
 burden and heat of the day. It may be supposed that these sons of 
 toil, as to rank, stood on equal footing ; but it was otherwise, for they 
 were not slow to perceive that there were different grades of society ; 
 and those of them whose masters occupied public positions, or were 
 noted for their wealth, considered they had a right to participate 
 in such family distinctions; therefore, on all state occasions, they 
 
EARLY SETTLERS OF THE VALLEY OF THE SPEOUT. 59 
 
 were careful to inform their less favored brethren not to be too fa- 
 miliar, but to keep at a respectful distance, as there was such a thing 
 as aristocracy. 
 
 The General being a representative man, his darkies, of course, held 
 their heads loftily ; they were bound to uphold the dignity of the fam- 
 ily. The standard by which men were judged in those days differs 
 greatly from that of the present time. Now, as it is weU known, the 
 tailor and dressmaker contribute largely to the status of the human 
 race. Brains, culture, honesty, and moral worth, in these times, exer- 
 cise but little weight ; on the contrary, assurance, questionable moral- 
 ity, and apparel make up the man. Had the General's darkies been 
 judged by this standard they woiild have stood at a terrible disconnt ; for, 
 barefooted and with rimless hats, they grimly fought the battle of life, 
 and, notwithstanding their low estate, they held on to the family dig- 
 nity with a grip that never tired. 
 
 Among the many servants of the General was one who rejoiced in 
 the name of Hannibal. This individual was a favorite of his master, 
 or, in other words, was his body-servant, and held the reins on Sabbath 
 days. When seated on the box, bound churchward, Hannibal's features 
 immediately assumed a remarkable degree of gravity ; every muscle of 
 his face, on the instant, became rigid as marble. As he drove along, 
 his most intimate crony, loitering by the wayside, failed to extract from 
 him the slightest recognition, — ^liis mind was more profitably employed. 
 "When within a half mile of the church, by a dexterous movement of 
 the whip he informed his steeds that the time had arrived to show off, 
 consequently the awakened animals dashed forward at a rapid pace, 
 leaving in their track clouds of rolling dust. 
 
 The General being one of the main pillars of the church, of course 
 Hannibal was ditto. When perched in the gallery of the sacred edifice, 
 in what was known as the dark corner, he put on a sanctimonious look 
 and failed not to reprove, by an orqinous shake of the head, the slightest 
 levity on the part of the colored brethren. When the good dominie, 
 who always had a word for the humblest member of his flock, turned 
 his eye on his colored hearers, Hannibal, under the impressiou he was 
 the one particularly addressed, would lean forward to signify he was all 
 attention. But we regret to say that Hannibal, like many rigid church- 
 goers, had his failings. On Sunday afternoons (then regarded as a negro 
 
60 EARLY SETTLERS OF THE VALLEY OP THE SPROUT. 
 
 holiday) he became rather worldly-minded, — for he would strut around, 
 clad in an old military suit (discarded by the G-eneral), to the great envy 
 of his comrades, but to the intense delight and admiration of the colored 
 belles of the period. Hannibal, on such occasions, had a true military 
 stride, and was decidedly captivating. How many broken hearts have 
 been put down to his account we know not, bat we do know he was 
 as proud of his conquests as was his illustrious predecessor, the ancient 
 Hannibal, when thundering at the gates of the Eoman Commonwealth. 
 But enough of Hannibal. 
 
 The lands adjoining the General's were owned by the DuBois family, 
 known as the Sprout Creek DuBoises, who were among the first set- 
 tlers of the valley. They came from Ulster County about the year 
 1^36. The elder DaBois was not blessed with a large family ; if he 
 was, they decamped in early life, for in the year 1768 his household 
 proper consisted only of himself and a son named Christian, then pro- 
 nounced in broad Dutch accent Chrast-ye-yaun, emphasis on the last 
 syllable. Owing to the many leaks in household matters, occasioned 
 by a superfluity of colored help, a council of war was held by father 
 and son to determine how the leaks could be stopped. After much 
 deliberation, it was decided that a maternal head in family matters was 
 needed, and Christian was duly authorized to go forth in the world 
 and procure a wife. Impressed with the importance of his mission, 
 and staggering under the weight of parental advice, he sallied forth to 
 seek a sharer of his proportion of this world's joys and sorrows. After 
 scouring the country for innumerable miles around, his choice fell on a 
 Fishkill Landing belle, a Miss Helena Yan Voorhis, then residing a 
 short distance north of the Five Corners. The Van Yoorhis family 
 still occupy the place, and we are happy in being able to state, a mod- 
 ern family mansion has for some years past adorned the premises, 
 showing that the family in worldly affairs are progressive. 
 
 The old family mansion, in which the marriage of Christian DuBois 
 and Miss Helena Van Voorhis wq,s celebrated in 1Y68, stands a few 
 rods north of the more modern structure, though in appearance it pre- 
 sents but the vestige of its former self. It stands apparently wrapped 
 in silent reverie. The tread of busy feet, the ringing laughter of 
 childhood, the stories of garrulous old age, which in days of yore en- 
 livened the ancient structure, long years ago were hushed in the still- 
 ness of the grave. 
 
EAELY SETTLERS OF THE VALLEY OF THE SPROUT. 61 
 
 " We come like shadows and so depart ! " 
 
 In the last century marriage ceremonies were celebrated very differ- 
 ent from tlie style now governing sucli occasions. Then there were no 
 Home Journals to sound the praises of the guests, and to record in 
 high-faluten style the adornings of the bride and her attendants. Had 
 sensational newspapers then existed, and the present custom prevailed 
 of resorting to their columns to give the marriage occasion a httle 
 prominence, something like the following might have appeared in some 
 ambitions journal of the period : 
 
 " On Thursday evening last, as the round, resplendent moon rose 
 with great prominence over the adjacent mountains, and as her silvery 
 rays sank in magniiicent proportions into the liquid depths of the ever 
 tranquil Hudson, the elegant domicile of Major Van Voorhis, bathed 
 in a verdant landscape, and reclining artistically a short distance north 
 of the picturesque village of the Five Corners, was extensively/ illumin- 
 ated. The occasion calling for such magnificence, was the alliance of 
 the Major's eldest and accomplished daughter, Miss Helena, to Baro- 
 net DuBois, a large and influential landholder of the Yalley of the 
 Sprout. The bride was arrayed in a magnificent costume, gotten up in 
 the style worn on court occasions in the times of Henry the Ninth. 
 The bridesmaids were possessed of great personal charms, which were 
 peculiarly heightened by the manifold arrangements of their toilet, 
 each being enveloped in labyrinths of cambric muslin, and irradiated 
 by jewels of inestimable value. Among the notables present, were 
 Hon. Peter Swell and lady, Obadiah Gudgeon, the great millionaire, 
 and his accomplished daughter, the latter the acknowledged belle of 
 the evening. The press was ably represented by the talented editor 
 of the BaMler, whose fascinating appearance elicited many compli- 
 ments. The Highland Band, under the leadership of Ubiquitous 
 Higgs, discoursed at intervals rapturous music. At 12 o'clock pre- 
 cisely the company sat down to a sumptuous banquet, gotten up under 
 the supervision of our esteemed colored fellow-citizen, Peter Jackson, 
 whose attention to the wants of the guests called forth the warmest 
 thanks. The occasion was one calculated to leave happy and lasting 
 impressions on all present. To-day, we understand the happy pair will 
 leave for their home, escorted by a large body of mounted cavaliers. 
 May success attend them." 
 
62 EAELT SETTLEES OF THE VALLEY OF THE SPEOTJT. 
 
 The youthful couple, we are happy to say, were spared any such in- 
 fliction as recorded above. They were married in purely democratic 
 style, and went on their way freighted with the kind wishes of rela- 
 tives and friends. "When it became known among the colored popu- 
 lation belonging to the DuBois household, that a new mistress would 
 soon be installed as head manager, great was the consternation in and 
 around the edifice. Aunty Phillis, an ancient fixture in the establish- 
 ment, who had had the direction of household aft'airs for long and 
 weary years, became greatly excited. The old lady was a privileged 
 character ; her orders within doors were imperative, and to do her jus- 
 tice, if we except the prodigality natural to the race, had ever labored 
 faithfully in the service of the family. But she had attained to that 
 age which unfitted her for the many cares incident to her station, yet 
 she could not brook the idea of resigning the reins of gove'rnment to 
 other hands. Like all mortals she had a thirst for power. When 
 made acquainted with the fact that a new mistress would be shortly 
 installed in the house, she might have been heard indulging in the 
 following soliloquy : 
 
 " I s'pose Massa Chrast-ye-yaun dink he'self mighty smart, fetch'n 
 in here new Missis. I s'pose he dis'members how when ole Missis die, 
 I sot up tendin' to her ever so many nights. An' ole Missis she say to 
 me, ' PhilKs, when I be gone to glory, I want you to 'tend to my little 
 boy ; mind now, take de berry best care on him,' an' I tells ole Missis 
 I tends him mighty sharp. I'se not forgot my promise. N'o ! no ! 
 let old Philhs 'lone fur dat. I brings him up fust rate. He no be 
 sich a fine gem'n if I no tends him. Gorry ! dat's jist de way with 
 dis ar' world, folks all de time dis'meniber what's bin doo'n fur'm. 
 When Chrast-ye-yaun were a little boy, he kotch a big fever, an' de 
 doctor he say, ' Phillis, dis am a berry sick boy,' an' I say, ' I 'spects 
 he be,' an' I tells de doctor I tends him mighty sharp. When de doc- 
 tor he go way, I feels mighty queer, case I dink Chras1>ye-yaun he 
 die, and go to glory, and he meets ole Missis dar, an' ole Missis say, 
 ' Dar now, I know'd Phillis wouldn't 'tend to dat boy,' den I jist gits 
 down side ob de bed, as ole Missis use to do when she talk to de bress' 
 Lord, an' I told de bress' Lord all 'bout it, an' he hears ole PhiUis, case 
 T feels right way sich big comfort, an' den Chrast-ye-yaun, putty soon, 
 he gits well, an' now he dinks he'self mighty smart fetch'n in here a 
 new Missis." 
 
EARLY SETTLERS OF THE VALLEY OF THE SPROUT. 63 
 
 Notwithstanding tlie lament of Pliillis, had her feelings been ana- 
 lyzed, there would have been found an under-current which exhibited 
 a far better state of things. She was secretly glad that her boy, as 
 she called Christian, when talking to her cronies, was about to bring 
 home a wife. So, when a few days after, she was presented with a 
 new dress of the most approved pattern, and several other adornments, 
 that she might be properly equipped against the arrival of the bride, 
 she was profuse in her thanks, declaring she would be proper glad to 
 see new Missis. 
 
 " You know, Aunty," said Christian, who was disposed to blarney 
 the old lady, as was his custom, when necessary to conciliate, " my wife 
 will be very anxious to see you ; she has heard so much about your good 
 management, that I want you to appear to the best advantage when she 
 arrives. Give her a hearty welcome ; you know how to do it if any- 
 body does." 
 
 "Lor!" said the old lady, "you let Phillis 'lone fur dat. Don't I 
 know how to 'tertain company. When ole Dom'uo Eysdyck use to 
 come har an' eat dinner, arter ole Missis had gone to glory, he say to 
 ole Massa, ' You be berry fortunate in having Phillis here, she keeps 
 things 'mazing slick. I don't git any sicli good dinners as I git here.' 
 Dom'no Rysdyck he wur proper nice man. Sometimes he stay all 
 night; an' when ole Massa ax him to pray 'fore goin'.to bed, he say, 
 'Call in Phillis an' all on 'em'; and when he speaks to de bress' Lord 
 'bout de family, he mentions me, too. Dem prayers of his did me a 
 heap of good. No ! no ! no fear of ole Phillis. I knows how to 'ter- 
 tain company. When you an' new Missis gets here, I stands right in 
 de front door, wid my new dress on, an' I say, ' Dis way, new Missis, 
 please.' Den I makes a big kurtsy, an' 'vites her in de parlor, an' 
 takes her bundles, an' ax her if she am berry well to-day. No ! no ! 
 Massa Chrast-ye-yaun, I knows what hedicatiou and broughten up 
 bee's." 
 
 The arrival of the bride at her new home was an occasion long 
 remembered by those who participated in the festivities of that glorious 
 day. A proclamation was issued from head-quarters that a feast of fat 
 things be provided, and all comers, whether bond or free, made wel- 
 come, and fed sumptuously ._ Pomp, the colored financier of the estab- 
 lishment, who had grown gray in the service, was ordered to furnish 
 
64 EAELY SETTLEKS OF THE VALLEY OF THE SrROUT. 
 
 the necessary supplies. This ancient functionary was duly impressed 
 with the responsibility imposed upon him, and in the fulfilment of his 
 mission, made numerous raids on the hen-roosts and sheep-folds within 
 legitimate boimds, which were conducted with consimimate skill, show- 
 ing plainly he was an " old hand " at the business, and slightly intimat- 
 ing that, under the cover of night, he had frequently indulged in 
 similar enterprises for his own benefit. 
 
 Aunty Phillis was in her element ; her orders were given in tones 
 of great authority, and the dark mass of humanity, swayed to and fro 
 at her bidding, for the first time in many days, in the culinary line, 
 performed prodigies of valor. The kitchen chimney was also a promi-: 
 nent actor in the scene, for like another Yesuvius it puffed away, indi- 
 cating to the wondering neighbors that the DuBois household had got 
 up an unusual head of steam, and for once in their history, in a cor- 
 poral sense, was considerably exercised. 
 
 Among the colored pussons who figured conspicuously on the occa- 
 sion was a genius called Samson — an honorable attache of the family. 
 The strength of this Samson lay altogether in his appetite. The quan- 
 tity of mush and milk set down to his account was never correctly 
 footed up, owing to the want of a competent mathematician to sum up 
 the matter. Samson was stationed on a rising knoll a short distance 
 from the house, and provided with an old dinner-horn (as he was great 
 on dinners), and was instructed, the moment the bridal party hove in 
 view, to blow the horn with a vim, in order that the household might 
 have time to "fall in " and be in readiness to receive the bride. 
 
 Samson's horn on that day gave many uncertain sounds, for when 
 anything loomed up in the distance, whether man or beast, Samson, 
 vidthout waiting to ascertain who or what was coming, blew a vigorous 
 blast on the dinner instrument, causing much confusion and disappoint- 
 ment to those concerned ; consequently, Samson was early relieved from 
 his arduous duties, and a more reliable bugleman substituted. 
 
 The darkies on the different plantations, for miles around, having 
 been apprised that a free dinner was to be given at the DuBois mansion 
 to all comers on the day in question, put in an early appearance. These 
 swarthy visitors arrived in prodigious numbers, and rejoiced greatly 
 when they beheld the vast preparations in process for the coming feast. 
 The huge joints of meat and other fixings which simmered and splut- 
 
EAELY SETTLERS OF THE VALLEY OF THE SPEOUT. 65 
 
 tered before the kitchen fire, caused their mouths to water freely, 
 which, coupled with the savory smells arising from the additional cook- 
 ing operations outside the building, drew from them many compli- 
 mentary ejaculations, as they were frequently heard to say, "Massa 
 Boyis am a gi'an' gem'n ; berry good to de poor ; I wish he buy dis 
 chile." 
 
 When it was announced that the bridal party were actually in sight, 
 the household and visitors moved in a solid column to the front, to be 
 in readiness to pay their respects. The most conspicuous figure in the 
 crowd was that of Aunty Phillis. Like a veteran commander, she 
 stood prominently forth. The old lady, at aU times, was great in bidk, 
 but owing to the extra quantity of clothing worn on the occasion, her 
 bodily proportions just then were truly astounding — vastly reminding 
 one of that very ancient cry, " Great is Diana of the Ephesians." 
 
 In those days, parties of pleasure invai'iably travelled on horseback. 
 To be an expert rider was then considered the highest accomplishment 
 that could be accorded to either sex. Therefore, as the approaching 
 cavalcade moved gracefully up towards the family mansion, their every 
 movement was narrowly criticised. No one better understood what 
 belonged to true horsemanship than the negro of that day, and as these 
 colored observers saw the graceful manner with whicli the bride handled 
 her palfrey, as it came bounding up directly in their front, their enthu- 
 siasm could not be restrained. 
 
 Christian was not a httle surprised, and perhaps was a little chagrined 
 at the vast mmiber of colored friends who had assembled to do him 
 honor — ^yet he felt a warm kindness for these untutored sons of toil, 
 and being somewhat impressed with their enthusiasm, got off the fol- 
 lowing impromptu speech : 
 
 " Mj friends, we are told that every day's experience adds something 
 to our stock of knowledge. "Who the author of this wise saying may 
 be, I know not ; but in confirmation of the fact, I this day learn, if a 
 man desires to know who his friends are, and their numbers, he must 
 take unto himself a wife. I was not aware until now that Dutchess 
 County contained so large a colored population. Perhaps some of you 
 hail from other parts, and have journeyed from afar to do me this 
 unexpected honor — ^if so, you are none the less welcome. Now, boys, I 
 beg leave to introduce you to my wife — the future Mistress of this house." 
 
66 EAELY SETTLEES OF THE VALLEY OF THE SPEOUT. 
 
 The bride, who sat on her palfrey, richly enjoying the scene, on be- 
 ing introduced, bowed gracefully, and bestowed on the crowd one of 
 her blandest smiles. The effect was electrical, for quick as thought 
 every countenance was illuminated with a broad grin of dehght ; hats 
 and caps, which had already been removed from their accustomed perch, 
 went tossing into the air, and many were the exclamations, " Lord bress 
 young Missus ! " 
 
 When the bride alighted from her horse, she was formally introduced 
 to Aunty PhUlis, and to the other elderly retainers of the family. Tak- 
 ing Aunty PhiUis by the hand, the bride saluted her kindly on the 
 cheek, which sent a thrill of joy to the old lady's heart, and estabhshed 
 her young mistress high in her favor, which was never lessened through 
 all her after years. 
 
 The entertainment given on the occasion, according to the accounts 
 handed down, reflected great credit on the head managers. While the 
 gentry, under the skillful arrangements of Aunty PhiUis, fared sump- 
 tuously within doors, the colored populace were equally well cared for 
 beneath the spreading trees on the adjacent lawn. Pomp, who had 
 been delegated to attend to the outdoor matters, was careful to have 
 everything done with a dignity befitting the occasion. Therefore when 
 all things were ready connected with liis department, he opened wide 
 his capacious mouth, informing the hungry crew, " Dat de gals mus' be 
 help fust." Accordingly the fair sex, with many bows and grins to 
 Pomp for his politeness, stepped up, and each became the happy re- 
 cipient of a plate heavily freighted with a variety of good things. 
 Then followed a long line of Pompeys, Catos, Caesars, etc., arranged 
 according to age and influence. As each man received his platter, it 
 was curious to note the roll of his eyes, and the peculiar sniff of the 
 nose, evidently indicating that the offering was " berry " satisfactory. 
 
 When all appetites had been appeased, a couple of old fiddles were 
 introduced, and soon the inspiring cry was heard, " Choose your part- 
 ners ! " In a twinkling, every gem'n led forth his dark-eyed favorite, 
 and then the exercises on the "light, fantastic toe" commenced in 
 earnest, which were kept up with unabated zeal until a late hour of the 
 night. 
 
 The great doings at Massa Boyis' on that wedding occasion were long 
 remembered by the colored friends who had the good fortune to par- 
 
EARLY SETTLERS OP THE VALLEY OE THE SPROUT. 67 
 
 ticipate in the festivities. The story was handed down from parents to 
 children, and lost nothing in being often re-told, and even to this day 
 the aged members of the race who still linger in tlie valley, revert to 
 the doings of that glorious day, with the same fervor as when they 
 first listened to the story in infancy. 
 
 Cranberry Marsh, situated near the present hamlet of Swartwoutville, 
 figured conspicuously in the early history of the valley. It was then a 
 forbidden spot, covered with tall bushes, and abounding with many 
 treacherous bogs, which made it extremely difficult to journey over. 
 The incessant hum of insects, the guttural notes of the frog, and the 
 discordant cries of prowling animals, that nightly arose from the 
 marshy pool, together with the strange lights frequently seen there, 
 clothed the place with the supernatural, and made it a special object of 
 dread to the negroes of the vicinity. The main road, leading up through 
 the valley, skirted the southerly border of the marsh. "When the dark- 
 ies of the neighborhood were obliged to pass that way after nightfall 
 (as was frequently the case), they would move forward with teeth chat- 
 tering and limbs quaking, and now and then, as some boisterous bull- 
 frog near by broke forth in song, they were given an impetus which 
 sent them ahead with more than locomotive speed. 
 
 The marsh, in those days, was owned by a family named Grifiin, 
 who were also the owners of a sable individual called Tobacco Jack. 
 This " culled pusson " had acquired this title on account of his enor- 
 mous consumption of the " weed." How he managed to procure so 
 large a quantity of the article was a query to his friends, as he always 
 had on hand a superabundant supply. Jack was one of those indi- 
 viduals whose character is not easily defined. On a first acquaintance, 
 he would have been regarded as a remarkable specimen of stupidity, 
 but when subjected to a close examination it would be found he pos- 
 sessed an unusual amount of shrewdness and cunning. "When intro- 
 duced to a new-comer, Jack always acted the part of a dummy, which 
 deception he kept up until he had thoroughly mastered the character 
 and habits of the new man. But notwithstanding his taciturn manners 
 before strangers, yet, when in the company of those he deemed reliable, 
 he became extremely sociable, and was considered a good, jovial fellow. 
 
68 EARLY SETTLERS OF THE VALLEY OF THE SPROUT. 
 
 Jack liad also a fascinating way of telling a story, and many were the 
 marvellous tales hid away in his cranium, which, however, like " crack 
 sermons," were brought forth only on special occasions. His greatest 
 theme was the big ghost of Cranberry Marsh. For pui'poses of his own, 
 as wiU shortly appear, he invariably made this ghost very formidable. 
 "When describing it, he always took a standing attitude, requesting his 
 hearers to keep very still, as the ghost had big ears, and could hear 
 everything said a great way oflE. He then in a cautious, half-whisper- 
 ing way, would teU how the ghost looked ; what a big mouth and eyes 
 it had ; how it could pull up any tree, and drink a river dry. In this 
 way he would proceed until his hearers crouched closely together, 
 trembling in every limb. He advised his cronies on all occasions to 
 give the marsh a wide berth, for should they venture to go within it, 
 they would be quickly gobbled up, and forever disappear from the 
 haunts of men. How many stray darkies the ghost had captured and 
 eaten, he was unable to tell, but he knew that many a runaway nigger 
 from other parts, thinking to hide in the marsh, had been seized by the 
 ghost and savagely devoured. He would be sorry to hear that any of 
 his friends had come to grief in that way ; he therefore admonished 
 them to be prudent and watchful when passing near the place. 
 
 Among the then distinguished residents of the valley was an odd 
 genius named Abe Scouten, who belonged to a class of individuals 
 whose business chiefly consists in lounging around public resorts, manu- 
 facturing sensational news, and indulging in other idle fancies. Abe 
 was one of the distinguished manufacturers of sensationals at the old 
 Swartwoutville Tavern, where he frequently held forth to crowds of 
 attentive hearers. When not engaged in this work, he was employed 
 as a sort of an express or carrier, in which capacity he displayed great 
 ability. Newspapers, in those days, were unknown iu the valley, but 
 Abe in a large measure supplied such deficiency — ^in fact, for that sec- 
 tion, he might have been considered the news organ of the day. When 
 going his rounds, he always managed to have on hand much startling 
 intelligence, therefore every old lady and young maiden living on the 
 road he was accustomed • to travel, hailed his appearance with the u1> 
 most pleasure. When halting to leave a package or message at such 
 places where refreshments were given, Abe generally straightened him- 
 self—for he knew the quantity and quality of the food to be oflEered 
 
EARLY SETTLERS OF THE VALLEY OF THE SPROUT. 69 
 
 would depend altogether on what news he had to communicate ; he, 
 therefore, at such places managed to get off something particularly 
 startling — what might be termed a " bumper." 
 
 Abe, having occasion, one day, to pass along the northerly side of 
 Cranberry Marsh (a very retired spot, seldom if ever visited), noticed 
 the impress of human feet leading into the place. As the tracks were 
 quite mimerous, and as stepping-stones and other materials had been 
 placed here and there, forming a sort of causeway, Abe's suspicions 
 were aroused. He therefore deemed it prudent to investigate affairs. 
 Like a model detective, he evinced great skill in working up the case. 
 His examinations resulted in discovering (without being discovered) a 
 colony of negroes encamped on an island in the centre of the marsh. 
 How they came there, or what purpose they had in view, surpassed 
 Abe's logic. He therefore proceeded to call in council a boon com- 
 panion, named Brom Scofield, who was a shrewd, active fellow, just 
 the one for the emergency. 
 
 Brora, on being consulted, at once comprehended the situation. His 
 advice was to keep matters dark, and wait for developments. For this 
 purpose Brom and Abe that same day, a little after nightfall, cautiously 
 proceeded to the border of the marsh, at the place where the tracks 
 were discovered, where they lay in ambush, keeping a close watch for 
 any suspicious movements that might turn up. About eleven o'clock, 
 a smothered squall of a fowl announced that some one was approaching, 
 and soon a dark figure hove in view, which the watchers had no difii- 
 culty in recognizing to be that of Tobacco Jack, who passed quite near 
 them, with a bag on his shoulder, in the direction of the encampment. 
 After waiting a few minutes, Brom and Abe followed, and when within 
 a short distance of the island on which the negroes were congregated, 
 they halted to ascertain how matters stood. They were not long in 
 discovering that the darkies were preparing for a feast, probably on 
 the provisions brought in by Jack. The twain then cautiously retired 
 to their respective homes, to meet again the following day to determine 
 what further steps in the matter should be taken. 
 
 At the second council, Brom (who was well acquainted with Jack's 
 ghost story) contended that the darkies on the island were runaways 
 from other counties, and that Jack was the only colored man in the 
 neighborhood who associated with them. Jack's story of the big ghost 
 
70 EARLY SETTLERS OF THE VALLEY OF THE SPROUT. 
 
 of tte marsh, he said, was simply a blind to keep the darldes of the 
 vicinity from going too near the place, and so prevent the discovery of 
 the runaways. The many cries of animals and other peculiar sounds 
 so frequently heard in the marsh, he had no doubt were made by the 
 negroes. He therefore thought, as Jack had so often painted the story 
 of the big ghost of the marsh, the matter might with profit be given a 
 show of reality. It was therefore determined that on the next Saturday 
 evening a descent should be made on the encampment, and Brom, for 
 that occasion, appear in the character of the ghost. 
 
 When the next Saturday came around, Brom and Abe, at a late hour 
 of the evening, in company with two friends, started for the encamp- 
 ment ; the latter were invited to join the expedition in order that it 
 might have a respectable show of strength. Brom's attire for playing 
 the ghost was not very elaborate — he was simply arrayed in a white 
 dress and cap, borrowed of his grandmother, with the addition of two 
 ox-horns fastened to his head in front. Each man carried a short stick, 
 having tow wrapped on one end, which was saturated with turpentine 
 and other combustibles, so that it could be fired up at a moment's no- 
 tice. The party happily succeeded in threading their way through the 
 marsh to within fifty feet of the encampment, without attracting atten- 
 tion. The negroes were evidently in high glee, as they were feasting 
 and indulging in various kinds of sport, totally unconcerned how the 
 world wagged without. 
 
 At the signal agreed upon, Brom threw ofE the mantle covering 
 his ghost attire, and at the same moment each torch was lighted, and 
 held so as to bring the ghost into prominent notice. The effect was 
 magical, for the encampment in an instant became as silent as the 
 grave — the negroes were apparently struck dumb with terror. Soon, 
 however, one of their number ventured to inquire, in a voice which 
 sounded as though he had a touch of the fever and ague, ""Who's dar ? " 
 The answer was, " The big ghost of Cranberry Marsh." The next mo- 
 ment every Sambo was on the go — the island was evacuated iu about 
 one minute and a quarter. 
 
 Tobacco Jack, who made a very early departure, in attempting to 
 dodge past the ghost, plunged nearly up to his neck in a quagmire. 
 At that particular moment he undoubtedly thought he was a goner, as 
 with nose and mouth partly filled with the muck, he gave vent to the 
 
EAELY SETTLEES OE THE VALLEY OE THE SPKOUT. 71 
 
 most supplicating cries, wKicli sounded like a score of muffled drums 
 wlien in full play. Fearing he would suffocate, the party deemed it 
 expedient to turn to and haul him out, which proved no easy task, for 
 it was not until several attempts had been made that the ghost (who 
 was the most active of the liberators) succeeded in clutching him by 
 the wool and planting him once more on solid ground, when, with sun- 
 dry kicks and cuffs, administered by way of a lecture, he was sent tod- 
 dling home to reflect at his leisiire on the sudden and peculiar changes 
 in the affairs of men. 
 
 What became of the other negroes was never known ; some supposed 
 that in their confusion and alarm they ran into the numerous bogs or 
 quagmires with which the marsh abounded, and perished. Eut the 
 more reasonable supposition was that the negroes knew of many safe 
 outlets through the marsh, wliich they were in the habit of travelling 
 at all hours of the night, and therefore made good their escape to ren- 
 dezvous elsewhere. 
 
 We conclude our sketch of the early settlers of the valley with the 
 simple remark, that we have in no way exhausted the subject — in fact, 
 we have only trod on the threshold. 
 
THE 
 
 ROBBERS OF WIND AM PEAK: 
 
 A TALE OF FISHKILL HOOK. 
 
 "!*;«■ KE of the lofty spurs of the Fishkill Mountains, which lifts 
 '^2^ ^V it^ ^old summit near the ^vinding mountain road leading 
 from Johnsville to Philipstown, is known as Windam Peak. 
 The extended view from this lofty elevation can not fail to 
 elicit admiration from the most ardent lover of the picturesque. 
 
 In the month of June, twenty years ago, we wound our way up the 
 craggy steeps of Windam Peak. As we seated ourself, after our toil- 
 some ascent, on a jutting rock, whence is heard the continuous splash 
 of a little cascade many fathoms down, we ran our eye over the ex- 
 tended landscape, which, like a map, lay outstretched before us, and for 
 the first time truly realized the beauty and faithfulness of the poet's 
 description of a similar scene : 
 
 ' ' Ever cliaMning, ever new, 
 When will the landscape tire the view, 
 The fountain's fall, the river's flow. 
 The woody valleys warm and low, — 
 Each town and village, dome and farm, 
 Each gives to each a double charm. " 
 
 During our brief stay on the mountain we gathered from an old in- 
 habitant of that region the outlines of the following story, which we 
 relate, interwoven with such corroborative facts as we have been able 
 to glean-from other sources : 
 
 Near Windam Peak, during the Eevolutionary War, lived a family 
 by the name of Wasset. The family consisted of but three persons, — 
 father, mother, and a Httle daughter about ten years of age. They 
 
THE ROBBERS OF WINDAM PEAK. 73 
 
 came from none knew where ; quietly and almost unnoticed they had 
 taken possession of a rude tenement, erected some years before for the 
 accommodation of wood-choppers, and which was located on lands then 
 owned by General Jacobus Swartwout, of Eevolutionary memory. 
 
 As may be supposed, many were the speculations of the few inhab- 
 itants of that section as to who this family were, and from whence they 
 came, but speculations and inquiries failed to elicit at the time any facts 
 concerning them of a satisfactory character. That portion of the Fish- 
 kill Mountains where the Wassets were located was at the time very 
 sparsely inhabited. The few roads that traversed the mountains were 
 but simply paths, used only during the winter months by the inhabi- 
 tants of the lowlands for procuring their annual supply of fuel. In 
 summer the few denizens of the hills enjoyed a calm solitude, unbroken 
 even liy the sound of the sportsman's rifle. 
 
 There were but two cabins in the vicinity of the one appropriated 
 by the "Wassets, one of which was occupied by a widow woman named 
 Jewell, who had an only son, then about eighteen years of age, called 
 Laughing Joe, from the fact that his physiognomy was fashioned in 
 such a way as always to present a comical appearance. In the other 
 cabin lived a man by the name of Briggs, who, as far as known, was 
 destitute of either family or kin. Briggs was a noted poacher, or at 
 least enjoyed that reputation. 
 
 The Wassets, the man Briggs, and the Jewells, after a time, became 
 a little community among themselves. The former two, during the 
 daytime, invariably kept aloof from the world below ; but their noc- 
 turnal visits were supposed to be frequent, judging from the petty rob- 
 beries and many depredations on the various hen-roosts along the foot 
 of the mountain. 
 
 Laughing Joe and his mother occasionally descended from their airy 
 abode in the open day. The visits of the latter to the plains were, 
 however, but seldom ; but whenever those visits occurred, her uncouth 
 figure and grotesque appearance spread terror among the juveniles of 
 the lowlands. 
 
 Dame Jewell had long enjoyed the reputation of being gifted with 
 magic powers ; many, whose veracity on other matters was deemed re- 
 liable, asserted that often at twilight they had seen the old woman, 
 bestride of her broomstick, flying around the peaks of the mountains, 
 10 
 
74 THE EOBBEES OF WINDAM PEAK. 
 
 and throwing aloft huge balls of fire. Whether such was the case or 
 not, it was certain the old lady was gifted with powers akin to the 
 supernatural, as she was known to perform many marvellous feats, but 
 by what process remains unexplained to the present day. 
 
 Near the foot of the mountain on the old "Wiccapie road, near where 
 it crosses the Wiccapie creek, stood, in the days of which we write, a 
 small secluded Inn. This Inn, on account of its isolated location, was 
 frequently the resort of the " cowboys " and the various spies of that 
 day, whidi scouted alike vdthin the lines of the American and British 
 armies. 
 
 On a cold stormy evening in December, four men were seated around 
 a rude table in the small bar-room of this Inn, engaged at some play 
 with cards. The weather during the day had been intensely severe. A 
 furious snow-storm, that had commenced at early morn, was stiU rag- 
 ing with great severity. As blast after blast shook the frail tenement, 
 its imnates, the card-players, began to manifest signs of uneasiness. 
 
 " Wasset," spake one of their number, " your predictions about the 
 weather are sadly at fault," at the same time sweeping the cards from 
 the table, as though more important business now demanded attention. 
 "Tou said," continued the speaker, "that the gale would expend itself 
 before twelve o'clock, but, if anything, it is increasing in violence, and 
 unless it abates soon our business for this night is spoiled, and we shall 
 be obliged to find our way back to the hills as emjsty-handed as we 
 came." 
 
 The man to whom these remarks were addressed appeared in no liaste 
 to reply ; he sat drumming with his fingers on the table, apparently 
 unconscious he had been spoken to. After the lapse of a few moments 
 he slowly pulled from his pocket a heavy silver watch, and in a voice 
 as though communing with himself, said : " Ten minutes past, eleven ; 
 if anything is to be done to-night we must be stirring soon. That old 
 witch of the hills," he continued, " must have scented our business and 
 called up this fearful storm to balk us." 
 
 " The old hag," remarked another speaker, " this is not the first 
 time she has crossed our path^she must be careful, or she may cross 
 it once too often," and fetching his clenched fist down with a powerful 
 blow on the table, he added : " If I had the old beldam here I would 
 teach her better manners than to raise such a storm as this." 
 
THE EOBBEES OF WIWDAM PEAK. ^5 
 
 Scarcely had the speaker finished his threatening remarks, when the 
 outer door was thrown violently open, as though driven in by the force 
 of the wind. A figure, that instant, muffled in a deep red mantle 
 decked round with curious ornaments, glided into the apartment. The 
 door suddenly returned to its fastenings as though moved by an unseen 
 hand. The figure stallted to the centre of the room, directly in front 
 of the last speaker, and casting aside that portion of the mantle which 
 covered the head, revealed the scowling visage of Dame Jewell. The 
 old woman stood for a few moments keenly eying the man before 
 her, who quailed under her searching gaze, then turning as if to make 
 all aware of her presence, she exclaimed : 
 
 " Beldam is here ! " 
 
 " Mother," said one of the men, evidently with the intent of sooth- 
 ing the ire of the old woman, which had become dangerously aroused, 
 " what sends you around on such a night as this ? " 
 
 " I am on the track of you blood-hounds," replied the old dame. 
 " Had you consulted me before you left the hills I could have told you 
 that nothing but ruin, yes, ruin and death to some of you, will come 
 of this night's business." 
 
 "Mother," continued the speaker, "you are cold, come sit down; 
 here is a little whisky which will put you all right, and enable you to 
 predict better things of the business we have on hand." 
 
 The old woman seized the proffered flagon, and without pausing, 
 completely drained it of its contents. Then pulling from beneath her 
 mantle a small silver vase, she placed it on the table, and proceeded to 
 pour into it something that resembled yellow powder. Some minutes 
 were spent by the old crone in determining the requisite quantity of 
 powder necessary for her purpose ; when satisfied that the vase con- 
 tained the required amount, she adroitly threw a small ball into the 
 vessel. Immediately a blue flame shot up, which she narrowly scanned 
 for some moments with evident concern. As the flame began to grad- 
 ually lessen, the old woman indulged in low, incoherent mutterings. 
 Suddenly turning around, and fastening her eye on one of the men, 
 who had eagerly watched her operations, she fiercely exclaimed : " In 
 forty minutes the wind will cease, then if you have the courage, go, 
 carry out your fiendish purpose ; but," elevating her bony hand, she 
 added, " remember my warning ! " Hastily replacing the vase under 
 
76 THE EOBBEES OF WINDAM PEAK. 
 
 her mantle, she, without further observation, strode from the apart- 
 ment. 
 
 As the door closed after her with a heavy sound, the man whom she 
 had particularly addressed, and whom we recognize as Briggs, sung 
 out: 
 
 " Whew ! wJiat ails the old hag to-night ? Never mind," he added, 
 " we have business on hand which must be attended to, and I, for one, 
 am not to be deterred from doing it by the threats of that old woman. 
 If," he continued, " the hag has predicted right that the storm wiU sub- 
 side in forty minutes, Eobert Briggs vdU be found ready to proceed," 
 at the same time fetching his fist down on the table as if to give em- 
 phasis to his declaration. The others appeared to acquiesce in the de- 
 termination of the speaker, as they at once proceeded to make prepara- 
 tions for their departure. 
 
 "While the events we have described were transpiring, another scene 
 was opening some three miles distant, which we now proceed to relate. 
 
 During our Eevolutionary struggle the great mass of the American 
 people were divided into two distinct classes, Whig and Tory. They 
 were not divided by State or county lines, for it was often diflBcult for 
 one to determine to which of these parties his nearest neighbor ad- 
 hered. Owing to the divided state of public opinion on the great mat- 
 ter then at issue, the British commander found no difficulty in obtain- 
 ing any desired information respecting the movements of the American 
 forces. In fact, spies existed in many communities where they were 
 regarded as strictly loyal to the American cause. 
 
 At a late hour of night, two men were seated at a table in a well- 
 furnished apartment, who were evidently father and son. The latter 
 was engaged in the examination of accounts, judging from the numer- 
 ous bills which lay scattered around him. The other, wearing large- 
 rimmed spectacles, was carefully counting a quantity of gold coin, 
 which lay in small glittering piles before him. Occasionally, as if mis- 
 trusting that some of the pieces were not of the required weight, he 
 would place them in a small scale and test their accuracy with scrupu- 
 lous care. As the scales now and then slightly turned in favor of the 
 coin, the old man's visage would light up with evident satisfaction. 
 After satisfying himself that the coin was all right in weight and 
 amount, he carefully placed them in a small bag, remarking as the last 
 
THE KOBBEKS OF WINDAM PEAK. 77 
 
 glittering piece glided to its hidiiig--place : " Henry, it can't be denied 
 but that his Majesty pays well." 
 
 The person addressed, without pausing from his work, answered, 
 " He can well afford it ; we have rendered him no trifling service." 
 
 At that moment a slight tap was heard at the room-door. Hastily 
 securing the bag containing the gold the old man arose and proceeded 
 to answer the summons ; placing his ear closely to the door, he de- 
 manded who was there. Being satisfied that tlie person was some 
 member,, of the family desiring to speak with him, he removed what 
 appeared to be twisted paper from the key-hole, and unlocked the door. 
 After learning the message he returned to the table, and conferred for 
 some time in a low voice with his son. The conference ended by the 
 old man saying to the person waiting, " Admit him." 
 
 In a few moments Laughing Joe was ushered into the apartment. 
 Joe's countenance, perhaps for the first time in his life, was devoid of 
 the comical. He was extremely agitated, and for some minutes was 
 unable to command words sufficiently intelligible to explain the object 
 of his visit. After quite a lengthy interrogation, sufficient was elicited 
 to know that a robbery of the premises had been determined upon, 
 and was to be attempted in the course of that night. Joe, it appeared, 
 unbeknown to the robbers, had accidentally overheard them discussing 
 the matter on the mountain. One of the robbers, from their conver- 
 sation, was cognizant of the fact that the house contained a large 
 amount of gold. Their design, as Joe understood it, was to obtain 
 the gold, burn the building if possible with its inmates, and thus cover 
 up every trace of the robbery. Joe had communicated these facts to 
 his mother, who, notwithstanding her wild hfe, and supposed lack of 
 regard to the claims of humanity, had sent her son (while she enacted 
 another part in the drama) down the mountain in the early part of the 
 evening to give information of the designs of the robbers, but owing 
 to the severe storm, he had nearly perished, and his progress was 
 greatly retarded. 
 
 Preparations were at once made to give the robbers a proper recep- 
 tion. The lights were extinguished, pistols put in order, and every 
 male member of the hQusehold properly armed. As the night drew on 
 apace, and no appearance of the robbers, it began to be thought that 
 either Joe was mistaken, or the courage of the robbers had oozed out. 
 
78 THE EOBBEES OF WIISTDAM PEAK. 
 
 But after tlie lapse of a little further time, a faint voice was heard with- 
 out, aud it soon became manifest that efforts were being made to open 
 one of the windows. The shutters slowly yielded under the heavy pres- 
 sure, then came in view a lantern, slowly followed by a man's head, whose 
 eyes could be seen by the lantern, cautiously peering around the room. 
 After a short survey the head was withdrawn, its owner apparently sat- 
 isfied that the premises were unoccupied. A short conference was held 
 by those outside, which being ended, two men crept cautiously through 
 the opening. The moment they had gained the inside the report of a 
 pistol rang on the night air, and the foremost robber fell lifeless on the 
 floor. Ere the report of the pistol had fully died away, two other men 
 came bounding through the open window. The hindermost, as he 
 reached the floor, pitched over the dead body of his companion, and 
 ere he could rise, was transfixed by the bayonet. 
 
 The two remaining men saw at a glance their case was desperate, and 
 determined, apparently, to sell their lives as dearly as possible. One of 
 them seized the old man, and, with a well-directed blow, sent him head- 
 long to the floor. As he bent over him vdth an uplifted dagger, Joe, 
 who was remarkably athletic for his years, aud who, up to this moment, 
 had stood paralyzed, seized the robber ere the uplifted dagger could 
 descend, and hurled him to the wall as vdth the strength of a giant. 
 The contest was now of short duration ; the men were speedily secured 
 and closely guarded for the night. They were released the next morn- 
 ing, on their agreeing to join the British army, safe transportation being 
 given them for that purpose. The dead men were secretly interred, 
 and none but those engaged in that night's encounter knew of the rob- 
 bers' grave. 
 
 Dame Jewell from that night was missing, but when the snow had 
 melted from the hills her body was discovered. She, in returning to 
 her mountain home, had frozen to death. 
 
 Joe was generously rewarded for the services he had rendered that 
 night. And it will only be necessary for us to add, that the old man of 
 the mountain, to whom we are indebted for many of the facts here re- 
 lated, was none other than Laughing Joe himself. 
 
THE FIGHT 
 
 STEBBINS^ CORNERS, 
 
 FEW years after the erection of tlie scliool-house at Purdy's 
 Corners, there came rumors of trouble witli the mother 
 
 °) 
 
 country. Every intelligence of the kind was earnestly 
 sought for and eagerly digested by the denizens of the hills 
 of that vicinity, all of whom, we are happy to record, when made ac- 
 quainted with the origin or cause of the troubles, were unanimous in 
 favor of the rights of the colonies. 
 
 Soon followed the news of the battles of Lexington, Concord, and 
 Bunker Hill, which set the mountains aglow with patriotic fire. 
 Hawks, the school-master, who, at the time, had acquired considerable 
 reputation as a scholar, was bold in his denunciation of the tyrannical 
 course of the British government, and whenever he could obtain an 
 audience, would ventilate his ideas of the wrongs of the colonies, and 
 pitch into the mother country in a style that raised to fever heat the 
 enthusiasm of his hearers. 
 
 Hawks' reputation as a public speaker soon became widely known, and 
 many were the invitations he received to address the inhabitants of the 
 surrounding country on the then great subject, British oppression. 
 Hawks, not a little ambitious for distinction, gladly accepted the invi- 
 tations to speak, and, as we were recently informed by his grandson 
 Tommy, made not only, great impressions on his audience, but stood 
 prominent among the public speakers of that day, who, by their elo- 
 quence, awoke that resistance to British arrogance which resulted in 
 the independence of the colonies. 
 
80 THE FiaHT AT STEBBIWS' CORNEKS. 
 
 We here take occasion to acknowledge our indebtedness to Mr. 
 Tommy Hawks, now residing at Wolfs-bend, for many papers relating 
 to Kevolutionary times, amongst wHch we find the outlines of a speech 
 delivered by his grandfather, Joseph Hawks, at a meeting of the in- 
 habitants of Jug Hill, convened at Smith's Tavern, which formerly 
 stood about a mile south of the present village of Shenandoah. 
 
 Mr. Hawks' speech is prefaced with the following memorandum : 
 
 This day, August 17tli, I was waited on by Mr. Jonathan Snyder, with the 
 request that I would, at my earliest convenience, address the LnhabitaQts of 
 Jug Hill and vicinity on the cause of the present troubles with the mother 
 country. Mr. Snyder, who is a prominent resident of Jug Hill, observed 
 that a clear exposition of the matter would no doubt be productive of great 
 good, as the people of his vicinity were generally men of clear perceptions, al- 
 ways bold in a good cause, and when once convinced that the acts of the British 
 government toward the colonies were unjust and oppressive, would fight 
 the matter to the bitter end. I told Mr. Snyder I felt highly complimented 
 in being selected to address the people of his vicinity on the great subject now 
 so fearfully agitating the country ; but, notwithstanding I distrusted my 
 ability to do the subject justice, yet I did not dare to refuse, as I considered 
 it to be the duty of every loyal citizen to respond to every call made upon 
 him in defence of those great principles, Liberty and Equahty. 
 
 We give a few extracts from Mr. Hawks' speech, to show the spirit 
 which actuated the sons of Liberty in those days, — " the times that tried 
 men's souls " : 
 
 Fellow-citizens of Jug HUl : Your speaker appears before you this evening 
 with feelings of no little embarrassment, not only on account of the magni- 
 tude of the subject to be brought to your notice, but feeling as he does his 
 inability to address acceptably so large and intelligent a body of his fellow- 
 citizens as now stand before him. But, gentlemen, your speaker trusts as he 
 proceeds with his discourse, he may be inspired with the grandeur of his sub- 
 ject, and thus be able to lise in the course of his remarks to the full dignity 
 of the present occasion. 
 
 Gentlemen, we have met this evening to consider the unjust and tyran- 
 nical acts of the mother country towards these colonies, and to determine 
 what should be our course or duty in relation to so grave a public matter. 
 Without wishing unnecessarily to trespass on your time, it will be sufficient 
 for me to say that the British government, by a long course of wilful extrav- 
 agance, of wasteful expenditure, of the paying of large salai-ies to titled 
 drones in her service, and from other causes not necessary to enumerate, 
 has depleted her treasury, and now, in her financial distress, she turns to 
 
THE FIGHT AT STEBBINS' CORNERS. 81 
 
 these colonies and demands that we be taxed to replenish her exhausted ex- 
 chequer. 
 
 Gentlemen, suppose we should accede to this, the first demand of the mother 
 country for financial aid, do you suppose no other demands will follow ? By 
 no means ; the taxes which the mother country now seeks to impose upon us 
 are but the entering wedge ; submit to these and it will not be long before 
 heavier burdens will be laid upon you, the result of which will be that under 
 the crushing heel of British oppression you will be stripped of your hard- 
 earned possessions, and emphatically as a people be ground iato powder. 
 [Hear ! hear !] 
 
 Gentlemen, our brethren of Massachusetts have already resisted unto blood 
 the tyrannical acts of the British government, — ^f or at Lexington and on Bunker 
 Hdl the men of that glorious commonwealth have faced with lion-like cour- 
 age the hireliags of George the Third, and by their bravery and fidelity ia 
 the sacred cause of Liberty have rendered their names immortal. Those 
 battle-fields, consecrated with blood, will ever remaiu sacred to the American 
 people, — ^for there, in coming time, monuments will be erected to commem- 
 orate those glorious events, and to perpetuate the memory of the heroes who 
 so gallantly laid down their lives in defence of great and imperishable prin- 
 ciples. And there, too, generations yet unborn will repair to pay a grateful 
 tribute to the early martyrs of Liberty. 
 
 Gentlemen, should the historian of coming years, in passing through this 
 section of the land, inquire of your descendants : ' ' Where are your Revolu- 
 tionary battle-fields and nionum.ents ? " what shall be their answer ? Shall 
 they be able to point to some towering shaft, some skyward-looking column, 
 denoting the place of gigantic slaughter, and dilate with pride on the valor 
 of their fathers ? Yes, fellow-citizens, I feel satisfied your posterity will not 
 only be able to point to battle-fields and monuments on these mountains, but 
 will be able to portray, in words of burning eloquence, how you, their wor- 
 thy progenitors, in the great battles of freedom, stood knee-deep in blood, and 
 with defiance in your eye hurled back, as with lightning flash, the dastardly 
 invader. [Cries, " We'U give it to 'em."] 
 
 Gentlemen, your speaker professes to be no prophet, neither is he the son of 
 a prophet ; but he plainly foresees that the sanguinary battles of this rebel- 
 lion, or call it what you roay, must be fought among the fastnesses of these 
 mountains. The British government will not loosen her grip on these colo- 
 nies untU she is forced to do so ; she will, we unhesitatingly say, put forth 
 her mightiest efforts for our subjugation. The city of New York, owing to 
 her exposed situation, will soon be occupied by her mercenary soldiers. Then 
 will speedily follow the occupation of Westchester County by her armed ban- 
 dits. But here on these cloud-capped hills, this great natural wall of defence, 
 the grand and glorious stand for Liberty must be made. Here, your speaker 
 prophecies, will be rolled back triumphantly the tide of war. 
 11 
 
83 THE FIGHT AT STEBBIKS' CORNERS. 
 
 Gentlemen, as I look over this assembly, composed as it is of the bone 
 and sinew of the land, as I see your flashing eyes and determined mien, I 
 feel confident that when the bold invader shall penetrate these mountains, 
 every hill-top and every mound will prove to him a sepulchre. [Loud cries, 
 "That's so."] 
 
 Owing to the blurred condition of the manuscript we are obliged to 
 omit the balance of Mr. Hawks' speech. 
 
 We also give a sketch of a speech delivered at the same meeting by 
 Mr. Francis Scouten, then a resident of Brier Hill. Mr. Scotiten, ac- 
 cording to the reporter's notes, spoke substantially as follows : 
 
 Gentlemen, my name is Frank Scouten, weU known to every man in these 
 mountains as one who never backs down in a fair and honest fight. I pro- 
 fess to be as loyal to the cause of the colonies as the next man ; and in 
 this contest or fight with the mother country I am prepared to go in, not for 
 an hour, nor for a day, but for the whole war. 
 
 Gentlemen, whether you know it or not, there is always two sides to a 
 question. I belong to that class of men who look before they leap, — that is, 
 I examine matters thoroughly at the outset ; and should you consult the 
 good book on such matters, you wHl learn that a wise man, before he under- 
 takes a big job, sits down and deliberately counts the cost. If eloquence 
 could win battles our young friend. Hawks, would make a successful gen- 
 eral ; but he, and perhaps a few others, wUl discover that, before we are 
 through with this fight, other materials wUl be wanted besides high-sounding 
 words. 
 
 Now, suppose for a moment we put aside all undue excitement, and come 
 down to the consideration of a few facts. I would ask, gentlemen, whether 
 you are aware of the grave responsibility you are now assuming. Suppose 
 this war, on which we are now entering, should prove disastrous to the col- 
 onies ; then, of course, the proceedings of this evening will be regarded as 
 treasonable, and punishable as such ; then, when we are no longer able to 
 keep the field, when we shall have fired our last shot and turned our backs 
 sullenly on the foe, which event your speaker honestly thinks can not possibly 
 occur ; but still, he would be wanting in his duty were he not to picture to 
 your imaginations the worst possible phase of the case. He therefore re- 
 peats, if so great an emergency should arise, when our cause shall be con- 
 sidered irrecoverably lost, when we shall have thrown up the sponge, then 
 those of us who shall have escaped the casualties of war will become fugi- 
 tives and vagabonds on the earth, and will be hunted down like beasts of 
 prey. A greater part of us, no doubt, will be caught and hung ; others will 
 be beheaded, and the balance doubtless burned at the stake, or on some fu- 
 neral pile. But you may say, under the inxpulse of the hotir, or led away by 
 
THE FIGHT A.T STEBBINS' CORNERS. 83 
 
 the eloquence of Hawks : "How refreshing, how delightful it will be thus to 
 die in the cause of Liberty." Well, I can truly say that I hope it will prove 
 so, and would advise, before you are led out to execution, that you read 
 a few chapters on "Indian cruelties," which wiU. enable you to go through 
 the ordeal with the dignity and courage of freemen. 
 
 Now, gentlemen, in conclusion, if you are prepared for all this and a good 
 deal more, I say to you, go ahead, and old Frank Scouten wiU be the first in 
 the field and the last man to show his back to the foe. [Loud cries, "Good 
 for old Scouten."] 
 
 The speecli of Mr. Scouten somewhat dampened the ardor of the 
 meeting, which, however, was of short duration, as a few encouraging 
 remarks from the presiding officer rekindled the enthusiasm, and set 
 every heart palpitating anew with patriotic fire. After a little further 
 deliberation, it was unanimously resolved that a military force be im- 
 mediately organized, to consist of not less than fifty men, to serve dur- 
 ing the war, and to be known as the Mountain Hangers. After several 
 ballots, Brom Tallman, Esq., was chosen captain of the company, with 
 full power to enlist the men, and to select a suitable encampment for 
 their military instruction. Brom was only a tall man in name, for in 
 length he measured but five feet six inches, but this deficiency was 
 fully made up in breadth, as his corporeal dimensions were astounding. 
 The reader is doubtless aware that many of the best fighting generals 
 of the past, those who have figured conspicuously in history, were men 
 of under-size. Whether this circumstance influenced the meeting in 
 the selection of Mr. Tallman for so responsible a post, of course must 
 be left to conjecture. 
 
 Mr. Tallman, however, as a mihtary man, had a fair record. He 
 had served with ability in the French and Indian war, and, according 
 to his own story, had inflicted more damage on the enemy than any 
 man then living. He was on several occasions (we take his own words 
 for it) selected by his commanding oflicer for enterprises requiring 
 great courage and discretion ; was also, as he said, twice captured by 
 the Indians after a deadly encounter ; the first time when on the eve 
 of being tortured by his captors, was set at liberty by his consenting to 
 marry an old squaw, whose husband had been killed a few days 
 previous in battle, and who had thirteen fatherless papooses to be pro- 
 vided for. The Indians, no doubt, thought the support of the widow 
 and her numerous family would be too great a tax on the tribe, and 
 
84 THE FIGHT AT STEBBINS' CORNERS. 
 
 concluded tlieir wisest course was to consign them to the keeping of 
 Brom, who had, for purposes of his own, impressed them with the idea 
 that he was a mighty hunter. Tallman, after he had regained his lib- 
 erty, suddenly changed his mind as to matrimony, for that same night 
 he stole away from the Indian encampment, leaving the disconsolate 
 widow and her thirteen juveniles to shift for themselves, and made 
 his way back, with all convenient dispatch, to his own regiment. 
 
 Thus it wiU be seen that Commander TaUman had something of a 
 military reputation. He was greatly elated at being chosen to organ- 
 ize a military company to fight the battles of freedom, and immediately 
 went to work, with all the promptness and energy of a true soldier, to 
 accomplish the important mission assigned him. Lookout Hill, situar 
 ted midway between the east and west branches of the Wiccapie, and 
 about one mile above the junction of the streams, was selected for his 
 camp of instruction, and not many weeks elapsed before the requisite 
 number of men was enlisted, and from that hour until the close of the 
 war Lookout Hill daily resounded with the soul-stirring music of the 
 fife, the heavy rub-a-dub of the drum, and the soldierly tramp of 
 armed men. 
 
 After Commander Talhnan had got his encampment in fair working 
 order, and his men somewhat perfected in military evolutions, the fol- 
 lowing important dispatch was placed in his hands : 
 
 Private. 
 
 To his Excellency, Commander Tallman : 
 
 The undersigned begs leave to inform you that lie has reliaUe information 
 that a large body of Tories has assembled at Stebbins' Corners, intent evi- 
 dently on mischief. I received these facts a few hours ago from Mr. Joseph 
 Grlover, a reliable citizen, and well known to your majesty. Mr. Glover 
 also informs me that the Tories have invented an infernal machine, now in 
 course of construction, which when finished will possess formidable annihi- 
 lating powers. Mr. Glover thinks it is the design of the Tories, when the 
 machine is completed, to convey it, on some dark night, into your camp, when 
 it will be touched off, and of course if it works satisfactorily, will utterly 
 annihilate your entire command. I presume Mr. Glover's surmises are cor- 
 rect, as his wife is quite intimate with several old women, living in the 
 neighborhood of Stebbins" Comers, who are great blabbers and incorrigible 
 Tories, and as Mrs. Glover has an artful way of obtaining information, and 
 is a good Whig, therefore I consider the information about the gathering of 
 
THE FIGHT AT STEBBINS' COKNERS. 85 
 
 the Tories and their infernal machine to be perfectly reliable. I would ad- 
 vise your Excellency to make immediate preparations for a descent on the 
 Tories, before they have time to complete their machine — a night attack wiLL 
 be preferable, which, if conducted under your immediate supervision, wUl 
 no doubt prove successful, and will not only electrify the country, but cover 
 the troops under your command with imperishable glory. 
 
 Tours most respectfully, 
 
 Petee Wood, 
 Scout of South Mountain District. 
 
 Stebbins' Corners was situated five miles due south from Lookout 
 encampment, and at the time of which we write, was a place of small 
 import, consisting of only one honse — a log shanty — which numbered 
 but one occupant, who was known to the community around as old 
 mother Stebbins, and in whose honor the cross roads, running within a 
 few feet of her house, had been named. The old lady had been an in- 
 habitant of that particular spot for many years, during which time she 
 had avoided as much as possible all society. There were many curious 
 stories current as to her antecedents. Some said she was a rich gen- 
 tleman's daughter, and in early life had been disappointed in love, and 
 to hide her grief had sought a home among the mountains, renouncing 
 for all time the pomp and vanities of the world ; other stories, equally 
 curicfus, were told concerning her, all of which probably existed only 
 in the imagination of the relator. 
 
 It was certain, however, that the old lady had seen more palmy days, 
 as she occasionally exhibited those marks of refinement and culture 
 which, as is well known, when once acquired no circumstance nor situa- 
 tion in after life can wholly obliterate, — ^but her long fife of seclusion 
 and toil had rendered her manners frigid and stoical in the extreme. 
 Perhaps if the secrets of her heart could have been written, a story 
 would have been unfolded claiming our charity and sympathy. But 
 we are not disposed to morahze, as every heart is entitled to its own 
 secrets, and the daily lessons of fife confirm the Scriptural teaching, 
 that man at his best estate is vanity. 
 
 When Commander Tallman had read the dispatch relating to the 
 gathering of the Tories at Stebbins' Corners, he girded on his sword 
 and concluded the hour had arrived in his military career when he 
 could betake unto himself a great name. Standing up before his men, 
 
86 THE PiaHT AT STEBUnSTS' COUKEES. 
 
 he informed them, with many contortions of the countenance and waves 
 of the hand, he had received reliable intelligence that the enemy was 
 massing heavily in his front, and he had concluded to anticipate him in 
 his nefarious designs by an immediate attack on his works. He took 
 occasion to congratulate his comrades in arms on the opportunity thus 
 early afforded them of testifying their fidelity to their country, and of 
 teaching the enemy a lesson in the art of war he would long remember. 
 He exhorted his men to act with courage and decision in the critical 
 hour of battle, and not fail to remember the eye of their commander 
 would be upon them. 
 
 That evening, at the setting of the sun, the Mountain Eangers moved 
 out of their encampment adorned in all the paraphernalia of war, and 
 proceeded, with colors flying and drums beating, in the direction of 
 Stebbins' Comers. When within one mile of their destination, the 
 army halted to recruit a little, and to await the rising of the moon, be- 
 fore encountering the foe. When the moon had risen, and had suffi- 
 ciently unveiled her peerless light, the Mountain Hangers again took up 
 the line of march, each man determined to do or die in the great strug- 
 gle before them. 
 
 In order that the reader may have a clear conception of the battle we 
 are about to describe, it will be necessary for us to say that immediately 
 adjoining mother Stebbins' residence stood a patch of broom-corn, on 
 which the old woman had devoted many hours of toil, and which she 
 daily regarded with pride and delight. 
 
 As the Mountain Hangers emerged from the woods and came within 
 sight of the old woman's shanty, they espied by the light of the moon 
 the broom-corn nodding gently to the breeze, which, in the flush of 
 excitement, they mistook for the Tories drawn up in line of battle. 
 Without waiting to reconnoitre, orders were immediately given to 
 move forward on the double-quick, and when within ten paces of the 
 enemy, to open fire and then charge with the bayonet. To the great 
 gratification of their commander, the Eangers dashed forward with the 
 intrepidity of veterans, and when within the prescribed distance poured 
 a destructive fire into the broom-corn, mowing it down as though it 
 had been swept by a passing tornado. 
 
 Old mother Stebbins, who at that particular moment was wrapped 
 in balmy slumber, dreaming doubtless of days of happiness yet to come. 
 
THE FIGHT AT STEBBINS' COKJSTERS. 87 
 
 was awakened by the pattering of the bullets against her shanty, and 
 mistaking the noise outside for an earthquake, bounced out of bed like 
 the spring of a steel-trap, and rushed frantically into the open air. 
 
 As the old lady emerged from the building with her night-dress and 
 other appendages streaming in the wind, the Eangers mistook her for 
 the infernal machine " in ftdl blast," and immediately became panic- 
 stricken, and commenced a disorderly and rapid retreat. The old lady 
 saw at a glance the fallen condition of her broom-corn, and was so fired 
 with indignation at her loss that she put after the retreating Hangers 
 with a will, hallooing at the top of her voice, " Come back, yer rowdies, 
 and pay for that are broom-corn ! " The Rangers, in their confusion, 
 thought the outcries of the old woman were indications that the ma- 
 chine was about to burst and to scatter them into a million of fragments, 
 whereupon they increased their motive power to such an extent that 
 they were soon ensconced within their fortifications, with the excep- 
 tion of their commander, whose legs were too short to run well, and 
 who for safety had crept under a pile of brush, from which he emerged 
 about daylight and rejoined his demorahzed forces. 
 
 The Mountain Hangers through life remained firm believers in the 
 infernal machine. They were wont to say, whenever the battle was 
 referred to in after years, "Confound them Tories, if they hadn't 
 brought out their infernal machine, we'd given them the biggest lickin' 
 they ever had." 
 
 A few days after the battle. Commander Tallman sent off a glowing 
 description of the engagement. He stated the troops under his com- 
 mand encountered a heavy force of the enemy at Stebbins' Comers, in 
 which his men acted with the steadiness of tried soldiers, and inflicted 
 heavy damages on the foe ; but owing to the superior numbers of the 
 enemy, and an infernal machine brought to their aid, he was compelled 
 to retreat, which was effected without loss of materials or men. 
 
 The Mountain Rangers, during the war, participated in several other 
 hard-fought battles, the particulars of which, we have not been able to as- 
 certain with sufficient accuracy to warrant their pubhcation. Should any 
 of their descendants have in keeping any papers relating to Revolution- 
 ary times or battles in which their distinguished ancestors were engaged, 
 they will please communicate with the author. 
 
 At the conclusion of the war, when the colonies had gained their 
 
88 THE FIGHT- AT STEBiJlNS' CORNERS. 
 
 independence, the Mountain Rangers, or those of them who had sur- 
 vived the arduous duties of the campaign, formed a society, that met 
 at stated times at Beagle's Tavern, which formerly stood on the Wic- 
 capie Road near Charhck's Mills, and on lands now or formerly owned 
 by Charles L. DuBois. There the Rangers in after years would recount 
 to the rising generation their mighty warhke deeds and their many hair- 
 breadth escapes from the foe ; and when well ballasted with toddy, 
 would shoulder a crutch and show how battles were won. But those 
 glorious old fellows have long since bid adieu to sublunary things, and 
 we, their descendants and successors, will do well to emulate then- vir- 
 tues, and endeavor to uphold the great principles for which they so 
 heroically fought and bled. 
 
 The patriotism of the Revolutionary fathers of the hills did not die 
 with them ; it descended in f uU strength and with undiminished lustre 
 to their children. For in the war of 1812, when that great military 
 commander, the late General Abram Yan Wyck, of East Fishkill, was 
 ordered to bring his iire-eaters to the front, and when, in obedience to 
 the summons, he notified the members of his regiment to repair to his 
 standard, many of the lowlanders dodged, suddenly turned Quakers, 
 and in order to show their works, sported with great prominence the 
 broad-brim, put on the shad-bellied coat, and became particularly 
 famous in the use of the personals " thee " and " thou." But when the 
 General's aide, the renowned David Whaler, passed up among the hills, 
 bestride the General's favorite charger, and as the blast of his war- 
 bugle reverberated from hill-top to hill-top, the mountains, as of yore, 
 blazed forth with patriotic fire. The old Revolutionary blood was up, 
 every man seized his musket, took a big horn of applejack, and de- 
 clared in words not over-polite, he would make short work of the Brit- 
 ish army. 
 
 The warriors of the hills repaired with alacrity to the standard of 
 their favorite General. First came the Truxtons of the hills of Shenan- 
 doah, men of stalwart frame, great sticklers for the principles as taught 
 by that distinguished statesman, Thomas Jefferson ; they were loud 
 swearers and tremendous imbibers of whisky, and when properly 
 loaded with the fluid, in a rough and tumble fight could have quickly 
 doubled up an entire regiment of the British army. 
 
 Next appeared the Shaws of Windam Peak — men of lank build, 
 
THE FIGHT AT STEBBINS' COENEES. 89 
 
 though tough and wiry ; they were great cHmbers of rocks, and par- 
 ticularly adapted to scale fortifications. Then came an innumerable tribe 
 from Honsas Mountain, Raccoon Hollow, and Carey's Hill, all double- 
 fisters, and demanding loudly to be led against the foe. These latter 
 arrivals completed th-e complement of men required. Whereupon the 
 General, with his accustomed promptitude, put his gallant army in mo- 
 tion, and not many days thereafter appeared with his command on Har- 
 lem Heights, just north of the city of New York. 
 
 The arrival of the Fishkill Pounders (the name by which the regi- 
 ment was known) immediately restored confidence and tranquillity to 
 the citizens of New York, for, as they gazed on the fierce aspect of the 
 warriors of the hills, they felt the British would keep at a respectful 
 distance while they were around. So it proved, for in the opinion of 
 the ablest mihtary men of that day, the safety of the city of New York, 
 in those war times, was mainly due to the warlike renown of the Fish- 
 kill Pounders. 
 
 The author concludes this popular tale with the prognostication that 
 should another foreign war ensue, the Fishkill Mountains for the third 
 time will be lighted up with patriotic fire. 
 
 13 
 
THE GOLD-DIGGERS OF MOCCASIN MILL: 
 
 A TALE OF THE LAST CENTUEY. 
 
 f ^S OME three miles east of the village of Fishldll, and near the 
 ^ little hamlet of Swartwoutville, rises a conical-shaped mound of 
 earth -which was known in the early history of Dutchess County 
 as Moccasin Hill. It was said, but by what authority we know 
 not, that the various tribes of Indians formerly inhabiting the east bank 
 of the Hudson, when preparing for the war-path, were wont to dance 
 their war-dance on that spot, and hence came the appellation of Mocca- 
 sin Hill. 
 
 The inhabitants residing in the vicinity of Moccasin Hill, in the 
 early settlement of the town of Fishldll, very generally entertained the 
 opinion that the Indians had buried much treasure there ; but it was 
 said that it was faithfully guarded by the spirits of those who had de- 
 posited it, and in consequence no one had the courage to attempt its re- 
 covery or possession. In fact, the man who in those days would have 
 dared to venture on Moccasin Hill after nightfall, would have been re- 
 garded as a great hero ; for tradition had clothed the place with the 
 supernatural, and so afforded a theme for many a marvellous tale, 
 nightly told around the hearth-fires of those days in that vicinity. 
 
 The village of Swartwoutville formerly boasted of a quaint little 
 building, denominated a store; which building, for aught we know, 
 may be still standing, as the writer has not visited that locality for near 
 a quarter of a century. During the Eevolutionary war and for a 
 period still later, the store at Swartwoutville was the chief place where 
 the young and old in the vicinity congregated to discuss the topics of 
 the day, and for the exchange of opinions on matters of public interest. 
 On Saturday evenings, in particular, the edifice was weU filled, as that 
 evening was considered, in the olden time, a holiday evening, when 
 
THE GOLD-DIGGERS OF MOCCASIN HILL. 91 
 
 work of every kind was suspended, and allowance given for a little in- 
 dulgence. Therefore, among the visitors at the store on such evenings, 
 the social glass went round, and the hours were beguiled by spinning 
 yarns the most incredible, and indulging in such ghost stories as were 
 in unison with the superstition of the times. 
 
 Among those who frequently visited the store at Swartwoutville was 
 a tall, raw-boned youth named Brom DuBois. Brom was a good-na- 
 tured fellow, possessed of indomitable courage, and, what was more es- 
 sential in those days, he could tell a capital story, for, when indulging 
 in the marvellous, he was exceedingly happy in drawing on the imag- 
 ination. Brom but seldom engaged in any sort of manual labor, but 
 spent most of his time in quest of game among the forests, which then 
 largely abounded in those parts, or in angling in Sprout Creek, which 
 latter pursuit was with him a favorite employment. 
 
 Another visitor at the Swartwoutville store was a chubby youth named 
 Jake GriiBn. Jake was one who dealt largely in wishes — for he was 
 continually wishing for this thing or that, and at least twenty times 
 each day wished he had" the treasure buried on Moccasin Hill. "If it 
 wa'n't for those plaguey ghosts," he would say, " I'd soon have all the 
 gold I wanted." But Jake, notwithstanding his daily desires to pos- 
 sess the hidden gold, yet made no efforts to obtain it — for, to speak 
 plainly, he was not overstocked with courage, and we doubt if all the 
 gold ia the world could have tempted him to face a ghost. 
 
 While Jake and a host of others maintained unshaken faith in the 
 buried treasures, Brom DuBois had no faith of the kind, for to use his 
 own expression, he regarded the matter as all moonshine, and as he 
 was also a non-believer in ghosts, he resolved to have a little fun with 
 Jake and the other friends who so frequently coveted the hid treasures 
 on Moccasin Hill. 
 
 Brom, after largely ruminating on the subject, concocted a plan 
 which he thought would answer his purpose. So on the next Saturday 
 evening he entered the place of general rendezvous, with a sad expres- 
 sion on his countenance, looking as though he was deeply exercised in 
 mind. During the early part of the evening he kept unusiially taci- 
 turn, — so much so that his friends wondered greatly at his silence, and 
 many of them whispered that something unusual must have befallen 
 Brom. 
 
92 THE GOLD-DIGGEES OE MOCCASIN HILL. 
 
 At letigtli Brom was openly interrogated as to Ms sadnesSj when he 
 replied, with many a long-drawn sigh^ that for tliree nights in succes- 
 sion he had had a renaarkable dream, which weighed heavily on his 
 mind. As may be supposed, much curiosity was manifested by the 
 company to know what the visions of the night had revealed to Brom. 
 After much solicitation and importunity Brom consented to relate his 
 dream. As we have already said, Brom was capital at telling a story, 
 and was withal something of an orator ; he therefore mounted upon a 
 soap-box, in order that his eloquence might have full scope, and then 
 proceeded to relate what had been revealed to him during the last three 
 nights while locked in the arms of Morpheus. 
 
 " My friends," commenced Brom, " as I was sound asleep three 
 nights ago, having went to bed about eight o'clock, some one came and 
 stood by my bedside, and said, ' Come, Brom DuBois, wake up and go 
 with me.' At first I thought it was our nigger Cato, and so I said, 
 ' Cato, what's happened ? ' and then the person said, ' I'm no Cato ; I'm 
 an Ingin what's been dead two hundred and fifty years.' Said I, ' Is 
 that so, Mr. Ingin ? ' and he said it was, and that I must get up and go 
 with him. And then I asked if he couldn't wait till daylight, and he 
 said, no, I must go right along, as he was going to show me something 
 that would please and astonish me. So I got up right away and 
 dressed myself, and went outdoors with this Ingin, and would you 
 believe it, right before the door stood a big white horse, and on him 
 was a gold saddle and bridle." At the mention of gold saddle and 
 bridle Brom's hearers rolled up their eyes, and immediately every 
 mouth stood ajar. " The Ingin," continued Brom, '' jump'd right on 
 the horse and placed me behind him, and before I know'd it, we were 
 right on Moccasin Hill. Then the Ingin said to me, ' Brom DuBois, do 
 you see that big stump there, what's got that foxfire in ? ' and I said, ' I 
 do.' ' "Well,' said he, ' just six feet under that stump is twenty-seven 
 jars filled .with gold, and each jar contains sixty-two thousand dollars, 
 and if you want 'em, you can come here any night, when the moon 
 rises after twelve o'clock, and get 'em.' Said I, ' Mr. Ingin, ain't you 
 jokin' with a fellow ? ' and he said he was never so serious in all his 
 life ; and then he laid his finger on his nose, and said again, ' Brom, 
 do you know, I've been watching this gold two hundred and fifty 
 years, and I ain't a-going to do it any longer,' and I told him I wouldn't 
 
THE GOLD-DiaOERS OF MOCCASIK HILL. 93 
 
 if I was he. ' ISTow,' said he, ' if you want it you can have it, but if 
 you don't want it, say so, and I'll give it to somebody else.' So I told 
 the Ingin I would take it, and was very much obleeged to him, and 
 jist at that minit I woke up. 
 
 " And now," said Brom, " my friends, I've drempt that same dream 
 three nights in succession, and of coiirse, as you all know, it must be 
 true ; therefore if any of you fellows want any of this gold you can go 
 with me and get it, as I'm going up there next Wednesday night, for 
 then the moon rises twelve minutes past twelve precisely." 
 
 Brom related his imaginary dream with such an air of plausibility 
 that his hearers believed every word of it to be stern reahty. And 
 besides, in those days it was universally acknowledged that a dream re- 
 peated three nights in succession was infallible. Therefore all were 
 anxious to accompany Brom on his expedition, especially as the danger 
 of going up on Moccasin Hill was greatly lessened from the fact that 
 Brom's invitation came from the rightful owner of the treasure. 
 Brom requested his friends to keep the matter a profotmd secret, and 
 be sure to meet him on Wednesday night at the appointed place, armed 
 with pick and spade, when they would proceed to business. 
 
 In the meantime Brom kept steadily at work making his prepara- 
 tions. His father owned nearly a dozen negroes, for in those days 
 slavery was tolerated in the State of New York. He selected from 
 the flock four of the most trusty darkies, to whom, after binding them 
 to secrecy, he made known his plans. He told them they were to go 
 up on Moccasin Hill, on Wednesday night, disguised as Indians, as 
 himself and others were going up there on that night to dig for gold, 
 and while he and the party were digging, they must rush from their 
 hiding-place, and sound the war-whoop, and brandish their hatchets at 
 them, and make such other noises as their several fancies might dic- 
 tate. The negroes were very loath to engage in the enterprise, as 
 they had a great dread of Moccasin Hill, but by the promise of a large 
 reward, and a plentiful supply of whisky to keep off the night dews, 
 they consented to undertake the work.' 
 
 After making the arrangement with the negroes, Brom grew appre- 
 hensive that they might fail him, as they were all great cowards, and 
 so defeat his plans. He, therefore, as a precautionary measure, en- 
 gaged three white men to keep an eye that evening on the negroes, so 
 
94 THE GOLD-DIGGEKS OF MOCCASIN HILL. 
 
 that if the sons of Ham failed to come to time, they might fall in as 
 substitutes. The darkies of course were not made aware of this ar- 
 rangement. They went to work with commendable zeal, practicing 
 the war-whoop, and arranging their disguises so as to act well their 
 parts in the coming drama. 
 
 The three men employed to look after the negroes resolved among 
 themselv.es that there might as well be- two acts in the play. They 
 therefore prepared disguises of their own, different from those to be 
 worn by the negroes, and which consisted of long white frocks, reach- 
 ing from the neck to the feet, and caps of the same material — made 
 in the form of an immense sugar-loaf. Their design was that when 
 the darkies had scared the gold-diggers, to rush on them in turn, and 
 so repay the compliment. 
 
 Wednesday night came around, and, according to the arrangement, 
 Brom met his friends at the appointed place ; when the party, armed 
 with pick and spade, proceeded' with high expectation up the steps of 
 Moccasin HiU. On ai'riving at the place, Brom appeared to have had 
 no difficulty in finding the stump which the Indian had showed him in 
 his dream. 
 
 " There, you see," said he, " is the very stump the Tngin pointed 
 out. I know'd it the very minit I seed it. So you see, boys, it's all 
 right. Now, let's off coats, and go to work, and if we don't have them 
 jars of gold in less than twenty uiinits, then my name ain't Brom Du- 
 Bois." 
 
 For the next five minutes both spade and pick admirably fulfilled 
 their office. But hark ! what noise is that ? 
 
 " That's nothing," said Brom, " but the winnering of an owl. Keep 
 to work, boys ; we're nearing the gold — I can almost see the jars." 
 
 "Work was accordingly resumed ; but, in a few minutes more, noises 
 of a more alarming character broke upon the ear, and again the work 
 was suspended. 
 
 "Something certainly is in the wind," said Brom, "and I must con- 
 fess," he added, "things begin to look rather scary." 
 
 Scarcely had he finished his remarks when there came gliding from 
 the bushes near by four horrid-looking figures, rending the air with the 
 war-whoop and brandishing aloft immense broadaxes. 
 
 " Eun for your lives ! " shouted Brom, and, setting the example. 
 
THE GOLD-DIGGERS OP MOCCASIN HILL. 95 
 
 down tlie hill lie went at a headlong pace, closely followed by the ter- 
 ror-stricken crowd. 
 
 The negroes were for a few moments in high glee at the success with 
 which they had played their parts, but the next instant a noise behhid 
 them attracted their attention. Turning around they saw three tall 
 figures draped in white advancing rapidly towards them. Quick as a 
 flash each darky gave a snort after the fashion of a horse, and then 
 fled with amazing speed down the hill, following hard in the wake of 
 the retreating gold-diggers. 
 
 At the foot of the hill ran a deep ditch, which at all seasons of the 
 year was partly filled with water, and as the retreating party had in 
 their confusion extinguished the lights, it became exceedingly difiicult 
 to tell the precise spot where the ditch lay, and as none of the flying 
 troop thought of abating their speed, the consequences were that most 
 of them ran pell-mell into the ditch. Before they had time to scram- 
 ble out, the terrified negroes came tumbhng in upon them, which 
 greatly added to the general consternation. 
 
 The mingled cries for help which arose from the motley crew as they 
 rolled and pitched in the miry bed would have excited the risible fac- 
 ulties of the most stoical observer. After floundering awhile, all suc- 
 ceeded in scrambling out of the muddy pool, when, with rapid strides, 
 each sought the covert of his own habitation. 
 
 Brom DuBois for many days afterwards was greatly puzzled to know 
 what occasioned the stampede among his darkies. He questioned them 
 closely on the subject, bnt the only account they were able to give was 
 that "When Massa Brom and the other gemmen run'd away, they 
 looked aronnd and seed three big white spooks as tall as a meetin'- 
 house, and then they run'd as fast as they ever could to ketch Massa 
 Brom ! " 
 
 As the three men who created so much terror among the sable sons 
 of Ham kept their part of the performance a secret, Brom never be- 
 came rightly posted on the subject. 
 
 The adventurers of that night, we believe, never discovered the de- 
 ception practiced upon them ; for they continued to assert through life 
 that had it not been for those plaguey ghosts they would certainly have 
 got the gold. But as they never afterwards mustered sufficient cour- 
 age to repeat the experiment, the buried treasure of Moccasin Hill in 
 all probability remains undisturbed to the present day. 
 
YOUTHFUL RECOLLECTIONS. 
 
 ^^^^f'HE "culled" population of East Fishkill some fifty years 
 ago, numerically speaking, exercised considerable weight and 
 influence. They were an ambitious people, anxious to do some- 
 thing for their mental elevation, believing the time had fully 
 come when they should emerge from a state of darkness and show the 
 world that they possessed talents and capabilities equal to their white 
 fellow-citizens or any other class of men. 
 
 For this purpose a meeting was held on a stormy evening in Decem- 
 ber, 1825, at the house of Jack Burroughs, in Fishkill Hook. The 
 meeting, which had been extensively advertised, was largely attended, 
 made up of the influential " culled " men then of that section. 
 
 When the meeting was fully organized, Mr. Burroughs, at whose 
 house the meeting was held, in a neat speech explained the object for 
 which the meeting had been called. He said : 
 
 " De white folks were getting 'way ahead ob de culled fellers in 
 larnin', which had a dark look for de future ob de culled race. He 
 believed de head ob de brack man would hold as much larnin' as de 
 head ob de white man and a good deal more, as de head ob de brack 
 man had a thicker rim, and couldn't be busted by any amount ob 
 larnin' stufEed into it. Darfor'," said the speaker with an elevated 
 voice, " you see, my cuUed friends, de head ob de brack man am spe- 
 cially qualified for holdin' larnin' and I trust you will see to it dat dem 
 heads ob yourn, so long laid waste and holdin' nothin', will be speedily 
 filled wid de sciences. Fur dis subject dis meetin' am called." 
 
 The next individual to ventilate himself was Martin Golden, gener- 
 ally known as Dandy Golden, from the fact that at parties and on wed- 
 ding occasions he was the man who saw that the hospitalities of the 
 table were properly dispensed. Martin at such festivities was in his 
 element; his eye shone with unwonted lustre, and his enormous shirt 
 
YOTJTHFTJL KECOLLECTIOTSTS. 97 
 
 collar and swallow-tail coat, which he invariably donned on such occa- 
 sions, not only gave him an air of importance, but lent him becoming 
 grace. No guest departed from the feast without thanking Martin for 
 his kind attentions, and the bestowment of some solemn token express- 
 ive of their appreciation of his services. 
 
 On the evening in question, Martin was arrayed in his party uniform. 
 As he arose to speak his swallow-tail swayed gracefully in the rear, and 
 his whole appearance bespoke the modern Cato in the act of addressing 
 a Roman forum. After drawing forth his highly-scented bandana, 
 with which he polished up his ebony nose for a moment or two, the 
 orator proceeded to say : 
 
 "I agree on many points with my venerable culled brother. He 
 say dat de white fellers am usurpin' all de larnin' ; dat's so in my 'pin- 
 ion. But if de brack man wants to get larnin', why don't he wake up 
 and do as de white feUers do, have 'baten societies fur de polishin' ob 
 de mind, and glee clubs, so as to go round nights when de moon shine 
 and serenade de culled gals. Dat am de way we culled fellers aught 
 to do if we want to polish up de intellect, and not be sittiu' round doing 
 nothin' fur de culture ob de mind." Here Mr. Golden subsided, and 
 the audience became more composed. 
 
 • The next gem'n to relieve his mind on the subject under discussion 
 was Richard King, better known as Musical Dick, who was a professor 
 on the banjo, and many other musical instruments then in vogue. Mr. 
 King, in addition to his other accomplishments, had the reputation of 
 being an educated darky, and in consequence his views and opinions 
 on all subjects exercised great weight with his dusky brethren. He 
 complimented Mr. Colden on his speech, said he had hit de nail on de 
 head, and he fully agreed with him that what de culled man just now 
 wanted was a general stirrin' up ob de brain, and when dat was done 
 he would put de brack man against any other man fur de true polish. 
 After giving his opinion at some length on the value of larnin', Mr. 
 King moved dat de meetin' resolve itself into a society for the investi- 
 gation of scientific subjects, and for the cultivation of the art of music ; 
 and, should the meeting so resolve, he would further move that a ques- 
 tion for debate be furnished for discussion at a meeting of the society, 
 to be held on the evening of the first of January next, or on any other 
 evening the society may elect. 
 13 
 
98 YOUTHFUL EECOLLECTIONS. 
 
 Mr. King's motion having prevailed, the Chair appointed Mr. King 
 and Robert Bowman a Committee to furnish the question for debate. 
 
 As Mr. Burroughs' house was limited to one apartment above ground, 
 and as it was necessary for the Committee to have a room in which to 
 deliberate over the duty assigned them, they were accorded the use of 
 the cellar, into which they descended with a full sense of the responsi- 
 bility resting upon them ; and when seated on the potato-bin they pro- 
 duced, after a prolonged sitting — owing to a barrel of cider on tap within 
 easy reach — the following question : " Am de moon made of cheese ? " 
 
 The Chair, after thanking the Committee for the scientific question 
 furnished, appointed Mr. King to open the debate in the affirmative. 
 
 Mr. King, at the time, was a field-hand on the farm owned and occu- 
 pied by the writer's father. His peculiar vein of humor and happy 
 disposition made him a general favorite with the family. On long 
 winter evenings, in the ample kitchen, when the blazing hearth lent 
 cheerfulness to the scene, Richard, surrounded by the youthful mem- 
 bers of the family, would spin wonderful tales, in which he often took 
 occasion to play the hero. The world has had many brilliant orators 
 whose eloquence enchained vast assemblies, but we doubt if any of 
 them ever made deeper or more indelible impressions on the minds 
 addressed than did Richard on those of his youthful auditors. Though 
 Richard long since was gathered to his fathers, and no stone marks his 
 place of sepulchre, yet his stories live in the recollection of many, and 
 constitute a cherished place on the page of memory. 
 
 One of Richard's stories ran as follows : 
 
 " You see, childers, when I live up in de Clove, an' work fur ole 
 Massa Boon, dar was a house up dar wat no feller dar live in ; de folks 
 call it de witch-house. It stood all 'lone in de woods, an' every Satur- 
 day night de witches use to go dar an' have a big dance ; and de folks 
 use to say if any feller went near dat house on Saturday night, de 
 witches would turn him mighty quick into a brig brack boss. Well, 
 you see, one night I was down to the tavern and de fellers got a talkin' 
 'bout de witch-house, and ole Massa Pierce he war down dar, too, and 
 he say, ' I like to see de feller dat dar to stay in de witch-house aU Sat- 
 urday night' Den I, hke a foolish niggali, say to Massa Pierce, ' If 
 you wants to see de feller what dar stay in de witch-house all Saturday 
 night, and you wants to give him som'thin' fur so doin', I'se your man.' 
 
YOUTHFUL EECOLLECTIONS. 99 
 
 Den Massa Pierce he laugh and wink to de fellers, an' he den say, 
 ' Richard, what might you ask to stay in de witch-house all Saturday 
 night ? ' and I say, ' I ask your big brown hoss.' Den Massa Pierce he 
 laugh agin, an' den he say, ' Pichard, if you stay in de witch-house all 
 Saturday night you shall have my big brown hoss, sartin sure,' and 
 every feller say dat am a fair bargain. 
 
 ""Well, you see, childers, den I goes home and tells Massa Boon 
 'bout de bargain, an' he say, ' Pichard, if you go to the witch-house an' 
 stay all Saturday night, you'll be a big hoss in de mornin', sartin sure.' 
 Den I say, ' Massa Boon, if dem witches turn dis niggah into a hoss, 
 he'll go into de oats mighty sharp.' Well, de next day I meets ole 
 aunty Durky, what use to be a witch, but she jine de meetin', an' den 
 she was no more a witch ; an' aunty says to me, ' Pichard, I heah you 
 am going to de witch-house an' stay all Saturday night '; an' I say to 
 aunty, ' Dat am de bargain.' Den aunty tells me how to do when I 
 goes to de witch-house. She say, ' Pichard, take wid you a big piece of 
 chalk, a testament, a big sword, a lamp, an' a bench, an' when you gets 
 to de witch-house, you mus' enter de door backwards, and say all the 
 time, " Dis am de man wat's goin' to stay all night "; den make a big 
 ring on the floor wid de chalk ; den put in de ring de little table you 
 see standin' dar ; den put on de table de sword, de testament, an' de 
 lamp ; den light de lamp, an' den sit down on the bench you bring ; 
 den read de testament all night, an' de witches can't get you nohow.' 
 
 " Well, you see, childers, when Saturday night comes, I goes down 
 to de witch-house wid all dem tings aunty Durky tole 'bout. When I 
 gets to de witch-house, I enters de door backwards, and says berry 
 loud, ' Dis am de man what's goin' to stay heah all de night '; den. I 
 heah a big laugh in de cellar, but I goes to work mighty sharp an' 
 makes a big ring on de floor wid de chalk ; den I takes de table I sees 
 stan'in' dar, an' puts it in de ring ; den I heah 'nother laugh in de 
 cellar berry loud, so I works mighty sharp and puts on de table de 
 testament, de sword, an' de lamp ; den I lights de lamp an' sits down 
 on de bench what I brings, an' den I reads in de testament. After 
 'while it grows berry dark ; den I heah de witches in de cellar sawin' 
 de wood; den I heah dem on de cellar-stairs, an' den I tinks dem 
 witches will have dis niggah sartin sure. But berry soon all get stiU 
 agin, an' I heah nothin' more till de middle ob de night ; den I tinks 
 
100 YOUTHFITL EEOOLLECTIOlSrS. 
 
 de ole house be comin' down sure, for de cMmny begin to roar, an' de 
 next minit twenty big brack cats, wid caps on dar beads, come down de 
 chimny an' stands up on dar hind legs an' look right at me wid dar big 
 eyes. Den dis niggah feels mighty blue, but I soon dismembers what I 
 heah de preacher once say, ' Desist de evil feller, an' he trabel off mighty 
 sharp '; so I takes de sword an' I goes fur dem cats ; an' I slashes dem 
 ober de head, de ears, an' all round, an' de way dem cats trabel up de 
 chimny was a caution. Well, childers, berry soon daylight comes, den 
 I goes home an' goes to bed, kase I hadn't any sleep all de night. 
 When I wakes, Massa Boon say, ' Kichard, dar am twenty ole womans 
 'bout heah what can't get out of bed to-day for de cuts on dar head.' 
 You see, childers, dem twenty ole womans wur the witch-cats I 
 slashed on de head wid de sword. 
 
 " When ole Massa Pierce larn how I slashed de witch-cats, de ole 
 feller was mighty tickled, an' he sent me down de brown boss wid his 
 compKments ; an' I puts de brown boss in Massa Boon's stable, an' gives 
 him a j^eck of oats to start wid. De next Saturday night, as I was sit- 
 tin' in de kitchen smokin' de pipe, I heah a big knock at de door, an' 
 I say, ' Come in,' an' in comes de big brown boss an' sets down in de 
 big chair 'fore de fire, an' den he puts a big pipe in his mouf ; den he 
 looks at me, an' he say, ' Massa King, would you 'blige wid a light.' 
 Den dis niggah feel mighty scared ; but as I wants to be polite, I hands 
 de boss a light ; den de boss looks at me agin, and he say, ' Massa King, 
 what am de price ob oats ? ' Den dis niggah rolled ober in de ashes 
 and knowed nothin' more, an' de next day, at early morn, he puts out 
 from de Clove. Now, childers, run to bed ; don't you heah ole Missus 
 a-calhng you ? " 
 
 During the two weeks following Kichard' s appointment to open the 
 coming debate, he was greatly affected wid de moon on de brain. His 
 lunar observations after nightfall were many, and were conducted in 
 such a way as to indicate he meant business. The queen of night, 
 when Eichard commenced his observation of that orb, was at its full, 
 and as night after night he saw the object of his contemplation lose 
 bulk, his philosophy was greatly puzzled to divine the cause of so un- 
 natural a proceeding. In his dilemma, he sought counsel of the writer, 
 then a youth of uome promise and of ready expedients. Of course 
 we readily responded to Eichard's call for aid on the moon question, 
 
YOUTHFUL RECOLLECTIONS. 101 
 
 and fortunately succeeded in cramming into his head some useful 
 knowledge pertaining to the subject. On several unclouded nights 
 that followed, the writer and his swarthy pupil might have been seen 
 standing under the lea of the old barn, gazing upward at the starry 
 firmament with an earnestness that would have done credit to old 
 astronomers. In the course of our instruction, we called Eichard's 
 attention to the milky way, the dipper, and expatiated learnedly on 
 Taurus, the bull, on Gemini, the twins, and on many other interesting 
 things that had a bearing on the matter under consideration, all of 
 which strongly confirmed Kichard in the opinion dat de moon was 
 made of cheese. 
 
 After four nights' instruction, Kichard deemed himself able to cope 
 successfully with the subject, and retired to put his arguments on paper, 
 so as to be ready to open the debate. 
 
 The evening appointed for the debate arrived, and owing to the 
 demand for tickets of admission, the spacious barn of Daniel South- 
 ard, Esq., was engaged for the occasion, so as to better accommodate 
 the vast throng desiring to hear the debate. 
 
 " Mr. Pres'dent and Gem'n : De question for concussion dis eveuin' 
 are : Am de moon made ob cheese ? De speaker dat now occupies de 
 flo' hab looked into dis question, and hab insulted de bes' 'thorities, an' 
 hab come to de delusion dat de moon am made ob cheese, an' am a fust- 
 rate article at dat. 
 
 " Gem'n : No doubt many ob you hab been 'fore now huntin' de coon 
 in de night time. Had you let de coon run, an' looked up whar de 
 stars shine, you would hab seen de place what 'stronomers calls de 
 milky way. Dis milky way am de place whar all de milk come from 
 what makes de big cheese da calls de moon, and you would hab seen 
 many udder tings up dar whar de stars shine, had you let de coon run ; 
 you would hab seen de big buU what da calls Eoarus, what roars all de 
 time. I specs he am a berry fierce hanimal, an' you would hab seen 
 Jemima and de twins. Jemima am de mudder's name, an' de twins 
 am named Katy an' Polly ; berry nice little gals, I spec, an' what 
 drinks lots ob milk from de milky way, out ob de big dipper what 
 hangs up dar. 
 
102 yOUTHFTJL RECOLLECTIONS. 
 
 " Gem'n : I specs some ob you, when you was younger dan you am 
 to-night, 'fore de finger ob time painted dem woolly heads ob your'n 
 wid de gray, dat you ask to go out ebery night sparkin' de gals. In 
 dem sentimental days ob your'n, when de gal ob your choice, now an' 
 den, gin you de cold shoulder, you no doubt looked to de moon for 
 comfort. Sometimes you seed de moon round like de grine-stone, and 
 de nex' night when you goes out on de same business, you see one 
 corner chipped off a httle, and de nex' night when you goes de 
 rounds agin, you see a little more chipped off ob de moon, an' 
 no doubt dem curious doin's up dar in de moon puzzled dem woolly 
 heads ob your'n. But de ting am berry easily 'splain'd by de light ob 
 science. You see de moon am made ob cheese, an' de fellers what 
 owns de cheese cuts off a piece ebery night just 'fore dark, an' sends it 
 to de market. You see, gem'n, it wouldn't do to send de whole cheese 
 at once to market, kase you would ober stock the market and bring 
 down the price. When the cheese am aJl sold, da goes to work up 
 dar an' makes a new cheese by adding a little to it ebery night. Gem'n, 
 dis am de folosophy ob de subject." 
 
 As Mr. King took his seat, every eye in the vast assembly was turned 
 to him, and expressions Hke the following could have been heard in 
 many parts of the house : " Dat speech am a stumper." The gentle- 
 men in the negative evidently thought so too, as they failed to come to 
 time. Finally the Chair was obliged to observe, " If any gem'n am pre- 
 pared to defute Mister King's arguments, he will please do so at once, 
 udderwise de debate am closed." 
 
 This announcement brought Dandy Golden to his feet, who, as usual, 
 was faultlessly attired. His shirt collar was apparently one or two 
 inches higher than it was wont to be, and his other personal adornments 
 were shaped accordingly. Mr. Golden, after nearly draining the water- 
 pitcher, in order to give proper pliability to his organs of speech, said 
 as follows : 
 
 " Mr. Presentment an' Gem'n : Mister King's speech am a berry 
 curious production. I specs it wur wrote by some white feller fur de 
 fun ob de ting." 
 
 Here Mr. Golden was called to order by the Ghair, who observed that 
 personalities were not allowed. Mr. Golden apologized, and proceeded 
 to say : 
 
YOUTHFUL EECOLLECTIOKS. 103 
 
 " Mister King tells us dat dar am many curious tings up dar whar de 
 stars sliine. He say dar am a big bull up dar, what am a berry fierce 
 hanimal. JSTow, if de larn'd gem'n will take us out ob doors to-night, 
 and pint out whar dat bull am, and I can see him, den I fur one will 
 believe in dat bull ; an' if de larn'd gem'n can't do dis ting, den I fur 
 one renounce all his arguments as only nonsense and moonshine. Den, 
 again, Mr. Presentment, you all know de moon am a body ob hght. 
 Am dar any light in de cheese ? All de light in de cheese dat I knows 
 ob am de light weight we gets when we buys de cheese ob de grocer. 
 Mr. Presentment, I will not occupy dis flo' any longer, an' I give way 
 to some udder gem'n." 
 
 As no other " gem'n " felt prepared to debate the question, the chair 
 proceeded to sum up the argument as follows : 
 
 '' Ladies an' Gem'n : Dis 'kasion am de one we shall long disremem- 
 ber. When I heah Mister King's argument I tink de moon am made 
 ob cheese. But when I heah Mr. Golden say dat de cheese hab no 
 shine in him, den I don't know what to tink. De decision ob de Chair 
 am, dat ebery feller can believe jist what he am a mine to." 
 
 This decision of the Chair having proved satisfactory, the meeting, 
 after passing the following resolution, adjourned : 
 
 Resolved, As dis society hab a glee club, be it ordered dat de glee club as- 
 semble next Saturday night ia dis place, and proceed to saranade de culled 
 belles in de vicinity. 
 
 In those days there Kved in Fishkill Hook an aged gentleman, the 
 owner of many broad acres, who was styled Captain Swart. The Cap- 
 tain was one who enjoyed Kevolutionary fame, and had been a power 
 in his day. He held a commission in the Continental army, and at the 
 battle of Monmouth he was so severely wounded that he retired from 
 active service, and afterwards became famous in hunting the Tories, 
 and the Tories frequently reciprocated by hunting the Captain. 
 
 At the time of which we write, the Captain's mind, by reason of old 
 age, was considerably impaired. He imagined at times that the Revo- 
 lutionary war was stiU in force, and would frequently at night lie 
 awake for hours with his trusty musket near at hand, expecting a visit 
 from the Tories. 
 
 The kitchen of the Captain's house, in those days, was ornamented 
 
104 YOUTHFUL EECOLLEOTIOIfS. 
 
 with two culled ladies of a blushing age, who, on account of the Cap- 
 tain's wealth and position, held their heads pretty high, — in fact, in the 
 color line, they were the acknowledged belles of the vicinity. 
 
 The glee club, according to arrangement, sallied forth on Saturday 
 night to serenade the fair, and to give a specimen of their musical 
 genius. Their iirst call was on the ladies of the Swart mansion, at 
 which place they arrived about midnight, and immediately proceeded 
 to unfold their musical knowledge. As the unearthly strains from 
 their wheezy throats, and more wheezy instruments, floated out on the 
 night air, not only did the cats " put out," but a general stampede en- 
 sued among the brute creation for a mile around. 
 
 The Captain, who had evidently been dreaming of the Tories, was 
 awakened by the terrific noise outside, and supposing the Tories were 
 upon him, seized his musket, which he brought to bear upon the sup- 
 posed enemy, and banged away. The discharge from the musket re- 
 duced the swallow-tail of Dandy Colden's coat a foot or so, but as Mr. 
 Colden's flesh remained untouched by the discharge, and as he did not 
 discover the sudden reduction in his swallow-tail garment, and suppos- 
 ing the Captain was firing a salute in honor of the club, he ordered 
 three cheers for th« old hero. The club immediately proceeded to 
 moisten their throats by numerous quaffs from the refreshment-jug, 
 in order to give the three cheers with proper effect, and in the mean- 
 time the Captain reloaded his shooting-iron. When the club had got 
 their throats sufficiently moistened, which proved a slow business, they 
 proceeded to give three cheers ; as the first cheer was heard the Cap- 
 tain's musket again spoke, and as quick as a flash the banjo in Mr. 
 Bang's hand was sent " a-flying." The boss of the club suddenly real- 
 ized that the Captain on murderous intent was bent, and so gave the 
 order, " Go as you please," whereupon the club started off at- a high rate 
 of speed, leaving the three cheers unfinished. 
 
 The next morning, when the Captain learned who his noisy visitors 
 of the night before were, he was highly incensed. Had his visitors 
 been Tories, he said, that would have been a legitimate transaction, and 
 in accordance with the rules of war ; but these noisy fellows were des- 
 titute of all military knowledge, and were a nuisance, so he had them 
 all bound over to keep the peace, — which wound up the glee club, as 
 well as the debating society. 
 
THE MOVING LIGHTS 
 
 A STORY OF FOX HILL. 
 
 U.J 
 
 BOUT two miles from Fislikill village, in a sontherly direc- 
 tion, and near the old Albany Turnpike, rises a lofty spur of 
 the Fishkill Mountain^, known as Fox Hill. 
 
 In the early settlement of Fishkill, Fox Hill presented an 
 appearance wholly different from that of the present day. It was then 
 covered with large chestnut-trees, clambering vines, and an endless pro- 
 fusion of briers, which made an ascent to its summit both tedious and 
 difficult. It was the favorite resort of the fox and the catamount, as 
 well as the lesser animals. The grandfather of the writer, in the fall 
 of 1Y59, while on a gunning excursion, attended by two fox-hounds, 
 encountered a large bear at the foot of the hill. The dogs at once 
 charged on Bruin, but they soon retired from the fight badly crippled, 
 and refused to renew the conflict. They managed, however, by a slight 
 show of pluck to engage the attention of the bear until a third bullet 
 penetrated his vitals, when the " wanderer of the wood," like a sensible 
 warrior, laid down and died. 
 
 In the latter part of the year 1804, or it might have been a few years 
 later, as we are not precise as to dates, moving lights were seen at night 
 on Fox Hill, which occasioned much wonderment on the part of the 
 inhabitants of the plains below, as all knew that that part of the moun- 
 tain was, at the time, uninhabited. At first it was thought that a party 
 of hunters had encamped there. But as the lights continued to be 
 seen night after night, several leading citizens of the neighborhood con- 
 cluded an investigation of the matter should be made. Accordingly 
 preparations were set on foot to solve, if possible, the mystery. 
 
 For this purpose an extended notice was given that a meeting would 
 14 
 
106 THE MOVING LIGHTS. 
 
 be held at the Ackly House, in FishMll village, to devise means that 
 would explain the cause of the lights on Fox Hill. As we have in our 
 possession a copy of the notice, we herewith append the same verbatim : 
 
 NOTICE. 
 
 To all good citizens of the Fishkills — Know ye, KJaow ye : That very 
 strange fires, or lights, or illuminations, are to be seen every night on that 
 part of the mountain called Fox Hill, which light, or fires, is supposed by 
 some to be instigated by the evil one — or it may be that some persons are 
 collected there for no good purpose — or it may be that some treasure is buried 
 there, and is being carried o£F by some persons who have no lawful claim to 
 it — or it may be that some plot is brewing, which will deprive us of our hb- 
 erties, and of those iaalienable rights for which so many of us have bled and 
 died. Therefore we, the undersigned, call on all good citizens of the Fish- 
 kills, of the proper age, to assemble at the Ackly House, in the VUlage of 
 the Fishkills, on the evening of October 12th, at 7 o'clock, to take such action 
 as such meetLQg may deem fit to be taken, and to transact such other busi- 
 ness, in reference to the object of the meeting, as will give peace and security 
 to the said Fishkills. 
 
 Dated at the Fishkills, [ Signed : 
 
 this day, October 10th. f Peter DuBois, 
 
 Jacobus Van Wtck, 
 John Bailey. 
 
 On the evening appointed for the meeting the Ackly House was filled 
 to repletion by eager citizens, all anxious to assist in unravelling the 
 mystery. 
 
 After the meeting was organized, the chairman stated in a few words 
 the object for which they had assembled, and hoped if there was any 
 gentleman present who could throw light on the subject, he would 
 without delay take the floor. Silence prevailed for some time, when 
 an odd specimen of humanity named Jake Bunce accepted the invita- 
 tion to speak. Jake was well known to the community around as a 
 great blower. He seldom, if ever, dealt in facts, and was never more 
 happy than when he could find some one to listen to his incredible 
 yarns, of which he possessed a never-failing supply. 
 
 On any other occasion Jake as a public speaker would not have been 
 tolerated, but such was the anxiety for information as to the mysteri- 
 ous Hghts, that Jake's faihng for the time was entirely overlooked. 
 
THE MOVING LIGHTS. 107 
 
 There is an old saying, " Give every one his due "; we can, therefore, 
 in obedience to this wise injunction, truly say that Jake really possessed 
 a few rare gifts. He had a ready utterance, an unusual amount of as- 
 surance, and could ingratiate himself into the good opinion of those 
 who knew him not, with a readiness that, to say the least, was sur- 
 prising. 
 
 Jake commenced his speech — or, more properly, his harangue — by 
 informing the audience that he was thoroughly posted on the lights. 
 It was a subject, he said, that had commanded his attention from earli- 
 est infancy. No word in the English language, he added, was sus- 
 ceptible of so many definitions as this word — Light. In all cultivated 
 societies men of experience and genius were regarded as standing lights. 
 His most intimate friends, he was happy to say, were generally com- 
 posed of this class of citizens. Here Jake was called to order by the 
 chair, and requested to confine his remarks to the lights on Fox Hill. 
 
 The speaker apologized for the slight digression. He said the sub- 
 ject was so stupendous that his mind had wandered a little and failed 
 to comprehend the dignity and vastness of the occasion. He would 
 now, however, come down to facts concerning the subject such as had 
 fallen under his own observation. 
 
 Jake then proceeded to say that no later than last night he had been 
 on Fox Hill, and had there witnessed a sight he hoped never to see 
 again ; for, he said, on gaining the summit of the hill, the first things 
 that met his view were four men standing on their heads, and opposite 
 to each man's face was what appeared to him a human skull, and under, 
 each skull were live coals of fire, which glared at him so furiously 
 through the different eye-holes, that he was obKged to hide his face 
 and hold on to a tree to prevent falling. After awhile he mustered 
 courage to look again, when the scene was entirely changed. Then he 
 saw four villainous-looking fellows sitting around a table on which 
 stood a bright light. Each man wore a military cap with a red feather ^ 
 and each had a drawn sword in his hand. They were smoking from 
 pipes which he thought were about three feet long, and the smoke as 
 it rose among the tree-tops became the color of blood. After a little 
 further time one of the men took from the table a paper, which he com- 
 menced to read. The paper looked very much soiled — just as though 
 it had been a long time in the earth, Jake said. He could make out a 
 
108 ' THE MOVING LIGHTS. 
 
 word now and then. He distinctly heard the reader say "Captain 
 Kidd," and he made up his mind at once that the fellows had got on 
 the track of Captain Kidd's treasure. He thought he would get a ht- 
 tle nearer so as to hear better, when he incautiously trod on a dry stick 
 which cracked beneath his weight, when, in a moment, the four men 
 started to their feet, and one of them sung out in a stentorian voice, 
 " Wliat demon approaches ? " Jake said he was for a moment or two par- 
 alyzed with fear ; his hair stood erect, perspiration oozed from him at 
 every pore, and all the endearments of home rushed like a foaming tor- 
 rent on his bewildered senses. He concluded, however, to make one grand / 
 effort for his life. As he was about to run he heard a voice shouting 
 what he thought must have been Latin, as he distinctly heard the 
 words, " Higho, cambo, hoho, rally, go it ! " "Whereupon he started 
 down the hill with all the speed he could muster. As he rushed ahead 
 it appeared to him that the spirits of aU the defimct animals that ever 
 lived and died on Fox HUl were after him. Foxes glared on him from 
 every bush ; wild-cats kept pace with him, keeping up a terrific yell ; every 
 tree-top was alive with squirrels who sung out something like " Ketch- 
 em." Serpents of enormous length lay coiled in his pathway, and hop- 
 toads in prodigious numbers jumped around him. Still he rushed on- 
 ward. As he sped along he heard a whisper in his ear say, " Go it, old 
 fellow ; you're some." Then he felt assured that some kind fairy was • 
 aiding his flight. As he reached the open plain he took one look be- 
 hind him, when a sight met his gaze which sent a chill to his heart, for 
 the ground behind him to the distance of a half mile was covered with 
 animals, all kicking, squealing, and jumping in their efforts to overhaul 
 him. He, however, had the good fortime to reach his home in safety, 
 and could assure the meeting he was very thankful for his remarkable 
 dehverance. 
 
 Jake, in conclusion, stated that he had been revolving the matter in 
 his mind the entire day, and had arrived at the opinion that the fellows 
 on the Hill were some of the crew of Captain Kidd's vessel wrecked 
 some 370 years ago when passing through the Highlands. The money, 
 he said, contained in the vessel was no doubt buried on the Hill, and 
 the fellows came back at stated times— say, once every fifty years — to 
 look after the treasure, count it over, and see whether it was all right, and 
 he had no doubt that the present was one of their times of visitation. 
 
THE MOVING LIGHTS. 109 
 
 He regretted lie was unable to impart further information, but he 
 could lay his hand on his head and say, with an approving conscience, 
 that, in this matter, he had done what he could. Whereupon Jake 
 subsided. 
 
 The audience listened to Jake's speech with marked attention ; all, 
 during its delivery, appeared to be speU-bound. When he described, 
 as he did, with frantic gestures and heavy stamps on the floor, the rush 
 of animals after him in his flight down the hill, the chairman's mouth 
 stood ajar, and his eyes strangely protruded, and when Jake had finished, 
 he, the chairman, sat apparently obhvious to all things around. His 
 senses, for the time, had evidently stepped out. After awhile he par- 
 tially aroused, and managed to inquire in a weak voice, " What was the 
 sense of the meeting." To this inquiry silence for some time prevailed. 
 At length the blacksmith of the village, who was a plucky Uttle fellow, 
 named Jim Pluck, arose and said it was time for action. Could this 
 meeting, he asked, sit with folded hands when such doings, as described 
 by Mr. Bunce, were being carried on vtdthin two miles of the village ? 
 His father, he was proud to say, was a Eevolutionary soldier, who 
 fought and bled on Bunker Hill, and as the son of so great a warrior, 
 he was ready at any time, and in any cause, to bleed and die on Fox 
 Hill, or, for that matter, on any other hill. Give him but the force of 
 twenty men, of equal courage with himself, and he would teach this 
 Captain Kidd and his vagrant crew that, being once dead, they had 
 better keep so. 
 
 The plucky speech of Mr. Pluck electrified the audience — the men- 
 tion of Bunker HiU brought every man to his feet. The chairman, in 
 particular, was greatly elevated. Like Eichard the Third he was him- 
 self again. Seizing his old cap he swung it around his head, and in 
 a voice like that of a boatswain of a man-of-war, sung out, " Three 
 cheers for Mr. Pluck ! " And the three cheers were given. 
 
 The drooping spirits of the audience being so greatly revived, they 
 at once resolved that Mr. Pluck be empowered to raise a force of 
 twenty men like himself, and at once piit an end to the strange doings 
 on Fox Hill. 
 
 Leaving Mr. Pluck to organize his force, we proceed to explain the 
 cause of the mysterious lights. 
 
 In the days of which we write, steamboats and railroads were un- 
 
110 THE MOVING LIGHTS. 
 
 known. The old stage-coach was then the only public conveyance, and 
 was then regarded as a great institution. Some two miles south of Fox 
 Hill, on the Albany Turnpike, stood, in those times, a small wayside 
 inn, known as Haight's Tavern, where the stage-horses were watered, 
 and travellers refreshed with a little toddy. 
 
 All hotels, we believe, have been favored with a few " hangers-on," 
 and Haight's Tavern was no exception to the rule, for there, at all 
 hours, could be found two remarkable specimens of the human family, 
 respectively named Hank Smith and Tom Green. 
 
 Hank and Tom, though not members of the legal profession, yet had 
 a strong leaning for the "bar"; for no sooner did a traveller arrive at 
 the inn, than Hank and Tom pushed for the place where toddy was 
 dispensed, and there stood, assuming a very thirsty look, and longing 
 for an invitation to step up and take a nip, which invitation they fre- 
 quently received, but more frequently did not. 
 
 One day two travellers alighted at the inn, who were students, acquir- 
 ing a knowledge of geology. As the students went tapping on the 
 rocks around, they were closely watched by the two loungers. Hank 
 said he knew them York fellows were after something, and he meant 
 to keep his eye upon them. 
 
 One evening, when the students and the loungers were the only per- 
 sons in the waiting-room of the inn, the latter became very inquisitive, 
 and wanted to know of the York fellows what they were looking for 
 all the time among the rocks. The students, thinking to have a little 
 fun with Hank and Tom, asked them if they could keep a secret ; both 
 replied in the affirmative. The students then proceeded to say, in tones 
 scarcely above a whisper, that some forty years before, their grand- 
 father, while passing through that neighborhood, was robbed, of a large 
 amount of gold and silver coin. The robbers were quickly caught and 
 hung ; the last one (as but one was hung at a time), just before he was 
 strung up, said the money was buried on a high hiU a short distance 
 north of Haight's Tavern. They had been looking for the money, and 
 from their observations were satisiied it was buried on Fox Hill. The 
 exact spot they had not yet discovered, but there would be no difficulty 
 in finding it, as they had a book with them, written by a wizard, that 
 gave full directions for finding buried treasure. To carry out these 
 directions would occupy two more weeks, and as they had to go to New 
 
THE MOVING LIGHTS. Ill 
 
 York in the morning, they must defer further search until their return, 
 which would be in fifteen days. They said if Hank and Tom had a 
 mind to look for the money while they were gone, they might have 
 part of the cash, as there was enough for all. 
 
 Hank and Tom's eyes glistened at the prospect of becoming suddenly 
 rich. They declared, if any two fellows could find the money, they 
 were the ones to do it. 
 
 The students, after many words of caution, gave Hank and Tom the 
 following directions for finding the money, which, they said, were 
 taken from the wizard's book : 
 
 Two men were sufficient for the enterprise ; they must be very 
 supple, and have good digestive organs. While looking for the money, 
 their faces must be blackened ; they must wear military hats and red 
 pantaloons ; must be provided vdth four large glass lanterns, and enough 
 hard-boiled eggs to last for two weeks. They must remain fourteen 
 days near where the treasure is buried, and during the time must not 
 speak to any one but themselves. Every night at the going down of 
 the sun they must light the lamps, elevate them on long poles, and keep 
 moving them around until twelve o'clock, when the lights must be 
 extinguished. If these duties were performed regularly, that on the 
 fourteenth night the ghosts of the robbers would drive a white post in 
 the ground directly over the spot where the money is buried. 
 
 Hank and Tom said the directions were very plain, they could re- 
 member every word, and in two weeks they would have the money 
 sure. 
 
 The next morning the students left for New York, and Hank and 
 Tom went to work making preparations to recover the treasure. They 
 had no difficulty in borrowing the military hats ; pantaloons for the oc- 
 casion they made of red flannel, procured four glass stable lamps, and 
 laid in the requisite quantity of boiled eggs, when with faces darkly 
 colored they steered for Fox Hill. 
 
 For thirteen nights Hank and Tom implicitly obeyed the directions 
 given ; on the fourteenth night as they were congratulating themselves 
 their labors were so near at an end, a slight noise attracted their atten- 
 tion ; looking around they saw several men creeping stealthily towards 
 them ; thinking them to be the ghosts of the robbers. Hank and Tom 
 immediately put for Haight's Tavern at a fearful speed ; but in fleet- 
 
112 THE MOVING LIGHTS. 
 
 ness tliey were no match for their pursuers, as they were speedily 
 overhauled, and soon bound hand and foot. Tom and his friend think- 
 ing the ghosts had got them for certain, became so terrified as to lose, 
 for the time, all power of speech, and submitted to their fate -without 
 a struggle. 
 
 As Captain Pluck and his party gazed on the captured men, and 
 saw their mummy-like faces, military hats, and red pantaloons, all con- 
 cluded they had certainly captured Captain Kidd and one of his crew. 
 They, therefore, with high hopes tumbled the prisoners into a wagon 
 waiting at the foot of the hill, and conveyed them with all speed to the 
 village, where they were thrust into Pluck's blacksmith-shop for safe 
 keeping through the night. 
 
 Hank and Tom soon after their imprisonment began to realize how 
 matters stood. After getting rid of their fetters, which they did with 
 but Httle difficulty, they spent the balance of the night in scouring up 
 their visages, using for the purpose the water in Pluck's cooling tub, 
 so that by daylight their faces resumed a natural appearance. 
 
 Early the next morning it began to be rumored abroad that Captain 
 Kidd and one of his crew had been captured ; as soon as the news got 
 fully circulated every house in the village was speedily emptied — men, 
 women, and children poured into the street to get a look at the prison- 
 ers. Even the animals around appeared to have an inkling that some- 
 thing tremendous was about to transpire, for on every chimney-top 
 could be seen at least half a dozen cats, all anxiously waiting to see 
 what the day would bring forth. 
 
 Precisely at 8 o'clock Captain Pluck made his appearance at the shop 
 to bring out the captured men. The crowd around fell back in defer- 
 ence to so great a commander. Pluck saw the eyes of the community 
 well upon him, and felt he was a rising man. Accordingly, with ele- 
 vated f eehngs he unlocked the door of his shop, threw it open, and, in 
 tones of great authority, commanded the prisoners to come forth — 
 when lo ! and behold ! instead of Captain Kidd and his man, who 
 should appear but Hank Smith and Tom Green, the former Pluck's 
 brother-in-law, and the latter his wife's uncle. 
 
 Pluck was a man of nerve, but this scene was too much for him ; he 
 tottered and fell. Luckily he came down in a sitting posture, and 
 landed on the top of his old horse-block, where he sat for a few mo- 
 
THE MOVING LIGHTH. ll3 
 
 ments like one bewildered. Suddenly rising, he inquired of the pris- 
 oners in tones of thunder, " What the dogs were you doing there ? " 
 Hank reckoned he had better answer that question himself. Soon all 
 began to realize there had been a sell somewhere, and concluded it 
 would be best to acknowledge the fact. 
 
 Hank and Tom, however, declared if they ever caught them York 
 fellows around again they'd show 'em a thing or two. After a few 
 hours matters cooled down, and the callage resumed its usual quiet, 
 and so ends the story of the Moving Lights of Fox Hill. 
 
 15 
 
INCIDENTS OF THE REVOLUTION, 
 
 THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. 
 
 'AD a portion of the American army, in the Revolution, 
 
 been encamped at Byrnesville, and had our friend Michael 
 
 Gander been the commanding officer, many stirring events of 
 
 those times would have been recorded other than those already 
 
 written, one of which would have read as follows : 
 
 One of the most nefarious schemes ever conceived or concocted by 
 the mind of man for the capture of Col. Gander, and the annihilation 
 of his gallant army, came to light a few days since. 
 
 Col. Gander, the gentlemanly commander of our troops at Byrnes- 
 ville, as is well known, is a bold and dashing officer, full of pluck and 
 determination. He has been laboring assiduously for months past to 
 get the troops under his command drilled to that point of efficiency so 
 as to march on to the city of New York, clean out the British, and 
 raise the stars and stripes over the metropolis of our State, and so put 
 an end to the further effusion of blood. 
 
 The British had evidently got wind of Col. Gander's bold designs, 
 and knowing if the Colonel got a fair crack at them they would all be 
 knocked into a cocked hat, concluded, in order to avoid so unpleasant 
 a predicament, to station all the Tories at their command on Butter 
 Hill, with the view of directing Col. Gander's attention in that direc- 
 tion, and so relieve the city of New York from the impending crisis. 
 
 But Col. Gander, we are happy to state, proved too old a bird to be 
 decoyed from his pm-pose by so ilimsy an artifice. He witnessed the 
 gathering of the Tories on Butter Hill without a flutter, regarding them 
 as a cowardly set of knaves who could be bought for fifty cents a head, 
 and dear at that, and so kept on drilling his men in warlike evolutions 
 with the unfaltering determination of gobbling up the British in the 
 city of New York. 
 
INCIDENTS OF THE BEVOLUTION. 115 
 
 The Tories, stationed on Butter Hill, numbering five hundred men, 
 took early opportunity to inform Col. Gander that they were open to 
 offers. In fact, they were anybody's men at a moderate price. They 
 had sold themselves to the British for a small consideration, which, like 
 many other considerations, had been squandered in riotous living. They 
 were, therefore, at the time rather hard up in the way of pocket-money, 
 and were greatly in hopes that Col. Gander would send over an offer 
 for their services with the cash, that they might, with a fair show of 
 conscience, enroll themselves under the starry flag of freedom, to " put 
 out " the next day, or as soon after as might be convenient, for other 
 fields of operations. 
 
 The Tories not hearing from Col. Gander in the way desired, and 
 feeling not a little chagrined that they were held so cheaply in a mili- 
 tary point of view, sought to establish a warlike reputation by robbing 
 the hen-roosts and melon patches of the neighboring farmers, in which 
 they displayed great strategic quahties, as many an old rooster and huge 
 melon were carried off to their camp under the cover of night, as tro- 
 phies of war, and confiscated for the corporeal good of the victors. 
 
 The farmers of the neighborhood, getting tired of these nightly in- 
 cursions on their premises, called a meeting to devise measures for the 
 protection of their property and for the punishment of the depredators. 
 The meeting was largely attended, many ladies being, present, who 
 loudly bewailed the loss of some favorite chanticleer, and were fierce in 
 their denunciations of the Tories. The meeting, however, progressed 
 slowly, no one appearing to know what course should be pursued for 
 the suppression of the evil, and the meeting would probably have ad- 
 journed without adopting any measures for relief, had not Betsey Win- 
 ter come to the front. 
 
 Betsey was a lady of huge dimensions. She was esidently built for 
 "war, and was one very few would have cared to encoiiuter when her 
 blood was up. She strode up to the httle table in front of the chair, 
 and with fire in her eye demanded to know of that officer if there was 
 a man around. The chairman, as he caught the eye of Betsey, was dis- 
 posed to dodge the question, but Betsey was not to be put off. She 
 brought her huge fist down on the table with a force that made every 
 window in the room rattle, and demanded for the second time to know 
 if there was a man around. The chairman, pale and trembling, said he 
 
116 INCIDENTS OF THE KEVOLUTION. 
 
 thought there was, when Betsey, with a voice like the rushing of steam 
 from an exploded boiler, said it was a lie, there was not a man around ; 
 if there was, let him stand up and show himself. As no one acceded 
 to Betsey's request by rising, as it would have been a dangerous experi- 
 ment to have done so, Betsey, therefore, in the absence of a man around, 
 gave vent to her pent-up wrath as follows : 
 
 " Do you call this a meetin' for the protection of property ? If you 
 do, permit me to say that I for one want no such protection for any 
 traps of mine. Perhaps you don't know who is a-talking to you ; if 
 you don't, permit me to say that it is one Betsey Winter, what shot a 
 bear when she was only eight years old, and if she lives twenty-four 
 hours longer she will give them thieving Tories a taste of her shooting 
 qualities they will long remember. Now," said Betsey, with a wave of 
 the hand and a stamp of the foot, " I want you fellers, called men, to 
 get out of this place in a hurry, as myself and the other strong-minded 
 women present are going to boss this job." 
 
 The fellers called men did not require a second notice to quit, for as 
 soon as the invitation was given they all pushed for the door, and many 
 of them were kindly assisted in their flight by an encouraging word 
 from Betsey. 
 
 The strong-minded ladies immediately organized a second meeting, 
 wliich proved a tall affair, as the tumult they created was heard for a 
 distance of two miles, and those not knowing the occasion of the up- 
 roar, reported the next morning that during the night there had been 
 an earthquake. Betsey was the first speaker. She advocated, with 
 many a furious gesture and roll of the eye, an immediate descent on 
 the Tories and their extermination root and branch. Other strong- 
 minded ladies followed, and with great eloquence seconded Betsey's 
 proposition, and things for the moment began to look squally for the 
 Tories, when old Mrs. Topheavy — the inventor of the famous sleeping 
 powder — got the floor, and counseled a more moderate course. Her plan 
 was to bake one hundred and fifty loaves of bread, and impregnate 
 them strongly with the sleeping powder, and then present them to the 
 Tories, who, no doubt, from their famished condition, would eat the 
 bread voraciously, which would cause them to fall into a profound 
 slumber that would last for thirty-six hours, when such measures could 
 be taken to secure the Tories as might be deemed best. Mrs. Top- 
 
INCIDENTS OF THE EEVOLTJTION. 117 
 
 heavy's plan, on account of its novelty, was nnanimously approved of, 
 and the meeting adjourned to put the same into execution. 
 
 The next da^- the bread was carefully prepared and sent to the To- 
 ries, who, not having had a square meal for some days, received the 
 same with thanks, and devoured it greedily ; and soon after, through 
 the effects of the powder, they commenced their thirty-six hours' sleep. 
 
 When the ladies were notified by a special messenger, enlisted for 
 the occasion, that the Tories had started on their long nap, they imme- 
 diately set out for the encampment, each carrying a bucket of tar and 
 a bag of feathers. On arriving at the hostile camp they found matters 
 as reported, each Tory being locked fast in the arms of Morpheus, and 
 all indulging in a variety of snoring. After ^-iewing the scene for 
 some time with rapture, and commenting on the various attitudes of 
 the sleepers, they proceeded to give each snorer a covering of tar and 
 a coat of feathers, which feat being accomplished, they marched down 
 the mountain in triumph, well satisfied with the result of their expe- 
 dition. 
 
 When the Tories awoke, after their long nap, they gazed on one an- 
 other in astonishment, and supposing the mountain to be bewitched, 
 they by common consent "took out," and sought refuge among the 
 solitudes of the great West, where they married daughters of the red 
 man, and their descendants are now known as the Modoc Indians. 
 
 This achievement of the ladies not only electrified the country, but 
 received the thanks of Congress, and has justly been regarded by mil- 
 itary men as the most brilliant exploit in the whole Revolutionary 
 struggle. 
 
 When the British in ISTew York heard how their allies, the Tories, 
 had been put to flight by a few strong-minded women, they concluded 
 that that was a game at which two could play. They, therefore, with 
 a view of annihilating Colonel Gander and his command, organized a 
 brigade of strong-minded women, of Tory proclivities, and sent them 
 up the river, with orders to bring back the head of Gander and some 
 portion of the men under his command. 
 
 The brigade set sail with the full determination of making it warm 
 for Colonel Gander and his men, but owing to head winds and other 
 causes the expedition was obliged to stop at several points along the 
 river, where fascinating young men were plenty, and before they 
 
118 IlSrCIDENTS OF THE REVOLUTION. 
 
 reached their destination all the ladies got married, and so the expedi- 
 tion came to naught. 
 
 Colonel Gander kept on drilling his men with the unalterable view 
 of capturing New York. After two years' hard drilling, he concluded 
 his men were perfect in the art of war, and so started for the city of 
 New York, vowing to capture the place or perish in the attempt. His 
 command, however, moved slowly, as at every village they passed 
 through the inhabitants insisted on their staying to dinner, and to attend 
 a ball to be gotten up for their especial honor ; and, owing to many 
 other delays, they did not reach the city until evacuation-day, when 
 they participated in the glorious honor of seeing the British off. 
 
THE GHOST OF BRINCKERHOFFS POND. 
 
 * E are reminded, in a certain place, "that there is nothing 
 . new under the sun." The longer we live, and the more ex- 
 tended our observation becomes, the better we are convinced 
 "^^^a1 of this truth. The discoveries made in the excavation of 
 ancient cities conclusively show that many of the recent inventions, so 
 beneficial to the present age, were well known to the ancients, and 
 which, by the convulsions of nature, were blotted out to be redis- 
 covered, — ^tlius afEording substantial proof that knowledge, ever since 
 the foundations of the earth were laid, hke the tides, has had its ebbs 
 and flows. 
 
 The subject of ghosts, which has lain dormant for at least a gener- 
 ation past, is again keenly agitated ; and the question comes up, as in 
 days of yore, whether a ghost is a veritable institution. 
 
 As for ourself, we candidly confess, we have no desire to discuss 
 so intricate a subject. We greatly prefer that each one should be left 
 free to exercise their own opinion on a matter of such grave import- 
 ance, — ^for upon this subject, as upon all others, much will depend in 
 arriving at a correct conclusion by the stand-point which the investi- 
 gator may occupy. 
 
 We wish the reader, however, to understand we have no disposition 
 to withhold our opinion (seeing opinions are cheap) ; we therefore trust 
 he will not marvel when we say that, in regard to ourself individually, 
 we are a firm believer in ghosts, not that we have had actual proof of 
 their existence, but we were early schooled into that belief, and neither 
 time nor circumstance since have been able to relieve us of the opinion. 
 
 These reflections have been forced upon us by recurring to the ghost 
 which frequented Brinckerhoff's Pond some sixty years ago, an account 
 of which, in these days of ghost-revivals, may not prove unacceptable 
 to the reader. 
 
 Brinckerhoff's Pond is formed by the waters of Fishkill Creek, and 
 
120 THE GHOST 01' BRINCKERHOFF'S POND. 
 
 is distant about eight miles from the Hudson, of which the Creek is an 
 important tributary. 
 
 Many years ago there resided on the bank of Brinckerhoff s Pond an 
 angler of some celebrity, named Frank "Way. Frank by occupation 
 was a shoemaker, but in the Hne of his profession he paid but little re- 
 gard to the understandings of men. He was one who never allowed 
 himself to get in a hurry. " Take your time " was his motto. It was 
 said of him that in early Kfe he selected Cold Spring for a residence, 
 with the intention of carrying on his trade at that place. With this 
 view he there commenced building a shop. The Cold-Springers, while 
 the shop was going up, to encourage him, kept sending him work in 
 the shape of shoes and boots, each containing many a yawning gap to 
 be stopped. Frank thought his labors were sufficiently arduous in at- 
 tending to the erection of his shop. He therefore pitched the various 
 understandings of the Cold-Springers into a corner of the rising edifice, 
 exclaiming at each throw, " Take your time ! " 
 
 Every day the pile of boots and shoes became more elevated, growing 
 in height at least one foot per hour. Frank, as he surveyed the rising 
 mound, became seriously alarmed. He concluded Cold Spring con- 
 tained too many feet for him. Fearing he would be unable to foot up 
 satisfactorily the requirements of the people, he concluded to embark 
 YD. feats of another kind, which he did by increasing the number of feet 
 between himself and the villagers ; for on a dark, stormy night he 
 footed himself out of the place, bequeathing his unfinished shop to his 
 numerous patrons as a return for their overwhelming favors, which 
 Frank no doubt considered a fair transaction, as he asked of them noth- 
 ing to boot. 
 
 Mr. Way, learning that the inhabitants in the vicinity of Brincker- 
 hoff's Pond went barefoot eight months out of twelve, rightly thought 
 that the occasion which caused his abrupt departure from Cold Spring 
 could by no possibility arise in that quarter. He therefore wisely con- 
 cluded to settle among so discreet a people. On visiting the country, 
 so charmed was he with its inhabitants, that he immediately purchased 
 a few acres of land bordering on the Pond ; married a snug httle wife 
 (but in doing this he took his time), and settled himself down, hoping 
 that the calls upon him for professional services in his new quarters 
 would be few and far between. 
 
THE (iHOST OF BRINCKEKHOPF'S POND. 121 
 
 Mr. Way's desii-es in this respect proved in every way satisfactory : 
 in fact, he had everything his own way, for in no way was he troubled 
 with customers. He therefore sought otlier waj's, to him more agree- 
 able, for obtaining a livelihood, which was by angling in the Pond, or 
 in pursuit of game at a place known as the Big Swamp, which was not 
 far from his residence, and through which the Creek flows by numer- 
 ous channels. 
 
 BrinckerhofE's Pond has been a notable fishing-ground from time 
 immemorial,- and, as may be supposed, many a true disciple of Sir Isaac 
 Walton was and is still to be found in the vicinity. Mr. Way, there- 
 fore, did not possess or enjoy the fishing-ground exclusively, as, we re- 
 peat, there were others in the vicinity as well schooled as himself in 
 dealing with the finny tribe. Mr. Way, after becoming domiciled in 
 his new quarters, suggested to the various knights of the fishing-rod 
 the propriety of forming a club to be known as the " Anglers," whose 
 object should be the better development of the science for taking fish. 
 Most of the experts in the neighborhood heartily seconded the propo- 
 sal ; others, however, kept aloof, imagining the movement smelt rather 
 fishy. 
 
 A club was, however, formed, and Mr. Way, in consideration of be- 
 ing the projector, was elected its President. The club met weekly in an 
 upper room over the store, which stood in those days near the old Mill. 
 The debates of the club were exceedingly interesting ; its members being 
 occupied when in session in seeing who could tell the biggest fish story. 
 Among the members of the club was one Jim Piirdy. Jim was not 
 only a shrewd fisherman, but was capital at telhng a story. Whenever 
 called upon to relate his aquatic experiences before the club, he would 
 commence on fish, but he invariably travelled ofE on ghosts. One night 
 Jim was unusuially eloquent. After graphically describing a new 
 method for spearing suckers, he further enlarged the knowledge of 
 the club by a vivid description of a ghost, which, according to his tell, 
 had in days gone by been a terror to the early settlers of the place. 
 The President of the club, Mr. Way, not being cognizant of Jim's fail- 
 ings, grew a httle nervous, and, long before Jim had concluded his 
 starthng narrative, he began to wonder how he should get home, as 
 Jim, either through accident or design, had located some of the worst 
 doings of the ghost directly in his homeward track. 
 16 
 
122 
 
 On the adjournment of the club Mr. Way solicited Jim to accompany 
 him part of the way home. Jim, though not noted for much courage 
 after nightfall, felt on that particular evening unusually brave; he 
 therefore readily consented to accommodate the President. 
 
 As the two journeyed onward, Jim's conscience either began to up- 
 braid him for the terrific yarn he had that evening spun, or else some 
 portion of the President's fear had been communicated to him by mes- 
 meric influence, for it was evident that his courage was fast oozing 
 away. As they passed over the bridge which spans the Pond, Jim cast 
 his eye on the water, when what should meet his astonished gaze but a 
 tall white figure slowly ascending the stream in a little skiff. Jim sung 
 out at the top of his voice, " A ghost ! a ghost ! " and started off like 
 an affrighted deer, closely followed by the President, who, on that oc- 
 casion, neglected to take his time. Terror lent the twain astonishing 
 motive power, for in about two minutes they reached the dwelling of 
 the President, full a half a mile distant. 
 
 Mr. Way strongly urged Jim to remain with him during the night, 
 as he felt the need of a little protection. As Jim was afraid to return, 
 he kindly consented to stop, which, of course, made the arrangement 
 mutual. 
 
 For several days after the occurrence of the events just described, 
 neither Way nor Purdy could think or talk of anything except the 
 ghost into whose hands they had so nearly fallen. The people around, 
 however, paid but little attention to their flaming story, concluding they 
 had imbibed a little too freely of the " good cheer " while at the club, 
 and, of course, were in a condition to see a ghost, or in fact anything 
 else. 
 
 But in the course of the following week an old gentleman by the name 
 of Brundage, while passing over the bridge at a late hour of the night, 
 saw this same apparition. This corroborative testimony somewhat 
 startled the good people of the vicinity, and they began to think a real 
 ghost might be around. They therefore concluded it was high time 
 to look into the matter. A committee was accordingly appointed to 
 investigate — they were provided with firearms, and instructed to re- 
 main on the bridge through the night, but not to use their weapons 
 except in self-defence. 
 
 The committee, in accordance with the directions given them, took 
 
THE GHOST OI' BKINCKERHOFF'S POND. 123 
 
 their stand on the bridge at an early hour of the evening, to await the 
 coming of the ghost. As hour after hour flitted away, and no appear- 
 ance of the ghost, the committee began to agitate the question of retir- 
 ing. While discussing the matter, a rippling sound was heard, as the 
 moving of paddles, and in a few moments a little skiff hove in sight, 
 in which stood a tall figure habited in white. The committee gave one 
 look at the advancing figure, and then hastily skedaddled, concluding 
 they had seen enough of the ghost to make a favorable report. 
 
 There wei'e, however, other eyes, that night, on the ghost which fol- 
 lowed its movements, saw it when it left the old Mill, and witnessed its 
 return. 
 
 When it became known that the Mill wa;s frequented by a ghost, 
 great was the consternation of the inhabitants in the vicinity. 
 
 An old woman by the name of Dingee, who had had some corn ground 
 at the Mill a few days previous, gave out word that her meal was be- 
 witched. The Doctor of the place concluded it was high time for him 
 to interfere. He instructed the inhabitants to eat no more suppawn 
 made from meal ground at the Mill. As the inhabitants of that section, 
 in those days, ate nothing but suppawn, and as there was no other mill 
 in the vicinity, those of them who obeyed the Doctor's injunctions, as 
 may be supposed, became hard up for provender. 
 
 Luckily, before any deaths ensued from starvation, the great mystery 
 was imra veiled. 
 
 Lest the reader should suppose we are drawing too strongly on the 
 imagination, we beg leave to remind him that the events we are de- 
 scribing occurred more than half a century ago, when the mind of man 
 everywhere partook greatly of the marvellous. 
 
 In confirmation of this fact we need only point to some portions of 
 the early history of New England. And those who may be curious on 
 this point need only to pursue man's record still further iii the past to 
 find that superstition on almost every page has written her name in 
 characters of blood. But to proceed. 
 
 The ghost proved to be the miller's daughter. She was a somnam- 
 bolist, which fact, it appeared, had been strictly kept within the knowl- 
 edge of her friends. Eecently, while in that state, she had taken a 
 fancy for excursions on the Pond, which freak she had been able to in- 
 dulge in without her absence from home being discovered. 
 
124 THE GHOST OF BKINCKERHOFF'S "POM). 
 
 The miller, when he heard of the ghost, rightly conjectured who the 
 ghost was, and took immediate measures to arrest the fears of the 
 people; for many of them had already fled panic-stricken, strewing 
 the highways with numerous household utensils dropped in their onward 
 flight — and still there were others who threatened an early departure. 
 
 The miller, in order to allay the excitement and prove the ghost was 
 harmless, invited several of his friends (more in the capacity of wit- 
 nesses) to assist him in keeping an eye to the ghost's movements. After 
 watching for several nights, the miller's daughter, while in a somnam- 
 bulistic state, was seen to leave her dwelling, habited entirely in white, 
 and to enter the Mill. In a few moments she reappeared with the 
 paddles of the skiff, which were there kept when not in use, and pro- 
 ceeded to the Pond, arriving at the point where the little vessel lay 
 moored. Stepping into the boat, she rapidly disappeared on the 
 waters. 
 
 After an hour's absence she returned to the place from whence she 
 had embarked, when, replacing the paddles in the Mill, she proceeded 
 home, wholly unconscious she had been abroad. 
 
 Measures were at once taken to prevent the recurrence of her noc- 
 turnal excursions, and thus the ghost of Brinckerhoff's Pond, like all 
 other ghosts, made but a short-lived sensation. 
 
A CHAPTER ON GENEALOGIES. 
 
 p^' HE occupations of our fathers were comparatively limited. 
 Turning up tlie soil, doctoring, divinity, a little of the law, 
 W- and a Kmited knowledge of mechanics, filled up their measure 
 of usefulness. But in these latter days science has intro- 
 duced to the world a variety of occupations unknown in the past. 
 Those two comparatively modern discoveries — steam as a motive power, 
 and the magnetic telegraph — give steady and profitable employment to 
 many thousands, to say nothing of the vast number of minor inventions 
 which, in their separate spheres, have opened up new fields of labor to 
 the human family. 
 
 There is apparently no limit to human ingenuity ; for notwithstand- 
 ing the many new employments so recently given to the world, in- 
 ventors keep constantly at work in bringing forth fresh enterprises. 
 Our old friend. Herring, who had an office on Broadway, over the door 
 of which the word "Heraldry" stands conspicuous, belongs to this 
 noble class of workers. He is a man of genius, and has recently dis- 
 tinguished himself in discovering a new field of science wherein to 
 exercise his talents and put money in his purse. 
 
 Not having seen my old friend for a long time, and having learned 
 he was very prosperous in his new line of business, and as I have a 
 hankering after prosperous men, I thought I would call on him and 
 renew our acquaintance. On entering his office I felt a little nervous 
 as to what my reception might be ; but as soon as my old friend caught 
 sight of ine, he rushed towards me in a friendly manner, seized my 
 hand and shook it cordially, exclaiming, " How are you, old boy ? you 
 are just the very chap I wish to see." T found my old friend wonder- 
 fully communicative. His business, he said, was a great success. It 
 consisted in tracing out and writing up genealogies for such families as 
 
126 A CHAPTEE ON GENEALOGIES. 
 
 had recently acquiTed wealth and who desired to make a big show in 
 the world. Every family, he remarked, that desired to get into fashion- 
 able society — no matter how wealthy they might be — must have the 
 right pedigree, and when it was clearly established that a family had 
 descended from a long Hne of illustrious ancestors — no matter what 
 may have been their mode of life — their admission into the aristocratic 
 circles was made easy and secure. His business, he repeated, was to 
 trace out the genealogies of families whose antecedents were rather 
 cloudy ; to touch up the fathers and grandfathers for generations back 
 and make them to appear as having been big fellows in their day and 
 generation ; and if he made a few errors now and then, it was always 
 on the right side that he erred, and he had the satisfaction of knowing 
 that he pleased his patrons, and they paid him well. 
 
 My old friend, after adding fresh fuel to his pipe, and stepping into 
 an adjoining closet to refresh himself with something not altogether 
 water, continued his remarks : " You see," said he, " there is old Eose- 
 bud, who kept a junk-shop in Old Slip for a number of years, and 
 there laid the foundation of his vast fortune, came to me about a year 
 ago, and wanted to know if I could give him a genealogy of his family 
 that would enable his wife, sons, and daughters to gain an entrance into 
 tip-top society. Of course I questioned the old man as to his antece- 
 dents, of which, I soon discovered, he knew but little. Who his father 
 was or where he was born, had entirely escaped his mind. In fact, he 
 knew nothing of his family history that would be of any service in 
 tracing out their genealogy. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, I told 
 the old fellow that the Kosebud family stood very high in feudal times, 
 and I had no doubt he was descended from those gay old cavaliers 
 whose reputation for mighty deeds was stiU fragrant in history, and I 
 felt positive if allowed plenty of time, I could furnish him a genealogy 
 equal to the best, and such as would make his family acceptable guests 
 in the houses of our nobility. But, as I had to work out the whole 
 thing myself, the charges would be pretty steep, — $5,000 would be my 
 lowest price, which, in consideration of the time and labor the matter 
 would reqiure, was exceedingly low. The old gentleman remarked 
 that the price was pretty big, but if the thing was done up bunkum, he 
 would not begrudge the money, and so told me to go to work, and if I 
 wanted any money down, to say the word and I should have it. Think- 
 
A CHAPTER ON GEKEALOGIES. 127 
 
 ing a bird in the hand was wortli two in the bush, I told Eosebud that 
 a Httle of the needful would come very acceptable, as I had a number 
 of bills about maturing, and if he could send me around a cheek for 
 $2,500, ' he would place me under great obligations.' " 
 
 Here a party of ladies came in to inquire the price of genealogies. 
 They were told that a genealogy from fair to middling would cost 
 $1,500, something tip-top would be worth $5,000, but a regular 
 "sneezer" could not be had for less than $7,000. A bright-looking 
 Miss among the party, who looked as though she would make short 
 work of a fellow's cash if she had the opportunity, replied they would 
 consult papa about the matter and call again. 
 
 After the ladies had departed my old friend continued his remarks : 
 " Well, you see, the next morning Rosebud sent me around a check 
 for $2,500, and so I went to work. In about four hours I filled sixty 
 pages of foolscap with the history of the Eosebud family. I made the 
 fathers, the grandfathers, and all the other fathers of the name mighty 
 in war and in other deeds, and now and then, to vary matters, I mar- 
 ried off a few of the women folks to counts and dukes of noble blood. 
 "When I had finished the document I stowed it away, for it would not 
 have done to have let the old fellow know that the thing was so easily 
 managed. After the lapse of six months, I sent word to Eosebud that his 
 genealogy was finished, and if he would appoint some evening, I would 
 come around and read it to his family. The next morning I received a 
 note from him requesting me to call around that evening with the docu- 
 ment, as his family were very anxious to learn who and what they were. 
 
 " Accordingly, about eight o'clock that evening, I made my appear- 
 ance at the Eosebud mansion, armed with the sixty pages of foolscap 
 containing the Eosebud family history. My reception was gorgeous. One 
 colored gentleman opened the door to admit me, another colored gen- 
 tleman took my hat and cane, and a third colored gentleman swung 
 open the door of the reception-room, and indicated, with an irreproach- 
 able smile, that my way led in that direction. I took the hint and en- 
 tered the room, where I found the Eosebud family assembled. The 
 old man Eosebud arose and greeted me heartily, and then presented 
 me to his family, saying, ' This is the great genealogist, and this is my 
 wife, Jerusha Ann, and these are my two daughters, Jemima and Cypri- 
 anna, and here are my two sons, Hezekiah and Aminadab.' I shook hands 
 
128 A CHAPTER ON GENEALOGIES. 
 
 cordially with the gi'oup, and, after indulging in a few complimentary 
 remarks, observed that the reading of their family history would occupy 
 some time, and if I might be allowed I would proceed to give them the 
 result of my labors. 
 
 " The old man Kosebud immediately touched a bell, which called into 
 the room a fourth colored gentleman, who was instructed to wheel an 
 arm-chair under the chandelier, into which, by request, I seated myself, 
 and commenced the reading of the genealogy. As I read along, I could 
 hear some member of the family occasionally exclaim : ' Wonderful ! ' 
 ' Very wonderful ! ' When I had finished the reading I was warmly 
 applauded, and each member of the family declared that the genealogy 
 was cheap at any price. I advised the old gentleman to have it printed 
 in pamphlet form, and to send a copy to his select friends, and, as the 
 watering season had arrived, it would be policy to take his family at 
 once to some fashionable resort, and if I might be allowed I would 
 recommend Codger Lake, which our best families generally patronized. 
 I cautioned the family, while at the Lake, about making acquaintances 
 too easily. If they wished to be respected they must stand upon their 
 dignity. But it would be necessary to fee the waiters liberally, and 
 when they got fairly installed, I would run down and introduce them 
 to some of the notable families that might be present." 
 
 Here my old friend was again interrupted by the entrance of a gen- 
 tleman and lady, who inquired if they could have a genealogy made 
 out by 12 o'clock the next day, and what would be the cost ? They 
 were informed that genealogies ranged in price all the way from 
 $1,500 to $7,000. The visitors expressed considerable surpiise at 
 the prices named. They said they wanted an article not to cost over 
 $1,000. My old friend said that if that was the best they could do he 
 would have to accommodate them. But "a $1,000 genealogy," he 
 observed, " would be a weak document, as it would only admit you into 
 second-rate society." The visitors thought they could make it answer 
 their purpose, as they were not particularly ambitious, and after deposit- 
 ing $500, to show they meant business, and leaving their address with 
 a few outlines of their history, they departed with the understanding 
 that at 2 o'clock the next day their genealogy would be ready for de- 
 livery. 
 
 After bowing his visitors out, my old friend resumed his narrative : 
 
A CHAPTER ON GENEALOGIES. 129 
 
 " You see," said he, " about ten days after my visit at the Eosebuds' 
 I received a letter from the old man, stating that himself and family 
 were at Codger Lake, and were having a big time. He said he had 
 been in bathing several times with a lot of boys, and he thought the 
 waters of the Lake must have great healing properties from the way he 
 had been revived up. The old gentleman gave me a pressing invita- 
 tion to run down to the Lake, and enjoy his hospitality. His wife, he 
 said, was very anxious to be introduced to a few big-bugs who were 
 there, and who were making a tremendous spread, and as I had so 
 kindly volunteered to introduce his family to the ' ujjper-tendom ' that 
 might visit the Lake, he hoped I would put in an appearance at an 
 early day." 
 
 Here my old friend indulged in an inward chuckle for a moment or 
 two, and then resumed : " You see," said he, " when I got that letter I 
 thought it was all up with me, as I did not know, as far as I could 
 judge, a single family at the Lake, rich or poor. But after awhile I 
 thought of my friend Jones, who is a great ladies' man, and intimately 
 acquainted with all the wealthy families in the city. So I sent for 
 Jones and explained to him how matters stood. Jones said the thing 
 could be easily managed. If I would loan him $200, he would go 
 down and survey the ground and then write me. Of course I had to 
 fork over the $200, and the next day Jones started for the Lake. Three 
 days after his departure, I received a letter from him stating that he 
 had got everything satisfactorily arranged, and I must come down the 
 next day, if possible. So I telegraphed Jones that he might expect 
 me down the next day, by the morning train, without fail." 
 
 Here my old friend paused for a moment, and then said, as though 
 commiming with himself : " Confound that fellow Jones, he is a hard 
 one." Then looking intently at me, he continued : " Do you know he 
 told all the big fellows at the Lake that I was coming down there on a 
 certain day to take notes of what was going on, so as to write up the his- 
 tory of the principal families at the Lake, which I intended publishing 
 in book form, and hinted that those who desired to be favorably noticed 
 in my forthcoming book would do well to pay me marked attention ! 
 
 " When I arrived at the Codger Lake depot the next day, I was sur- 
 prised at the immense crowd awaiting the arrival of the train, but lit- 
 tle thought that I was the cause of the immense gathering. As I 
 17 
 
IBO A CHAPTER ON GENEALOGIES. 
 
 stepped from the cars cheer after cheer rent the air, when Jones came 
 rushing up to me and whispered : ' They are cheering you, old fellow.' 
 ' The dogs they are,' said I. ' Yes,' said he, ' you are the man they are 
 after, and you will have to make a speech.' With that he waved his 
 hand, which immediately stilled the crowd, when he sung out: 
 ' Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce to your favorable con- 
 sideration. Professor Julius Herring, genealogist and fellow of the 
 Deep Water Exploring Society, O. K. and C. O. D.,' whereupon the 
 crowd became perfectly wild, and in order to quiet them, I was obliged 
 to make a speecli, and so far as my recollection serves, I said something 
 about as follows : 
 
 " ' Ladies and Gentlenaen : I thank you most heartily for this enthu- 
 siastic reception, so entirely unlooked-for and unexpected. I am aware 
 that it is not the man that calls forth your enthusiasm, but the knowl- 
 edge that lies within him. I would say to the youthful part of this 
 audience, particularly the small boy, who is kicking up such an infer- 
 nal racket, that the world still moves, and every-day science is develop- 
 ing some new field, calling for youi* investigation and stxidy. When I 
 remember that I commenced life poor and friendless, at the lowest 
 round of the ladder, and then reflect on my present exalted condition I 
 feel amply repaid for my long years of toil and investigation in the 
 various pursuits of knowledge, and I sincerely trust that among the 
 youthful portion of this audience, I may have many successful imita- 
 tors. Ladies and gentlemen, I again sincerely thank you for this en- 
 thusiastic reception, and can lay my hand on my fluttering heart, and 
 say with unblemished confidence that this is the proudest moment of 
 my hfe.' 
 
 " After concluding my speech, I was obliged to stand for nearly two 
 hours on the platform at the depot, shaking hands with the crowd. 
 First came a long line of elderly matrons, who were profuse in their 
 compliments. Then followed an innumerable number of young ladies 
 ladened with bewitching smiles. As they passed before me, each of 
 them presented me with a bouquet, and requested that they might be 
 favorably noticed in my forthcoming publication. When the hand- 
 shaking was over, and the crowd around me had somewhat thinned 
 out, the Eosebud family made a rush for me. The old man Rosebud 
 shook me cordially by the hand, and said that that speech of mine, 
 
A CHAPTEE ON GENEALOGIES. 131 
 
 though short, was the best thing he had ever heard. The two daugh- 
 ters, Jemhna and Cyprianna, each planted a fervent kiss on my dam- 
 ask cheek. But the old lady was evidently standing on her dignity, as 
 she only extended to me one of her jeweled fingers, which I touched 
 with becoming grace." 
 
 Here my old friend paused to moisten his throat, as his voice was 
 becoming husky, which feat being accomplished, he resumed his inter- 
 esting tale : " You see," said he, " as soon as I got up to the hotel I discov- 
 ered that I had made a fearful blunder in alluding in my speech to my 
 worldly prosperity, as about forty ladies flocked around me, each one 
 asking aid for some charitable undertaking. One enthusiastic dame 
 gave me the important information that her church was in a staggering 
 condition, and needed $100,000 to place it securely on its feet. An- 
 other good lady said she was one of ten faithful laborers who were col- 
 lecting funds to foimd a college to elucidate the highest branches of 
 knowledge, and where everything should be free to all comers, not 
 only education, but food and raiment, medical attendance, carriage-hire, 
 hair-oil, and, in fact, every other good thing, so as to enable the aspi- 
 rants after knowledge to step along easy. I was on the point of telling 
 this most excellent lady I was fearful that the college she had in con- 
 templation would only fiu-nish us with a few more fancy men and 
 women, with which the world, just at present, was considerably over- 
 stocked ; but fearing to get the worst of the argument, I wisely for- 
 bore. 
 
 " Knowing I was in for it, as there was no line of retreat open, I 
 commenced putting my name down for $1,000 on each subscription 
 paper, in the order they were presented. After I had affixed my sig- 
 nature to twenty-seven of those interesting missions, thus parting with 
 $2T,000 of my hard earnings, I suddenly became dizzy, and I was 
 obliged to tell those ladies who had not had an opportunity to present 
 their claims, that I would be ready on the morrow to resume my char- 
 itable bequests ; whereupon I was set at liberty and escorted to my 
 room by a dozen colored waiters, who took occasion to inform me that 
 they, too, were engaged in various charitable enterprises, and hoped I 
 would give them a hearing as soon as I became refreshed up a little. 
 Of course I promised the sable gentlemen that they should be attended 
 to, but for the. present I would prefer to be a little quiet. 
 
132 A CHAPTER ON GENEALOGIES. 
 
 "That evening I had a private conference with Jones, and told 
 him if he would take the Eosebud family under his wing and intro- 
 duce them around, I would make him a present of the $200 I had 
 loaned him, and add another $200 to it. Jones said it was a bargain, 
 whereupon I forked over the extra amount, and that night, when the 
 midnight train came along, I put out — having had enough of Codger 
 Lake." 
 
 Here I asked my old friend what he was going to do about the sub- 
 scriptions he had obligated himself to pay, but before he could answer 
 we were interrupted by the entrance of several colored ladies, who de- 
 sired to know (addressing Herring) if he had any colored genealogies 
 for sale. My old friend informed his visitors that he had " just com- 
 menced the investigation of Africa, which," he said, "was originally 
 settled by a very worthy gentleman by the name of Ham, and he 
 thought from the complexion of his visitors that they were descendants 
 of that enterprising citizen." As he was proceeding to eulogize the 
 second son of Noah, I took advantage of the open door and slipped 
 out, wondering greatly at the gullibility of the human race. 
 
ABEL WAY; 
 
 OR, 
 
 POLITICAL DOINGS IN THE 'OLDEN TIME.' 
 
 HE Way family are of ancient date, but at what precise 
 period of the world's history they appeared on the stage of 
 action has never been satisfactorily determined. But from re- 
 liable information we are able to state that they figured con- 
 spicuously in the Norman conquest, as the historian of that period 
 makes mention of them in many honorable ways. 
 
 The origin of the family name, however, is somewhat mystiiied. 
 Many able writers have given the subject a careful consideration, and 
 contend, with much show of plausibility, that the early fathers of the 
 race were always around when matters of importance were being trans- 
 acted, and at such times were always in the way, acting as a sort of wet 
 blanket on all schemes to promote the public welfare — hence the origin 
 of the name. 
 
 But other writers of equal note, entitled to a like credence, contend 
 that the original Ways were supple men, adepts in the art of getting 
 out of the way at such times when the sheriff or constable would be 
 pleased to make their acquaintance. 
 
 But still other investigators of larger charity and of equal celebrity, 
 contend that the original Way was a man of great weight and influence ; 
 one who could originate ideas, and from the happy way he possessed of 
 imparting his views to others, managed on all public occasions to have 
 his own way, and so finally became known as the Great Original Way 
 — which cognomen rightfully descended to his vast posterity. 
 
 The writer has the unspeakable happiness of remembering among his 
 acquaintances many members of the Way family ; men of wide distinc- 
 
134 ABEL WAY ; OK, POLITICAL DOINGS IN THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 tion, whom he has consulted in reference to the opinion expressed 
 above, and finds that the latter view as to the origin of the family name 
 is universally accepted by them. Therefore he feels free to express the 
 opinion that the Way family, in generations past, in their respective 
 communities, exercised vast influence for good, and he hopes the ways 
 of the family may continue in the future as in the past, shedding light 
 and wisdom on the human race. 
 
 Mr. Abel Way, who flourished in the early part of the present cen- 
 tury, and of whom we shall have occasion to speak more particularly 
 hereafter, was a representative Way — a true type of the founder of the 
 family name. The community blessed with the wisdom and example 
 of Abel, had their rendezvous, or habitation, near what is now known 
 as the "White Bridge," which spans the Fishkill Creek some two 
 miles east of Fishkill village. Here Abel, at the commencement of 
 the preseut century, and for a few years anterior thereto, exercised his 
 influence for good on the community around ; and it is said that his 
 wise counsels — carefully transmitted down — still exercise a visible and 
 beneficial effect on the people of tliat neighborhood. 
 
 Not far from the White Bridge, and but a few steps from the present 
 residence of Isaac Sherwood, a prominent and well-known citizen, stood 
 at the close of the Revolutionary war, a small building occupied as a 
 store, which, at the time, was kept by one Hugh Conner, a merchant 
 of some celebrity in his day. Conner continued the proprietor of the 
 store until 1806, when he was succeeded by Eobert Swartwout, a gen- 
 tleman of the old school, possessing great suavity of manners, but who, 
 unfortunately for his worldly prosperity, had too large a faith in the 
 integrity of his feUow-men — as in order to draw trade, and make what 
 is known as a business splurge, he gave unlimited credit to his numer- 
 ous patrons, who were not slow to take advantage of so glorious an op- 
 portunity of laying in supplies, for they soon relieved Robert of his stock 
 in trade — cleaned him out — which obligations, when called upon to 
 cancel, they found it easier to repudiate than to liquidate, thereby caus- 
 ing the aforesaid Robert financially to explode, and to retire somewhat 
 crestfallen to less hazardous pursuits. In after years, in referring to his 
 failure, Robert was wont to say that his " bust-up " was the largest that 
 had ever occurred in Dutchess County, which achievement he undoubt- 
 edly thought reflected great credit on his mercantile career. 
 
ABEL WAY ; OB, POLITICAL DOINGS IN THE OLDEN TIME. 13S 
 
 When Conner was proprietor of the store, it was the resort of some 
 of the most prominent men of that section, who there frequently met 
 for the purpose of arranging election matters and to discuss topics of 
 puhlic interest. The place at the time was known as the Dog's Nest, 
 from the fact that each visitor, when on public business, was accom- 
 panied by one or more dogs, who acted as a sort of body-guard to 
 their respective masters. It frequently happened that, when the Jiu- 
 man visitors became somewhat heated in debate, and things looked 
 threatening, the dogs, animated by a like spirit of rivalry, took the op- 
 portunity to pitch into one another, which generally led to a universal 
 set-to by both masters and dogs. These interruptions to the regular 
 business, however, were of short duration, as during the melee some 
 one of the party, having a conciliatory spirit, would offer to stand treat, 
 which acted on the belligerents like magic, causing an immediate sus- 
 pension of hostilities, each man being pronounced a good fellow ; dogs, 
 ditto. 
 
 Among the notables in political affairs who frequented the old store, 
 was Abel "Way (already introduced). Abel was, in a certain sense, a 
 philanthropist ; not that he had any worldly goods to bestow on the 
 unfortunate, for in matters of finance he stood at low-water mark. He 
 was a borrower, not a lender. But Abel, fortunately for his pecuniary 
 matters, was blessed with a thrifty wife ; one of those bustling little 
 women who look well to the ways of the household. On Mondays 
 Abel's spouse exhibited her vast powers. She was then in her element, 
 for she threshed around in the various household duties like a steam- 
 engine worked to its full capacity. The weekly wash on those days 
 flaunted in the breeze long before the orb of day rose above the horizon, 
 and the subsequent hours were devoted to scrubbing, scouring, and to 
 the piling up of an endless war of words. Abel, on those days, made 
 himseK particularly scarce. He decamped early, for he knew if he 
 Hngered too long around the " social hearth," he would be rewarded for 
 dUatoriness by numerous cracks over the head with a broomstick, or 
 get a copious drenching from the inevitable water-pail, as madam might 
 elect. Therefore, with commendable prudence, when wash-days came 
 around, he made an early departure from domestic scenes, and resorted 
 to his laboratory over the pig-pen (for he was by occupation a corn-doc- 
 tor and tooth-puller), where he studied up the several cases he had then 
 under treatment. 
 
136 ABEL WAY ; OR, POLITICAL DOINGS IN THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 Punctuality was Abel's particular forte. Here his genius shone out 
 ■with peculiar lustre, for every day, if we except Mondays, he failed not to 
 put in an appearance precisely at meal-times. On such occasions he was 
 never too early nor too late, for just as the last smoking dish was placed 
 on the table, and everything was pronounced ready, Abel's shadow in- 
 variably darkened the door. Where the meaJs came from or by what 
 particular process they were furnished, never concerned him, as in all 
 matters of victuals and drink he simply acted the part of consumer. 
 But Abel, as a feeder, had many good points ; for when seated at din- 
 ner or at any other meal, his operations were conducted on the most ap- 
 proved principles for governing the appetite. His invariable rule, one 
 well worthy of imitation, was to seat himself just two inches from the 
 table, and eat until his corporal parts touched the social board, when 
 with commendable self-denial, he immediately suspended operations. 
 By this method he kept his head clear and his digestive organs always in 
 working trim. 
 
 But we observed that Abel was a philanthropist, and so he was in 
 the important matters of advice. His opinions, on all subjects within 
 his scope, were given freely, and he was never more happy than when 
 some friend or neighbor was financially distressed, for he then had the 
 opportunity of pointing out to such unfortunates a certain way of 
 relief. He also deeply sympathized with the sick. His rheumatic 
 remedy, some half a century or more ago, was exceedingly popular. ■ 
 As it was composed entirely of gin, slightly colored with pokeberry 
 juice, it had a great run, and proved in many cases, by its stupefying 
 qualities, particularly efiicacious. When patients were loth to take the 
 remedy, fearing it might contain some hurtful substances, Abel gener- 
 ally took a swig from the bottle to show the timorous ones that the 
 article could be imbibed with perfect safety. 
 
 But Abel, as we said, was a corn-doctor and tooth-puller, and for- 
 tunately for distressed humanity, he left behind him his receipts for 
 the cure of these important maladies, which we herewith append : 
 
 " Should the corn be on the toe, cut or saw the toe off, when the corn 
 will immediately disappear and give no further trouble. 
 
137 
 
 'NEW REMEDY FOE THE TOOTHACHE. 
 
 " Should the toothache be only moderate, take a gill of brandy — must 
 be a good article — put the liquor in a pint tumbler, then dump into it 
 a handful of red pepper and four oz. Scotch snuff ; stir the mixture 
 well, and hold the same in the mouth for the space of two hours, or 
 until relief is experienced. Should the toothache be severe; the tooth 
 should be immediately drawn. The following method for drawing 
 teeth will be found both sure and expeditious : Take a good strong 
 cord — say twelve feet long — one end of which tie around the offending 
 tooth and the other end fasten securely to the tail of a skittish horse ; 
 manage to keep the animal steady until the cord is made secure, then 
 fire off a heavily-loaded pistol close to the critter's ears, and at the same 
 time give him a tremendous dig in the ribs with a sharp-pointed rail or 
 pitchfork, when the action of the animal will immediately remove the 
 offending tooth, and the sufferer experience all needful relief." 
 
 Another genius who figured in political affairs in those days was 
 WilKam Cushman, who resided at the time at the junction of the 
 Stormville and Fishkill Hook roads — the site of the present village of 
 Johnsville — where he followed the joint trades of wheelwright and 
 blacksmith. His house and shop were then the only buildings in the 
 immediate vicinity, and were constructed from materials obtained from 
 the barracks erected for the use of our Kevolutionary soldiers when 
 encamped just south of Fishkill village. Cushman, who had served 
 his trade in the old country, was accounted a superior workman, and it 
 is said made the first carriage ever used in what is now known as East 
 Fishkill. 
 
 Cushman and Way were bosom friends ; they frequently exchanged 
 views on the lax condition of public morals, and when particularly 
 exercised -on the subject, as they often were, they lashed with every 
 conceivable epithet the men in power. The town constable, one 
 Frankhn Giles, who was a near neighbor and relative of Way, they 
 lampooned unmercifully, openly charging him with affiliating with 
 rogues of every kind and degree, and accepting bribes from men, who 
 (they observed), in connection with Giles, should be serving their 
 country in the State's prison, or in some other place of confinement. 
 
 Cushman, whenever he could obtain a fair show of auditors, which 
 18 
 
138 ABEL WAY ; OR, POLITICAL DOINGS IN THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 was often the case, as his shop was a public resort, waxed eloquent on 
 the low state of public morals, and contended that the country was on 
 the verge of ruin, and that unless matters were speedily remedied, real 
 estate would sink to the price of one cent per acre, and everything 
 generally go to the dogs. He showed, with much persuasive force, that 
 his friend Way (who was always present on such displays of eloquence) 
 was the proper man to rectify this alarming condition of things and 
 bring back the public morals to the old and approved standard of jus- 
 tice. Way, who on such occasions was not slow to speak, cheerfully 
 coincided in these opinions, and with great show of humility, acknowl- 
 edged that he was the identical man to step into the fearful breach and 
 roll back the tide of corruption which was so fearfully deluging the land. 
 Give him (he said) office, and clothe him with proper authority, and he 
 would soon restore public matters to a sound and healthy condition. 
 He would raise the price of land in a twinkling to an enormous figure, 
 and make food so plenty that his constituents would revel in every 
 luxury and fare sumptuously every day. 
 
 Transported with the prospect of fat living and other luxuries that 
 would undoubtedly be forthcoming, the admirers of Mr. Way deter- 
 mined, after proper consultation, to nominate him for the office of 
 constable at a primary meeting then shortly to be held. They in- 
 formed Abel of the object they had in view, and requested him to 
 keep matters shady, as they were going to surprise the public and do a 
 big thing. Their plan was, on the night of the meeting, after adjourn- 
 ment, to wait on Abel in a body, when Abel should make a rousing 
 speech of acceptance, so worded that the audience, other than those in 
 the secret, would not have the slightest inkling that matters had before- 
 hand been cut and dried. Abel's speech, they said, would be exten- 
 sively r"eported, and create a sensation so profound as to enable their 
 candidate to ride into office on the high waves of popularity. 
 
 Way was highly gratified at the opportunity thus given him for mak- 
 ing a speech, and he determined that his effort on the occasion should 
 be one not easily forgotten. He therefore immediately repaired to 
 his laboratory over his pig-pen to set his ideas in order ; but the obfus- 
 tication of his brain was such that his ideas refused to appear. He 
 therefore resorted for assistance to a learned genius who taught the 
 young ideas how to shoot in the school-house then located on the edge 
 
ABEL WAT ; OR, POLITICAL DOINGS IN THE OLDEIST TIME. 139 
 
 of the -woods — ^l^nown in late years as the Camp-meeting Grove, and 
 owned by Mr. Theodoras Van Wyck, commonly called Uncle Dorus. 
 The pedagogue alluded to was a great light in his day, and contributed 
 more than any other man in laying that mental groundwork which has 
 made the inhabitants of that section, both past and present, so widely 
 celebrated for a knowledge of letters and other Kke kindred attain- 
 ments. When Abel had made his wants known to the distinguished 
 pedagogue, he was soon furnished with the necessary materials for mak- 
 ing a speech, when, with more than ordinary dispatch, he returned to 
 his laboratory to arrange and memorize the same. 
 
 On the evening set apart for his nomination for the highly important 
 office of constable, Abel retired to his downy couch in good season, hav- 
 ing his speech snugly stowed away in his cranium, ready at any moment 
 to fire it off. Some half an hour later, when Madam "Way (who was not 
 in the secret) sought the same place of repose, Abel, though wide-awake 
 as a catfish, was feigning sleep by indulging in an extra amount of 
 snoring. Madam, fearing that her " good man " was seriously ill, as 
 she had never heard his nasal organ play quite so vigorously, eagerly 
 inquired as to the state of his health, to which very simple qiiestion 
 Abel rephed " he was first-rate, as sound as a nut, though rather drow- 
 sy." Madam Way,. being thus comforted, was soon lost in dream-land, 
 from which she was recalled an hour or so later by the most terrible 
 outcries beneath her chamber window, when, with her usual energy, 
 she commenced belaboring Abel over the head, with the request that 
 he would get up and ascertain what was the row. Abel accordingly 
 crawled out, raised the window, and thrust out his head, on which re- 
 posed a fiery-looking night-cap, and demanded to know the cause of 
 such untimely laproar, — to which modest request the spokesman of the 
 -party below, who had also salted down his speech, gave utterance as 
 follows : 
 
 " Mktee Way : The Invincible Bucktails, at a meeting held this 
 evening in that great inspiring stronghold, the Dog's Nest, iinanimously 
 .nominated your excellency for the important office of Constable. Your 
 many friends and ardent admirers, who are here assembled, would be 
 glad to have you express your acceptance of the nomination, and thus 
 add another to the many favors you have already conferred upon an 
 appreciative public." 
 
140 ABEL WAY ; OE, POLITICAL DOINGS IK THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 Whereupon Abel, from his attic-window, where his head stuck out, 
 opened his mouth and rephed as follows : 
 
 " Fellow-Citizens : The honor conferred upon me this evening by 
 the Invincible Bucktails in nominating me for the highly important 
 office of Constable is so entirely unexpected, and so entirely unsought 
 for, that I can hardly express my f eehngs ; in fact, gentlemen, the 
 news comes down upon me like a clap of thunder, and I can scarcely 
 determine whether I am asleep or awake." [Loud cries from those out- 
 side, " You are awake, Abel."] 
 
 " Yes, gentlemen," continued the speaker, " you can truly say I am 
 awake ; for when, permit me to ask, was a true Way ever caught nap- 
 ping ? But, gentlemen, in reference to the nomination tendered me, 
 I would say that this is neither the time nor the hour when men should 
 dodge poHtical responsibilities ; for I conceive it to be the duty of every 
 man of position and influence, in the present juncture of our national 
 affairs, to respond with alacrity to their country's call. Therefore, I 
 cheerfully accept the nomination tendered me ; and, permit me to say, 
 should I be elected, there will be a great scattering among the thieves 
 hereabouts — a regular stampede of the varmints — such as vdll cheer the 
 heart of every honest citizen. But, gentlemen, I trust you will not 
 consider my remarks personal, for, I assure you, I never reflect unjustly 
 on any man or party. But I wish to impress on your minds that in the 
 event of my election, you can count on a wonderful change in public 
 affairs, for every rogue in this section on hearing the news will speedily 
 take to his heels, and a better order of things prevail ; and, what is far 
 better, your hen-roosts and melon-patches will remain inviolate, and 
 honest citizens once more be enabled to retire to rest with an unflinch- 
 ing confidence in the majesty of the law." [Great applause]. 
 
 " Gentlemen, I read upon your banner that strange device, ' Bully 
 for you.' That glorious old motto, those brilliant watchwords, appear 
 to me to-night more cheering than ever ; for, as you well know, they 
 have been our rallying cry in times past — our main reliance when hard 
 pressed by the foe ; and I feel assured that in the coming contest, as in 
 the past, they will lead us on to victory." [Awful screams of " Go it, 
 Abel."] 
 
 " Gentlemen, the enemy with whom you are shortly to measure arms, 
 you have defeated time out of mind ; in fact, your opponents at the 
 
ABEL WAT ; OE, POLITICAL DOINGS IN THE OLDEN TIME. 141 
 
 present speaking are hardly able to collect their scattered forces. 
 Should you make a bold and manly descent upon them at the coming 
 election, you will reap a complete and a decisive victory — one that will 
 reflect credit upon each and every one of you engaged in the contest, 
 and the result will be that your opponents will have been driven like 
 chaff before the tempest." [Another terrific noise.J 
 
 "Now, gentlemen, if you will hold on till I can find- a few of my 
 garments, I will come down, and we will discuss the matter further 
 over a few glasses of punch." 
 
 This announcement caused great rejoicing and many cheers for the 
 eloquent speaker. 
 
 JMadam Way was so overcome on hearing her husband malie a 
 speech that she lost the use of her tongue until the following morn- 
 ing, when she gave Abel an old-fashioned talking to for meddling in 
 politics. 
 
 Friend Way, we regret to say, lost his election. The very men on 
 whom he counted for support — those who cheered him so lustily on the 
 evening of his nomination, were bought up — ^rank and file — by the op- 
 posite party, so that, when the votes were canvassed, Abel was found 
 badly defeated. 
 
 Mr. Way in after-life turned his back on politics and spent his re- 
 maining years in deploring the ingratitude of repubUcs. 
 
ANOTHER HISTORY AVANTED. 
 
 ■ wo histories of Dutchess County have recently been writ- 
 ten by members of the Smith family, both excellent works in 
 their way, and we congratulate the inhabitants of old Dutchess 
 that the Smiths have rescued the early history of their county 
 from oblivion, and placed it upon record where it can be known and 
 read by the generations following. 
 
 The histories alluded to are widely difEerent in many respects ; that 
 given by Philip H. is unpresuming, but well spun ; it simply aims to 
 record facts, and as such will ever prove a valuable work of reference. 
 The other history, by James H., is rather a ponderous publication and 
 highly illustrated. It contains many interesting incidents pertaining 
 to the early settlers of the county not heretofore found in print, which 
 makes the volume of great value to the student of history, and besides, 
 its laudation of sundry great men, who happened to be bom in the 
 county, win stimulate their posterity to be up and doing, so that their 
 physiognomies may also grace some future publication. 
 
 But another Smith is wanted to write up the comic history of the 
 county, for as the reader well knows, there is a comic side to every- 
 thing, and in all matters pertaining to history the comic side is where 
 the laugh comes in. The writer hereof, not knowing any literary 
 Smith, takes this method to call him out — should one be left — and to 
 impress upon him that a third history of the county, to be known as 
 " The Comic History of Dutchess County," is imperatively demanded ; 
 and in order that this forthcoming author may not fail to see the point, 
 we herewith furnish him gratuitously with the material for the first 
 chapter of the much-needed work, as follows : 
 
ANOTHER HISTORY WANTED. 143 
 
 The Comic Histoet of Dutchess County. 
 By Smith No. 3. 
 When the famous Dutch navigator, Hendrick Hudson, sailed up the 
 river that now bears his name, his vessel was beset with ferocious sav- 
 ages from Sandy Hook, until it emerged from the Highlands and en- 
 tered Newburgh Bay, when the rascals all disappeared. This fact 
 teaches us that the atmosphere from the Highlands down, bordering 
 on the river, has a tendency to make men ferocious, and impels them 
 to commit various kinds of peccadilloes. But when Hudson entered 
 Newburgh Bay, he at once realized that he was once more among 
 friends, as not a savage appeared on either shore, and so concluded to 
 remain at anchor for several days to give his crew a much-needed rest, 
 and to repair sails, etc. 
 
 The tribe of Indians at that time inhabiting the lands now embraced 
 within the limits of- Dutchess County, was governed by a Sachem 
 named Tom Beaver, but who more generally went by the name of 
 King Tom. This savage, when quite young, had the misfortune to 
 lose his father, who ruptured a blood-vessel while engaged in a fisticuff 
 encounter with his mother-in-law. So Tom was sent to live with an 
 uncle who kept the Pappoose Hotel, a famous resort for aristocratic 
 Indians, and which stood in a grove near the present site of Glenham. 
 Tom at the hotel served as hall-boy, bootblack, etc., but owing to the 
 mysterious disappearance of many boots from the estabhshmeut, and 
 various clandestine visits to the larder, Tom was dismissed the service 
 and told to move on. 
 
 We will not follow Tom in his various youthful wanderings, as it 
 would require more space than a work of this kind warrants, but it 
 wiU be sufiicient to say in this connection, that when the old King 
 Ompompanoosus died, Tom forged a letter which he placed among the 
 old king's effects, and which was found by the State authorities after 
 the old king's demise, and passed upon as genuine. The letter read as 
 follows : 
 
 To MY DEAE People. 
 
 Having for many years been suffering from many ailments, such as tor- 
 por of the liver, dyspepsia, hay fever, St. Anthony's dance, and other difii- 
 
144 ANOTHER HISTORY WANTEl). 
 
 culties, and having tried various remedies recommended for these complaints, 
 such as asparagus pills, Abram's oil, beeswax syrup, and finding no reUef, 
 I have concluded that I shall soon be laid at rest, and, therefore, would make 
 known to my dear people that I appoint as my successor, my much valued 
 friend, Tom King, who is a most gifted Indian, and I am satisfied will rule 
 you well. 
 
 Your loving ruler, Ompompanoosus. 
 
 After the death of Ompompanoosus, Tom King, in obedience to the 
 defunct monarch's wish, was proclaimed Sachem of the tribe, and at 
 the time of Hudson's visit was about forty years of age. On page 
 thirty-two we give a life-size portrait of this eminent red-skin. The 
 reader in surveying the portrait will please notice the retreating fore- 
 head, denoting great executive ability. The peculiar twist of the nose 
 and slant of the upper lip plainly indicate, that it would be highly dan- 
 gerous to leave anything of value lying around when Tom was in the 
 neighborhood. The leer of the eye shows a fierce desire for strong 
 drink, which ^.ppetite Tom was unable to gratify owing to the absence 
 of the article. There are other strong points in the portrait, of which 
 the reader will undoubtedly take note. 
 
 When Hudson's craft, the Half Moon, came to an anchor in New- 
 burgh Bay, King Tom was bobbing for eels near the end of the present 
 Long Wharf at Fishkill Landing ; and as soon as he espied the un- " 
 known craft, he paddled for shore, and called a council of his wise 
 men to determine what was up. The council, after much deliberation, 
 came to the conclusion that the new-comers were speculators in lands, 
 and as they had plenty of that article to sell, thought a trade could be 
 entered into advantageous to both parties. Acting under this belief. 
 King Tom immediately indited the following auction notices, which 
 he at once struck off and widely circulated : 
 
 GREAT SALE OF VALUABLE LANDS. 
 
 Owing to the lukewarmness of many of my subjects in paying taxes, which 
 has financially embarrassed my government, and caused me great personal 
 inconvenience, I have concluded to sell a portion of the government lands, 
 which will be offered at public auction day after to-morrow, at 10 o'clock, on 
 Raccoon Square. The lands to be offered are on Washee (Fishkill) Creek, 
 bounded as follows : 
 
 Beginning at the mouth of the creek and extending four hours walk up the 
 
ANOTHER HISTORY WANTED. 145 
 
 stream, and including five hundred jumps distant from either bank. The 
 lands will be sold in lots to suit purchasers. No postponement on account of 
 the weather. 
 
 As soon as the notices of the intended sale had been struck off and 
 circulated, King Tom ordered his secretary to take fifty barrels of bear's- 
 oil and saturate the lands along the stream, in order, as he said, to give 
 character to the sale, and in the meantime he forwarded a few of the 
 notices to Hudson, with his compliments. 
 
 Hudson, being of a speculative turn of mind, concluded, after read- 
 ing the notice, that an opportunity to make a big strike was here of- 
 fered, and so next morning he waited on King Tom to obtain a permit 
 to view the lands advertised. Tom received his distinguished visitor 
 with great gusto, and informed him, if he would sit down a moment 
 until he could arrange his necktie, he would show him the lands in 
 person. Tom's two daughters, Macaroni and Heartsease, on learning 
 that Hudson was a bachelo^ concluded to join the party. 
 
 As the party proceeded along the banks of the creek, Hudson noticed 
 a good deal of oil lying loose around among the grass and bushes, and 
 called upon Tom to explain. Tom said that that same oil had been a 
 puzzle to him for many years, but he thought vast deposits of the ar- 
 ticle were confined in the caves and rocks below, and now and then, by 
 some hidden pressure, worked its way to the surface. Hudson here 
 made the following memorandum in his note-book : 
 
 " Lands along the creek are of immense value. The natives are evi- 
 dently not aware of the fact. Immense deposits of oil are only a few 
 feet below the surface of the ground. These lands are richly worth a 
 pint of rum per acre." 
 
 When the party arrived on the plain where Fishkill village now 
 stands, Hudson's admiration of the country was unbounded. As he 
 looked upon the natives, who were clad in skins of great value, he 
 again whipped out his note-book and wrote as follows : 
 
 " The lands, some five miles from the mouth of the creek, are splen- 
 didly located. The natives, notwithstanding their sleepy look, are un- 
 doubtedly wealthy, as they wear the most costly furs. Here is a fine 
 location for a Bank, or for some other financial institution. I think a 
 newspaper could not be sustained here for any length of time ; but one 
 established on the creek, a few miles below, might prove successful." 
 19 
 
146 ANOTHER HISTORY WANTED. 
 
 Opposite Johnsville, Hudson was again transported, and made the 
 following memorandum : 
 
 " The natives in this vicinity are remarkably intelligent. The young 
 lady squaws are very handsome, and their manners are charming. The 
 pappooses are fat and ruddy and very spry. I consider this a fine place 
 to found a college. Buy this tract sure." 
 
 At this point the party of observation were met by a band of braves, 
 accompanied by wives, daughters, and a lot of small fry, who came 
 from an old Indian village in what is now known as Fishkill Hook, and 
 who had marched out to do honor to the great Dutch navigator. Billy 
 Annin, one of the head braves, made a long harangue to Hudson, which, 
 when boiled down, amounted to just this and nothing more : " Have 
 you such a thing as a well-flUed flask in your pocket ? " Hudson, in 
 his reply, acknowledged he was short of the beverage just then ; but 
 stated that, at the great sale so soon to take place, he intended to buy 
 largely, and would fork over the commodity they asked for, which an- 
 nouncement gave the braves great consolation. Hudson, after distrib- 
 uting a few peanuts among the visitors, preparatory to taking leave, 
 found he had to go through an Indian ceremony by kissing the fair 
 sex all around. He got through with saluting the young squaws pretty 
 easy, but when he came to the wrinkled-faced old dames and greasy 
 youngsters, he fainted, and was excused from further doings in that 
 line. 
 
 On the day of sale a large number of speculators and investors in 
 lands put in an appearance. King Tom was the auctioneer, and as the 
 wily savage mounted the auction-block, he gave the audience to un- 
 derstand that everything was to be done on the square. "Now, gen- 
 tlemen," continued the auctioneer, " I offer you these valuable lands, 
 filled with oil and many other articles of value. Nothing but the dis- 
 tress of my government, financially, obliges us to part with then! ; but 
 our reputation is at stake, and so we let them go. The lands will be 
 sold on three hours' credit, when the deeds wiU be ready arid the money 
 must be paid. Now, gentlemen, give us a bid for these valuable 
 lands." Hudson, in his eagerness to secure the lands, sung out, " Two 
 gallons of rum for the lot ! " The auctioneer, fearful he might lose the; 
 rum if he did not act quick, brought down his hammer with a whaekj; 
 exclaiming, " Hudson takes the lot — price, two gallons of rum." 
 
ANOTHER HISTOET WANTEU. 14Y 
 
 The speculators around were generally of the opinion that the lands 
 brought a big price. This we explain by saying that a gallon of riun 
 in those days, to an Indian, was valued at a million dollars in our pres- 
 ent currency. 
 
 Should the deed of these lands given to Hudson ever turn up, it is 
 the opinion of some of the best lawyers around Fishkill Landing that 
 his heirs will have to be bought off and paid a round price. 
 
 We have thus furnished material for the first chapter of the Comic 
 History of the County. The author who undertakes the work will 
 now be able to go along easy, as the material he will have to work upon 
 is of later date. 
 
BEN DOWNIE'S BAR FIGHT, COURTSHIP, ETC. 
 
 ^ AL, you see, old feller, as I was sayin', I was born on these 
 are mountains, t'other side of the river. My daddy lived on 
 Biitter Hill, but presus little butter did I see while I lived 
 with him. When I got big emif to take care of myself, I 
 hired out to old De'kin Wood what lived down on the Fishkill Flats. 
 The De'kin was a nice man, but the closest old chap you ever seed. 
 Wal, I work'd fur the De'kin nigh on to ten years, and one day the 
 De'kin says to me, ' Ben, why don't you buy a farm and settle down ? ' 
 Sez I, ' De'kin, how kin I buy a farm, I ain't got no money.' ' Why,' 
 sez the De'kin, ' I'll sell you a farm, and the wages I owe you will pay 
 for half of it, and the rest I'll put on paper.' 
 
 " Wal, I thought on that matter fur a few days, fur, you see, 'bout 
 them times, I'd takin a shine to one of old Cap'n Scott's gals. The 
 Cap'n had a nice lot of gals, I tell you, all on 'em slick as minks ; but 
 the one I took a shine to was Marier ; she was a splendid critter in 
 them days, all action, a parfect stepper. Wal, so I thought on the mat- 
 ter, and made up my mind I'd buy the De'kin's farm and get spliced 
 to Marier ; and so I goes and tells the De'kin I'd go with him and 
 look at that are farm. 
 
 " Wal, so the De'kin and I kum up here to see the farm. The 
 De'kin was the tarnilist, slickest talker you ever seed. He used to talk 
 in meetin' 'bout nat'ral depravity and sich likes, and I've herd 'em say, 
 as was a judge, that the De'kin made strong pints on kahnanism. The 
 De'kin was mighty good in prayer, too ; to be sure he was rather long- 
 winded, and went over the same ground each time ; still I liked the 
 De'kin's prayers, they used to make one feel kinder solemn hkc. After 
 bein' in the field all day workin' with the oxen, they wur sich con- 
 founded contrary critters that I had to do considerable swarin' at 'em. 
 
BEN DOWNIE'S BAK FIGHT, COUETSHIP, ETC. 149 
 
 and then when bed-time kum, and the De'kin read a varse or two in 
 the Scriptur', and kinder 'splained it Hke before prayers, I'd say to my- 
 self, ' Ben Downie, you must do a Httle better to-morrow ; don't swar 
 so much at them axe oxen.' But lor ! it warn't any use. I use to tell 
 the De'kin I warn't one of them are 'lect. And then the De'kin 
 wound try and 'splain to me the pints of kalmanism ; but lor ! I couldn't 
 see into it ; so I told the De'kin if I wus goin' to make a religion, I 
 would make one as give every feller a fair start, and make him only 
 'countable fur his own dealin's. And then the De'kin would look me 
 straight in the eye, and sez, ' Ben, you're a harden sinner.' 
 
 " Wal, as I wus sayin', the De'kin and me kum up here to see this 
 are farm, and he begin to talk about matters. Sez he, ' Ben, natur' has 
 did a good deal fur this land. Jist look at them high hills 'round here. 
 Why,' sez he, ' the rain ever since 'tarnity has been washin' the sile off 
 them down in this are holler, and it won't want any more manure fur 
 ginerations.' And then he sez, ' Kum, Ben, less go up on one of them 
 high hills. I want to show you the sennery.' Wal, when I got up on 
 that are hill and look'd at the sennery, it carried me right back to them 
 are times when I use to go with my old mother to the very top of But- 
 ter Hill lookin' fur ches'nuts and sich like. I tell you, old feller, that 
 old 'oman was a gran' one. She use to talk Scriptur' to me when 
 we were up thar 'lone on the mountain, and she would say, ' Ben, when 
 you get to be a man, I hope you'll be a good one '; and then, when I 
 thought of them things, my eyes kinder growed misty like, but I didn't 
 let the De'kin see my weakness ; I kinder made b'lieve it wur the wind 
 as made them tears. Then after awhile I tells the De'kin I'd take that 
 farm on his tarms. 
 
 " Wal, jest at that minit the De'kin run like split. Fust I thought 
 the old chap wur so glad he'd sold his farm, that he wanted to kick up 
 a little. But the nex' minit I seed a big bar staudin' on his hind legs 
 lookin' right at me. So I thought I'd be kinder perlite, see'n as how I 
 wus the o'ner of the sile, so sez I, ' Mister Bar, I s'pose you be one of 
 them squatters 'bout here ? If you be, I now gin you notis to quit, as 
 I'm the prisent owner of the sile. I've jest bought it of De'kin Wood, 
 haK cash and the balance on paper.' Then that are bar got mad. I 
 s'pose he and his for'fathers had been 'round these diggin's sence crea- 
 tion, and they warn't goin' to leave. So the bar kinder sHded up to'rds 
 
150 BEK DOWNIE'S BAK PiaHT, OOTIETSHIP, ETC. 
 
 me. When lie got putty near, I gin him a wolleper right on his nose, 
 but gracious ! he didn't mind it one bit, and afore I know'd the con- 
 founded critter grab'd me 'round the middle, and gin me the alfered'st 
 hug you ever seed. I thought, for a minit or two, my innards had all 
 gone out ; but as I was the o'ner of the sile, I made up my mind I'd 
 fit it out. So at it we went. The bar trip'd me up, and we rolled 
 over a prespis. Then I got loose from the shaggy critter, and I thought 
 I'd scramble up agen on the bank, kase I could fit better on high 
 ground. As I wus goin' up the prespis, the bar gin me an awful dig 
 in the starn, and made the biggest hole in my trowses you ever seed. 
 Then I got mad, and I sez to the bar, ' You mean critter, don't you 
 know them are my best trowses, what I wur goin' to wear when I goes 
 to see Marier next Sunday? "Who does you s'pose, you imp of dark- 
 ness, is goin' to sew up that are big hole ? ' Then my dander was riz, 
 and I takes out my big jack-knife, and went fur that bar, and the way 
 I rip'd him wur a caution. Gracious ! how he did squeal in bar fash- 
 ion ; and then I let the critter go, thinkin' he'd know better 'nother 
 time not to tackle the o'ner of the sile. 
 
 " Wal, the next thing I did wus to look fur the De'kin. So I went 
 lookin' 'round, when I herd some one call out, 'Ben, war's the bar? ' 
 Then I look'd up and seed the De'kin way on the top of a saplin', so 
 sez I, ' De'kin, kum down ; the bar has had notis to quit,' and the 
 De'kin he kum'd down, and when he wus down he sez, ' Ben, does you 
 know you've got a great big hole in your new trowses ? ' ' Yes,' sez I. 
 ' The cool air would tell me that, if nobody else.' And then the De'kin 
 sez, ' Ben, you're just the boy for this are region.' So me and the 
 De'kin went hum. 
 
 " "Wal, you see, next Sunday night I couldn't go and see Marier, 
 kase I had no trowses. That confounded bar had upset all my calcula- 
 tions. So I went next day down to the river to see old Mrs. Van 
 Dusen what made trowses. She wur an aunt of mine, and a dreadful 
 eater of sour-krout, and I sed to her, ' Auntie, I want you to make fur 
 me a fust-rate trowses, kase I think, if a certain gal is willin', I'll get 
 splic'd.' ' Why, Ben,' sed she, ' are you in arnest^ ' So I up and told 
 auntie aU my plans. She wur a motherly old woman, now, I tell you, 
 and she sed, ' Ben, that's fust-rate. That Marier Scott is a gal what can't 
 be beat ; but,' she sez, ' Ben, if you're goin' to get splic'd, you ought 
 
BEN" DOWNIE'S bar FIGHT, COURTSHIP, ETC. 161 
 
 to have a store-rig.' ' Wal,' sez I, ' how am I to get a store-rig 'i ' 
 ' Why,' sez she, ' go down to York an' buy it '; and then I thought I 
 would. 
 
 " Wal, the next day I met Bill Rowlan, what use to go on a sloop up 
 and down to York. Sez I, ' Bill, I'm goin' down to York to buy a 
 store-rig.' ' Don't you do it,' sez Bill. ' You'll git shav'd Uke the old 
 harry.' And then Bill up and told me he once bought a trowses of a 
 chap in York, and he put 'em on as he wur kumin' up the river, and 
 thar cum a harrycane as he wur on deck, and fust one leg of the 
 trowses went and then t'other leg went, and then the middle went, and 
 then Bill he went — and put on another trowses. Bill sed them York 
 trowses hadn't any sowin' in 'em. ' Wal,' sez I, ' BiU, how am I to 
 get a store rig ? ' Bill sez, ' You git old Cap'n Wiltse to buy you one. 
 Them York fellers can't cheat him.' 
 
 " So the next day I went down to the sloop and seed the Cap'n. He 
 wur a gran' old chap, and I up and tells the Cap'n all my plans, and 
 the Cap'n sed he knowed a chap down in York what sold store-rigs, 
 and he'd git him to iix me out. So the Cap'n he took my measure. 
 Fust, he tied a rope 'round my middle to git the size of them parts ; 
 and when he look'd at the measure he sez, 'Ben, you'll take a mighty 
 big trowses.' Then the Cap'n kinder punched me 'round to see was I 
 be sweU'd any, and he sez, ' All right.' Then he stood me up agin the 
 mast, and made a chalk mark jest above my head, and then he put the 
 durmensions down on paper, and tells me to kum down agin next Sat- 
 urday and he'd have the store-rig sure. 
 
 " Wal, I goes down the next Saturday, and sure enuf the Cap'n had 
 the store-rig all ready, dun up in a big yaller paper. The Cap'n sed 
 I'd better not ondo 'em till I got hum. Then me and the Cap'n set- 
 tled for the rig ; and I sez, ' Cap'n, what's your trouble ? ' and he sez, 
 'Ben, not a cent.' So I told the Cap'n I wur maeh obleeged to him, 
 and kum off hum. 
 
 " Wal, you see, when I got hum, I jest took a peak at that are rig, 
 and, goodness, you bet, if it warn't the tallest rig you ever seed. Every 
 button on the coat was all gould, and the trowses had a yaller streak 
 runnin' up and down on 'em. So I sez nothin' to nobody, and when 
 Sunday night kum, I put on that are rig, and it sot like an ell-skin ; 
 and then I took the De'kin's kane, and went down to old Cap'n Scott's. 
 
152 BEN downie's bae fight, ooubtship, etc. 
 
 You see, old feller, it had jest then kum in the fashion to knock on a 
 door 'fore you went in a house. So when I got down to old Scott's, I 
 thought I'd follow the fashion. So I took the De'kin's kane and gin 
 two whacks on the door, and the next minit I heard old Scott sing out, 
 ' Who in thunder is making that tarnal noise outside ? ' But I sed 
 nothin', kase you see, when old Scott heard the whacks he ought, 'cord- 
 in' to the fashion, to sed ' Kum in.' Wall, I stood thar 'bout a minit 
 longer, and nobody sed kum in. So I gin two more whacks on the 
 door, and then I heard old Scott kumen. When the old chap open'd 
 the door, it was so tarnal dark he couldn't see nothin', and so he sings 
 out, ' Who's thar ? ' And then I sings out, ' Who do you think ? ' and 
 then he sez, 'Ben Downie, be that you ? ' and then I sez, ' You've hit 
 it fur once, old feller'; and then he sez, 'Why don't you kum in? 
 What you standin' thar like a fool fur?' 'Kase,' sez I, 'you don't 
 'vite a feller in.' ' Kum in, you old fool,' he then sed ; and so I went in. 
 
 " Wal, when I got in by the light, them gould buttons on my coat 
 shined hke the stars. Old Scott look'd at my rig fur 'bout a minit, 
 and then gin a big whistle. I know'd what the old feller meant. 
 
 " Wal, I sot down and talk'd with the gals ; goodness, didn't they 
 eye my store-rig tho'. Arter a while one left the room, and then 
 another, and putty soon nobody wur in the room but Marier and me. I 
 then sez to Marier, ' I've buy'd a farm.' ' Why,' sez she, ' Ben, what 
 on 'arth are you goin' to do with a farm ? ' So I thought I might as 
 well be kinder plain, and so I tells Marier I wur goin' to be mar'ed, 
 and set up fur myself. Then I sees Marier look'd kinder down Uke. 
 Arter a while she sez, ' Ben, I didn't know you wur 'gaged to any gal.' 
 ' More 1 ain't,' sez I, ' that's what I kum's here fur.' Then I sees 
 Marier look'd kinder pleas'd, so sez I to myself, ' Ben Downie, you 
 had better come to the pint at once, and so I tells Marier I'd takin a 
 shine to her. Then she look'd right up at the seahn', you know gals 
 will act kinder shy at sich times, and then I sez, ' Kum, Marier, what 
 do you say ? ' and then she sed, ' Oh, Ben ! ' and throw'd herself right 
 in my arms k'plump. 
 
 " Wal, you see, Marier and me sot thar a long time fixen up our plans. 
 She wur a splendid plan'er, and we settled everything the slickest. I 
 tell you what, old feller, thar's nothin' like havin' a smart gal 'round 
 when you've got plans to settle. Putty soon Marier sed, ' Ben, you've 
 
BEN DOWNIE's bar FIGHT, COUETSHIP, ETC. 153 
 
 got to ask Dad.' ' So I have,' sez I ; ' perhaps he's gone to bed.' ' I'll 
 soon have him out of that,' she sed, and away she went. 
 
 " Wal, putty soon in come old Scott. Wal, I didn't say anything 
 fur some time, I felt kinder sneakin' like, you see. Putty soon the 
 old feller sez, ' Ben Downie, if you've got anything to say to me to- 
 night, you'd better be sayin' it.' So I up and told the old chap that I 
 had takin a shine to Marier, and Marier had takin a shine to me, and 
 we had settled all the pints, and only waited his blessin'. 
 
 " ' Wal,' sez old Scott, ' how you goin' to keep the gal ? ' Then I tells 
 him 'bout the farm I'd buy'd of the De'kin, and it wur already half 
 paid fur ; that tickl'd the old feller 'mazingly. And he then said, 
 ' Ben Downie, as you and Marier has settled all the pints, I ain't goin' 
 to interfere.' Then the old chap went to a closet and took out a bot- 
 tle of old Jamaica, and nearly filled two mugs with licker. Then he 
 sez, ' Ben, as this is a great occasion, you and me wiU take a putty stiff 
 horn,' and so we drink'd to better acquaintance. Then old Scott he 
 went to bed, and Marier and me talked a little longer, then I went back 
 to the De'kin's, feelin' putty good, I tell you. 
 
 " Wal, you see, in two weeks from that time Marier and me wur 
 mar'ed, and old Scott, he kum'd down handsomely. He went to 
 Po'kapsie, and got two dandy niggers to play the fiddle, and the gals 
 made 'bout four bar'els of pot-pie, and ever so many kinds of fixins, 
 and so we went in fur a good time ginerally. 
 
 " Wal, you see, that night when the people had kum, and got in the 
 room, the minister he open'd a book and sez : ' Whar be the two peo- 
 ple what wants to be united ? ' Then Marier and me stepped up as 
 much as to say, we be the people ; Marier as she stood thar on the 
 floor looked splendiferous, she had on a bran-new calliker gown, and 
 her hair had been titivated up by one of them dandy niggers from 
 Po'kapsie, what sed he wur a hair-dresser as weU as a fiddler. He put 
 a row of holly-hocks all 'round Marier's head ; how the nigger made 
 'em stick I couldn't see. I had on my store-rig, and that dandy nig- 
 ger gin me a piony to stick in the button-hole of my coat, and he gin 
 two more on 'em to Marier to hold in her hand, what he sed wur a 
 nosegay, and so you see as Marier and me stood up on the floor before 
 the minister, we look'd some, and I overheard a feller say, as ought to 
 know, ' There is a couple as is a couple.' 
 20 
 
154 BEN downie's bar fight, courtship, etc. 
 
 " Wal, the minister soon begins the saramony ; fust he kinder talk'd 
 to himseK, and then he talk'd to me, and when he'd dun talkin' to me, 
 he sed, ' Young man, in answer to them are questions, please bob your 
 head.' And then he look'd us both in the face fur 'bout a minit, and 
 then sed, ' I pronounce you a man and a woman.' Then he sot down, 
 and I slip'd a gould piece in his hand, and the gran' old minister look'd 
 mighty pleased. 
 
 " Wal, next all the kump'ny kums up to 'gratulate us. Fust kum 
 old Scott, and he pulls out of his pocket a paper all cover'd with 
 varses, and sez, ' Gintlemen, I'll now read you some varses I've made 
 up out of my own head.' And then he reads : 
 
 Ben Downie wur a strong built lad, 
 
 What work'd for De'kin Wood, 
 And when he work'd the De'kin sed, 
 
 Ben did the best he could. 
 
 But Ben, like other foolish boys. 
 
 Thought he must have a wife ; 
 He had not heard of them are wars, 
 
 Called matrimonial strife. 
 
 So Ben he seeks the poet's home, 
 
 And mar'ies his Marier ; 
 The poet hopes, of wedded life. 
 
 This Ben will never tire. 
 
 Now, Ben, should you in arter years. 
 
 When measles kotch the baby, 
 Eegret you took the fatal step. 
 
 Do try and keep it shady. 
 
 For you, old feller, soon will learn, 
 
 In every earthly home. 
 Sickness and pain, and them are things 
 
 Are surely bound to come. 
 
 So,. Ben, my boy, in every thing, 
 
 Jist do the best you can ; 
 Life's many 1|?ials.bpldly face, 
 
 And show yourself a man. 
 
BEW DOWNIE'S BAK FIGHT, OOTJETSHIP, ETC. 155 
 
 And unto you, Marier, too, 
 
 I do these varses pen. 
 And hope in all your arter life 
 
 You'll keep an eye on Ben. 
 
 For man he is a slip'ry chap. 
 
 What never can be trusted, 
 For when he makes his biggest show, 
 
 He ginerally is busted. 
 
 And now, my children, both of you, 
 
 By wachin' close each other, 
 May 'scape them matrimonial gales, 
 
 So few are known to weather. 
 
 Then trim your matrimonial bark 
 
 To meet life's stormy blast ; 
 Then when the voyage shall be o'er, 
 
 You'll anchor safe at last. 
 
 " "WTien old Scott gits done a readin' them are varses, sieli a shontin' 
 and stampin' you never heard, and the minister whispers to me and 
 S^z, ' Ben, your daddy-in-law is a great poit.' 
 
 " Wal, the next purson what kums up to 'gratulate wur old Mother 
 Sdott, grinnin' from ear to ear, and with a face red as them pionies 
 what Marier had in her hand, and the old woman sez, ' Ben, my sott, 
 gin me your paw.' So I shakes hands with the gran' old woman and 
 gin her a big smack on her cheek. Then kums every feller with his 
 gal, and all of 'em sed 'bout the same thing. 
 
 " Wal, jist at that minit some chap sings out supper is ready, and 
 then sich another scamperin' fur the shed wur the supper table was sot 
 you never seed. How long, old feller, does you s'pose them four bar' els of 
 pot-pie lasted arter them fellers got at 'em ? — just three minits and thirty 
 seconds and no longer, and the other fixins departed in the same space 
 of time. When thar wur no more to eat, every feller went to dancin', 
 and jist as they got a-goin' it, thar kum sich a yellin' outside as you 
 never heard ; so we all look'd out, and thar wus a hundred or more men 
 and boys ridin' a skimerton, and old Scott had to go out and licker 'em 
 all 'round 'fore they'd leave. Wal, 'bout daylight every feller went 
 hum, and then peace and quiet kum once more in the Scott manshun. 
 
156 BEA^ downie's bak fight, coitktship, etc- 
 
 " Wal, the next day me and Sam Jones kums up here, and in ten 
 days we puts up the neatest shanty you ever seed. So then I goes down 
 arter Marier, and great was the partin' with the family. Old Scott 
 took me one side and sed, ' Ben, my boy, does you know you've drawn 
 a big prize in gittin' Marier ? I've gin her fifty pounds in hard chink, 
 and to-morrow I'll send you up a lot of traps to keep house with. And 
 now, Ben,' sez he, ' I want you always to treat Marier well — ^gin her 
 her own way in everything and she'U make a man of you.' The old 
 feller talked so solemn like that I got scared, kase I didn't think thar 
 wur any solemn in him ; and so as I didn't know what to say, like a 
 . big fool I got a-cryin', and then I did say, I sez, ' Look here, old feller, 
 if any chap sez anything agin Marier, or dares to lay so much as his 
 Kttle finger on her, I'll pitch him higher than 'tarnity.' 
 
 " Wal, you see, when Marier and me got up here, we finds it kinder 
 lonesome for a while, so we concluded that the only way to get rid of 
 them are feehns wur to keep hard to work. When the first Sunday 
 comes arter we gits here, Marier sez, ' Ben, no work to-day ; this be a 
 day of -rest.' So I sot in the house all day as still as a mouse, but now 
 and then I kiader look'd out the winder when Marier wasn't seein' me. 
 Arter a time we got goin' every Sunday arternoon up on the top of 
 that high hill 'way off yonder, whar you see the crow a-flyin', and I'd 
 carry in my arms the little baby what use to pull my nose as we went 
 along and keep all the time a-crowin' like, and when we got up on the 
 high hill we sot down to look at the sennery and kinder meditate. 
 Then Marier would take her Bible and sez, 'Ben, what part of the 
 Scriptur' would' you like to hear?' And I sez, 'I like to hear ag'in 
 that Sarmon on the Mount,' and then Marier would read in a voice so 
 clear and music-like that I use to think the birds stop'd to listen, and 
 sometimes I would shut my eyes fur a little while, and then I 'magined 
 I seed a great multitude standin' round harkin' to the words of the 
 great Teacher ; and sometimes Marier would stop and 'splain a little, 
 and she would say, ' Ben, did you hear that ? What a preshus prom- 
 ise ! ' And then I'd put my face low down long-side of baby's little 
 face, kase my eyes grow'd kinder misty like, and I sez to myself, 'Ben 
 Downie, you ought to be a better man ; you don't live up to your prav- 
 liges.' I tell you, old feller, if you want to feel solemn like, you mus' 
 hear the Scriptur' 'splained on the mountains. I've heard Marier say 
 
BEN DOWNIE'S bar EIGHT, COURTSHIP, ETC. 157 
 
 —and slie is a great scholai'd — that some of the grandest mar-acles told 
 of in the Scriptur' be them what took place on high mountains. 
 
 " "Wal, I must be goin' ; Marier will soon be expectin' me. When 
 you kum our way, old feller, jist call in, and I'll show you the spry'st 
 lot of young ones you ever seed; My farm is jist over that blue hill 
 whar you see the cloud a-restin', and what everybody sez is the best 
 farm in these parts. And when I think of my many blessins, I sez to 
 myself, ' Ben Downie, old Scott wus right when he told you that gal 
 will make a man of you.' " 
 
 The author of this popular tale, by request of the Upland Antiqua- 
 rian Society of Windam Peak, has consented to furnish another chap- 
 ter, which will relate principally to military doings in the Kevolution, 
 and wiU also contain a graphic description of a battle between the loyal 
 troops and a large body of Tories, who (the latter) were saved from de- 
 struction by the timely arrival of an infernal machine. 
 
AN ABSTRACT 
 
 FROM THE MINUTES OF THE SPANKERS 
 CLUB OF PEEKSKILL. 
 
 '.^■"T tlie commencement of the present century there existed in 
 
 Peekskill a literary club styled " The Spankers." The avowed 
 object of the club was the mutual advancement of its mem- 
 bers in the literary and other accomplishments of that day. The 
 club was limited by its constitution to twelve members, who were to be 
 known and called during the sessions of the club by the names of the 
 twelve months of the year — each member to bear the name of some one 
 particular month, and a penalty was affixed for any violation of this rule. 
 The by-laws of the club required its members to furnish twelve lectures 
 or essays during the year — one to be dehvered each month, and each 
 member to represent the month by which he was known or called, and 
 after the delivery of any essay, it should be open to criticism. 
 
 Among the iirst essays delivered was one on " Humbugging," in 
 which it was maintained that humbugging could be reduced to a sci- 
 ence so perfect as to deceive any community, no matter how well-in- 
 formed or however naturally cautious they might be in accepting the 
 views or opinions of others. 
 
 The essay was severely criticised, some of the members contending 
 the whole thing was an assumption on the part of the writer, while 
 others asserted that they had no doubt many communities could be 
 easily humbugged if rightly approached ; but all agreed, with the ex- 
 ception of the writer of the essay, that the inhabitants of Peekskill could 
 not be humbugged by any process whatever. 
 
 The writer of the essay, after patiently listening to the various crit- 
 icisms, rose and remarked that he was willing and ready to back up his 
 
THE SPANKERS CLUB. 159 
 
 views on humbugging, and if the members of the dub would co-oper- 
 ate with him, by lending him their countenance and aid, he would 
 humbug the people of Peekskill on a scale so extensive as not only to 
 satisfy every member of the club, but every member of the community, 
 that humbugging was not only a science, but an art that should be ex- 
 tensively cultivated. 
 
 The manner of the speaker was so positive, and his declaration so 
 emphatic, that the club at once consented that the experiment should 
 be tried, and each member agreed to assist in the work in whatever 
 capacity their services might be required. 
 
 The writer of the essay was known at the sittings of the club by the 
 sobriquet of March, but whose real name was Noah Smuggins, and 
 who at the time was comparatively a new-comer in the place, having 
 been a resident of Peekskill but a few months. 
 
 Smuggins, according to his tell, had been a great traveller — a second 
 Mungo Park. He had visited, so he said, every known portion of the 
 globe, and was on terms of intimacy with most of the " crowned heads " 
 of Europe, and with many other monarchs enjoying the same favors 
 elsewhere. 
 
 Smuggins, for the furtherance of his humbugging scheme, took oc- 
 casion frequently to ply the principal inhabitants of the place (Peeks- 
 kill) with marvellous accounts of his adventures while in foreign lands, 
 which were drank in by his credulous hearers with an eagerness which 
 strongly^ntimated they would have no objections to hear a little more 
 of the same sort, and that frequently. 
 
 When Smuggins had got the principal savants of the place in proper 
 time — or, in other words, ready to be duped — he informed them he 
 had received a letter from the King of the Hottentots, who was his 
 particular friend, and with whom he had spent many a pleasant hour, 
 and that he (the King) contemplated visiting the United States to ac- 
 quaint himself with the workings of our free institutions, and to recu- 
 perate his failing health. 
 
 Smuggins thought, if desired, he could prevail on the King, while 
 in this country, to make their village his head-quarters, which, in his 
 opinion, would greatly tend to the advantage of the place, as prominent 
 men in all sections, on learning the fact, would steer for Peekskill, in 
 prodigious numbers, to pay their respects to so distinguished a person- 
 age as the King of the Hottentots. 
 
160 THE SPANKERS CLTJB. 
 
 The men of Peekskill were rather slow to fall in with the plan of 
 entertaining so renowned a monarch. They were not only fearful of 
 the expense, but were apprehensive that if the King once obtained a 
 foothold among them, he might tarry a httle longer than they desired. 
 But when Smuggins informed them that his Majesty of the Hottentots 
 was not only a very small eater, but confined his diet strictly to lamp-oil 
 and beeswax (articles very cheap in those days), they at once instructed 
 Smuggins to send forward the invitation. 
 
 In those days in the city of New York, at the corner of Water Street 
 and Cuyler's Alley, was a famous restaurant and oyster saloon, kept by 
 Moses Blue. The fame of this restaurant extended far and near, and 
 it was largely patronized by those having fastidious appetites, for its 
 worthy proprietor, notwithstanding his copper-colored complexion, 
 knew exactly how to prepare his viands so as to rightly tickle the 
 palates of his customers, which business accomplishment, coupled with 
 his engaging manners, made him a great favorite with the epicurean 
 pubhc. 
 
 . Smuggins was well acquainted 'with the great caterer, Moses Blue, 
 having in his more youthful and ardent days been not only a frequent 
 visitor at Blue's establishment, but had frequently while there partaken 
 so largely of the spirit of the place that on his departure, judging from 
 his wayward movements, he, too, in a certain sense, was " blue." With 
 such joyful reminiscences still fresh in his mind, Smuggins naturally 
 concluded that Moses was the identical man to personate the Hottentot 
 King. He, therefore, at once set out to interview his colored friend, 
 and to sohcit his aid and co-operation in the humbugging scheme. 
 
 Moses, on being interviewed (darky-Kke), was greatly gratified at the 
 honor sought to be conferred upon him. He therefore freely offered 
 his services in the capacity desired ; in fact, it was doubtful if any one 
 could have been found better qualified to play the Hottentot King than 
 was Moses. His restaurant had so long been the resort of foreigners of all 
 nations — being located near the docks where most of the foreign ship- 
 ping was moored — ^that he had become familiar with the habits and 
 customs of most nationalities, and hence had picked up, in the way of 
 business, many words in French, Spanish, etc., which he frequently 
 turned to good account; and, furthermore, his urbanity of manners 
 was such that he was extremely popular with his native as well as with 
 his cosmopoHtan customers. 
 
THE SPAITKEHS CLUB. 161 
 
 Smuggins and Moses soon arranged matters to their mutual satis- 
 faction ; the latter agreeing, with much suavity of manners, to hold 
 himseH in readiness to turn Hottentot at the shortest possible notice ; 
 whereupon Smuggins, in high feather, returned with great dispatch to 
 Peekskill, well satisfied that he had got matters in a shape which, when 
 fully carried out, would satisfy the " Spankers Club " that humbugging 
 was not only an art, but could be reduced to a science, which future 
 generations would extensively copy. 
 
 Smuggins' next move in the matter was to inform some of the lead- 
 ing men of the place (Peekskill) that he had sent forward the invita- 
 tion, and that as soon as he received a reply, he would communicate his 
 Majesty's determination. 
 
 After a proper lapse of time, Smuggins exhibited a letter purporting 
 to come from the King, in which he (the King) stated that he gladly 
 accepted the cordial invitation of the inhabitants of Peekskill to spend 
 a short time with them, and to enjoy their renowned hospitality ; and 
 he hoped all hands on his arrival would have a good time, a general 
 " break-down," which he was anxious to bring about, and would there- 
 fore come prepared to stand treat at the beck and nod of every thirsty 
 fellow, whether few or many. But (if allowed) he would like to con- 
 form strictly to the fundamental principles of republican institutions, 
 and therefore, to avoid anything like a glittering show, he would come 
 over in his private yacht — simply an oyster boat — and would start on 
 the voyage, if not delayed by official business, in a very few days ; so 
 by the time his letter came to hand he might be expected any hour in 
 the land of freedom and mighty taxes. He remarked, in addition, that 
 he had recently been reading up the history of the United States, and 
 was greatly impressed with the magnitude of the subject, and, there- 
 fore, would say again, that he hoped on his arrival at Peekskill, the sim- 
 plicity of republican institutions would not be trifled with, as he was a 
 firm believer in that ancient and honorable motto : " When in Eome 
 we should conform to the customs of the Eomans." 
 
 As the King was expected hourly, and as the inhabitants of Peeks- 
 kill, necessarily, were on the tip-toe of curiosity, Smuggins, at the 
 request of the village dignitaries, proceeded to Sandy Hook to await the 
 arrival of hi^^Majesty, and to escort him with befittmg honors up the 
 noble Hudson. In the meantime the Peekskillers, without distinction 
 21 
 
162 THE SPANKERS CLUB. 
 
 of party, went to work, hammer and tongs, to make suitable preparations 
 for the coming guest. 
 
 The following lucid account of the reception of the King, and other 
 matters relating to the grand occasion, we take from the Spread Eagle, 
 an ably conducted journal of that period : 
 
 "SPEEAD EAGLE" EXTEA ! 
 
 Our village, through the entire day, has been in a blaze of excitement ; 
 every inhabitant, old and young, has been on the qui vive, on account of 
 the arrival of our long-expected guest, the famous Cupus Eennooks, King of 
 the Hottentots, whose name, when rendered into English, as we understand 
 it, reads Captain Slydog. Our devil, who was sent out at an early hour this 
 moruing, to pick up some street items, luckily discovered his Majesty's yacht 
 looming up in the distance, when, with remarkable discretion (for a printer's 
 devU), he kept his mouth sealed, or in other words, instead of blowing the 
 news around to the boys on the street, he hastened back to our office — some- 
 what blown on his arrival — to communicate his important discovery to, our 
 foreman, which information was immediately posted on our "bulletin,'' 
 where it was read and gazed at by thousands of curious citizens, who were 
 imdoubtedly impressed with the truth that the Spread Eagle, in the way of 
 early intelligence and enterprise, was not only a "big thing," but as an 
 organ of wide-spread information, soared far above all contemporary 
 journals. 
 
 Our Eeporter, with that suppleness which has ever characterized his move- 
 ments since his connection with this journal, hastened immediately to the 
 wharf (his coat-tails flapping in the wind) to be in readiness to interview his 
 Majesty upon his arrival. Having a free pass from the "Spankers Club," he 
 was freely admitted into the presence of royalty, and on being introduced to 
 the Ejng, the following colloquy took place : 
 
 Reporter (tipping his hat). You are the great Hottentot King, are you not ? 
 
 King. I am one big fellow, aU Hottentot, eat much. 
 
 Reporter. On what does your Majesty feed when at home ? 
 
 King. Beeswax, lamp-oil, big snake, monkey, eat big heap. 
 
 Reporter (rather nervous). I presume your Majesty can conform to the 
 diet of this country during your stay here ? 
 
 King. Yaw, yaw ; roast-beef very good, clam-pie very good, roast-pig be 
 good, eat all. 
 
 Reporter. Are you a man of much family ? 
 
 King. Much family, too big, hard times, big taxes. 
 
 Reporter. How large a family do you muster, say wives and children ? 
 
 King. Twenty thousand, I no coimt much, big heap. 
 
THE SPATfKERS CLTJB. 163 
 
 Reporter (eyes bulging). Do I understand your Majesty to say that your 
 wives and cliildren number twenty thousand ? 
 
 King. Yaw, yaw ; all them, big heap, eat much, gals big cost, dress all 
 time. 
 
 Reporter. How large a population have you in your dominions ? 
 
 King. Fifteen hundred ; too much war, all run away. 
 
 Reporter. What rate of taxes does your government impose ? 
 
 King. Five hundred cents on the dollar. 
 
 Reporter (eyes much enlarged). Is it possible that your subjects can pay 
 that rate of taxes and still maintaia a flourishing condition ? 
 
 King. Yaw, yaw ; must pay ; if no pay, I sell them to your people — pick 
 cotton very good. 
 
 The interview was liere abruptly terminated by the arrival of the 
 " Spankers Club " in full force, whose special guest the King was, and 
 who had perfected their arrangements for escorting his Majesty to the 
 public hall, where his Highness was to be formally introduced to the vil- 
 lagers, and to the immense concourse of citizens who had come in from 
 the surrounding country. 
 
 The arrangements of the club were not only unique, but remarkably 
 perfect. They had procured a large dray, resembling a butcher's cart 
 of the present day, to which was hitched thirty horses, comprising every 
 available nag in the village. An elevated seat in the dray was set apart 
 for his Majesty and the president of the club. Tlie other members of the 
 club and many important citizens, and many citizens not so important, 
 were accorded the distinguished honor of following on foot in the rear 
 of the dray, placed in line six abreast. 
 
 When all things were ready, the procession started up the hill in gal- 
 lant style, headed by a band of music, that drew forth enlivening strains 
 from fish-horns, tin-pans, old fiddles, and now and then a " bang " from 
 an ancient musket. On the rear of the dray floated from the top of 
 long poles the star-spangled banner and the Hottentot national flag. 
 The latter presented on its gaudy surface a brilliantly executed picture 
 of two old roosters engaged in mortal combat, with an aged monkey 
 standing by as umpire, which attfacted universal attention from the 
 boys and old women, who had turned out in prodigious numbers to 
 witness the reception, and who were rather free in expressing their 
 opinion that the Hottentot flag, as a thing of beauty, largely took down 
 the stars and stripes. 
 
164 THE SPANKERS CLUB. 
 
 When the procession reached the public hall, his Majesty was placed 
 on the upper balcony, where he could satisfactorily eye the crowd, and 
 the crowd could satisfactorily eye his Majesty. As the King gazed on the 
 enormous sea of heads, which loomed up on all sides, and as shout after 
 shout came up from the noisy throats of the assembled multitude, his 
 Majesty secretly wished himself again a private citizen. He thought 
 of his oyster saloon, and sighed to be among his pots and kettles. But 
 he was only for a moment depressed, as his courage, aided by a draught 
 from a private bottle slyly taken from a side pocket, soon arose to the 
 exigency of the occasion, when he determined, with fresh zeal, to " face 
 the music " in kingly style, let consequences be what they would. 
 
 The performance of the Glee Club being next on the programme, 
 the intelligent musicians composing the club came forward and sang 
 with great spirit and understanding a poetical effusion composed for the 
 occasion by Hon. Peter Ginger. We annex two stanzas of the poem : 
 
 Great Cupus Kennooks, though a heathen you be, 
 You are a good fellow, we plainly can see. 
 Welcome, "old boy," to our beautiful village. 
 We trust no Christian your baggage will pillage. 
 Fol de rol ray. Fol de rol ray. 
 
 We'll treat you, friend heathen, the best that we know ; 
 Tou'U wish that you knew us some centuries ago. 
 So cheer up, old fellow, we'll do the fair thing. 
 Who cares for the expense when serving a king. 
 Fol de rol ray. Fol de rol ray. 
 
 After the Glee Club had played out, Smuggins arose and introduced 
 the King to the assembled multitude, in a speech, in which he spread 
 himself as follows : [During the delivery of the speech the King stood 
 up and frequently bobbed his head.] 
 
 Ladies and Grentlemen of Peekskill, and from a thousand other places to 
 the speaker unknown, permit me to introduce to you our illustrious guest, 
 the great Cupus Kennooks, King of ihe Hottentots, who has Just arrived 
 from the land of monkeys, alligators, hop-toads, and boa-constrictors, and 
 when at home, as he informs us, is a gentleman of significance, having over 
 a thousand wives, and a multitude of fashionable daughters and nobby softs, 
 all dependent upon him for pocket money, wearing apparel, and daUy prov- 
 ender. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, if you have any bowels of compas- 
 
THE SPANKERS CLUB. 165 
 
 sion to spare, please extend to his Majesty, during his stay among us, your 
 sympathj' and condolence. 
 
 The King desires me to say that he has breathed much easier since his ar- 
 rival in the land where floats uninterruptedly the stars and stripes, and where 
 he finds every fellow is as good as the next man ; which state of things gives 
 his Majesty immense satisfaction, for it is his intention, while among us, to 
 discard the robes of royalty, and to place himself on a level with the most 
 benighted citizen of this glorious Republic. [Cheers.] 
 
 Gentlemen, you will find the King, on better acquaintance, a jovial fellow 
 — a man after our own heart — a perfect trump — something not to be sneezed 
 at — but I regret to say that his Majesty will not be able to address you to-day, 
 owing to the great fatigue he has recently undergone, and to his imperfect 
 knowledge of the English language ; but he has prepared a suitable address 
 of thanks, which wUl appear in the Spread Eagle of to-morrow, 50,000 cop- 
 ies of which will be circulated gratis. So please call early and get a copy. 
 
 His Majesty also desires me to say that he will be happy to see you, one 
 and all, at the hotel to-morrow, at which place he will give every member of 
 this enlightened Republic, who may put in an appearance, an opportunity to 
 wet his whistle as often as may be consistent with Republican institutions ; 
 and his Majesty desires me further to say, should any one present know of 
 any gentleman or lady, not here to-day, who may have been detained at 
 home by sickness or family difficulties, he trusts that you wUl give such ab- 
 sentees timely notice of the big doings in contemplation. 
 
 After this announcement tlie audience, liiglily exhilarated and with 
 mouths watering at the prospects ahead, retired in good order, and in a 
 short time the village resumed its usual quiet. 
 
 When night had again clothed the earth in her sable mantle and all 
 nature was tranquilly Imshed, the King was secretly conveyed to the 
 rooms of the Spankers Club, where a consultation was to be held as to 
 what next should be done. On the assembling of the club, each mem- 
 ber expressed liimself abundantly satisfied that humbugging, as a sci- 
 ence, had been satisfactorily demonstrated; or, in other words, they 
 agreed that the Peekskillers had been most successfully bamboozled — 
 efEectually gulled. 
 
 After much further consultation as to how the effort coiild be satis- 
 factorily wound up so as to leave no bitterness behind, it was deter- 
 mined that as soon as the villagers were wrapped in balmy slumber 
 (they were great snorers) Mr. Blue, the late King, should go on board 
 bis craft and immediately set sail for home, and that the club should 
 
166 THE SPANKERS CLUB. 
 
 appropriate the sum of five hundred dollars to carry out the promised 
 treat, and that an address apologizing and explaining the whole affair 
 be inserted in the morning paper. 
 
 In pursuance of the above arrangement, Mr. Blue at about ten 
 o'clock that evening hoisted sail, when, assisted by a favorable wind^ 
 he bade adieu to the scenes of his Kingly triumphs, and the next day, 
 greatly relieved in body and mind, was plying his accustomed avocation 
 among his pots and kettles in "Water Street, New York. 
 
 The following appeared in the Spread Eagle the next morning : 
 
 To THE Citizens of Peekskill and Vicinity : 
 
 At a debate a few montlis since before the Spankers Club, a prominent 
 member of the club, in a carefully prepared essay, advanced the opinion that 
 humbugging could be reduced to a science so perfect that any community, 
 no matter how well-informed, could be successfully duped if scientiflcaUy 
 approached. The other members of the club considered the opinions so ad- 
 vanced not only untenable, but wholly unsupported by any known prece- 
 dent. But, willing for the good of mankind and for the promotion of sci- 
 ence that the matter should be freely and satisfactorily tested on some one 
 community (in their opinion) not easily duped, they agreed, after much de- 
 bate, that the experiment should be tried on the uihabitants of Peekskill — 
 with what success we leave the public to determine. 
 
 The members of the club feel that no extensive apology is due from them, 
 as they have iu times past ever found the inhabitants of Peekskill — without 
 respect to party — ready and willing to make any sacrifice for the advance- 
 ment of science ; which elevated principles and generous sentiment they trust 
 will not be withheld iu the present case. 
 
 As the late King, who yesterday figured so conspicuously among us, has 
 laid down the sceptre and retired to humble life, the members of the club 
 will ofiBciate ia his stead in the matter of ' ' drinks. " Therefore, all persons 
 who are disposed to take a friendly glass to celebrate the advancement of sci- 
 ence, will please call at the hotel at any hour of the day. 
 
 Samuel Snoozenqrass, Secretary. 
 
 Early the next morning a thirsty and clamorous crowd thronged the 
 hotel, eager to wet their whistles, who, on being informed that the King 
 had run away, were disposed to indulge in a row, but on learning that 
 the promised treat was a fixed fact — sure to come off — good humor 
 among them immediately prevailed, and many a jolly fellow, during the 
 day, under the influence of " the cup " was heard to exclaim, with his 
 
THE SPANKERS CLUB. 167 
 
 hand placed just beneath his heart, that he was a true believer in the 
 promotion of science. 
 
 The inhabitants of Peekskill have never fully forgotten the decep- 
 tion practiced upon them, and since that time all strangers visiting the 
 place have been eyed narrowly, and of late years visitors to that local- 
 ity who have endeavored to palm themselves off as scions of royalty, 
 have been sent forward by an early train. 
 
HAWKS, THE SCHOOLMASTER. 
 
 MONG the wonders of creation, mountains stand forth the 
 most sublime and impressive, and those particularly men- 
 tioned in Jewish history form the noblest and most enduring 
 monuments of great events. And we might further observe, 
 in the introduction of our subject, that the largest and most important 
 rivers of the world have their rise in high, mountainous regions. From 
 such historical truths, and from other facts derived from family papers 
 recently exhumed, we have arrived at the opinion that man, to possess 
 true genius and to be capable of great undertakings, must draw his first 
 impulses amid elevated scenery. In confirmation of so startling a truth, 
 we beg leave to record the wondrous and mighty doings of a race of 
 men formerly inhabiting that range of the Alleghanies known as the 
 Fishkill Mountains, whose prowess and deeds of arms in defence of 
 freedom and other weighty matters are still fondly remembered and re- 
 counted with pride by their manifold descendants. 
 
 About the year 1Y65 a family named Wallace located on lands on 
 the Fishkill Mountains near the head-waters of the "Wiccapee. They 
 were from the highlands of Scotland, and claimed to be descendants of 
 William Wallace, the great Highland chieftain, who figures so con- 
 spicuously in Scottish history, and is renowned for his deeds of daring, 
 in the times when the clans of Scotland made so glorious a stand for 
 their country against the encroachments of the British monarchy. 
 
 The Wallace household consisted of seven persons — father, mother, 
 four sons and one daughter, the latter the youngest of the children. 
 The boys at the time were of an age to render much assistance in 
 clearing the land on which the family had located, which lay in a lap of 
 the mountain, and to a large extent was free of rock, and susceptible 
 of being brought under fair cultivation. This farm, in later years. 
 
HAWKS, THE SCHOOLMASTEE. 169 
 
 was known as the Barrett farm, having come into the possession, and 
 having been occupied for some time by a family of that name, and at 
 a still later date was owned by the family of the writer, and used for 
 the purpose of raising sheep, in the time when the wool-growing mania 
 took so deep a hold of the inhabitants of Old Dutchess, and when, as it 
 was facetiously remarked by a writer of that day, the whole county 
 had been turned into a sheep-pen. 
 
 To resume. The elder Wallace, who, it was hinted, had been 
 obliged to leave his country for some offence against the government, 
 was a man of some culture, was possessed of a large share of that 
 shrewdness peculiar to his countrymen, was also remarkably fluent in 
 conversation, and in due time came to be regarded by the denizens of 
 the hills around him as a prodigy of learning. The family had brought 
 from the old world a large collection of books, and during the long, 
 winter evenings, when fully installed in their new mountain home, 
 the hours were profitably employed, for, as the wintry winds whis- 
 tled around the hill-tops, and swept with plaintive moan through the 
 gorges of the mountains, all was cheerfulness within the cottage ; the 
 mother employed in her domestic duties, and the father superintend- 
 ing the education of the children, and at times entertaining them with 
 those strange legends current for many generations among the hills of 
 Scotland. 
 
 After the lapse of a few years, the population in the neighborhood 
 so increased that a school was required, and a log structure for that 
 pui-pose was erected at the cross-roads known as Purdy's Corners, 
 which style of building for educational purposes then dotted many of 
 the hill-tops and valleys of the land, and from whose walls came forth 
 scholars, who, in after years, largely shaped the destinies of our 
 country. 
 
 The schoolmaster of that day was a literary curiosity. They were 
 mostly grown in the wooden-nutmeg country, and their particular 
 forte consisted in masticating and digesting those well-known com- 
 modities, doughnuts, crullers, and pumpkin-pies. The quantity of 
 these articles disposed of at one sitting by those ancient venders of 
 knowledge, baffles our power of computation. Fortunately for the 
 frugal housewife of our day, this race of instructors has become ex- 
 tinct. 
 
170 HAWKS, THE SCHOOLMASTER. 
 
 The applicant for the responsible post of teacher in the newly estab- 
 lished school at Pnrdy's Corners was Mr. Joseph Hawks, fresh from 
 the land of steady habits. Joseph's father was a farmer residing on 
 the banks of the far-famed Connecticut, and in accordance with the 
 fashion of those days, was blessed with a large family— six sons and an 
 equal number of daughters. Joseph, who was the eldest of the flock, 
 had been favored with a few quarters' tuition at the district school in 
 the neighborhood, and had also acquired some knowledge in psahnody, 
 which he rendered with a true nasal twang, concluded, from several 
 hints given by the " old man," that it was high time he struck out in 
 the world, and secured for himself and his posterity a fortune. With 
 this view he at once made preparations to quit the paternal roof, and 
 face, with Eoman-like courage, the responsibilities of an unfriendly 
 world. Having donned his Sunday-go-to-meetin's, and crammed his 
 pockets with those indispensable luxuries, doughnuts and crullers, he 
 bade adieu to his numerous relatives without a tear, and turned his 
 steps westward, having no doubt in his mind at that particular moment 
 that sentiment of the poet : 
 
 "Westward the course of empire takes its way ! " 
 
 Our traveller, after sundry adventures, arrived in the vicinity of 
 Purdy's Comers, where he learned the agreeable news that the school- 
 master was wanted. Having sought the trustees, Joseph made appli- 
 cation for the vacant post, when, after a few preliminaries with the 
 guardians of education, a bargain was struck satisfactory to both 
 parties, containing, however, a proviso, that the applicant before enter- 
 ing on his duties should obtain from Squire Higgs a certificate certify- 
 ing his fitness for the oflice. 
 
 Having ascertained the whereabouts of that functionary, Mr. Hawks 
 proceeded to pay his respects to the man of learning. He found the 
 Squire (it being a warm day) seated on his wood-pile, minus coat and 
 vest, and from appearances, was refreshing himself with a little apple- 
 jack, as a mug on a log near him sent forth an odor somewhat allied 
 to that commodity. Mr. Hawks at once made known the object of 
 his visit, when the Squire, with that blandness pecuhar to men of let- 
 ters, invited the trembling Joseph into his domicile, and after a few 
 inquiries as to his antecedents, the examination was begun. Orthog- 
 
HAWKS, THE SCHOOLMASTEl!. 171 
 
 rapliy being first in order, Mr. Hawks was requested to stand up and 
 spell " cider." Joseph being well acquainted with a beverage by that 
 name, having spent many hours of his youthful days in imbibing the 
 article through a straw at a cider-press near his home, concluded he 
 could do the thing, whereupon he started and went ahead as follows, 
 s-i-d-e-r, ending hj giving the last letter a peculiar ring, which was 
 about all the Squire heard, as he was rather hard of hearing, but he 
 judged from the twist of the speller's head when going through the 
 operation that it was all right ; accordingly Joseph was pronounced 
 sound on Orthography. 
 
 Mathematics being the science next in order, it occurred to the 
 Squire, as he was about building a new barn, it would be a good thing 
 to ascertain the cost and quantity of shingles necessary for the roof ; 
 he therefore propounded to the astonished Joseph the following mathe- 
 matical question: How many shingles, the exposed surface of each 
 being 4 inches by 6 inches, will be required to roof a barn 40 feet long 
 and 30 feet in width, the pitch of the roof to be 45, the eaves and 
 ends of the roof to have a projection of one foot ? This question to 
 Joseph was a poser ; for a moment or two he felt an inward sinking, 
 and wished he was back under the parental roof, and at the same time 
 mentally consigned the Squire to a less favored locality, but with true 
 Yankee grit he soon arose to the exigencies of the occasion. Seizing 
 slate and pencil, which the Squire had generously furnished, he pro- 
 ceeded to make the calcxdation. He figured for a long time, when the 
 idea occurred to him that the Squire himself couldn't tell how many 
 shingles were required ; he therefore concluded to make a guess at the 
 number, and announced as the result of his calculations 100,000. 
 Joseph saw at a glance that the Squire was amazed at the quantity ; he 
 therefore, quick as thought, cast his eye again on the slate, quickly re- 
 marking he had made a slight error in the calculation, having affixed 
 one cipher too many; the true number he said was 10,000, which 
 appeared to agree more nearly with the Squire's calculation, as the old 
 gentleman nodded assent. 
 
 The only other branch of knowledge to be inquired into was penman- 
 ship. Hawks had brought with him a few curious scrawls on paper, of 
 his own manufacture, which he proudly exhibited as a specimen of his 
 writing. The Squire gazed so long on the characters thus submitted 
 
172 HAWKS, THE SCHOOLMASTEE. 
 
 for his inspection, that Hawks became a little nervous, and concluded 
 he had better explain. He told the Squire the writing was a new style 
 lately come up, then much in vogue in Connecticut, and which in a 
 short time would be all the go the world over. The Squire, who now 
 and then could get off a joke, remarked with a comical expression, that 
 the letters appeared to be in the act of going. He kindly suggested to 
 the author of the scrawls, that a little more practice in the art would 
 be advisable, whereupon the examination was concluded satisfactory to 
 both parties. 
 
 Squire Higgs was a man of broad philanthropy, and largely esteemed 
 for his social qualities. He owned a large tract of land near what is 
 now known as Long HiU, where he then resided. He had by hard 
 labor got most of the land in a good state of cultivation, was at the 
 time free of debt, and in a position, to use an old phrase, to take life 
 easy. Although the Squire was very deficient in what we now call 
 " education," yet his natural good sense and keen scrutiny of men and 
 things made up in a large measure for the lack of school advantages. 
 He had held several ofiices of trust in the township, the duties of which 
 he always discharged with ability. 
 
 The Squire conceived a liking for the young teacher ; saw in him 
 those elements of success that only needed proper encouragement and 
 opportunity for development. As Hawks did not intend to commence 
 his school duties until Monday of the following week, the Squire kindly 
 invited him to make his house his home until that time ; .which invita- 
 tion was gladly accepted, particularly so, as the Squire had two bloom- 
 ing daughters, whose shy glances through a partially open door into the 
 room where the examination had been conducted, had not been unob- 
 served by Joseph. 
 
 Madam Higgs was a true type of the women of the olden time. 
 From the first day of her married life she had unflinchingly shouldered 
 the conjugal responsibilities, and was determined, as she said, to see her 
 " old man " through. She was of that old Dutch stock (now nearly 
 extinct) which in household duties never tired. From early morn until 
 the evening shades prevailed, her shrill voice could be heard from garret 
 to cellar, and from barn to corn-crib, giving her orders, and, like a good 
 soldier, ever leading the charge. The pecuniary success of Daniel was, 
 to a large extent, due to his ever-vigilant spouse, for nothing about the 
 
HAWKS, THE SCHOOLMASTER. 173 
 
 place ever escaped her notice. Slie knew every duck and chicken 
 around ; could tell to half a minute when a fresh egg was laid ; kept 
 an account of the outgoes and income of the farm ; and though at the 
 time of our writing was upwards of fifty years of age, yet she was still 
 in the meridian of her strength, with a face round as the full moon, 
 and devoid of the slightest wrinkle, and from appearances would 
 continue to battle on in the good cause for another quarter of a century. 
 
 When Madam Higgs heard the new teacher was to remain with them 
 for a d'ay or two, she exclaimed, " Goody gracious ! We must set our 
 house in order! " though it would have required an eagle-eyed critic to 
 have discovered anything therein astray. 
 
 Joseph soon made himself at home ; he went arotmd with the Sqiiire 
 to look at the pigs, cows, and other stock, aU of which received his 
 hearty commendations. To the various remarks of the Squire, he 
 would answer in true Yankee parlance, " Dew tell ! " and at other times, 
 " Jist so ! " 
 
 Soon the horn sounded, announcing that supper was ready, which 
 was music to Joseph's ears, as he had been on short allowance for 
 several days, and of course was sharp-set. The Squire immediately led 
 the way to the feast. As the twain entered the supper-room, Joseph 
 marvelled greatly at the variety of good things provided, conspicuous 
 among which were two huge plates loaded with short-cake, the great 
 deUcacy of that age. If there was anything Madam Higgs prided her- 
 self on it was her short-cake. On the present occasion she had excelled 
 all her former efforts, and eagerly watched to see what impression the 
 article would make on her guest. As Joseph took the first mouthful 
 of the deKcious compound he brought his lips together with a smack 
 that caused the Squire to hold up for a moment, which was lucky, as 
 the old gentleman had already got three cakes ahead of the rest of the 
 party. Madam saw the impressions were favorable and felt com- 
 forted. 
 
 As Joseph began to fill up, he regretted his rashness a few hours be- 
 fore in wishing himself back on the banks of the Connecticut, and 
 mentally apologized to the Squire for consigning him to an unmention- 
 able place, whom he now regarded as a model man, worthy of being 
 extensively copied. 
 
 When Monday morning came around, Joseph bade adieu to his kind 
 
174 HAWKS, THE SCHOOLMASTER. 
 
 friends and proceeded to his field of labor, armed with the requisite 
 certificate, which is still in good preservation, having been faithfully 
 guarded by his descendants, a copy of which was kindly furnished us 
 on apphcation for embodiment in this article, and which we herewith 
 append : 
 
 (Copy.) 
 
 This is to surtiflgh that a youngish man waring a Bel crown hat, a swal- 
 low tale cote and yaller and blue trousers, come to mi house this aftemoun, 
 as i was setten on the would pyle an sed his name was Gosefl Hockes an told 
 me he wonted to be xamend as to wot he nowed bout teechen scool, 1 thare- 
 four did xamen the sed Goseff in spellen in riting in hayrythmaytic and of sich 
 the said Goseff did peer furmiller with, i tharefour as xamencer, and in vir- 
 tue of my offis due reckomen the sad Goseff as a fl.tt teecher. Sined bi mee 
 this day, 
 
 June, 11, 1773. Dan'l Higgs. 
 
 We trust the reader will not smile at the Squire's orthography, for 
 it must be borne in mind that the certificate was penned one hundred 
 years ago, " in good old Colony times," when the schoolmaster, in isolated 
 places, was not abroad ; and if he was, he was of that type of which 
 Hawks is a fair representative. Muscle and industry were the essen- 
 tials then required, when the forests had to be levelled and the land 
 subdued. The cadaverous-looking student of this our day, with gold- 
 rimmed spectacles, tapping his spider legs with a light, polished cane, 
 and standing around waiting for something to turn up, would in those 
 days have been an unmerchantable article. 
 
 Schoolmaster Hawks fortunately secured board in the Wallace fam- 
 ily. The fresh air of the locality, and the good feed, soon greatly ex- 
 panded his physical proportions. The elder Wallace, who was, as we have 
 already observed, a man of culture, early discovered that the young 
 teacher was far from being qualified for the duties of the office on which 
 he had entered; he noticed, however, that Hawks possessed an inquir- 
 ing mind, was quick of apprehension, and if right opportunities were 
 afforded him, would doubtless make in time an excellent scholar. With 
 this view, Wallace placed his library, which contained many valuable 
 works, at the disposal of his guest, and during the evenings would di- 
 rect the conversation on scientific subjects. 
 
 Hawks proved a ready learner, for on each day, during school hours. 
 
HAWKS, THE SCHOOLMASTER. 175 
 
 he would ventilate to his piipils the ideas obtained the previous even- 
 ing. Standing up in their midst (to cite an example), he discoursed on 
 the starry firmament, the great globe on which we hve, hung in illim- 
 itable space, and which, as he said, was rushing like a war-horse on its 
 diurnal revolutions ; at the same time he would throw himself into every 
 imaginable attitude to give his words proper effect. If Plawks' ora- 
 torical displays did not enlarge the minds of his pupils, they had the 
 effect of filling them with wonder and astonishment, and of impress- 
 ing them with the vast learning of the master. This practice, which 
 Hawks continued during his connection with the school, doubtless con- 
 tributed in a great degree to the fame he acquired in after-life as a pub- 
 lic speaker. The reader is referred to Van Voorhis' lives of eminent 
 orators. 
 
THE BURIED TREASURE, 
 
 A TALE OF DOBBS FEEET. 
 
 ''OE some years immediately following the Eevolutionary 
 war, there resided in Dobbs Ferry an old sea captain, famil- 
 iarly know as Commodore, who, it was rumored, had been a 
 pirate on the high seas ; and rumor also had it that there was 
 buried in the cellar of his house, and about his gi:ounds, immense treas- 
 ure, taken from the Vessels he had captured and plundered. 
 
 The Commodore was well aware of these stories, or rumors, for they 
 were extensively circulated ; but being a jovial old fellow, fond of a 
 social glass, and ever ready for a little fun, he not only greatly enjoyed 
 the stories, but sought, in many ways, to impress his neighbors that he 
 had been a very wicked feUow, in fact much worse than their imagin- 
 ations pictured him. 
 
 The Commodore's dwelling contained but one inmate besides himself, 
 who was also an " old salt," and who had been pretty well cut up in 
 numerous sea fights, being minus one leg, and carrying a visage richly 
 ornamented with the scars of battle. This inmate of the Commodore's 
 dwelling was rescued from a watery grave when but an interesting 
 juvenile, having been found, solitary and alone, in an open boat, in the 
 Bay of Fundy, which boat was supposed to have belonged to some 
 wrecked vessel. As no inquiries were ever made after this interesting 
 waif, he was taken in charge by his friends and christened Jack Fundy, 
 and from that hour until but within a few years of the time of which 
 we write, his home had been on the stormy sea. 
 
 The Commodore, and his household companion, who was known as 
 Captain Jack, lived together in the utmost harmony. The former hav- 
 ing been born to command, and the latter accustomed to obey, there 
 
THE BUEIED TREASUEE. 177 
 
 could not possibly arise any occasion for difference between them. In 
 their dwelling was suspended a bell, which had formerly belonged to 
 some sea-going vessel, which Captain Jack sounded with great regu- 
 larity at certain hours, in order, as'he said, to keep the ship's reckon- 
 ing, but which was used more frequently to denote grog time, which 
 came around pretty often, — for these old salts, from long habit, could 
 stow away an enormous amount of grog, and besides they navigated 
 much better (in their opinion) when properly ballasted with the ardent. 
 
 Wten it began to be rumored among the villagers that there was 
 much treasure buried in the cellar, or among the grounds around the 
 Commodore's dwelling. Captain Jack was instructed by his superior 
 not to deny the rumors or stories, but to occasionally spin a yarn to the 
 villagers about the immense spoils he had seen taken from captured 
 vessels during his sea-faring life, and not to be at all sparing about em- 
 bellishments, but to lay it on thick, on the principle that a large dose 
 was generally the most effective. 
 
 Captain Jack simply wanted orders to engage in his favorite amuse- 
 ment, yarn-spinning, for in this particular branch of sea-faring life he 
 had always been at home. Ofttimes during his long voyages, when the 
 vessel was becalmed and the crew had little or nothing to do, these sons 
 of old Neptune would gather on the forward deck and beguile the 
 weary hours with stories of the deep. It was on such occasions that 
 Jack's talent for the marvellous shone forth conspicuously, for it was 
 universally acknowledged by the crew that no one could reel off so en- 
 tertaining a story as Captain Jack. 
 
 The brain of man is a curious structure. When we want to believe 
 a thing which is for our advantage to believe, we are apt to revolve the 
 matter in our minds until we become our own converts. At least such 
 was the case with the ancient Dobbites, for the more they brooded over 
 the fancied wealth of the Commodore, the greater they conceived the 
 amount to be ; and the more they considered the legal a^ects of the 
 case, the more firmly they were convinced they were the Commodore's 
 legitimate heirs. The only point that gave them any concern was their 
 inability to determine the exact amount of the Commodore's possessions. 
 Some were afraid that the amount, when divided up, would not be 
 sufficient to make them all millionaires; but others, whose pockets 
 sadly needed replenishing, concluded, should there be only a few hun- 
 23 
 
178 THE BURIED TEEASURE. 
 
 dred thousand dollars apiece, that that amount would be quite satisfac- 
 tory. 
 
 The desire of the Dobbites to know what amount of treasure the 
 Commodore was actually the owner of, and how soon they would be 
 privileged to administer on his estate, finally became so great, that they 
 appointed a committee to give the matter a scientific investigation. 
 Not that they were in any hurry to have so wealthy a citizen as the 
 Commodore die ; not they ; but they mourned over the great loss of 
 interest which ensued on account of so much bullion in the Commo- 
 dore's possession being unemployed. 
 
 The committee appointed to ascertain the amount of the Commo- 
 dore's buried treasure, and the probable time when he would be pre- 
 pared to hand over the same, had comparatively an easy task assigned 
 them, for, on the opposite side of the river, directly under the Pali- 
 sades, resided an old hermit — so called by the inhabitants of the sur- 
 rounding country — who was represented to be greatly skilled in all mat- 
 ters pertaining to buried treasures. The hermit, whose name was 
 Barnack, was engaged, in connection with a few others, in manufactur- 
 ing spurious coin. They had chosen this retired spot in order to carry 
 on their illicit business in security, in which they had been eminently 
 successful, for so secretly had their operations been conducted, that not 
 even their nearest neighbors were aware, or even suspected, that any 
 person inhabited the hermit's dwelling other than the hermit himself. 
 
 The hermit, as we shall continue to call him, though an illiterate per- 
 son, was very affable, and had a genius adequate to prepossess people in 
 his favor by displaying his talents to the best advantage. He pretended 
 to a deep knowledge in chemistry, and that he was able to raise or dis- 
 pel good or evil spirits. Occasionally, by exhibiting some clever tricks 
 in legerdemain, he had impressed the community far and near that in 
 aU matters pertaining to the supernatural he was a match for the old 
 fiend himself. 
 
 It was therefore very natural that the committee, in determining 
 the amount of treasure belonging to the Commodore, should consult 
 one so skilled in the magic art as the hermit. In laying the matter 
 before him, which they did with great minuteness, the hermit saw, at 
 a glance, that he had a profitable job in prospect. After making a few 
 calculations with chalk on the floor of the room, so as to impress his 
 
THE BtTRIED TREASITEE. 179 
 
 visitors favorably, he informed the committee that there would be no 
 difScTilty in ascertaining the amount of treasure secreted on the Com- 
 modore's premises ; but it would require some little time and perhaps 
 involve considerable expense to work up the matter properly, as all 
 buried or secreted treasure, particularly that which had been taken 
 from vessels plundered on the high seas, was under the influence or 
 control of supernatural agencies, and these agencies had to be appeased 
 or concihated by ofEerings before the treasure could be recovered. 
 
 The hermit also mentioned that the many failures to recover the 
 treasure buried by Captain Kidd, arose from the fact that those in 
 search of the treasure had neglected to propitiate the spirits who stood 
 sentinel over it. Although he had not given Captain Kidd's treasure 
 much thought of late years, yet he had in onp or two instances recently, 
 in the spirit of curiosity, used his divining rod — the gift of an old ma- 
 gician — to ascertain where Kidd had buried his treasure. But as he 
 had no use for the treasure, and as its recovery would involve consid- 
 erable expense, he had not pursued the matter further. 
 
 After some further conversation between the parties, it was agreed 
 that the hermit should open negotiations with the spirits having the 
 Commodore's treasure in custody, and if possible ascertain what the 
 treasure would amount to, reduced into English money, and also ascer- 
 tain what arrangements, if any, could be made to hand over the treas- 
 ure to the citizens of Dobbs Ferry, they (the citizens) in its division to 
 share and share alike. The committee agreed to reward the spirits 
 handsomely, should they regard the matter favorably, and to abide by 
 any arrangements that should be entered into by the contracting parties. 
 
 The hermit mentioned that when negotiations were opened with the 
 spirits, the inhabitants of Dobbs Ferry would undoubtedly feel a pe- 
 culiar influence. What that influence would be he could not exactly 
 say ; but should they be greatly disturbed with dreams, that would be 
 a good sign, showing that the negotiations were proceeding favorably. 
 He therefore advised the committee to encourage dreaming on the 
 part of the villagers, which could be done in many ways. One way — 
 and a very good one — was to eat heartily of mince-pie before retiring 
 for the night. Sausages, cheese, and smoked beef were also good 
 dream promoters, as were also hard-boiled eggs. The committee 
 promised to give this matter their particular attention, after which they 
 
180 THE BTJEIED TEEASFKE. 
 
 retired to their side of tlie river, mucli gratified with the result of the 
 interview. 
 
 The Commodore and Captain Jack were joint owners of a sail-boat, 
 — or what more properly might have been termed a yacht — in which 
 they frequently took a turn up and down the river. Ofttimes when 
 the tempest raged furiously, lashing the waters of Tappan Zee into 
 foam, these old storm-rocked veterans, inspired with the sight and anx- 
 ious for another bout with the elements, would put out with their craft 
 and for hours nobly breast the gale. During one of their excursions 
 along the west shore of the river they made the acquaintance of the 
 hermit, and, finding he kept on hand a good supply of " old Jamaica," 
 their calls in that direction afterwards became very frequent. 
 
 It so happened on the day when the Committee had their interview 
 with the hermit that the Commodore and Captain Jack were out in 
 their craft testing the breeze, and no sooner had the committee termi- 
 nated their interview and left the hermit's cabin, than these old salts 
 put in an appearance in quest as usual of a little good cheer. While 
 they were refreshing themselves, it occurred to the hermit that the 
 Commodore and Jack were the very men to assist him in carrying out 
 his plans relative to the buried treasure. He therefore detailed to them 
 in confidence the nature of his interview with the committee, and so- 
 licited their co-operation in the matter, promising them a rich reward. 
 
 The " old tars," warmed up under the exhilarating influence of the 
 old Jamaica, cheerfully proffered their services in any capacity desired. 
 Captain Jack, in particular, was very demonstrative ; whether he fully 
 understood the duties required of him was very doubtful ; still, he en- 
 tered into the affair with great zeal. No man, he said, knew more 
 about ghosts than he did. He had been on lands and on seas where 
 ghosts were as plenty as blackberries. He had ate with them, drank 
 with them, sailed with them, fought with them, and was free to say 
 that he had known some ghosts and some spirits who were very 
 clever fellows. But as for these Dobbs Ferry ghosts, he had a con- 
 temptible opinion of them ; they were nothing but fresh-water fellows 
 —miserable land-lubbers ; he could teach them more in one hour than 
 they had known all their lifetime. After a little further ebullition of 
 the hke sort on the part of Captain Jack, this worthy departed in tow 
 of the Commodore, both promising to hold themselves in readiness to 
 
THE BUEIED TREASURE. 181 
 
 carry out any instructions the hermit might give them touching the 
 matter considered. 
 
 About two -jveeks after the interviews related, the committee received 
 from the hermit the following communication : 
 
 To THE Hon. Committee : 
 
 Since your visit to my humble abode, I have been industriously em^ployed 
 in looking into the matter talked over at our interview. On consulting the 
 mystic arts and the use of appliances known only to men of my calling, I 
 foimd you were right in supposing there was treasure bm-ied on the premises 
 of one Comm.odore in your village ; for I discovered, by making the neces- 
 sary calculations, that beneath the cellar floor of the said Commodore's 
 dwelling are several^ barrels filled with the precious metals, also many large 
 earthen jars containing gems of priceless value, besides a large quantity of 
 gold watches, breast-pins, bracelets, knee-buckles, etc., etc. I therefore at 
 once put myself in communication with the spirits haviag a controlling influ- 
 ence over the treasure, desiring to know on what conditions they would hand 
 over the same to the inhabitants of Dobbs Ferry, and have received from 
 them the following communication on the subject : 
 
 L P M— X, 
 0—3, 
 
 D t, w X, O 1, m, w p, shusante. 
 7. 3. 8. 4. 
 
 s 
 m 
 u 
 r 
 
 Elk. 
 
 The substance of the above communication is that the spirits are tired of 
 watching the treasure, and are very anxious to get rid of it, and have agreed 
 to hold a meeting to consider the propriety of deUveriag it over to the citizens 
 of Dobbs Ferry. As soon as they decide on the matter I will inform you of 
 the result. They will hold their meeting on Saturday evening of the present 
 week at the house of the Commodore. The Commodore, of course, will not 
 be cognizant of their presence, as they will weave a spell about him and his 
 man Jack, so that they will be the same as dead for twelve hours. 
 
 It will be necessary for you to deposit under the big tree in the rear of the 
 Commodore's house by eight o'clock on Saturday evening, for the use of the 
 spirits, several boxes of good cigars, also several bottles of champagne, a roast 
 
182 TUE BURIED TEEASUEB. 
 
 turkey or two (fat fellows), a good ham, also plenty of bread and other fix- 
 ings.— Not that the spirits have need of these things, but it is their custom, 
 when considering the affairs of the world's people, to conform to worldly 
 customs to make these deliberations legal. 
 
 Yours fraternally, Hermit. 
 
 P. S. — I forgot to say that during the deliberations of the spirits on Satur- 
 day evening every inhabitant of Dobbs Ferry must remain within doors. 
 The spirits wiU be in session from nine o'clock in the evening until daylight 
 the next morning. 
 
 The spirits that met at the Commodore's residence on that Saturday 
 evening, were a very different kind from what the committee undoubt- 
 edly supposed would there assemble, for they consisted of the Oom- 
 modore, his man Jack, the Hermit, and a few other choice spirits who 
 still belonged to earth. These spirits immediately proceeded to discuss 
 the good things provided, and, as they emptied bottle after bottle of 
 champagne, their spirits- rose in proportion. 
 
 As it was supposed that some prying eyes might be fixed on the 
 building in which they were assembled, it was thought best to make 
 some spiritual manifestations to the outside world, to show what weighty 
 matters were in progress ; accordingly, a few rockets — provided for the 
 occasion — were now and then sent up by the way of the chimney. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to say that the spirits had a good time, for 
 such spirits generally do, when they eat and drink at the expense of 
 others. They kept up their merry-makings until the small hours of the 
 night, when they adjourned — ^having instructed the Hermit to com- 
 municate to the committee the result of their deliberations in writing, 
 which he did as follows : 
 
 To THE Hon. Committee : 
 
 The spirits met, pursuant to notice, at the time and place specified, and 
 unanimously agreed to hand over to the citizens of Dobbs Ferry the treasure 
 buried on the premises of one Commodore, on the following conditions : 
 
 Every inhabitant of Dobbs Ferry, free bom, and over twenty years of age, 
 shall contribute, as an offering to the spirits, five pounds, either in gold or 
 silver ; which sum shall be placed in a suitable vessel, and left on the rear 
 stoop of said Commodore's house, on Saturday evening, two weeks from the 
 date hereof, which will be on the 18th inst. 
 
THE BUKIED TEEASURE. 183 
 
 Should such gold or silver be deposited or left, as herein specified, the 
 spirits agree to relinquish all claim to the treasure buried in the cellar of said 
 Commodore's house, and will deliver the same to the persons contributing 
 fl.ve pounds as above, on the Monday morning following, which will be the 
 30th inst. The said Commodore and a certain man named Captain Jack, 
 will be spirited away, so that the inhabitants will have time to exhume the 
 treasure at their leisure. The amount of the treasure, as ascertained by ex- 
 perts, is four million pounds sterling. Heemit. 
 
 The committee readily assented to the propositions, and at once took 
 measm-es to collect the five pounds required from each inhabitant, 
 which was deposited on the Saturday evening named, as directed. This 
 work accomplished, aU hands waited patiently for the coming of Monday 
 morning to take possession of the treasure. 
 
 It would be needless to paint the disappointment of the villagers 
 when they found the cellar coiatained no treasure. Their denunciations 
 of the spirits were fierce and loud, and lasted for many days. It was 
 their opinion, which they adhered to through life, that the spirits 
 spirited away the treasure ; and not content with carrying off the treas- 
 ure, were also mean enough to spirit away those clever fellows, the 
 Commodore, Captain Jack, and the Hermit, who were never heard of 
 more. 
 
 But tradition has it, that for many years afterwards, on murky days, 
 when the rains descended and fierce winds swept along the Hudson, 
 a mysterious yacht could be seen coursing through the waters of • Tap- 
 pan Zee, and at the helm, dripping with spray, stood the well-remem- 
 bered figure of Captain Jack. 
 
A LEGEND OF ADRIAN POND. 
 
 P to the latter part of the last century, just south of the vil- 
 lage of Johnsville, and immediately at the base of Honsas 
 Mountain, lay a beautiful sheet of water known as Adrian 
 Pond. This pond mysteriously disappeared on the night of 
 June 10, 1791 ; which event, as may be supposed, caused much 
 alarm and speculation among the then inhabitants of the vicinity. Sub- 
 sequent investigations, however, satisfactorily showed that by a slight 
 settling of Honsas Mountain, the bed of the pond was elevated to a 
 level of the surrounding lands, causing the waters of the pond to pass 
 off through Wood's Creek, which crosses the Johnsville road near the 
 westerly entrance of the village. Perhaps none of the present inhabit- 
 ants of Johnsville are aware of the exact locality where once stood 
 Adrian Pond, as the place for the past eighty years has been cultivated 
 iields, teeming in the times of harvest with the fruits of industry. 
 
 Adrian Pond, for some years prior to its disappearance, was supposed 
 to be the abode of some unhappy spirit, as sounds the most appalling 
 issued nightly from beneath its waters, causing much annoyance and 
 alarm to the good people of the neighborhood. The sounds iinally be- 
 came so boisterous that the nervous portion of the community, living 
 contiguous to the pond, were obhged, on retiring for the night, to place 
 cotton in their ears, and to adopt such other measures as would invoke 
 the favors of Morpheus. 
 
 After an interval of time, some of the citizens of the place, stimu- 
 lated by a large reward, agreed to give the subject a rigid investiga- 
 tion. The citizens so offering their services were men of well-known 
 courage, especially at such times when they paid court to the shrine of 
 Bacchus. 
 
 These worthy gentlemen proceeded to discharge their hazardous 
 
A LEGEND OF ADRIAN POND. 185 
 
 duties with commendable alacrity. They constructed a raft, which 
 they moored in the centre of the pond, and when the shades of even- 
 ing stole over the face of nature they took their seats on tlie raft to 
 await coming events. They were well fortified for the work before 
 them, as they had an ample supply of that well-known commodity, 
 Dutch courage, which they carried in small stone bottles fastened to a 
 girdle around the waist. 
 
 That night was one long to be remembered, for precisely at twelve 
 o'clock a flash of light, rivalling in brilliancy the beams of the orb of 
 day, illuminated every portion of the pond, which was quickly followed 
 by darkness so intense as to wholly obscure objects but a few feet dis- 
 tant. Then followed sound after sound in rapid succession, mingled 
 with cries for help so terrific that men of stout hearts turned pale, and 
 all with one accord sought safety by delving far down amid the cover- 
 ing of their places of repose. 
 
 -At the first dawn of the coming day many an anxious eye was turned 
 towards the pond. To the joy of aU, the men were seen sitting on the 
 raft, apparently having escaped the dangers of the night. But as the 
 morning advanced, a more careful examination showed that a wonder- 
 ful change had befallen the adventurers, for they sat as motionless as 
 statues ; their hair and beards had, during the night, grown to an enor- 
 mous length, and were as white as the new-fallen snow. The few 
 hours they had passed on the raft had wrought a greater change in 
 their appearance than could have been effected by the ordinary march 
 of time in a third of a century. 
 
 As the men on the raft manifested no disposition to return to the 
 shore, and as they refused to answer the various questions or inquiries 
 of their friends who were within speaking distance, a boat was pro- 
 cured and manned, which proceeded to the raft to render such assist- 
 ance as might be needed. 
 
 The men in the boat, on reaching the raft, were startled at the still- 
 ness of their friends, for to the many questions propounded to theni 
 not the slightest reply could be elicited. After much difficulty they 
 were removed to the boat and conveyed to the shore ; as they were 
 placed once more on solid ground, each one pronounced, in a voice 
 clear and audible, the word " Unique," which was the last word they 
 Were ever known to utter. 
 24 
 
186 A LEaEND OF ADRIAN POND. 
 
 The itufortunate termination of an enterprise from which such high 
 hopes had been expected, created, as may be supposed, much gloom 
 and despondency among the inhabitants in the vicinity. But as the 
 sounds from the pond nightly continued and even increased in violence, 
 it was determined that another effort should be made to discover the 
 cause, and if possible put an end to the disturbance. 
 
 For this purpose a committee was appointed to confer with a phi- 
 losopher of much note, who lived in those days in Ladue City, distant 
 one mile and a half from the pond. The philosopher, who rejoiced in 
 the cognomen of I-say-I Swifter, was a man of much research. He 
 was not only skilled in the mystic arts, but deeply read in legendary 
 lore, and of course was in every way qualified to solve the mysteries of 
 the pond. 
 
 "When the committee had stated their business to the philosopher, he 
 rolled up his eyes and indulged in other manifestations, thus signifying 
 to the committee that the business brought to his notice was of much 
 grave importance. 
 
 After a long consultation between the committee and the philosopher, 
 the latter agreed to give the subject a thorough investigation. He said 
 he would consult the stars and such other authorities as were in the line 
 of his profession, and would commit the results of his investigations to 
 writing, which would be at the service of the committee in just twenty- 
 one days, six hours, and forty-nine minutes from the time the committee 
 entered his premises. The philosopher expressed himself satisfied that 
 he could give the relief desired, whereupon the committee returned to 
 their friends, quite jubilant at the idea that their troubles were so near 
 at an end. 
 
 At the expiration of the time specified the committee waited on 
 the philosopher, who, with much studied formality, handed them his 
 report. It was a curious document, filled with strange devices, and 
 highly ornamented. On the top of the first page was the figure of an 
 owl, sitting apparently in grave meditation, and each succeeding page 
 showed the handiwork of the philosopher. 
 
 As the report was quite voluminous, we shall simply make a few 
 extracts, such as will suffice our purpose, and afford the reader a clear 
 idea of the contents of the document. 
 
 The report proceeded to say that many centuries ago, long before -the 
 
A LEGEND OF ADEIAN POND. 187 
 
 ■wMte man appeared on this Continent, a beautiful Indian maiden resided 
 on the border of Adrian Pond, which at that time was known by 
 the Indian name of Otisba Lake. This Indian maid, or as the philos- 
 opher writes, this " flower of the forest," was exceedingly beautiful, so 
 lovely in appearance that the Indians gave her the name of Ittiwiss, 
 which signifies in the English tongue. Unique. In the course of time 
 there came many suitors for the hand of Unique, among whom was a 
 tall, handsome young chief named Otwegah, who was descended from 
 a long line of illustrious warriors, renowned for their eloquence and 
 wisdom at the council fires, and for their deeds of prowess on the war- 
 path. 
 
 Among Unique's suitors none found more favor in her eyes than 
 Otwegah. But Unique's father looked coldly on the young chief, and 
 when Otwegah asked his daughter in marriage the old man not only 
 haughtily refused, but told the solicitor for his daughter's hand to depart 
 and enter his wigwam no more. 
 
 The pride of the young chief was so deeply wounded at the refusal 
 of his request, that, for the moment, the ferocity of his nature got the 
 better of his judgment. Seizing the tomahawk, which hung to the 
 girdle around his waist, he hurled it violently at the head of the old 
 man ; but the quick arm of Unique averted the course of the weapon, 
 as it sped wide of its mark and buried itself with a whizzing sound in 
 the wall. Otwegah immediately fled, and neither father nor daughter ever 
 saw him more. The old man, fired with resentment at the sudden and 
 base attempt on his life, wrested the tomahawk from the wall, and with 
 a throw which would have done credit to a more vigorous ann, sent it 
 bubbling down in the very centre of the pond. 
 
 Unique long mourned the departure of Otwegah, for she loved him 
 with all the ardor of youthful affection. For days and months she 
 wandered gloomily around the pond, her eyes constantly fixed on the 
 place where the tomahawk of her lover had sunk beneath the waters. 
 At times she fancied she heard her name pronounced from the depths 
 of the lake, which fancy awakened within her a desire to secure the 
 tomahawk, thinking thereby she might possess a charm that would in- 
 voke the return of her lover. For this purpose she consulted an old 
 sorceress, living at the time in a small hut, where now stands the Johns- 
 ville Lyceum. The old crone listened attentively to the maiden's story. 
 
188 A LEGEND OF ADRIAN POND. 
 
 and even her stoical heart felt pained at the grief of the Indian girl. 
 After many inquiries on the part of the sorceress, during which she in- 
 dulged in many mysterious signs and gesticulations, she told Unique to 
 ■meet her that night on the shore of the pond, precisely at the going 
 down of the moon, when, by a power she alone possessed, she would 
 call up the tomahawk from its watery bed. 
 
 That night, as the moon sank beneath the horizon, the old sorceress 
 and the maiden stood side by side on the margin of the pond. As they 
 peered into the silent waters, perhaps no two countenances ever so 
 greatly revealed the opposite. The scowling visage of the old hag, 
 black and wrinkled with age, might have been likened to that of a gal- 
 vanized mummy. But the olive complexion of Unique, her iinely 
 chiselled features, and her raven-colored ringlets, which the playing 
 zephyrs gently stirred, could not have failed to elicit praise from the 
 most critical observer. 
 
 The old' sorceress immediately proceeded to test the powers of her 
 art. By the light of a fire she had kindled, she drew curious figures 
 on the sand, indulging at the same time in low, incoherent mutterings. 
 In the midst of her invocations an owl, that bird of ill omen, sent forth 
 its melancholy notes from the branches of a neighboring tree. The 
 old hag shuddered, for she knew that the cries of the bird indicated 
 danger near. Scarcely had she resumed her work, which had been 
 momentarily interrupted by the warning notes of the owl, when a 
 bright light shot up in the centre of the pond, in the midst of which 
 could be seen a man's hand brandishing a tomahawk. Unique, at the 
 sight, gave an agonizing shriek, and with the swiftness of a deer sought 
 the shelter of her father's dwelling. 
 
 After the horrors of that night. Unique's health gradually declined, 
 and ere the snows again mantled o'er the earth, her immortal part took 
 its flight to the spirit land. Her remains were interred in a beautiful 
 grove adjoining the lake, where the birds were wont to pour forth their 
 sweetest music, and where the ever-active squirrel gamboled with his 
 feUows. 
 
 The report of the philosopher went on to say that the tomahawk 
 lying in the waters of the pond was the sole cause of the nightly dis- 
 turbance. It was that weapon, he said, which had frightened the men 
 on the raft as to so greatly alter their appearance. Being under the 
 
A LEGEIfD OF ADRIAN POND. 189 
 
 enchantment of an old and powerful magician, it had come up during 
 the night and danced around on the raft, uttering ever and anon to the 
 astonished adventurers the word " Unique." 
 
 The philosopher's report further said that until the tomahawk was 
 removed from the pond, the iiightly sounds would, without doubt, con- 
 tinue. He generously offered his services to secure the weapon, and 
 thus give quiet to the neighborhood ; which services, it is hardly neces- 
 sary to say, were gladly accepted. Before- entering on his mission the 
 philosopher made vast and ample preparations to guard against failure. 
 Among other things necessary for his purpose, he constructed a boat 
 of huge dimensions, which was brought to the pond on a cart drawn 
 by an hundred dogs. The boat, which was much higher than the 
 water, was floated to the centre of the pond, and, after proper ceremo- 
 nies, was sunk directly over the spot where the tomahawk was known 
 to lie. 
 
 The philosopher, amid the shouts and huzzas of his friends, immedi- 
 ately descended within the boat, bearing a flaming torch in each hand. 
 After the lapse of an hour, smoke, mingled with sparks of fire, was 
 seen to issue from the boat, and the water around became greatly agi- 
 tated, which caused much anxiety for the safety of the philosopher. 
 But, to the great joy of the multitude, he shortly afterwards emerged 
 from the waters, shouting victory, and brandishing aloft the mysterious 
 tomahawk. His friends, overjoyed at his success, bore him to the shore 
 amid the wildest acclamation. 
 
 The tomahawk, under the direction of the philosopher, was buried 
 by the side of Unique, and from that hour no sounds louder than the 
 guttural notes of the frog ever disturbed the quiet of Adrian Pond. 
 
 The report of the philosopher wound up with a remarkable predic- 
 tion. It stated that in process of time a village would arise near the 
 site of the pond, renowned for the scholarship of its inhabitants, who, 
 in their printed lucubrations, would forever perpetuate the name of the 
 Indian maiden. Unique. 
 
PETRUS KUYPERS. 
 
 A CHAPTEE m THE EAELY HISTORY OF THE FIVE 
 
 COENEES. 
 
 ^^■»N the banks of the Hudson Eiver, directly opposite the 
 ancient city of Newburgh, stands a rising village, or rather a 
 village on rising ground, which was formerly known as the 
 Five Corners. The village was originally surveyed and laid 
 out by Hans Von Schoot, a Dutch surveyor of much note in the early 
 history of Dutchess County ; and who, it is said, was a lineal descend- 
 ant of Hendrick Hudson, the famous Dutch navigator. Von Schoot, 
 when engaged in surveying, always . wore a five-cornered hat, which 
 accounts for the five streets diverging from one point, in the village 
 we write of. 
 
 In order that the reader may have a clearer view of the facts in the 
 case, we would state that just prior to Von Schoot's commencing the 
 survey he seated himself on a high stump, which stood where now is 
 the centre of the village, and after running his eye over the surround- 
 ing country, from Butter Hill and Polipel's Island on the south, to the 
 lofty peaks of the Kauterskill on the north, he concluded, as then 
 seated, he occupied the exact centre of a remarkable country, endowed 
 by nature with every element to make man happy and contented with 
 his lot while here below. Transported with so glorious a view of sub- 
 lunary things, Von Schoot, in the excitement of the moment, whirled 
 his five-cornered hat around his head, and threw it violently on the 
 ground before him. As it lay there the brilliant thought occurred to 
 the surveyor — as the centre of the country around was just where his 
 hat had fallen — it would be highly important that many roads should 
 centre at that point. He accordingly marked out five roads or streets, 
 in the directions indicated by the several corners of his hat. 
 
PETRUS KUYPER8. 191 
 
 The wisdom of the old surveyor has been manifested in more ways 
 than one. Although the place abounds in corners, yet owing to its 
 many outlets, its inhabitants, we believe, have never been cornered, 
 either individually or as a whole. 
 
 ^ Among those present at the time of Yon Schoot's survey of the 
 place was Petrus KuyperSj a little Dutchman from Long Island. Kuy- 
 pers was a native of Hempstead Harbor, a place some thirty miles 
 from New York City, on the border of Long Island Sound. He was 
 the owner and master of a little sloop called the Betsey, in which, dur- 
 ing the season of navigation, he visited different places on the Hudson, 
 trading oysters and clams for various kinds of peltry and other notions. 
 
 On the identical day when Yon Schoot was engaged in surveying 
 the site for the village, Kuypers' little sloop, the Betsey, favored with 
 a stiff southern breeze, came gHding into Newbargh Bay laden with 
 her usual cargo. The quick eye of the master of the Betsey detected 
 the smoke exhaled by the surveyor from his enormous Dutch pipe, 
 and which came forth from his capacious mouth in curling wreaths, 
 and vanished like gliding spectres far up into the azure sky. 
 
 Kuypers immediately concluded that something unusual was trans- 
 piring in that quarter, and having an eye to barter, he moored his lit- 
 tle vessel close to shore, and proceeded up the declivity on a voyage of 
 investigation. The surveyor's laudation of the country so impressed 
 Kuypers with the prospective greatness of the place, that he immedi- 
 ately bartered his entire cargo of oysters and clams for village lots, and 
 then returned to Hempstead Harbor to beat up recruits for the new 
 settlement. 
 
 Kuypers, on his arrival at home, spoke in glowing terms* of his in- 
 vestment. He in particular laid great stress on the future value of the 
 lots he had acquired, and sought in every way to impress his neighbors, 
 that if they desired affluence and wealth for their posterity, they should 
 immediately remove to the Five Comers, and become early identified 
 with the prosperity of the place. His neighbors, to these urgent 
 appeals, shook their heads doubtingly, for they had always considered 
 Kuypers a foolish adventurer. But, through Kuypers' continued im- 
 portunities, the matter after awhile was looked at more favorably. 
 Many consultations were had on the subject, and it was finally agreed, 
 if '" Kuypers would furnish the necessary tobacco, they, the Dutch in- 
 
192 PETETTS KUYPEES. 
 
 habitants of Hempstead Harbor, would smoke over the question of 
 removal. 
 
 The tobacco was readily furnished, and the subject of removal taken 
 into serious consideration ; but the tobacco was exhausted before any 
 tangible ideas could be brought to bear on the subject. In conse- 
 quence, a further supply of the weed was necessary. The Dutchmen 
 finally decided, with their usual caution, if Kuypers would transport in 
 his sloop, the Betsey, free of expense, Brom Yan Doren and Jacobus 
 Donderburgh, and provide them with what tobacco they might need 
 for the journey, they would appoint them a committee to inspect the 
 location of the new village, in order that corroborative evidence might 
 be had as to the future greatness of the place before final action should 
 be taken. 
 
 The committee, it appears, faithfully discharged the duties assigned 
 them. Their report, written in the Dutch language, is still in good 
 preservation, having been for many years in the keeping of the de- 
 scendants of Dedrich Vinderbout, one of the early settlers of Long 
 Island. We have been favored with a perusal of the document, from 
 which we herewith annex a few extracts, translated into English : 
 
 The committee at the outset of the report mention that they smoked - 
 1,Y81 pipes of tobacco during their absence. They describe the place 
 as lying north of a lofty range of mountains, from which, in the opin- 
 ion of the committee, the north wind must occasionally rebound with " 
 such force as to render the erection of dwellings on the site of the con- 
 templated village extremely hazardous. But their most formidable 
 objection to the place appears to have been the precipitous hill leading ; 
 down to the river. They regarded the hiU as exceedingly dangerous-^ 
 a place where the juvenile population, if any such should arise, would 
 roll off and find a watery grave. The report of the committee being " 
 decidedly averse to removing, the men of Hempstead Harbor con- 
 cluded to abide at home, and rest content with their aquatic labors of 
 bringing up oysters and clams from the deeps of Long Island Sound. 
 
 Kuypers, as may be imagined, was not a little disappointed at so un- 
 fortunate a termination of his hopes. His visage, for many days after, 
 looked decidedly blue. His wife endeavored to console him in many 
 ways. She advised him to think no more about the new village, and ' 
 to regard his lots there, among those hard lots so often allotted to the j 
 lot of man. 
 
PETRUS KUYPERS. l93 
 
 Kuypers endeavored to obey the injunctions of his wife by assuming 
 a more cheerful aspect ; but his mind, notwithstanding the effort, con- 
 tinued to wander beyond the Highlands of the Hudson, where his 
 possessions lay. 
 
 One night he dreamed he had become the founder of a great city — 
 had been elected its Mayor, rode in his carriage, and whenever he ap- 
 peared in public, the populace shouted, " Long live Kuypers ! " He 
 awoke a new man ; his elongated countenance had entirely disappeared. 
 He hastened to unfold to his wife the sweet visions of the night. 
 When he spoke of riding in his carriage, she, with woman's true notions 
 of gentility, imagined herself seated by his side, which thought ren- 
 dered her for many days exceedingly happy and courteous. The 
 dream was interpreted as a special call sent them to proceed at once to 
 the Five Corners, where further revelations if necessary would un- 
 doubtedly be forthcoming. 
 
 Kuypers immediately packed up his household goods and traps of 
 every description and stowed them on board the Betsey^ and with his 
 wife and three little responsibilities bade adieu to the oyster-beds of his 
 native place and set sail for the promised land. The little vessel in due 
 time made her appearance in Kewburgh Bay. As she came plowing 
 through the white-caps which everywhere dotted the surface of the wa- 
 ters, she was espied by Bill Bunker, one of the stars of the future vil- 
 lage. Bill immediately recognized the Betsey, and imagining Kuypers 
 bound in with a cargo of settlers, he deemed the occasion worthy of 
 some special demonstration ; whereupon he seized his old musket and 
 proceeded on the " double-quick " to the river side, where he banged 
 and blazed away until his powder failed him. Kuypers returned the 
 salute by numerous blasts from an old fish-horn. Kuyi^ers' wife get- 
 ting infused with the spirit, held aloft her tlii-ee Kttle buds of promise, 
 as much as to say, " Here is something to begin with." Amid the blaze 
 of excitement the Betsey rounded to, and soon lay quietly at anchor 
 within a stone's cast of shore. 
 
 The traveller alighting at the Five Corners in the early part of the 
 last century failed not to find a cordial welcome at a little inn known 
 as " ISTag's-head." This building was standing as late as 1Y65. Nag's- 
 head was a famous retreat in its day. There the lads and lasses of the 
 country around, in the times of good sleighing would frequently assem- 
 25 
 
194 PETEUS KUYPEES. 
 
 ble to while away the hours of the evening amid the pleasures of the 
 dance. The obliging host, Petrus Kuypers, Esq., was ever a favorite 
 with the young. He would now and then on such occasions lend a 
 helping hand. He was a perfect master of the double-shuffle, which 
 science he contended was innate to a Long-Islander, and which none 
 others, no matter how great the effort, could scientifically acquire. 
 
 Kuypers was proprietor of the Nag's-head for many yeSrs. There 
 he lived and there he died. Though he never rode in his carriage, yet 
 he frequently rode in his lumber wagon with his wife at his side. 
 Though no one when he appeared in public shouted " Long live Kuy- 
 pers ! " yet not unf requently when he rode abroad the boys would sing 
 out, " There he goes ! " 
 
 Kuypers reared a large family — ^in all, thirteen daughters, whose 
 bright eyes and blooming cheeks made many serious inroads on the 
 heart of man. They all in turn became respectably married, and from 
 whom are descended some of the most respectable families of Dutchess 
 County. 
 
 Among the early settlers of the Five Corners was a square-built, odd- 
 looking Dutchman, named John Ter Bush. Had Ter Bush lived in 
 this our day, he could have added much to the living curiosities at Bar- 
 num's Museum. But in the times of which we write Barnum was not 
 around ; in consequence, the odd specimens of humanity which flour- 
 ished in those ancient times attracted no more than ordinary attention. 
 They were permitted to live and die in peace. 
 
 Ter Bush and Kuypers were bosom friends. During the sunny hours 
 of the day they might be seen on the veranda of Nag's-head sending 
 forth from mouth and nose large volumes of smoke. At such times 
 they discussed many plans of improvement whereby the Five Corners 
 might take rank among the cities of the world. 
 
 Newburgh in those days was very juvenile. It consisted only of a 
 few straggling huts. The two friends viewed this infant settlement 
 with much alarm. They looked upon it as a rival which might in time 
 eclipse their own village. As ISTewburgh kept on year after year in- 
 creasing in population, the two friends would shake their heads and ex- 
 claim, " Going too fast ! " They reasoned alike from nature and phi- 
 losophy that a rapid growth was not conducive to longevity, and there- 
 fore confidently predicted that Newburgh would come and go, and be- 
 
PETEUS KUTPERS. 195 
 
 come one of the lost cities — ^when the Five Corners, standing on its hill, 
 would dazzle the entire world by the effulgency welling up from the 
 minds of its own citizens. 
 
 The reader acquainted with the locality of which we write, may 
 exclaim that the fulfilment of the above prediction, to all human ap- 
 pearance, has but a faint prospect of realization. To such we would 
 answer that the early fathers of the place were far-seeing men ; their 
 prophetic eye ran unerringly down the long line of coming years. We 
 therefore counsel no discouragements, for certainly the consummation 
 of so glorious a future in the history of the place will amply reward all 
 for the exercise of that patience which may be necessary. 
 
 With these reflections we close our chapter. 
 
CAPTAIN ADAM SMITH TURNS LECTURER, 
 
 AND FIEES OFF HIS FIEST GUN AT BANGTOWN. 
 
 'he Smiths, as a family, are decidedly antiquated ; not in the 
 way of looks, but in their origin. At what particular time, or 
 in what portion of the earth they first put in an appearance, re- 
 mains an open question, and which, perhaps, at this late day 
 will never be satisfactorily determined. 
 
 While many families of distinction, contemporary with the original 
 Smiths, have run out and forever disappeared, the Smiths have steadily 
 pushed ahead, kept adding to their numbers ; and if they have been of 
 no other use in the world, they have at least furnished a market for an 
 endless quantity of breadstufEs and other eatables, and by so doing are 
 entitled to the gratitude of the human race. But the Smiths, numeri- 
 cally speaking, have always exercised — aside from their masticating 
 qualities — considerable influence among their fellow-men. At elections, 
 on training-days, and at jollifications generally, they have always made 
 themselves manifest, for on such occasions there has been no lack of 
 Smiths, and now and then, at remote intervals of time, a rare genius 
 has sprung up among them, such as our particular friend, Captain 
 Adam Smith, of whom we have a word or two to say. 
 
 Adam and myself were school-fellows together, consequently I 
 had abundant opportunities of studying the mental capabilities of 
 Adam "in hfe's morning march, when his bosom was young," 
 and am forced to say that friend Smith in his school-days gave no 
 special indications of that remarkable genius which he has so promi- 
 nently evinced in his late years. But the old schoolmaster under 
 whom we studied, and who had a penetrating eye for genius, must have 
 seen something far down in the depths of Adam which spoke well for 
 the future man ; and be it said to the master's praise, he frequently es- 
 
CAPTAIN ADAM SMITH TTTENS LECTTJEEE. 197 
 
 sayed to call fortli this hidden gem by immoderate applications of the 
 birch ; but he was wholly unsuccessful, proving that true genius, how- 
 ever great the propelling force, can not be hurried into being, but must 
 be given full time to develop. 
 
 I had not seen friend Smith for many years until the other day, 
 when he came strolKng into my office, and by the way of introduction, 
 solicited the loan of fifty cents. But congratulating myself that my 
 friend's wants were so moderate, I immediately placed him in easy cir- 
 cumstances, financially, and then proceeded to inquire after his welfare. 
 Smith informed me that since we last met he had made several fortunes, 
 but they had slipped from his grasp, and, like all great financiers of the 
 present day, he had been obliged to succumb. One thing he was cer- 
 tain of, he had made a big " bust," which his creditors would find out, if 
 no one else did. His failure, he said, was all owing to the jumble in 
 the currency. Had Government seen fit to have let out plenty of 
 greenbacks when they were wanted, he would have " gone through " 
 and been a millionaire, and instead of his being obliged to borrow of 
 me fifty cents, as he had done to-day, he would have been in a position 
 to have loaned me as many thousands. 
 
 I inquired of Smith if he intended to resume business. By no 
 means, he replied, for bursting, in his opinion, had just commenced. 
 Every fellow, he said, was tinkering at the currency. Even the poli- 
 ticians had got hold of it, which was tantamount to bringing about a 
 general smash-up. Every man who had a doUar invested in trade was 
 bound to go under, from the keeper of a peanut-stand to the heaviest 
 bank in Wall Street. As for himself, he was done with all matters of 
 trade, and for the future would confine himself to such pursuits as re- 
 quired only an outlay of brains, and. he congratulated himself (tapping 
 his head) that he had a stock of the article on hand as good as the next 
 man's. "Who, he asked, ever heard of a professional man bursting up ? 
 For lawyers and doctors, the moment they got a httle cramped, tacked 
 on to their bills a lot of extra charges which set them all right. To be 
 sure, now and then a professional man dried up for want of business, 
 but that was an easy death ; there was no explosion about it. As for 
 himself he was going to show the world that one member of the Smith 
 family at least had a fuU share of brains. He was about starting out on 
 a lecturing tour, and had called to see me to ascertain if I would give 
 him a little boost in the way of a friendly notice through the press. 
 
198 CAPTAIN ADAM SMITH TUBIirS LECTUKER. 
 
 On inquiry I found Smith had written a lecture on the medicinal 
 properties of ginger, which he thought would do to start with. Qn 
 looldng over the document (wishing to have a little fun) I told him it 
 was an admirable production ; that it evidently exhibited true marks of 
 genius, and I had no doubt if deHvered in his peculiar style, it would 
 entrance any audience, and prove a great pecuniary success. 
 
 Smith was dehghted. He said my opinion on literary matters in 
 boyhood was tremendous, but he was not fully prepared for the ability 
 I had displayed in comprehending the true merits of his lecture. 
 
 The question here arose, where should the lecture be first delivered f 
 After several places had been mentioned, such as Yonkers, Byrnsville, 
 etc., it occurred to me that Bangtown presented many inducements for 
 the delivery of a lecture of the kind. For instance, my former land- 
 lady, who is " some " on ginger-pop, resides there, and who, of course, 
 would be glad to hear anything new or strange relating to her favorite 
 beverage ; and besides, the people of the place, according to all ac- 
 counts, are great consumers of quack medicines, and have, it is said, a 
 happy faculty of smelling out any virtues hid away in ya/rbs. These, 
 and other considerations, induced me to advocate Bangtown as the 
 place to commence operations. 
 
 Smith readily consented to give the Bangtowners the benefit of his 
 first lecture, and it fell to my lot to make the necessary arrangements, 
 and to " boss " the job generally, for which I was to receive one-half of 
 the net receipts. I therefore at once wrote to my former landlady, old 
 Mrs. Trot, telling her that a particular friend of mine, who is a very 
 learned professor, had discovered that ginger contained many healing 
 properties heretofore unknown, and that he had written a very able 
 treatise on the subject, which he designed to make public for the good 
 of mankind ; and that if the people of Bangtown should desire it, my 
 friend would appear before them and enlarge on the properties of gin- 
 ger — or, in other words, would give a lecture on the subject, charging, 
 of course, a small admission fee. 
 
 My former landlady, old Mrs. Trot, being one of those old-time 
 
 women who do business with a will, then sent promptly by return of 
 
 mail the following answer to my letter : 
 
 Bangtown Tuesday. 
 
 Deer Kumel your lether was gin to me by Mister Peppers boy, i am so 
 glad u no a man wat kin tell us all bout ginger. The trusteas sez u kin hav 
 
CAPTAIN ADAM SMITH TURNS LECTTJREE. 199 
 
 the big scool house eny nite u want tu, as the cause u want it fur is so noble. 
 So fetch the prophesser rite along fur we all want to here so bad. 
 We are all at present got the shakes, hopin yur joying the same blessin 
 
 I remans yur lovin friend 
 
 Betsey Trot. 
 
 After receiving the above favorable epistle, I sent the following ad- 
 vertisement for insertion to that model sheet, The Bangtown Ripper : 
 
 BANGTOWNEES, TAKE NOTICE ! 
 
 Professor Adam Smith, O.K., will lecture before the people of Bangtown, 
 in the big school-honse, on Thursday evening next. Subject : ' ' The Medic- 
 inal Properties of Ginger.'' Professor Smith will also come prepared to an- 
 swer any questions on finance, and will (if desired) explain the true bearings 
 of the currency question. As so great an opportunity of listening to so dis- 
 tinguished a professor may not occur again in Bangtown for centuries, it is 
 to be hoped that Professor Smith will be favored with a large and appre- 
 ciative audience. 
 
 Tickets of admission fifty cents, to be had at the ofBce of The Ripper. 
 
 B. P. 
 
 As I was somewhat apprehensive that Smith's lecture would prove a 
 failure, or might become wearisome to the audience, I thought best to 
 have matters so fixed that the subject coidd be changed at any moment. 
 Smith I knew to be a fine extemporaneous speaker, and fully wrote-up 
 on the currency question. I therefore had an understanding with a 
 friend, that the moment he saw the audience losing interest in the lec- 
 ture, to call out for the speaker's views on the currency, and took the 
 precaution to word the advertisement to meet such an emergency. 
 
 Smith and myself were punctually on hand at the hour set forth in 
 the advertisement, and were greatly pleased to find so large and en- 
 thusiastic an audience awaiting us. The boys had vsrritten the word 
 " ginger," in chalk, conspicuously in many places on the outside of the 
 school-house, which Smith observed was a favorable indication, showing 
 we had already aroused an interest in ginger, which gave promise that 
 his lecture would prove a great success. 
 
 After the usual introduction of the speaker to the audience, and the 
 customary applause by the audience, Smith, Avith a surprising show of 
 courage, delivered himself as follows : 
 
200 CAPTAIN ADAM SMITH TURNS LECTUKEE. 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen of Banqtown : 
 
 Man has been an inhabitant of this earth, according to the best authorities, 
 for nearly 6,000 years, and yet the physical organization of man is but im- 
 perfectly understood. You may ask, what has science been doing all these 
 years ? In answer, I would say, literally nothing, as far as the functional 
 arrangements of man are concerned. To be sure, science has been busy with 
 the affairs of the material world, and I am forced to say, in this particular 
 field has achieved moderate success. Pope truly said, "The greatest study 
 of mankind is man." While science has been delving in the earth these many 
 years after hidden treasures, or pursuing phantoms in the air, the anatomical- 
 formation of man has been comparatively neglected, or left to the bulging 
 operations of quacks. 
 
 I presume, ladies and gentlemen, you are aware that there He hidden in 
 the vegetable kingdom — waiting to come forth at the bidding of science — 
 curative properties for every ailment natural to the human race. Science 
 should have long since not only clearly defined and classified the various 
 diseases mankind is subject to, but should have drawn forth from the vege- 
 table kingdom — nature's great medical repository — an antidote for every 
 human ill. In fact, if science had in the past been wielded by men of proper 
 intellect and sagacity, these matters so important to our well-being would, 
 at the present day, have been as well understood as the letters of the alpha- 
 bet. The present system of medical treatment of placing a few drugs in the 
 corporal part of the body, when the disease may be lurking in the hand or 
 foot, is a sufficient comment on the stupidity of the medical faculty. 
 
 But, ladies and gentlemen, I am here to-night to say to you, that in the 
 field of medicine we are soon to herald the dawn of a brighter day. I have 
 taken the initiatory step in the matter, and am detennined that in the medi- 
 cal world a new and better order of things shall speedily prevail. There is 
 a principle in science, which, just here, I would like to allude to, which is 
 known as "deobstruent," and is based on the laws of capillary attraction. 
 To explain : you are undoubtedly aware that the burning of offensive sub- 
 stances will impregnate the air with poisonous vapors for miles around and 
 above. The deadly miasma arising from a stagnant pool plants the seeds of 
 death in the atmosphere for a space almost incredible. A very small portion 
 of indigo dissolved in a cask of water will diffuse itseK to and through every 
 drop of the fluid contained in the vessel. Here is a principle which the 
 medical world has entirely overlooked or ignored. I contend, and stand 
 ready to prove, that the only kind of medicine that should be administered 
 to the human race is that which will diffuse itself throughout the entire sys- 
 stem, and combat the disease wherever found. 
 
 Ladies and gentlemen, when the principle of deobstruent presented itself 
 to my mind, and I realized its importance in the school of medicine, I im- 
 mediately set myself to work to test by actual experiments and observation 
 
CAPTAIN ADAM SMITH TURTSTS LECTTTRER. 201 
 
 the -workiiigs of this great principle. You are all doubtless acquainted with 
 the plant catnip, and have, as I suppose, frequently witnessed its happy effects 
 when taten in the form of a liquid for common colds and other minor com- 
 plaints. Wishiag to know the full virtues of this plant according to the 
 deobstruent principle, I distUled a suitable quantity of it, according to my 
 new formula, which I gave to a friend who was laboring under a severe 
 affliction, and found that catnip was too tardy in its operations to overtake 
 and successfully to combat a disease that was particularly active and nimble 
 in its movements, and therefore concluded that catnip, when scientifically 
 measured on deobstruent principles, did not meet the full requirements of 
 the age. 
 
 I next carefully experimented with ginger by making a decoction of it, 
 seven degrees Fahrenheit, and found on giving it the proper test, that I had 
 discovered a remedy in pbarmacopia the world had long been looking for. 
 Wishing to ascertain the full curative powers of ginger as a curative agent, 
 I proceeded to make an experiment with it on a large scale. 
 
 At my solicitation, my mother-in-law invited twenty old ladies to tea, all 
 of whom had for years been afflicted with cramps, spinal complaints, rheu- 
 matism, etc. It fortunately happened that the day appointed for the tea- 
 drink~^roved fine, so that all of the ladies were able to be present — many of 
 them coming on crutches. After tea I presented each lady with a bottle of 
 ginger-pop, prepared seven degrees Fahrenheit, with the request they would 
 drink the pop then and there. While they were imbibing the beverage, I 
 was called out of the room, and was absent about fifteen minutes. On my 
 return, to my surprise, I found the old ladies going through the Virginia 
 reel, and such was the rapidity of their movements that the old house shook 
 violently, and for a time I was fearful the floor would give way and precip- 
 itate them all into the cellar. 
 
 I am pleased to say the ladies felt very grateful for the services I rendered 
 them, and among other testimonials sent me, I received a few verses of 
 poetry, which I wUl read : 
 
 "Accept our thanks, dear Captain Smith, 
 For your nice ginger-pop. 
 No sooner had we drank it down. 
 Than we all felt tip-top. 
 
 "The aches and pains which we have had 
 For thirty years or more. 
 And which no medicme could reach. 
 Your pop did quickly floor. 
 
 "We trust the virtues of your pop 
 WUl quickly get about ; 
 26 
 
202 CAPTAIN ADAM SMITH TURNS LECTTJEEE. 
 
 And when diseases lurk within, 
 Your pop will pop 'em out. 
 
 ' ' Long may you live, dear Captain Smith, 
 And see your children grown ; 
 And may they ever feel a pride. 
 They such a ' pop ' do own. 
 
 "Then let the world wag as it may. 
 Henceforth we'll live in clover ; 
 For when diseases come around, 
 Your pop can pop them over." 
 
 At this stage of the lecture a note was handed to Smith, stating 
 there were several gentlemen present, who would be glad, before it 
 got any later, to have his views on the currency question. To which 
 he replied as follows : 
 
 Ladies and gentlemen, I am asked for my views on the present state of the 
 currency, and in answer would say, I go in for greenbacks, new and crisp, 
 and plenty of them, so that every man, woman, and child in the United 
 States can get hold of a few, and be able to purchase some of the good things 
 of this life. [Loud cries, "That's the doctrine."] 
 
 Ladies and gentlemen, I am aware there are a great many old-fogies around 
 in these days, both here and elsewhere, who advocate an exclusive metallic 
 currency, such as gold and silver. But these financiers belong to the ante- 
 diluvian period. They are miserable quacks. If you wish to see the demor- 
 alizing effects of a specie currency, let me point you to that stupendous mass 
 of stupidity, the Chinese nation, who have built a stone wall around their 
 country to keep at home the precious metals. Look again, if you please, at 
 the Guinea niggers of Africa, who have revelled in gold dust for countless 
 ages, and who remain barbarians of the darkest dye. Gentlemen, if you wish 
 to send your country staggering back for a thousand years ; if you wish to 
 turn pig-eyed Chinamen, or Guinea niggers, fetch on your specie, and you 
 will soon realize your fond desires. [A voice from the audience, "How 
 about Continental money 1 " when Smith gets mad and pitches in as follows :] 
 
 I thank the gentleman for calling my attention to the good old Continent- 
 al money, an article long since played out, gone where the woodbine twineth. 
 But we must not forget the important part played by Continental money in 
 the day of its power. For with it, in Eevolutionary times, we were enabled 
 to clothe our ragged army, and to purchase untold implements of death with 
 which our fathers chastised the red-coats, and chased that forbidding-looking 
 quadruped, the British Lion, from these fair shores, and sent him howling 
 and limping back to his native heath. [Tremendous applause.] 
 
CAPTAIN ADAM SMITH TURNS LECTUEEB. 203 
 
 What was it, I ask, that caused our Revolutionary fathers to fight with 
 that indomitable pluck at Saratoga, at Yorktown, and on a thousand other 
 nameless fields, but the hope they would soon be paid off in Continental 
 money. And yet, with these facts staring us in the face, and known to every 
 school-boy in the land, there arises a man in this assembly who inquires with 
 a nasal drawl, "How about Continental money ? " I advise this stupendous 
 ignoramus to go home and study up the history of his country, and not be 
 standing here an enlightened freeman, not knowing he has been made so by 
 the purchasing power of Continental money. [Great sensation.] 
 
 My friends, I am no alarmist, I am as calm as a midsummer's day ; in fact, 
 never felt better in my life ; but I am constrained to assert, that our country 
 has not seen so dark, an hour in its monetary affairs, since the time when 
 that old war-horse, Thomas Jefferson, read the Declaration of Independence 
 in the House of Congress. I know not, fellow-citizens, what you or other 
 men think of these times, neither do I care, neither am I going to inquire, 
 settle that matter among yourselves ; but as for me, give me liberty or give 
 me death. 
 
 Here Smitli sat down out of wind, and the audience retired, greatly 
 alarmed for the safety of the Republic. 
 
 I would add, the lecture was a great success. Net receipts $62, 
 which so encouraged Smith, that he has gone to work writing another 
 lecture on the various uses of putty. We, therefore, wiU soon be in 
 the field again. I think our next move will either be on Dobbs 
 Ferry or Dutchess Junction. 
 
THE BIG TURTLE OF THE BENNY POND. 
 
 fOME thirty or forty years ago, the inhabitants of the river coun- 
 ties were considerably agitated about a big sea-serpent, which 
 mariners reported was then hovering on our coast. Yery many 
 were the marvellous reports about the newly discovered mon- 
 ster of the deep, and fears, not a few, were expressed by the nervous, 
 that his snakeship might conclude to take a tui-n up the Hudson, and 
 not only gobble up the crafts that came in his way, but might be 
 tempted to poke his nose into the various dwellings contiguous to the 
 river's banks. 
 
 The various descriptions given of the serpent by those who had been 
 favored with a ghmpse of him, and which were pubhshed in the 
 papers of those days, as may be supposed, were read with eagerness, 
 and notwithstanding the skepticism of some, and the vague insinua- 
 tions of others, so abundant were the proofs that the monster had a 
 hona fide existence, that he soon became a fixed institution in the 
 minds of the community. 
 
 The inhabitants of the township of East Fishkill have ever had a pred- 
 ilection for "big things." They therefore read with avidity the 
 several accounts of the Big Serpent, and the more they read, the more 
 they wondered. It, however, required many days on their part prop- 
 erly to comprehend the true magnitude of the new wonder of the 
 deep, but after they had succeeded in chalking out his length (as given 
 by mariners) in their own imaginations, they came to the conclusion 
 that the snake was not much of an affair after all. Consequently, by 
 common consent they commenced 'looking around over their domains 
 to see what " big thing " they could discover that .would take down the 
 Sea Serpent. 
 
 Midway between the villages of Johnsville and Gay Head lies a beau- 
 tiful sheet of water known by the euphonious name of " The Benny Pond," 
 
THE BIG- TTIETLE OF THE BENNY POND. 20S 
 
 Hard by its rippling waves Van Amburgh, the celebrated " Hon-tamer," 
 was born, and there, among the squirrels and raccoons which infested 
 the shores of the Pond, he first developed that talent for subjugating 
 the animal tribe, which has since rendered him so famous. As Van Am- 
 burgh, from pursuing the small game of The Benny has progressed so 
 far as to put his head in the lion's mouth, we trust we shall be pardoned 
 in pausing to relate an anecdote of his youthful days. 
 
 Isaac, as the " lion-tamer " was called when a boy, occupies a con- 
 spicuous place among the many brilliant stars who have first and last 
 graduated with distinguished honor at the old Johnsville Academy. 
 During Isaac's school-days, it was the custom of the scholars of the old 
 Academy in the winter months to engage in a game of snow-balling 
 after school-hours, for the purpose of more thoroughly digesting the 
 knowledge they had acquired through the day. Those of them who 
 lived in one direction from the school were pitted against those living 
 the opposite way. The party to which Isaac belonged were from the 
 east, and generally outnumbered their opponents ; consequently, in al- 
 most every battle, they came off victorious. 
 
 On one occasion, owing to a severe snow-storm, Isaac and a stout lad 
 named Bill Pierce were the only scholars present at school who hailed 
 from towards the rising sun. The boys from the west, however, were 
 out in full force, and from the many significant hints thrown out by 
 them during the day, Isaac and Bill began to think that there was a 
 strong likelihood of their getting into a tight place when school was 
 dismissed. 
 
 When school closed, Isaac and his colleague, snuffing danger ahead, 
 attempted to steal a march on their opponents by hastily skedaddHng, 
 but they were soon overhauled and obliged to wheel in line of battle. 
 They, however, " when drawn up," showed a bold front ; for, like the 
 tall sons of Anak, they were somewhat lengthy. But in every position 
 they took they were soon outflaaked, and, of course, were constantly 
 obliged to retrograde. Soon the belligerents came to a hand-to-hand 
 encounter, when the twain were tumbled about among the snow-banks 
 rather joUily, and their physiognomies were speedily scoured up as per- 
 haps they had never been scoured before. Isaac, not relishing the 
 brightening up of his " phiz," broke loose from his many antagonists, 
 and by diligently exercising his unmense legs, he was carried over the 
 
206 THE BIG TURTLE OE THE BEWNT POND. 
 
 deep snow-drifts with a velocity whicli soon left his dumpy pursuers 
 far in the rear. 
 
 Bill was not so fortunate. He lay prostrate on the field of battle— 
 or, rather, lay deeply imbedded in a snow-bank. He had gone under, 
 i. e., he had unconditionally surrendered. But to proceed. 
 
 It had long been currently reported that The Benny Pond was in- 
 habited by an enormous Turtle, whose dimensions, after the discovery of 
 the Sea Serpent, loomed up astonishingly in the minds of the good peo- 
 ple in the vicinity. Though no one could be found who had actually 
 seen the Turtle, yet every one had heard of some one who knew a man, 
 who had heard another say that he beheved that such a one had had a 
 ghmpse of the " hard shell." Amid such overwhelming proofs all were 
 satisfied that The Benny contained a Turtle which, when taken, would 
 throw the much-talked-of Sea Serpent completely in the shade. 
 
 In those days there lived in the vicinity of The Benny Pond an in- 
 dividual made up of many compounds, and who rejoiced in the cogno- 
 men of Sandy Van Vlack. Sandy was a Jack-at-all-trades. He was an 
 herb-doctor, a stick-doctor, a cow-doctor, and to these and many other 
 attainments he added that of an expert angler. Every stream and pond 
 in the country around were well known to Sandy. Now Sandy was 
 remarkably taciturn ; he seldom uttered more than two words in twen- 
 ty-four hours. When called upon for medical advice, or when required 
 to exercise his medical skill, he never indulged in oral conversation ; 
 with him it was all winks and nods. If asked if he rightly compre- 
 hended the diagnosis of the disease he was treating, he would invari- 
 ably place the fore-finger of his i-ight hand on the side of his nose, 
 thereby signifying he Tcnowed all. 
 
 In consideration of Sandy's universal knowledge on matters in gen- 
 eral, and being so well acquainted with the watercourses of the coun- 
 try, all agreed that he at least would be able to impart the needed in- 
 formation as to the big Turtle. 
 
 A committee was therefore appointed to wait on Professor Van 
 Vlack, which consisted of various amateurs. They were authorized to 
 extract from the Professor any and all information he might possess 
 relative to the amphibious monster that inhabited The Benny. The 
 committee had their doubts of being able to converse satisfactorily with 
 so close-mouthed a man as Sandy. But they remembered he had a wife 
 
THE BIG TUItTLE OF THE BENNY POND. 207 
 
 who was exceedingly voluble, and who, in this respect, made up for the 
 pecuHar deficiency of her husband. 
 
 The committee, as we have already observed, were amateurs ; all men 
 of sound scientific minds. Among their number was a good, jovial fel- 
 low named Ike Adkins. Ike was a great favorite with the community. 
 He was a street philosopher of some note, and could manufacture at 
 the shortest notice the most marvellous story, which qualifications ren- 
 dered him a welcome guest in all quarters. Ike, on account of his mar- 
 vellous propensities, was appointed chairman of the committee. 
 
 The committee proceeded without delay to the residence of the Pro- 
 fessor. They found him seated in his laboratory surrounded by im- 
 mense bunches of catnip and pennyroyal. The chairman of the com- 
 mittee, waiving all formality, inquired of the Professor if he had any 
 knowledge of a Big Turtle in The Benny Pond. The Professor's idea 
 of a Big Turtle, as the sequel will show, varied very considerably from, 
 that of the committee. 
 
 In the opinion of Sandy, a turtle twelve inches in length was tre- 
 mendous. He therefore, in reply to the committee's inquiry as to 
 whether a Big Turtle inhabited The Benny, gave one of his significant 
 winks. The committee interpreted the wink favorably. They next 
 inquired through their chairman if the Professor could devise or knew 
 of any method whereby the Big Turtle could be secured. As Sandy 
 had caught many a big turtle from the Pond in a trap of his own in- 
 vention, he repeated his significant wink. The committee were de- 
 lighted. They abeady considered the "iiard shell " a goner. 
 
 After many inquiries on the part of the committee, and as many cor- 
 responding winks and nods on the part of Sandy, the committee under- 
 stood the Professor to say that he would for twenty-five cents catch the 
 Big Turtle of The Benny, and have him ready for delivery within a 
 week's time. The thought, it appeared, did not occur to the committee 
 that there might be more than one turtle in the Pond ; they therefore 
 concluded if the Professor caught a turtle at all, it would be a tig one — 
 the original himself. Therefore they returned to their friends, much 
 felicitated with the arrangements made. 
 
 The committee made a voluminous report of their doings. They 
 stated they had made arrangements with Professor Yan Ylack whereby 
 they would secure the turtle for twenty-five cents, at which price they 
 
S08 THE BIG TURTLE OF THE BENNY POND. 
 
 thought no one could grumble. They recommended that a suitable 
 place be provided for exliibiting the monster, and held out the idea that 
 a sufficient sum could be raised in that way to relieve them of State and 
 county taxes for years to come. 
 
 At the expiration of the week, the committee proceeded to the resi- 
 dence of the Professor to obtain the prize. They went fully equipped, 
 having sundry carts hitched together drawn by five yoke of oxen. 
 "When they ai-rived at their destination, it was somewhat after nightfall. 
 As Sandy's house was a considerable distance from the road, the Pro- 
 fessor did not witness the immense caravan, otherwise he would have 
 winked as he never winked before. The committee left their teams by 
 the roadside and proceeded to the house. On inquiring about the Tur- 
 tle, Sandy gave a nod, signifying he had got him, and then led the way 
 to an out-house where the monster lay. 
 
 Sandy entered the building alone, leaving the committee outside big 
 with expectation. In a few minutes he returned, holding up by the 
 tail a turtle some sixteen inches in length. For the first time dur- 
 ing his interviews with the committee, the Professor gave utterance 
 to words, which he did in plain English, saying, " Ain't he a whopper ? " 
 The committee had just strength enough left to realize they were sold. 
 They hastened back to their teams, but not daring to return that night 
 to their waiting friends, they turned the oxen out on the commons to 
 graze, and stole stealthily to their respective habitations. 
 
 Ike Adkins for several months after refrained from indulging in the 
 marvellous. After a while, however, he resumed his pleasing occupa- 
 tion. But all that was necessary to arrest him when he colored a little 
 too highly was to say, " Ike, how about that Turtle ? " 
 
THE LEGEND OF MANITOU HILL. 
 
 HOSE acquainted with the surroundings of Garrison, espe- 
 cially the guests of that inimitable summer resort, the High- 
 land House (whoever have an eye for the picturesque), have 
 undoubtedly noticed the lofty hill or mountain near the resi- 
 dences of the Messrs. Garrison. A legend of this hill now probably 
 forgotten, but which was well known to the early settlers of that local- 
 ity, may perhaps at this time be reproduced, not only with interest to 
 the present residents of the vicinity, but to others more remotely 
 situated. 
 
 According to the information in our possession, the first white man 
 who visited that section was an individual named Desarto, who was 
 brought there a prisoner by the Indians about the middle of the seven- 
 teenth century. At that time there were no settlements along the 
 river between Albany and New York. Both banks of the Hudson, 
 between the places named, presented an unbroken forest, where nought 
 was heard but the war-whoop of the savage and the wolf's long howl. 
 
 Desarto, who was a Spaniard, belonged to an ancient and honorable 
 family. He had joined a party of adventurers in Spain, organized for 
 the avowed pui-pose of making new discoveries in distant lands, and it 
 was not until the vessel in which he sailed had been many days at sea, 
 that he became aware he had 'been deceived as to the purpose of the 
 voyage, and was actually associated with a band of pirates. Keeping 
 his own counsel, and apparently acquiescing in his new mode of life 
 (so as not to betray his purpose), he resolved to abandon his com- 
 panions at the first favorable opportunity, which was not long in pre- 
 senting itself, for as the piratical craft, not many days thereafter, lay 
 off the coast of Long Island, a boat manned by himself and others was 
 sent ashore to procure a supply of water, when, seizing a favorable mo- 
 ment, he plunged into a thicket near by, and made good his escape. 
 27 
 
210 THE LEGEND OF MANITOU HILL. 
 
 After wandering many days in a northerly direction, he was cap- 
 tured by a party of Indians out on a hunting excursion, and taken to 
 their settlement, which at the time was situated midway between what 
 is now known as Garrison and the village of Cold Spring. 
 
 The Indians treated their prisoner with much kindness, and in re- 
 turn Desarto instructed them in many of the arts of civilized life, and 
 it was not long before he became so great a favorite with the tribe that 
 he was adopted by them and accorded all the rights of citizenship. 
 
 Desarto, when accompanying the tribe on their hunting excursions, 
 noticed that whenever passing the hill or mountain alluded to, they 
 invariably paused, and with a fixed gaze on the place, indulged in many 
 curious gestures and unmeaning phrases, in order, as they said, to invoke 
 the protection and favor of the great Manitou who dwelt there. Wish 
 ing to know who this great Manitou was, and why he was entitled to 
 so much devotion and attention, Desarto, after much importunity, 
 gathered from the tribe the following interesting legend : 
 
 Yery many years ago, when their fathers lived near the open sea, in 
 a more sunny clime, and when they were hard pressed for food, owing to 
 the scarcity of game, their great medicine-man was told in a dream of good 
 hunting-grounds among the mountains of the north, and that it was 
 the wish of the Great Spirit that the tribe should remove to that more 
 favored land. When the medicine-man had made known to the tribe 
 his dream, and had urged upon them a compliance with the wishes of 
 the Great Spirit, much opposition to such a course was manifested by 
 'their principal men, for they said, if the Great Spirit really desired 
 their removal elsewhere, he would have given them some more sub- 
 stantial token of his desire than a mere dream. Who, they earnestly 
 asked, was to point out and lead theni to where those hunting-grounds 
 lay ? Influenced by these and other arguments, it was decided before 
 taking any positive steps in the matter, to wait for further revelations. 
 
 Soon thereafter their medicine-man was notified in a second dream, 
 that the Great Spirit was much displeased with the tribe for their non- 
 compliance with his wishes, but desirous of promoting their welfare, 
 he would in a few days give them a token of his earnestness for their 
 removal by sending two winged messengers to point out the land 
 whither they should go. On the fourth day after this second revela- 
 tion two white swans appeared over their village, gyrating in graceful 
 
THE LEGEND OF MANITOU HILL. 211 
 
 evolutions. As this bird seldom visited their vicinity, the tribe unani- 
 mously agreed they were called to abandon the land of their fathers, 
 and to journey whithersoever the winged messengers of the Great 
 Spirit should be pleased to lead them. Bidding farewell to their child- 
 hood home, and to the places with which they had been so long famil- 
 iar, they followed their ethereal guides until they arrived at their present 
 home, when the swans, hovering for a time over Manitou hill, soared 
 directly upward in the heavens, and forever disappeared. 
 
 Not long after their arrival at their new home, their medicine-man 
 was told in another dream that the Great Spirit on a certain day would 
 meet in council their chief and three of their principal warriors on 
 Manitou hill. Accordingly the chief, after selecting three of his truest 
 braves to accompany him, proceeded on the day in question to the 
 place named, to learn what the Great Spirit woiild be pleased to say. 
 
 On gaining the summit of the hill they were somewhat surprised in 
 finding no one in readiness to receive them ; but soon they realized 
 that the place was under the influence of some powerful invisible 
 agency, as the stones and rocks around commenced sending forth a 
 hissing sound, and the whole mountain trembled as though shaken by 
 a giant hand. Soon a cloud of smoke arose from the very apex of the 
 hiU, from which stepped a taU, commanding-looking personage, robed 
 in a red mantle, and by his side stood a young maiden in the full bloom 
 of youth. The warriors were immediately commanded to draw near 
 and give attention, when they were addressed as follows : 
 
 " The Great Spirit, who sitteth in the clouds, is ever mindful of his 
 children, though he never appears before them in person, yet he speaks 
 to them in the thunder, the lightning, and the whirlwind, and occasion- 
 ally sends his agent or JVfanitou to address them in words of counsel. 
 The Great Spirit in his wisdom has brought you and your tribe into 
 this goodly land, where the mountains abound with game, and the river 
 and streams contribute to your substance. He commands you to be 
 happy, to live togetlier in peace and harmony, and your tribe will be- 
 come great and powerful. This mountain must hereafter remain sacred. 
 Wo member of the tribe must pass over it or even set foot on it. Should 
 this command be disregarded, from that moment the tribe will pass on 
 to poverty and decay." With these words the messenger and his com- 
 panion vanished, but the next moment the mountain trembled violently, 
 
212 THE LEGEND OF MANITOU HILL. 
 
 and a voice like the rumbling of thunder came up from its depths, say- 
 ing, " Remember Manitou hill." 
 
 For many years from that time the tribe enjoyed uninterrupted pros- 
 perity. Their warriors, as it were, bore a charmed life, as in all their 
 conflicts with their enemies they proved invincible. But in an evil 
 hour some of their young men, in the heat of the chase, passed over 
 the mountain, and from that time their prestige was broken ; misfor- 
 tune succeeded to misfortune, until the tribe presented but the vestige 
 of its former greatness. But still, whenever passing the hill, they made 
 signs of reverence, hoping thereby to conciliate the Great Spirit and 
 be restored to their former prosperity. 
 
 Such was the legend of Manitou hill, as related to Desarto. 
 
 During the Kevolutionary war Manitou hill was fortified. Though, 
 to use a military phrase, it can not be said to have bristled with cannon, 
 yet a few pieces of ordnance on its summit pointed frowningly south- 
 ward, keeping, as it were, a vigilant eye for the coming of the foe. 
 Since that time the place has been known as South Redoubt Mountain, 
 and, in consequence, its Indian appellation has been forgotten, or remem- 
 bered only by the few. 
 
 Manitou hill, or South Redoubt Mountain, still stands in all its pris- 
 tine lovehness, but the war-whoop of the savage and the wolf's howl 
 are no longer heard in its vicinity ; they are forever hushed, numbered 
 with the voices of the past. But to-day other and more congenial 
 sounds break in upon its solitude. Its rocky cliffs, as though in keep- 
 ing with the progress of the age, send back in repeated echoes the 
 fierce neigh of the iron horse. From its summit, the observer, instead 
 of looking down on scattered wigwams of the savage, beholds smiling 
 villages and cultivated fields ; and the placid waters of the Hudson, 
 where once floated only the canoe of the red man, are now plied by in- 
 numerable steamers and dotted by the white-winged messengers of com- 
 merce. Truly it may be said the world marches steadily onward to a 
 higher destiny. 
 
THE WONDERFUL ASTROLOGER 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE DUTCHMAN'S WAGER. 
 
 STROLOGY, as a science, flourished extensively in genera- 
 tions past, but in these latter days has deservedly fallen into 
 disrepute. 
 
 The Astrologer, in the centuries gone by, was regarded 
 with wonder and awe by the community in which he lived, and his 
 fame, as a diviner of the future, had a far-reaching reputation. Fortu- 
 nately, as the human family progresses in knowledge, the supernatural, 
 indulged in by our fathers, is fast being ruled out, and men everywhere 
 are beginning to learn that there exists a divine law, iminfluenced by 
 human agency, which pervades every system of the universe, and holds 
 within its control the smallest particle of matter. It might be instruct- 
 ive to pursue this thought, and to show the great future of the human 
 family, when the laws governing the universe shall be fully under- 
 stood, and men everywhere accept the infallible teachings of Provi- 
 dence. 
 
 To illustrate the ideas we aim to convey, we need only refer to the 
 reports daily emanating from the seat of government at Washington, 
 as to the laws ruling the atmosphere, which by being clearly inter- 
 preted, rain and sunshine are foreshadowed with the nicest accuracy. 
 
 These reflections have been forced upon us by the perusal of some 
 ancient documents recently fallen into our possession, which for nearly 
 a century past have been in keeping of the Southard family, who were 
 among the early settlers of Dutchess County, and who for many years 
 resided near " Brinckerhoff's," in the town of Fishkill. 
 
 According to the documents alluded to, there appeared in JSTewburgh 
 
214 THE WONDERFUL ASTROLOGER. 
 
 in the early part of tlie present century an Astrologer, whose reputation 
 as a foreteller of events drew to his humble abode, then in Golden 
 Street, many persons, all anxious to know what good thing fortune had 
 in store for them, and all expecting to learn the agreeable intelligence 
 that some guiding star stood ready to lead them onward to wealth, hap- 
 piness, and fame. 
 
 In order that the reader may have a proper introduction to the As- 
 trologer, and be able to comprehend him from a scientific point of view, 
 we herewith submit for perusal a few extracts taken from the New- 
 burgh Avalanche, a leading and influential journal of that day : 
 
 Extract. 
 
 The reporter's interview with the Astrologer : 
 
 Reporter {On entering the room). I presume I stand in the presence of 
 the renowned Oriental Astrologer, the great Johannas Jotopeka, whose fame 
 as an taterpreter of coming events has preceded his arrival on this Western 
 Hemisphere. 
 
 Astrologer. I am happy ia being able to welcome to my present humble 
 apartments the esteemed and learned Reporter of the Avalanche, of whom I 
 can say, without the slightest flattery, he possesses a profundity of intellect 
 far above the habitudes of the literary faculty. 
 
 Reporter {Ch-eatly flattered). Permit me to ask if you were aware of my 
 coming here, as you appear to be familiar with my characteristics, name, and 
 profession? 
 
 Astrologer. Most certainly, sir. Nothing on earth, in air, sea, or sky, 
 escapes my notice. When men of like affinities — that is to say, those possess- 
 ing great depth of thought — come within a certain radius, their approach is 
 announced by a particular star, and their name, occupation, and mental 
 calibre can be correctly determined by those conversant with astrological 
 science. 
 
 Reporter (Rising in his own estimation). Do I understand you to say, 
 sir, that my daily life and destiny is controlled by a particular star ? 
 
 Astrologer. Most certainly. Knowing of your commg here this after- 
 noon, by the influence of your particular star, I consulted the orbit through 
 which it has travelled of late, and discovei-ed that for some months past it has 
 been groping its way through a sky-fog, which Astronomers ignorantly term 
 "the milky way." But I am happy to say it is now emerging from the low 
 grounds of mist and clouds, and, in a few days at the farthest, will pass into 
 a serener atmosphere between the planets PHadus and Pocahontas, when your 
 thinking powers will speedily feel an undue recuperation. 
 
 Reporter {Steadily going up). Are the habits and capabilities of all mor- 
 
THE WONDERFUL ASTROLOGER. 215 
 
 tals controlled by a pai-ticular star, and, if so, from what quarter are such 
 stars derived ? 
 
 Astrologer {Scratching his head, feeling rather puzzled, but answers) . 
 Stars, like all other commodities, are regulated by the well-known law of 
 supply and demand. About forty billions of miles beyond the planet Jupi- 
 ter is a great star manufactory, where stars of all grades and sizes are kept 
 constantly on hand. When a child is bom — no matter under what circum- 
 stances or conditions— a star is selected to suit the mental capacity of the 
 new-comer, which is immediately sent whirUng through space, and by a law 
 known as "mental reservation," it continues to exercise through the life of 
 that particular individual a wholesome and mollifying iafluence. 
 
 Reporter (Getting anxious). When an individual dies, what becomes of 
 his particular star ? 
 
 Astrologer (Nearly bursted). Oh, they are generally sold for old brass, or 
 sometimes are disposed of to the inhabitants of other planets for breast-pias. 
 
 Reporter — caved in — rises, bows his thanks and hastily retires. 
 
 We subjoin another extract from the same paper, taken from the 
 editorial column : 
 
 Extract. —Editorial. 
 
 We have the pleasure of informing our readers that the celebrated Astrol- 
 oger, Johannas Jotopeka, arrived in our village yesterday, and has taken up 
 his residence in Golden Street, where, as we understand, he will remain for 
 a few weeks. This learned adept iu the movements of the heavenly bodies 
 and their influences on the human race graduated with distinguished honors 
 at the Astrological College at Joppa, a seaport of some prominence on the 
 Mediterranean. For some time past he has been travelling in Europe, dis- 
 pensing his vast knowledge to the "crowned heads " of the different G-overn- 
 ments, and everywhere, as we have the pleasure of knowing, was received 
 with distinguished consideration. Owing to the great strain on his mental 
 powers in standing before Kings, his health became somewhat impaired, and, 
 by the advice of his physician, he has made a flying visit to this country for 
 the purpose of enjoying the salubrious air of this locality. We are happy in 
 being able to say that the health of our distinguished visitor has already so 
 far improved, that he will be pleased to see any one desiring in a personal 
 sense a knowledge of future events, and we hope our citizens, without dis- 
 tinction, will extend to him those civilities which are ever due to men of sci- 
 ence and erudition. Our reporter held a scientific conference with the As- 
 trologer late yesterday afternoon, the details of which will be found in an- 
 other column. 
 
216 THE WONDEEFTJL ASTROLOGEll. 
 
 XSS OBSERVATION BY THE ATTTHOK. 
 
 Perhaps just here we ought to observe, in justice to the proprietors of 
 the Avalanche, that the above editorial found its way into the columns 
 of the paper in the absence of the responsible editor. 
 
 PART SECOND. THE ASTEOLOGEK UNVEILED. 
 
 Having exhibited the Astrologer in his assumed dress, we now pro- 
 ceed to show him up in his every-day attire. 
 
 Among the vast multitude under whose criticism this article will fall, 
 there will probably be many whose fond recollections still cluster around 
 the Yates Tavern, which graced the precincts of New Hackensack, 
 Dutchess County, in the days of which we write. However, should 
 so strange an event be possible, that no one of our readers have a 
 remembrance of that old and honored institution, we beg leave to as- 
 sure them, as far as the old tavern is concerned, we are indulging in no 
 idle fiction, for it was an institution widely known in its day. The 
 glorious suppers there dispensed in the " olden time " to parties of pleas- 
 ure have become matters of history. 
 
 On an evening in October, 1801, in a back room of the Yates Tavern, 
 four men were seated around a table, engaged in an animated discussion. 
 The principal speaker vras a peddler named Duval, who had just re- 
 turned from a successful expedition, and in consideration of his success 
 in disposing of his wares had invited three companions to partake of a 
 little good-cheer at the inn. The three men so invited were the black- 
 smith and cobbler of the place, and a little Dutchman named Snook, 
 who hailed from New Windsor, Orange County. 
 
 The party, owing to their frequent demands on the " bar," had be- 
 come greatly exhilarated. The peddler, who was possessed of a large 
 amount of gab, belonging to his profession, was holding forth. He was 
 endeavoring to show that the safest and shortest road to wealth lay in 
 the science of bamboozKng. No man, he said, understood that science 
 better than himself. He could at any time, in less than ten minutes, 
 make any man or any number of men believe that white was black 
 and black was white. He proceeded for some time in this strain, let- 
 
THE WONDERFUL ASTROLOG-EE. 217 
 
 ting out, uuintentionally, many of the tricks of his trade, when, appar- 
 ently thinking he had gone too far, he wound up by assuring his audi- 
 tors, though he could in less than no time humbug or bamboozle any 
 community out of their seven senses, yet in matters of trade he had 
 always acted on the square. 
 
 Snook, who had listened with great attention to the remarks of the 
 peddler, and who had already drank at least a half gallon of beer at the 
 peddler's expense, concluded from the obligation so imposed, that it 
 was his duty to indorse the peddler's remarks ; whereupon he arose 
 and said that he knew but very little about humbugging or bamboozl- 
 ing, as such matters were not indulged in to any extent in Orange 
 County ; but here in Dutchess, the remarks of his learned friend, no 
 doubt, applied with great force. Snook continued for some time in a 
 eulogistic strain, when, stopping to deposit a fresh supply of beer in his 
 inner man, he slipped off the track, and became strongly antagonistic ; 
 fetching his heavy iist down on the table, he offered to bet the peddler 
 fifty pounds that he, nor no other man, could humbug or bamboozle 
 any community in Orange County. The people over there, he said, 
 knew what they were about ; they had their eye-teeth cut, and were 
 " up to trap." 
 
 The peddler eagerly accepted the bet, when, without further ado, an 
 agreement was drawn up, setting forth the particulars of the wager, 
 which was signed and witnessed by the parties. 
 
 We here remark, by way of parenthesis, that Snook's speech was 
 delivered in low Dutch, a vernacular then much in vogue in that sec- 
 tion, and which his companions perfectly understood, but which, for 
 the better understanding of the reader, we have rendered in English. 
 
 AGREEMENT. 
 
 We, the undersigned, do make the following agreement, to wit : We do 
 both agree on the morrow, without fail, to deposit in the hands of John N. 
 Bailey, Esq., Magistrate, the sum of 50 pounds, subject to the following con- 
 ditions : SUas Duval, peddler, agrees to humbug or bamboozle some one com- 
 munity in Orange County, within twelve months from the date hereof. 
 Should he do so to the satisfaction of Peter Myers and Matthew Thorn, wit- 
 nesses hereto, and who are constituted sole judges m the case, then the said 
 money, that is, the 100 pounds deposited in the hands of John N. BaUey, Esq., 
 Magistrate, shall become the property of said Silas Duval. Should, however, 
 28 
 
218 THE WONDEKFTJL ASTEOLOGEE. 
 
 the said Silas Duval, peddler, fail to humbug or bamboozle any community 
 in Orange County to the satisfaction of said Myers and Thorn, within the 
 specified time, that is to say, 12 months from the date hereof, then the said 
 100 pounds shall become the property of Godfrey Snook. 
 New Hackensack, October 3rd, 1801. 
 
 Witness: Signed: 
 
 Peter Myers, Silas Dutal. 
 
 Matthew Thorn. Godfrey Snook. 
 
 The magistrate mentioned in the foregoing instrument, who was the 
 father of the writer, resided at the time a short distance above Yates' 
 Tavern, on the opposite side of the creek, at the place knovm as the 
 Tord. 
 
 Duval, the peddler, had a large and lucrative trade with the country 
 around, and for that day sold many rich and costly goods, which were 
 obtained direct from Europe. His customers, who lived far and near, 
 frequently desired certain styles of articles not obtainable in this coun- 
 try ; therefore, in such cases, he was obliged to order direct from the 
 European market, and at times would go abroad and superintend the 
 selection of the goods in person. 
 
 Duval, notwithstanding his boast he could humbug any community, 
 yet (if we except a few minor tricks he indulged in when trading with 
 slippery customers) had the good sense to know that in the more im- 
 portant matters of trade " honesty was the best policy," therefore wlien 
 he asserted that in all business matters he had acted on the square, he, 
 to a certain extent, told the truth. He was determined to win the bet 
 made with Snook, and made his arrangements accordingly. During 
 the winter he obtained many orders for goods, and early in the spring 
 sailed for Europe, informing his customers that, owing to the many 
 orders given him to fill, he would necessarily be absent for six months. 
 He, however, hastily filled his orders, and returned at the expiration of 
 ninety days, having been booked on the return voyage as Johannas 
 Jotopeka, Astrologer, etc. 
 
 Duval returned very strangely disguised; he wore a large bushy 
 wig, his beard (an appendage not generally worn in those days) had 
 become greatly elongated, and was dyed as black as ink; his most 
 prominent organ, the nose, was decorated with green-colored spectacles ; 
 he had also acquired an unusual limp, something like the spring-halt, 
 
THE WONDERFUL ASTEOLOGEE. 219 
 
 which necessitated his using a cane when perambulating in public, 
 which article was of oriental manufacture, and was provided with a 
 head not unlike that of a boa-constrictor's — so, take him all in all, the 
 Astrologer presented to the pubhc gaze an appearance very different 
 from that of the general race of men. 
 
 On the voyage home, Duval made the acquaintance of a literary 
 man, to whom he confided his secret, who, for a small consideration, 
 agreed to have the Astrologer properly heralded in the New York 
 papers on their arrival, which was done in the true bombastic style, 
 and which (as we trust) satisfactorily accounts for the favorable notice 
 extended to him by the ISTewburgh Avalanche, on his arrival at that 
 place. 
 
 The favorable notice given the Astrologer in the columns of the 
 Avalanche, brought to his apartments very many persons seeking a 
 knowledge of thiags to come, as well as on other matters. To give 
 even a synopsis of the many interviews held with the Astrologer would 
 occupy more space than is usually allotted to newspaper correspon- 
 dents. We therefore detail only one of the many interviews, leaving 
 all others to the imagination of the reader. 
 
 The Astrologer had greatly the advantage of his visitors, for in those 
 days of sparse population, he had, in the way of business, become ac- 
 quainted with the principal members of every household within a 
 radius of forty miles, and was therefore able to tell them many Aome 
 truths, which fully established his reputation as the chief of wizards ; 
 for they said, if he knew so much of their past lives, he must certainly 
 know what was in the future. 
 
 One morning, who shoiild call on the Astrologer but Betsy Sharp, 
 a very old friend. Betsy hailed from Esopus, and was greatly troubled 
 with that distressing malady known as the " hypo " (see hypochondria). 
 For many long and weary years she had been trying to rout this 
 malady from her system. ; barrels of catnip and pennyroyal had inun- 
 dated the seat of war in vain ; in fact, every known remedy had been 
 tried, still the hypo held on with a tenacious grip — it was thar. 
 
 Madam Sharp, hearing of the wonderful Astrologer, as a last resort, 
 stepped down to Newburgh to lay her case before him. Her first in- 
 quiry on entering the Astrologer's apartment was, " Is this the wizard 
 man ? " 
 
220 THE WONDERFUL ASTEOLOGEE. 
 
 Duval, as we have already hinted, was well acquainted with the old 
 lady — ^in fact, she was one of his most reliable customers. Every time 
 he passed through Esopus, she would rush out to his wagon to know if 
 he had any new remedy for the hypo, saying she was aU the time 
 getting wusser and wusser ; nothing did her any good ; accordingly he 
 had to sell her some new remedy that he could recommend as " sure 
 fire." 
 
 Duval, knowing his visitor was extremely garrulous, commanded her 
 in rather a peremptory manner to sit down and remain perfectly quiet 
 until he could consult her star. He then commenced turning over the 
 pages of an old accouut-book, every half minute wriggling his nose, 
 and looking up towards the ceiling. Presently he exclaimed, " Madam, 
 your star has hove in view. Ah ! let me see, it is the color of sope — 
 yes, sope it is. Madam, I see by your star you came from Sope-us 
 (the ancient pronunciation), and have been troubled for many years 
 with a very distressing complaint called the hypo." Here the old lady 
 held up both hands in astonishment, and shrieked out, " Can you cure 
 it, Mister "Wizard man ? " " Cure it, did you say ? Why, Madam, I 
 can knock it higher than a kite. Now, Madam, listen ; do you know 
 what a woodchuck is ? " The old lady nodded. " Then you go 
 directly home ; don't stop to gossip on the way ; when you get home 
 ask Bill Smith, your next-door neighbor, to shoot a woodchuck ; cut 
 off its head, do it yourself, tie a tow string around its tail, and hang it 
 up before a rousing hot fire, and keep it there until every bit of grease 
 is extracted from the body; then put the grease in the. pewter mug 
 you bought of a peddler two years ago, and twenty times every day 
 rub the grease on the tip of your nose ; do it thoroughly, rub hard. 
 Madam, and you will live to be a hundred and twenty years old. 
 Now, Madam, depart ; others are waiting their turn. Keep your own 
 counsel. Madam." Exit Sharp. 
 
 Should any of our readers in passing through Esopus inquire what 
 is good for the hypo, the answer will come up from a hundred throats, 
 " Woodchuck's grease." 
 
 PAET THIRD. SNOOK BAMBOOZLED. 
 
 When Snook returned from his visit to New Hackensack, he gave 
 a glowing description of his reception while there. If a man, he said. 
 
THE WOWDEEFDL ASTEOLOGEE. 221 
 
 wanted to have a good time and enjoy himself, let him go to 'Sew 
 Hackensaek ; the people there knew how to entertain strangers ; they 
 were hospitable, generous, and knew how to make visitors feel at home. 
 He spoke of the entertainment given by Duval, as a big affair ; not 
 forgetting to mention the quantity of beer furnished on the occasion. 
 Duval, he said, was decidedly a good fellow ; knew what he was about ; 
 was thrifty in the way of business ; but like most men who were pros- 
 perous in their worldly affairs, was terribly conceited, even fancied he 
 could humbug or bamboozle any community. He thought it was his 
 duty to administer a httle wholesome correction to his friend on that 
 particular point ; he therefore had bet him fifty pounds he could not 
 bamboozle any community in Orange County. 
 
 He hoped his friends and neighbors would keep a sharp lookout for 
 this Dutchess County peddler, who, no doubt, would soon be around 
 endeavoring to play off some of his tricks upon them. It would be a 
 good thing, he said, for some one to go aroimd to the different villages 
 in the county, and notify the inhabitants of the designs of the peddler. 
 He had not the slightest doubt but that he would win the bet, and 
 when he got the money he was going to do a big thing ; he would 
 give the biggest blow-out New "Windsor ever heard of — he would let 
 folks know there was such a man around as Godfrey Snook. 
 
 "When the Astrologer was in full blast in Newburgh, and his fame, 
 after many days, had reached JSTew Windsor, Snook concluded it might 
 be judicious to consult the Astrologer as to the termination of his bet ; 
 whereupon he sent his wife to make the necessary inquiries, who re- 
 turned with the pleasing intelligence that Snook was bound to win ; 
 whereupon Snook's feelings went up to fever heat. He at once became 
 loud in his praises of the Astrologer, who, he said, was a man of pro- 
 digious attainment, and he was surprised that the inhabitants of New- 
 burgh had not awoke to the fact that a great man was in their midst. 
 They should have long since, he said, honored their distinguished visit- 
 or with some public demonstration; have shown him up that the 
 world might see and know that ISTewburgh was the resort of distin- 
 guished men, equal to those who visited places of greater note. 
 
 The more Snook thought of a pubhc demonstration in honor of the 
 Astrologer, the better he liked it. The thought occurred to him that 
 he himself might gain a little notoriety thereby. "With the pleasing 
 
222 THE WONDERrrL ASTEOLOGER. 
 
 idea in his head he toted himself up to ISTewburgh, and laid the matter, 
 in a set speech, before the village fathers. When the subject had been 
 fully digested by those in authority, and all had agreed that a public 
 demonstration in favor of the Astrologer was desirable, there arose a 
 difiBculty as to who should bear the expense. The finances of the vil- 
 lage were in such a condition that nothing could be expected from that 
 quarter. It was finally decided that the Astrologer be invited to de- 
 liver a lecture, to which an admission fee of twelve cents be charged. 
 It was thought that a sufiicient sum could be raised in that way to pay 
 the expense of a supper, which should come oflf immediately after the 
 delivery of the lecture, and to which a few prominent citizens only 
 should be invited. This course was adopted without a dissenting 
 voice, and the Astrologer notified accordingly. 
 
 Duval had become greatly intoxicated at his success in playing the 
 Astrologer, and was puffed up with the idea he was equal to any emer- 
 gency ; he, therefore, readily accepted the invitation to deliver a lec- 
 ture, and at once proceeded to arrange the necessary document for the 
 occasion. A widely extended notice of the proposed lecture was given. 
 Snook made himself generally useful in circulating the notices. In 
 fact, he was the working man of the enterprise, especially in superin- 
 tending the arrangements for the supper. He knew the exact number 
 of persons the hall would accommodate, in which the lecture was to be 
 held, and, of course, could estimate correctly the receipts of the even- 
 ing, and, as a precautionary measure (he was afraid of debt), informed 
 the caterers that the supper must cost exactly that amount— no more 
 nor no less. He particularly enjoined on them liberality in furnishing 
 the table, as the affair would be of wide celebrity, and if things were 
 done up right, would tend greatly to bring them into public notice, 
 and be worth a score of advertisements in the public journals. 
 
 The evening arrived on which the lecture was to be given. The hall 
 at an early hour was filled with curious citizens, all expecting to hear 
 much that was marvellous. The lecturer, like all distinguished public 
 speakers, was behind-time. He finally, after the patience of the audi- 
 ence had been greatly tried entered by a rear door, preceded by one of 
 the sable sons of Ham, who bore upon his shoulder a large globe de- 
 picting the starry heavens. The lecturer, as is the custom, apologized 
 for being late. The stars, he said, were not propitious. He would, 
 however, do the best he could under the circumstances. 
 
THE WONDERFUL ASTEOLOGEK. 323 
 
 After giving the audience a calm survey, he commenced his address 
 by saying he would be obliged to use in the course of his remarks many 
 words that would soimd strange to his hearers, as in astrology there were 
 many terms and phrases used which had no corresponding words in the 
 English language. [Applause from Snook.J 
 
 " Stars," he remarked, " were of very ancient date. The ancients 
 considered them simply as ornaments, but, through the agency of the 
 science he represented, it had been coiTcctly determined that stars act 
 a very important part in the affairs of men." [Further applause from 
 Snook.] 
 
 " It might be a strange idea to the audience, one not easily credited, 
 that every man, woman, and child on this terrestrial globe is, to a 
 greater or less extent, i:ifluenced for good or evil by some particular 
 star; but science had demonstrated this fact so clearly, that there is now 
 no longer any doubt on the subject, and it is accepted as a verity by all 
 eminent astrologers. For instance, the gentleman sitting directly be- 
 fore us (pointing to Snook) is influenced in his daily walk and conver- 
 sation by a star of the first magnitude. His natural afiinities would 
 have long since led him into forbidden paths, but the action of his star 
 on the sconce of his lunar perceptions had made hun the useful citizen, 
 which, in your intercourse with him, you have not been slow to appre- 
 ciate." [Great applause — Snook joining in with a will.] 
 
 "Now, ladies and gentlemen, having made these introductory re- 
 marks, I proceed to more complicated matters. The audience, I hope, 
 will endeavor to keep perfectly still. There is a general commotion 
 among the stars this evening ; things, I am free to confess, look rather 
 dark. Should any mysterious voices be heard in any part of the house, 
 do not be alarmed, as I am fully able to protect you from all harm." 
 [Here several old ladies used their smelling-bottles freely, and would 
 have been glad to have had an opportunity to step out.] 
 
 The Astrologer then proceeded to get off a few scraps of Latin, pur- 
 loined for the occasion ; he also indulged occasionally in long-sounding 
 words twisted together, wholly unintelligible to the audience. He pro- 
 ceeded in this way for some time, when the strange conduct of Snook 
 began to attract attention. 
 
 Snook for several minutes had been eying the speaker with more 
 than ordinary attention. He was greatly puzzled. The inquiry had 
 
224 THE WONDERFUL ASTROLOGEE. 
 
 come up before him, where had he heard that voice ? Could it be pos 
 sible, he asked himself, that the speaker was Duval ? His thinking 
 powers were strained to the utmost, and the fact (unpalatable as it was) 
 finally dawned on his understanding that the lecturer was none other 
 than the Dutchess County peddler. 
 
 As soon as Snook realized the true situation of affairs, his face turned 
 the color of scarlet, his nostrils became dilated, his eyes bulged outward 
 and were fastened on the Astrologer with a fierceness that foreboded 
 mischief. Suddenly springing to his feet as though his rearward parts 
 had been probed with a hot iron, he sent up the cry which sounded as 
 though his mouth was fuU of cabbage, " Mein Gott ! mein Gott ! that's 
 Devil (Devaul). I shall loosh all my monish ! " 
 
 Had a thirty-two-pounder suddenly opened fire on the audience their 
 consternation could not have been greater. They understood Snook to 
 say the Astrologer was the Devil and would steal all their money, con- 
 sequently every individual seized his pocket-book and held it with the 
 tenacity of a vise. Cries of intense agony came up from every quarter 
 of the room. Some shouted " police," some " fire," and others " bloody 
 murder." Ladies fainted ; children screamed. Babel had come again. 
 During the confusion the Astrologer slipped unperceived throiigh a 
 rear door, and the next moment was leaving Newburgh at the rate of 
 two-forty. 
 
 When order wais partially restored, all turned to the Astrologer for 
 an explanation ; when lo ! it was found he had vamosed — or, in other 
 words, had vanished. Some of the audience had the boldness to assert 
 they saw him pass upwards through the roof ; others wei'e confident he 
 was still in the house, though invisible. Every one volunteered an 
 opinion ; some thought this, others that. Finally the excitement be- 
 came so great, that all commenced speaking at once ; no one would lis- 
 ten to what others said ; every one had an opinion of his own and was 
 bound to stick to it. 
 
 Amid the din and speculations as to the whereabouts of the Astrol- 
 oger, an old lady in the crowd, not wishing to be outdone, managed to 
 get up an excitement on her own hook by tumbhng over a bench and 
 smashing a bottle of asafcetida contained in her pocket. This feat be- 
 ing accomplished, a fetid odor quickly pervaded every portion of the 
 room, making a strong impression on the audience, as they immediately 
 
THE WONDEBFUL ASTEOLOGEK. 225 
 
 ceased speaking and went to smelling. When they had sufficiently 
 tested the new article by inspirations through the nasal passage, an in- 
 dividual of an investigating mind sung out, " What is it ? " The an- 
 swer came from an unknown quarter, " The smell of sulphur arising 
 from the body of the invisible Astrologer." This announcement sent 
 the whole crowd a-flying. All with one accord struck out for home, 
 thoroughly satisfied they had had enough of astrology. 
 
 Snook, though he ran well, was unable to reveal any facts that even- 
 ing ; but the next morning he had so far recovered his senses as to give 
 a clear account of the matter, acknowledging his fifty pounds were gone. 
 After imbibing a few glasses of beer he turned philosopher and said : 
 anyhow he had had a big time, and that was some consolation. 
 
 Duval after the lapse of a few weeks wrote to the village fathers of 
 Newburgh apologizing and explaining the whole afiair. They wrote 
 in reply they rather liked the fun, and hoped he would come again 
 soon. But, as far as we have been able to learn, Duval never again 
 appeared in public as an Astrologer. 
 
THE 
 
 OUTLAWS OF THE REVOLUTION, 
 
 A LEGEND OF JOE'S HILLS. 
 
 If A^'/f' N the summit of the Fishkill Mountains, some ten miles east 
 
 ^^ from the Hudson River, lies a tract of table-land, interspersed 
 S*^ with rocky elevations, known as Joe's Hills. This tract of land 
 during the Revolutionary War, and for many years anterior 
 thereto, was occupied by a squatter named Joe Glover — hence the appel- 
 lation given to it of Joe's Hills. 
 
 The Fishkill Mountains, or the Highlands, as the mountains are more 
 frequently termed in the vicinity of the Hudson, was, during the- 
 Revolutionary War, a rendezvous of numerous gangs of outlaws and 
 robbers, who frequently, under cover of night, would descend from 
 their rocky retreats to the plains on either side of the mountains, plun- 
 dering indiscriminately the friends and foes of Kberty. 
 
 So bold and daring grew the outlaws in their depredations on the 
 inhabitants of the plains, that the latter, in self-defence, were obliged 
 to organize a force with a view to destroying or dispersing the free- 
 booters and so put an end to their predatory excursions. 
 
 Glover was at that time, as far as was known, the only occupant of 
 that part of the. mountain known as Joe's Hills. He was a hunter of 
 no mean reputation. The trophies of his skill everywhere adorned 
 his rude cabin, for within and without were stretched on its walls the 
 skins of varioiis animals which had fallen beneath the leaden messengers 
 sped from his unerring rifle. 
 
 It had long been supposed that Glover held complicity with the 
 numerous gangs of outlaws which infested the mountains, but whether 
 
THE OUTLAWS OF THE KEVOLUTIOK. 227 
 
 their surmises were well founded was a matter not easily determined, 
 for lie was not only remarkably shrewd, but was endowed with a large 
 share of duplicity, which made it difficult rightly to interpret his char- 
 acter or to draw from him in conversation anything going to prove 
 that he had the slightest acquaintance with his dangerous neighbors. 
 "When visiting the villages contiguous to the mountains to barter skins 
 and other products of the chase for powder and lead, no voice was 
 louder in condemnation of the robbers than G-lover's. 
 
 As we have already stated, so multiplied had become the depreda- 
 tions of the robbers on the households adjacent to the mountains, and 
 even on those more remote, that safety demanded that such measures 
 should be taken as would not only rid the community of these outlaws, 
 but prove a salutary warning to others who might be disposed to fol- 
 low their calUng. 
 
 As the robbers were mostly deserters from the British army — men 
 of the most desperate character — and as their line of retreat was open 
 in so many directions, much skill and courage, as well as a knowledge 
 of the various paths of the mountains, was requisite to accomplish their 
 destruction. 
 
 In those days there hved, a few miles west of where now stands the 
 village of Carmel, in Putnam County, a famous hunter and scout named 
 Isaac Pierce. Pierce's knowledge of the mountains in that day was un- 
 doubtedly superior to that of any man then living. He was in the habit 
 for days and weeks together of hunting the bear and the catamount 
 as well as the lesser animals which then infested the hills, through all 
 the defiles of the mountains from the rock-bound shore of the Hudson 
 to the far-off hills of Massachusetts. 
 
 Pierce was frequently accompanied on his htmting excursions by an 
 Indian chief named Mahtorra, who was descended from a long line of 
 illustrious warriors, renowned for their deeds of arms in many conflicts 
 with the dusky tribes formerly inhabiting the regions of northern and 
 western New York. Through the casualties of war and the still more 
 destructive fire-water of the white man, the tribe of Mahtorra had be- 
 come reduced to a mere handful of men. Their council-fires had long 
 been extinguished, and the voice of eloquence was no more heard 
 among them, recounting deeds of prowess, or in calling braves to the 
 war-path. 
 
THE OUTLAWS OF THE EEVOLTJTION. 
 
 At the time of wliich we write, the remnant of this once powerful 
 tribe was reduced to the more peaceful occupation of basket-making, 
 and inhabited the hills directly in the rear of the present village of ' 
 Shenandoah. 
 
 Pierce was known to be thoroughly loyal to the American cause, as, 
 in the capacity of scout, he had made several successful detours within 
 the enemy's lines, eliciting much valuable information. He was there- 
 fore considered the most befitting man to ferret out the haunts of the 
 robbers, in order that they might be attacked successfully. 
 
 Pierce, without hesitation, undertook the hazardous work of ascertain- 
 ing the rendezvous of the robbers. For the better execution of the 
 work in hand, he held a secret conference with Mahtorra and his tribe, 
 with whom he had long enjoyed the most amicable relations. His 
 interview with the Indians was highly satisfactory. They informed 
 him that, according to an ancient tradition of their tribe, there was 
 a cave in the mountain of great length, sufficiently large to secrete 
 an army of several thousand men. The entrance to it, however, it was 
 said, might be passed and repassed without notice from the casual ob- 
 server, as it was high up among precipitous rocks, and barely sufficient 
 to admit the body of a man. The precise location of this cave was 
 unknown to the Indians, but they inferred, from what knowledge they 
 had of it, that it was in the vicinity of Joe's Hills. 
 
 From various circumstances which from time to time had fallen 
 under the notice of Pierce, he was satisfied that the various gangs 
 which infested the mountains were under the control of one leader — 
 and, of course, were occasionally assembled together. He coincided in 
 the opinion of the Indians that the robbers must have discovered this 
 cave, and if so, it undoubtedly constituted their principal rendezvous or 
 base of operations. He therefore felt confident, with proper manage- 
 ment, a blow could be dealt the plundering horde that would either 
 annihilate them or rid that portion of the country of their presence for 
 all time to come. 
 
 As a preliminary to future operations, it became necessary to discover 
 the locality of the cave, and preparations were immediately set on foot 
 for the purpose. The Indians freely offered their services for the work, 
 but it was deemed prudent that only Mahtorra should accompany Pierce 
 in the search, lest the absence of so many of the tribe from their en- 
 
THE OUTLAWS OF THE REVOLUTION. 
 
 campment if discovered might awaken suspicion and frustrate the ob- 
 ject in view. 
 
 Notwithstanding the Indians had thus far readily acquiesced in every 
 measure proposed by Pierce, and witli vehement gestures had signified 
 their readiness to render him all the aid in their power, yet, knowing 
 the capriciousness of the race, he deemed it advisable before proceeding 
 further to enter into a formal compact with them, lest they should de- 
 sert him in the very hour of emergency. 
 
 He therefore invited the Indians to a council, to be held according to 
 the ancient usages of the tribe when bound on the war-path, for he 
 knew that on such occasions whatever agreements or contracts were 
 entered into were considered sacred and binding by the red man. 
 
 The Indians readily agreed to hold a " talk," or pow-wow, as some 
 writers have termed it, and for this purpose their council-pipe, unused 
 for many years, was brought forth from its buckskin pouch and newly 
 embellished. Their principal wigwam or council-house was carefully 
 swept, and the few remaining emblems of the tribe used on such occa- 
 sions were placed in conspicuous parts of the building. When these 
 and several other minor preparations were completed, those of the tribe 
 who were considered warriors seated themselves in a circle on the floor 
 of the room, as did also Pierce, who occupied the place next to Mah- 
 torra. 
 
 Silence the most profound reigned for some minutes, when Mahtorra 
 filled and lighted the council-pipe, which lay in a wooden bowl in the 
 centre of the circle, and from which he inhaled but a single puff, and 
 then handed it to Pierce, who followed the example, and in turn 
 handed it to the warrior next to him, which ceremony continued to be 
 repeated until the pipe had completed the circle and each man had had 
 his puff. 
 
 The pipe was then replaced in the bowl, by which procedure it was 
 understood that the council was open for business. As it devolved on 
 Pierce to explain for what object they had convened, he arose and pro- 
 ceeded to address the assembly. 
 
 Pierce, though but a poor diplomatist, yet possessed much tact and 
 shrewdness. He had already explained to the tribe the object of his 
 visit, but he found it necessary to recapitulate to some extent what he 
 had already said, which he did with great minuteness and with appar- 
 
230 THE OUTLAWS OF THE EEVOLUTIOJS. 
 
 ent effect. Knowing the weak points of his dusky friends, he embraced 
 the opportunity of arousing their pride, by referring to the glorious 
 achievements of their fathers in their war with the Five Nations of the 
 north. In conclusion, he so far played the orator, as to awaken the en- 
 thusiasm of his auditors to that degree, that the exclamation of " good " 
 frequently escaped tbeir lips. 
 
 When Pierce had resumed his seat. Little Brier, who, in influence 
 and position, ranked next to Mahtorra, and who was undoubtedly the 
 acknowledged orator of the tribe, arose to reply. He commenced 
 speaking in tones so low as to be scarcely audible, but as he proceeded, 
 his voice gradually became clear and powerful ; and, at times, such was 
 the poetry of his language and the imagery of his figures of speech, 
 that the}' might have been classed among the happiest flights of rhet- 
 oric. 
 
 The speaker commenced his address by saying that " many snows had 
 come and gone since the tribe last met in council. " He dwelt at some 
 length on the former greatness of the tribe, contrasting it with its then 
 failing condition. Suddenly pausing, he swept- the horizon with his 
 right arm, and in tones that thrilled his auditors, inquired, " Where 
 is the red man who formerly inhabited these hills and valleys, and 
 whose numbers were as the leaves of the forest ? where," he continued, 
 "where are those mighty braves — Bold Thunder, Brave Heart, and 
 White Cloud, at the mention of whose names their enemies every- 
 where trembled ? The Great Spirit," he said, " had need of such war- 
 riors, and had called them to the happy hunting-grounds far beyond the 
 setting sun." And as his eye suddenly fell on the feeble band around 
 him his voice became husky and melancholy, as he added, " The Great 
 Spirit has need of more warriors. We, too, will soon be called away, 
 and before the return of many moons, the last of the race of the great 
 Wiccapie will be forever swept from the face of the earth." 
 
 He next reviewed the speech of Pierce, whom he at times compli- 
 mented by the title of " Open Hand." " Our Brother," he said, " had 
 come among them to sohcit aid and co-operation against a band of plun- 
 derers. As for himself, although his head was whitened o'er by the 
 frost of winter, yet he was ready to co-operate in any measure for the 
 extermination of the robbers — be it by the tomahawk of the red man 
 or the white man's rifle — and he felt confident he was speaking the sen- 
 timent of every warrior present." 
 
THE OUTLAWS OF THE EEVOLUTIOIf. 23l 
 
 We have given the reader but a feeble idea of the speech of Little 
 Brier, as he spoke in the dialect of his tribe, which, owing to the pecul- 
 iar construction of many of its words, is exceedingly difficult to render 
 into English, and at the same time preserve its harmony. 
 
 After a short address by Mahtorra, an alliance was concluded between 
 Pierce and his Indian friends, which was, in substance, that the Indians 
 were to hold themselves in readiness at the call of Pierce ; they, how- 
 ever, in all the movements which might be required of them, were to 
 be under the control or leadership of their chief, Mahtorra. The whole 
 proceedings were then ratified, as is the invariable custom on such oc- 
 casions, by the bestowment of a plentiful supply of fire-water and the 
 distribution of a few presents, the whole concluding with a feast and a 
 dance which lasted long into the hours of the night. The next morn- 
 ing Pierce and Mahtorra, provisioned for several days, turned their 
 faces towards Joe's Hills. 
 
 For many hours that day they kept strict watch on the hut of Glo- 
 ver. Their patience was finally rewarded by seeing Glover, in com- 
 pany with five others^ leave the premises. It was immediately deter- 
 mined that Mahtorra should follow the party, while Pierce remained 
 behind to explore the cabin. Pierce found no difficulty in effecting an 
 entrance within the place, where he soon discovered abundant evidence 
 of Glover's complicity with the robbers. In leaving the cabiuj he was 
 careful to leave no trace that any one had been within during the ab- 
 sence of the owner, and then started to rejoin the Indian chief. But 
 it was- several days before they again met. Mahtorra, in the meantime, 
 had discovered the cave, and brought intelligence which demanded on 
 their part immediate action. 
 
 It appeared the Indian had followed Glover and his party through 
 many intricate windings of the mountain, and at last had the happi- 
 ness of seeing them enter the cave, the entrance to which tallied very 
 nearly with the account given by the Indians, it being in the side of 
 a precipitous hill full one hundred feet above its base. Mahtorra lay 
 concealed in the vicinity for nearly two days, keeping a close eye to 
 matters. During that time several parties of men left the cave, when, 
 thinking it entirely deserted, he concluded to make a personal explo- 
 ration of the place. He had, however, hardly got within when he 
 heard the robbers returning. By hastily clambering up over some pro- 
 
232 THE OUTLAWS OF THE EEVOLUTION. 
 
 jecting rocks within the cave lie managed to escape observation — where 
 for twenty-four hours he quietly lay within hearing of every word the 
 robbers uttered. 
 
 "While thus concealed he learned from the conversation of the rob- 
 bers that they were on the eve of starting on an expedition to some 
 part of Westchester County, which would require their whole force, 
 and occupy at least a week's time. Mahtorra remained in his place of 
 concealment imtil the expedition had got fairly under way, when he 
 hastened to join Pierce. 
 
 The two men held a long conference — they cautiously examined the 
 mountain in the vicinity of the cave, the approach to which was through 
 a deep ravine, environed on each side by towering hills. After satis- 
 fying themselves as to the nature of the ground, they hastily left the 
 mountain, apparently having determined on a line of action. 
 
 After a lapse of a few days, two parties of men appeared in the 
 vicinity of the cave, one under the command of Pierce, and one under 
 Mahtorra. The forces were immediately stationed on the hills over- 
 looking the ravine, where they lay in ambush awaiting the return of 
 the robbers. 
 
 Early in the morning of the third day after their arrival, word was 
 brought by an Indian runner, sent out for that purpose, that the free- 
 booters were returning, heavily laden with spoils. In a moment the 
 parties stationed on the hiUs became as silent as the rocks around 
 them. The plunderers came marching along in a compact column 
 through the ravine, doubtless thinking themselves beyond pursuit, and 
 wholly unconscious of the danger so near. When they arrived at a 
 given point a signal was given, when in a moment the air rang with 
 the simultaneous report of more than fifty rifles. So unerring was the 
 aim of the attacking party, that more than forty of the robbers lay 
 stretched in the agonies of death ; seven only escaping, who were suc- 
 cessfully pursued by the fleet-footed warriors of Mahtorra. 
 
 In those days summary justice was frequently meted to transgres- 
 sors ■without awaiting the tardy operations of the law. It was so with 
 the seven freebooters who escaped the sanguinary fire that laid lifeless 
 so many of their companions — ^for they were immediately taken to the 
 brow of a neighboring hill, and suspended from the limb of an oak 
 ■ — ^which tragic event caused the spot to be long celebrated, and even 
 to this day the place is known as Hangman's HiU. 
 
THE OUTLAWS OF THE REVOLtTTIOK. 233 
 
 In examining the slain who had fallen, the body of Grlover was dis- 
 covered. He alone of all the number was known. The others were 
 strangers, supposed mostly to be deserters from the British army. 
 
 So complete an extermination of so formidable a band of robbers re- 
 flected the highest credit on those who conducted the enterprise against 
 them, and it proved the means of freeing that portion of the country 
 ever afterwards of marauders of the like description. 
 
 For many years after the events described, Joe's Hills and vicinity 
 was said to be frequented by a mysterious hunter, who was generally 
 supposed to be the ghost of Glover. The apparition at times appeared 
 riding on a fleet pony, causing the hills far and near to echo with its 
 rifle — and then again it could be seen standing conspicuously on the 
 brow of some lofty hill, firing at some object in the air, and then sud- 
 denly vanishing, as if by magic, in a cloud of smoke. And even to 
 this day, when mysterious sounds are heard in that part of the moun- 
 tains, the inhabitants of that region confidently assert that they are the 
 reports of the rifle of the mysterious hunter of Joe's Hills. 
 
 80 
 
AUNT PEGGY PRIM 
 
 A STOEY OF THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 HE occasional traveller between Fishkill Landing and Fish- 
 kill Village can not fail to have noticed that midway between 
 the two places the road passes over a ledge of rocks of a pale 
 red color. 
 
 The earlier inhabitants of that vicinity generally entertained the 
 opinion that the color of these rocks indicated the presence of a gold 
 mine beneath. But notwithstanding such impressions, they were re- 
 luctant to incur the expense and labor of excavating without some posi- 
 tive assurance that in so doing, they would be rewarded in the finding 
 of gold. 
 
 About fifty years ago, near the rocks, stood a small house of 
 entertainment, kept by Miss Peggy Prim. Aunt Peggy, as she was 
 familiarly called, was quite an institution in her day. When serving 
 her customers she moved erect as a sunbeam, and assumed a dignity 
 befitting any queen. Although Aunt Peggy has long since disap- 
 peared from earth's transitory scenes, and her ornamental sign of Cake 
 and Beer no longer creaks on its hinges to attract the gaze of thirsty 
 travellers, yet we doubt not that many of the old inhabitants remember 
 Aunt Peggy, and can call to mind the pleasing influence that her cake 
 and beer were wont to exercise over the inner man. 
 
 A haK a century ago, the world jogged on in a quiet, sensible way. 
 No telegraph poles with magnetic wires lined the waysides. No 
 whistling locomotives traversed the country, hurrying travellers from 
 place to place, neither were fortunes then made and lost in a single 
 day ; but mankind, aside from city life, moved on untainted by sordid 
 ambition ; they held, in the language of the poet, the noiseless tenor of 
 their way. 
 
AUNT PEGGY PEIM. 235 
 
 Aunt Peggy Prim had but few relatives. Of a once numerous 
 household, none remained to her but a brother and sister ; the former 
 was settled in the far-oil West, and the latter, who was much younger 
 than Aunt Peggy, was married and resided in New York. Aunt 
 Peggy at an early age was deprived of both father and mother, and 
 being the eldest of the family, on her devolved the care of the little 
 ones, and nobly, through many a long and weary year, did she struggle to 
 supply to them the place of a mother. The world, fortunately, has 
 been blessed with many self-sacrificing spirits, who, like Aunt Peggy, 
 have lost sight of self, and toiled unremittingly for the good of 
 others — and we might add, would that their labors were better appre- 
 ciated. 
 
 At the time of which we write, a journey to and from ISTew York 
 was considered by the inhabitants of Fishkill an affair of considerable 
 magnitude. .Nothing would have tempted Aunt Peggy to have visited 
 New York by the then usual route, which was by water, in the good 
 sloop Ca/roline, as she had a perfect dread of the limpid element in 
 larger quantities than a quart, and besides, her opinions of city ways 
 were not of an exalted character ; she had once been induced to visit 
 JSTewburgh, and returned highly indignant at the inhabitants of the 
 place. She declared the people there had no manners ; they ran against 
 her from every quarter, much to the detriment of her new calico dress, 
 which she had purchased especially for that occasion ; and one person, 
 she said, even went so far as to call her Old Gal, and wanted to know 
 why she took up so much of the sidewalk. Consequently Aunt Peggy 
 never could be induced to visit New York ; therefore what visiting was 
 done between herself and sister had to be performed by the latter, who 
 for many years after her removal to the city, invariably made an annual 
 visit to the home of her childhood. But, as time rolled on. these visits 
 became less frequent, and finally ceased altogether. Aunt Peggy used 
 to complain a little of her sister's neglect ; she would say, " Sister has 
 become rich and lives in a fine house, and I suppose she has forgotten 
 me "; but when so speaking, her words contained no tones of resent- 
 ment — for Aunt Peggy's heart was a stranger to either malice or guile. 
 
 On a bright morning in the month of June Miss Prim was rendered 
 somewhat nervous by having a letter placed in her hands bearing the 
 superscription, " Miss Margaret Prim, Fishkill." Miss Prim's eorre- 
 
536 AUNT iPEGGT PRIM. 
 
 spondence was exceedingly limited ; the post had not favored her with 
 an epistle of any kind for at least a dozen years, and so unexpected a 
 favor from that quarter drew rather strongly on her nervous system. 
 After carefully wiping her -spectacles, she opened the letter, and if the 
 reader could have noticed her countenance during its perusal, he would 
 have seen there depicted every shade of expression. First extreme gravity 
 prevailed, then came a slight reaction in the way of playful smiles, and 
 finally, as the letter was read and re-read, the whole face became radiant 
 with joy. At this stage of affairs the voice of Miss Prim could be 
 heard crying, " Jude ! I say, Jude ! where are you ! " In obedience to 
 the summons, the maid-of-all-work, who was of pure African descent, 
 made her appearance. "Jude," said her mistress, "I've got a letter 
 from sister 'Becca, and she writes me that she and the children are com- 
 ing to see us next week. Now, Jude, we shall have our hands full, for 
 sister's children are nearly grown, and they are real quality. Let me 
 see, Margaret must be nearly twenty ; you know, Jude, Margaret is 
 named after me ; how glad I shall be to see the dear girl ! Then there 
 is Phebe ; Phebe must be eighteen. She is named after mother. And 
 then there is master Tom, who no doubt considers himself by this time 
 a young man, though he is nearly two years yoimger than Phebe. I 
 wonder if Tom has forgotten how to eat suppawn. Why, Jude, when 
 he was a little boy, and came to see me, it was astonishing how he could 
 eat suppawn. Dear me, we will have to replenish our larder. York 
 people know how to eat, especially when they get good country fare 
 like ours ; and sister's children, while they stay with me, shall have the 
 very best. Sister writes that Margaret is not very well ; no wonder ; 
 I don't believe the dear child has had a drop of fresh milk since she was 
 last here, and that was when she was a little girl." 
 
 Thus rattled on Aunt Peggy, but whether she was soliloquizing or 
 addressing Jude, would have been difficult to determine. If she was 
 aiming to do the latter, Jude was but a poor auditor, for while her 
 mistress was speaking she was performing the most startling evolutions. 
 At times she would whirl around on one foot, and then with surprising 
 nimbleness she would skip over a chair, and then again with rapid 
 bounds she would ascend perpendicular to a close proximity with the 
 ceiling, continually ejaculating through all her movements, " Just so, 
 missus ! " 
 
A.TTNT PEGGY PRIM. 237 
 
 But Jude's exercises were brought to a sudden termination by lier 
 mistress saying, " Now, Jude, if you will be a good girl and work right 
 smart while sister and her family are here, you shall have a silver dol- 
 lar." At the mention of a silver dollar Jude's eyes rolled like a ship 
 in a storm, and her immense mouth opened like the entrance to some 
 mighty cavern, when she made her usual exclamation, " Just so, mis- 
 sus ! " " Now, Jude," continued hermistress, " you go into the kitchen 
 and commence brushing up ; mind and have every tin so you can see 
 your face in it." In accordance with this order, Jude cleared the room 
 at one bound through the open door, and the next moment could be 
 heard singing in the distance : 
 
 ' ' Oh ! there is a good tune coming ! " 
 
 The extra quantity of smoke which for the next few days came 
 puffing from Aunt Peggy's kitchen chimney, attracted great attention 
 from the wondering neighbors. Old Mrs. Jacques, who in those days 
 had the supervision of the domestic affairs of the neighborhood, de- 
 clared that something unusual was going on over to Miss Prim's, or 
 there would never be so much smoke coming out of the chimney ; so 
 throwing on her hood, she went over to ascertain what was going on. 
 Instead of entering the reception-room, where cake and beer were 
 vended, and which was open to visitors at all seasonable hours, she pro- 
 ceeded around to the kitchen door. As she neared the door, which, at 
 that moment, stood partly ajar, odoriferous perfume greeted her olfac- 
 tories, which greatly added to her inquisitiveness, for quickening her 
 pace she glided into the kitchen, where, to her astonishment, she be- 
 held long rows of pies fresh from the oven, and immense piles of cake 
 which towered up like the peaks of the adjacent mountains. 
 
 Mrs. Jacques' surprise was so complete that she stood for a few 
 moments with uplifted hands, then giving vent to her astonishment, 
 she exclaimed, " Law suz ! Aunt Peggy, ain't you crazy ? Why, who 
 on earth is going to eat up all those things ? " 
 
 Aunt Peggy, whose face, owing to the heat and excitement of the 
 occasion, had become the color of red flannel, on hearing her name 
 mentioned, turned around, flourishing her sticking-fork with a science 
 which would have done credit to a Roman gladiator. "Ah, Mrs. 
 Jacques ! " she said, " is that you ? Come sit down ; you see I am hard at 
 
338 AXnSTT PEGGY PKIM. 
 
 work preparing for my sister's family; I expect them here next 
 week." 
 
 " Do tell ! " rejoined Mi-s. Jacques ; " why, I hain't heard that before." 
 
 "Yes," said Aunt Peggy, "they are coming next week, and I want 
 things done up beforehand, so that when sister arrives I shall have 
 leisure to sit down and talk." 
 
 Mrs. Jacques' stay was short. Fearing some one might anticipate her 
 in circulating the news she had just learned, she bade Miss Prim a 
 hasty good-morning, and for an hour or two afterwards she might 
 have been seen dodging in and out of the different dwellings in the 
 neighborhood, explaining to her wondering friends why so much smoke 
 was emitted from Aunt Peggy's chimney. 
 
 On the day when Aunt Peggy's guests were expected, she dressed 
 herself with the most scrupulous care ; cap after cap was tried on to as- 
 certain which was the most becoming. Jude, who was called on to 
 criticize, declared with emphasis, that all the caps " sot fust rate." 
 " Missus," she said, " looked well in anything." A cap was finally 
 selected which added greatly to the charms of Miss Prim, whose toilet, 
 after several other decorations at the hands of the critic, was pronounced 
 complete, when she sat down to await the coming of her friends. 
 
 At eleven o'clock a large wagon, drawn by two spirited bays, came 
 dashing up in front of Aunt Peggy's. Jude, who had been on the 
 lookout since eight o'clock, announced the arrival of the friends by in- 
 numerable jumps in the air, and with shouts which would have done 
 credit to a whole tribe of Tuscaroras on the war-path. 
 
 The meeting of the sisters was of the most cordial kind. The foun- 
 tains of Aunt Peggy's heart, long sealed, broke forth at again seeing 
 her beloved relatives — unable to restrain her emotions, she threw her- 
 self on her sister's neck and sobbed like a child. Jude, seeing her 
 mistress in tears, and being unabte to divine the cause, concluded she 
 was called upon to emulate her mistress on the occasion, wliereupon 
 she set up the most hideous cries, and notwithstanding she was repeat- 
 edly ordered to desist, yet for a long time she refused to be comforted. 
 
 We shall attempt no description of Aunt Peggy's nieces, Margaret 
 and Phebe. Justice, however, requires us to say that they made a 
 happy impression on their auUt during their short stay with her. But 
 master Tom requires at our hands more than a passing notice. Tom's 
 
AUNT PEGGY PRIM. 239 
 
 dress was of a style peculiarly his own, for his habihments were wholly 
 unlike those then in use, or at least such as were worn in that vicinity. 
 His head was garnished by a hat resembling a stove-pipe, which in- 
 clined at an. angle of forty-five degrees ; how it retained its position 
 was a poser to the uninitiated. His shirt was furnished with prodigious 
 ruffles, which protruded through the opening in his vest to such an ex- 
 tent that at a short distance they might have been mistaken for a snow- 
 drift. The color of his pataloons was not easily determined, for im- 
 mense yellow and blue stripes ran over and around them in zig-zag 
 directions, like the coil of a serpent. Tom's pantaloons might have 
 been considered a close fit, for they clung to his nether limbs with the 
 tenacity of a vise, and in order to prevent their crawling upwards, they 
 were held at the bottom by straps passing underneath his boots. To 
 finish the description, a ribbon was fastened to his vest, to which was 
 secured- at the opposite end a fanciful quizzing-glass, and which to ap- 
 pearances was in no danger of becoming rusty, as its journeys between 
 Tom's nose and vest-pockets were constant and unremitting. 
 
 The party soon sat down to a sumptuous dinner, which was greatly 
 relished by the new-comers, for under their repeated assaults the good 
 things provided melted away like snow in summer. Tom throughout 
 stuck to the chicken-pie ; no other dish or delicacy could for a moment 
 divert his attention. Jiide, who filled the office of waitress on the oc- 
 casion, had been instructed by her mistress that as soon as any of the 
 guests ceased eating to remove their plates, and substitute a clean 
 one, and then ask what next they would be helped to. 
 
 Jude, in obedience to the instructions so given, kept a sharp lookout. 
 Seeing Tom pause for a moment to take breath, she immediately caught 
 up his plate, and brought him a clean one with the inquiry, " What 
 next, master Tom ? " "A little more chicken-pie," said Tom. It was 
 immediately furnished, when Tom fell to eating again with renewed 
 ardor, but in a few moments he was again out of wind, and obliged for 
 the second time to pause. In a twinkling Jude again removed his 
 plate, furnishing him with a clean one, and saying as before, " What 
 next, master Tom ? " "A little more of the chicken-pie," said Tom. 
 The same manoeuvres were again and again repeated — fortunately, for 
 the credit of Aunt Peggy, the chicken-pie held out until Tom's appetite 
 was thoroughly satiated. 
 
240 ATJIirT PEGGY PEIM. 
 
 After dinner the luggage was to be cared for. " Tom," said Aunt 
 Peggy, " take hold of the side of this trunk, and help me carry it up- 
 stairs." Tom brought his quizzing-glass to his nose, curiously eying 
 the old lady, as much as to say, that is not my work ; but remembering 
 the next moment that when in Rome we must conform to the custom 
 of the Romans, he condescended to obey the order given. In stooping 
 to raise the trunk a ripping sound was heard beneath his feet, which 
 caused Tom rather abruptly to drop his end of the trunk, and raising 
 up his leg at the same time, he exclaimed, " There, Aunt Peggy, see 
 what you have done ; one of my straps is bursted, and now how am I 
 to keep my pantaloons down ? " 
 
 Aunt Peggy viewed the accident with her usual composure. She 
 said to Tom, " Never mind, I'll soon set that to rights ; I see you are 
 not prepared for this work ; here, Jude," she continued, " you take 
 hold," and by the aid of Jude, the trunks were stowed in the apart- 
 ments above. 
 
 Tom and his sisters greatly enjoyed themselves from day to day. 
 They took long stroUs through the fields, clambered up the neighboring 
 mountains, and enjoyed many a pleasant ride through the courtesy of 
 the yomig men of the vicinity. 
 
 One evening the young folks returned rather late from an excursion. 
 Their mother and Aunt Peggy had retired. They therefore immedi- 
 ately proceeded to their sleeping apartments. Tom had scarcely got in 
 bed when his sisters came rushing into his room pale with fright, cry- 
 ing, " Tom, dear Tom, there is a ghost in our room ! " At the men- 
 tion of a ghost, Tom buried himself deeply beneath the bed-clothes, a 
 clammy sweat stole over him, and his teeth knocked together as though 
 he had an attack of fever and ague. At every appeal of his sisters, he 
 dove deeper in the labyrinths of the bed. The sisters, not knowing 
 what had become of him, rushed into the apartment where their aunt 
 and mother slept. Aunt Peggy, on being informed of the cause of the 
 alarm, proceeded to buckle on her armor. While she was preparing 
 for action, Tom concluded, from the stiUness that reigned, that all dan- 
 ger was past ; consequently he crept cautiously from his hiding-place, 
 and proceeded to look into the room where the ghost was said to have 
 been. 
 
 Aunt Peggy, in the meantime, had gone into the room, and was ex- 
 
A.UKT PEftGY PRIM. 241 
 
 amining tlie fire-place. Tom, as he peered cautiously into the apart- 
 ment, caught a glimpse of Aunt Peggy's head, which was ensconced in 
 a red flannel night-cap. Thinking he had seen the ghost for certain, he 
 gave a wild cry and rushed back to his own room, burying himseK again 
 doubly deep beneath tlie coverlets. 
 
 The cry of Tom scared Aunt Peggy in turn, who, too, hastily ske- 
 daddled, not knowing but the enemy was moving on her " in force." 
 
 During the remainder of the night, both Aunt Peggy and her guests 
 " lay on their arms " expecting an attack from the supernatural foe ; 
 but as the enemy did not make his appearance during the night, their 
 courage so far revived with the opening day, that dispositions were at 
 once made to resume the offensive. 
 
 After fortifying the inner man with copious draughts of root beer, 
 the forces moved — Aunt Peggy leading the column and Tom in com- 
 mand of the reserve. As they entered within the enemy's lines they 
 discovered, much to their satisfaction, that there would be no occasion 
 for the effusion of blood, as a swallow's nest containing some young 
 birds had been the cause of all their fears. The nest had fallen down 
 the chimney during the night, and the chirping of the little birds be- 
 hind the fire-board had occasioned all the mischief. 
 
 Tom's nerves were so shocked at the events we have just related, 
 that he prevailed on his mother to consent to an early departure for 
 home. It was therefore decided, that the day after they would turn 
 their faces towards the city. In the interim another event occurred, 
 which greatly increased their desire to evacuate the place. 
 
 A mad dog that same afternoon passed along the highway, pursued 
 by an inmmierable company of men and boys. The next morning, as 
 Tom was drinking his second bowl of milk, Jude came running into 
 the room with an excited countenance, shouting, " Missus ! I say, Mis- 
 sus ! that dog what had the hydrojoobila must have bitten our cow, for 
 all the time she acts madder and madder." This information made 
 Tom feel very uncomfortable during the balance of the day, and he 
 gave the milk-pans and the old cow an astonishing wide berth during 
 the remainder of his visit. 
 
 At the appointed time, Aunt Peggy's friends departed for their 
 home, and it gives us pleasure to add that their visit, at stated intervals, 
 was repeated. 
 31 
 
242 ATTNT PEGGY PRIM. 
 
 Miss Prim long since exchanged tMs world for a better. By indns- 
 try and economy she amassed, for the time in which she lived, a hand- 
 some fortune, which she bequeathed to her sister's children. Her hand 
 through life was ever open to the claims of charity, for the poor from 
 her door went not empty away — and of her it may be truly written, 
 " She lived for the good of others." 
 
A BRIEF HISTORY OF PETER PICKERAL, 
 
 WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE 
 
 OWL DEBATING SOCIETY. 
 
 N these days of public demoralization, when virtue in high 
 places is at a sad discount — when thieves, prize-fighters, and 
 vagabonds of every description not unfrequently are elevated to 
 offices of trust and emolument — it is refreshing to look back 
 and know there was a time in the history of our country when good 
 and true men alone administered the laws and labored with a self-sacri- 
 ficing spirit to elevate the condition of their feUow-men. The memory 
 of such men should not be allowed to perish ; their names and deeds 
 should be enrolled in transcendent characters on the canvas of immor- 
 tality and handed down as bright examples, worthy of imitation by all 
 succeeding generations. 
 
 Peter Pickeral, whose virtues we chronicle, lived and fiourished some 
 forty years ago, in a village then known as the Five Corners, and lo- 
 cated directly opposite the village of Newburgh — the Hudson Kiver 
 intervening. 
 
 It gives us great pleasure to state that Mr. Pickeral was an unosten- 
 tatious citizen. Unlike other men, he made no attempt to appear what 
 be was not. He made no foolish pretensions of being a millionaire, 
 but through rain and sunshine, amid summer's heat and winter's cold, 
 under the most caustic caudle lectures or amid the balmy breeze of do- 
 mestic bliss, he- was ever the same unostentatious Peter. 
 
 But we are happy to say that friend Peter, notwithstanding his un- 
 ostentatiousness, was decidedly a man of mark. In every sense, he was 
 well red ; as, for instance, his nose — which turned up at the tip like the 
 hook of a pump — was always, without reference to vrind or weather, of 
 
244 A BEIEF HISTORY OF PETER PXCKEEAL. 
 
 a deep red color, and lighted up Ms " phiz " with all the brilHancy of a 
 kerosene lamp. His hair, without the assistance of any artificial prep- 
 ai-ation, partook of the color of his nose ; it was decidedly red. His 
 mansion, too, had, by the genius of some native artist, been colored af- 
 ter the manner of Peter's nose, and was, therefore, red. On Mondays, 
 when the laundress of the Pickeral household flung her banners to the 
 breeze, the prevailing color so ventilated was red. The old rooster that 
 strutted around Peter's door-yard sporting an audacious pair of spurs, 
 and whose shrill, clarion notes were the delight of the young Pickerals, 
 was of plumage red. The little dog, which for many a long, weary 
 year had faithfully guarded the Pickeral mansion, and which snoozed 
 unconcerned beneath Peter's bed at nighty for the better protection of 
 himself and master, owing to his daily contact with the outside of the 
 Pickeral dwelling, looked rather red. 
 
 In fact, the entire Pickeral family — that is to say, Madam Pickeral, 
 the two Misses Pickeral, and Master Pickeral, one and two, and Baby 
 Pickeral — all instinctively had a charm for red. On Sabbath days, fa- 
 ther Pickeral and Master Pickeral one and two, were each provided 
 with a large red bandana, the ends of which, as they passed along to- 
 wards the village church, conspicuously protruded from their coat 
 pockets, floating like little banners in the breeze. These family em- 
 blems generally had a startling effect on those congregated within the 
 porch of the sacred edifice, and not unfrequently might have been 
 heard the remark from some unruly urchin, " Do you see anything 
 red?" 
 
 Mr. Pickeral had long studied the science of acoustics, in which he 
 had made great proficiency, for when his old rooster crowed he could 
 generally tell within twenty feet where the bird stood. If his little "dog 
 barked he generally knew whether he was under the bed or out of 
 doors. Peter's knowledge of sounds proved of immense benefit to him, 
 and which he turned to advantage in many ways. In church, in order 
 that he might have an attentive ear, he invariably folded his bandana 
 in the form of a semicircle, which he carefully fastened to the back of 
 his cranium — for the purpose, as he said, of better conducting the 
 sounds of the pulpit to the drums of his ears. Peter, as he sat thus 
 covered, was frequently mistaken by strangers for a bundle of red flan- 
 nel. It was, however, doubtful if Peter's plan for conducting sounds 
 
A BEIEF HISTORY OF PETEK PICKEKAL. 245 
 
 in church was altogether successful— for it was noticed that before the 
 minister got to firstly, Peter's nasal organ began to grow musical ; but 
 whether it was influenced by the sermon or other causes, was never 
 accurately known. 
 
 Mr. Pickeral, we believe, never filled any public oflice other than 
 path-master, but in the duties attached to this particular service he dis- 
 played great executive abilities, as those who remember the horrid con- 
 dition of the roads in and about the Five Corners some forty years ago 
 can abundantly testify. Pickeral advocated the building of all pub- 
 lic roads after the manner of the Great Wall of China, with the 
 simple difference that the blocks of stone instead of being laid above 
 should be placed beneath the surface of the ground. Peter's method 
 of building roads was decidedly in advance of the times, and, of course 
 in his day, was never adopted. 
 
 But Mr. Pickeral's genius as a public man shone more conspicuously 
 in his knowledge of medicine. He was the inventor of the Universal 
 Eemedy, the virtues of which we herewith append, taken from an old 
 paper, styled the Sleepy Gazette : 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 PETER pickeral's UNIVERSAL REMEDY. 
 
 The undersigned begs leave to infonn his friends and the public that his 
 Universal Remedy is creating a great sensation in every town, village, and 
 hamlet throughout the world, and is fast becoming known as the great 
 "panacea." It immediately eradicates every ill the human flesh is heir to ; 
 lameness, deafness, blindness, and, in fact, every known disease flee before 
 it with telegraphic speed. Old men, long afflicted with the gout, rheumatism, 
 paralysis, etc., by placing a ten-cent bottle of the Universal Remedy in the 
 crown of the hat, have been known in a few minutes to resume all the vi- 
 vacity and sprightliness of youth. This remedy will increase the speed of 
 horses and everything possessing motive power. It also has a surprising efiPect 
 on smoky chimneys, as the following statement will show: 
 
 Mrs. Ann Blower, of Newburgh, writes to the Sleepy Gazette that for 
 many years she had been troubled with a smoky chimney, so much so, that 
 her neighbors frequently thought her house was on fire. Hearing of the 
 Universal Remedy, she purchased four bottles of it, which she applied to the 
 chimney according to the directions, and which in a few minutes so increased 
 the draft, that herself and several other ladies she had invited to tea, were 
 drawn up the flue and deposited on the roof, 
 
346 A BRIEF HISTORY OF PETEE PICKERAL. 
 
 This Remedy has also an astonishing effect in promoting the growth 
 of the human hair. WUliam Grlazehead, of Glenham, writes that he was 
 hitten by a monkey, and was so scared that his hair fell out, and he became 
 entirely bald. He procured two gallons of the Universal Eemedy, into which 
 he dipped his head every five minutes during the day, and which so pro- 
 moted the growth of his hair that it required two mowing machines in con- 
 stant operation to keep it down. 
 
 This medicine has also a marvellous effect on vegetables. An old gentle- 
 man named Gruff, residing in Fishkill Hook, informs us that he planted 
 four hUls of pumpkin-seed, which he sprinkled copiously with the Universal 
 Remedy, and in about two seconds from the time of sprinkling, the seeds 
 sprang up and the vines grew so rapidly that he was obhged to run for his 
 life — and notwithstanding he ran at the rate of forty miles an hour, the vines 
 overtook him and tripped him up, and he became so imbedded iii pumpkins 
 as he lay on the ground, that it required the force of sixty men and twenty 
 yoke of oxen for twenty days to extricate him from his perilous situation. 
 
 Persons using the Universal Remedy internally should be careful not to 
 overdose, as many accidents have occurred from the immoderate use of the 
 Remedy. We simply mention one case to put our friends on their guard. 
 
 ■The choir of the Bugletown church, wishing to improve the power of their 
 voices, drank copiously of the Remedy before going to church on Sabbath 
 morning ; the result was, they sang so loud that they blew off the roof of the 
 house, cracked the bell, split the organ, knocked down the sexton, and made 
 a large portion of the audience permanently deaf. 
 
 Sold everywhere. Price, 10 cents per bottle. 
 
 Peter Pickeeal, Proprietor. 
 
 The Misses Pickeral having arrived at the age of womanhood, conclud- 
 ed to inaugurate some evening entertainments for the benefit of their 
 neighbors and friends. What these entertainments should consist of 
 was a question of long debate in the Pickeral household. Father 
 Pickeral contended they should be of an elevated character. He gen- 
 erously offered to enlighten the society on the science of acoustics, but 
 mother Pickeral thought that subject altogether too profound — for her 
 part she favored blind-man's-buff. But the Misses Pickeral warmly 
 contended that lady Pickeral was behind the times; they said that 
 blind-man's-buff had become entirely obsolete, and was wholly discarded 
 by the aristocracy. 
 
 It was finally agreed that the entertainment should be of a varied 
 character, consisting of debates, music, declamations, etc. The pro- 
 gramme being thus definitely settled, father Pickeral proceeded to 
 
A BRIEF HISTORY OF PETER PICKERAL. 247 
 
 organize a society which became known by the sobriquet of the Owls, 
 and the Misses Pickeral volunteered to superintend the other exercises. 
 
 The first meeting of the society was appointed at the home of the 
 Pickerals, and was to be opened with a debate. Father Pickeral, in 
 consideration of being the founder of the Owl Debating Society, was 
 honored with furnishing the first question for discussion. Pickeral, 
 after much grave deliberation, proposed the following elaborate ques- 
 tion for argument : " "Which animal is most useful to man, a dog or a 
 rooster?" The question met with the unanimous approval of the so- 
 ciety, and Mr. Pickeral was appointed to open the debate in favor of 
 dog, and a young gentleman by the name of Chanticleer, of Long 
 Wharf, was chosen to advocate rooster. 
 
 The evening appointed for holding the first meeting of the society 
 arrived. The Pickeral mansion was most brilliantly illuminated. Many 
 friends from the neighboring villages, by invitation, were present, and 
 as a compliment to the invited guests, the oflicers of the society for 
 that evening were chosen from among them. Mr. Endless Confusion, 
 of Matteawan, was with acclamation installed as President, and Pather 
 Moreso, Esq., of the same place, was appointed Secretary, and David 
 Dumfounded, A.M., of Wappinger's Falls, was selected for Judge, 
 whose duty it became to sum up and decide the question in accordance 
 with the^ arguments adduced. 
 
 Mr. Confusion, in taking the chair, thanked the society for the great 
 honor conferred upon him. The question for discussion, he said, was 
 a very profound one. It was a question that had bafiled the most 
 astute minds of the nation for many succeeding generations. But, in 
 the great order of events, it had been left for the Owl Debating Society 
 to solve this (Juestion, which had for so long a time perplexed the human 
 race. He was satisfied from the talent that would now be brought to 
 bear on this momentous subject, that ere Phojbus should again come 
 forth from her chambers in the east, it would be satisfactorily settled 
 which of the two quadrupeds, the dog or the rooster, should hold the 
 prior place in the estimation and esteem of their fellow-men. It gave 
 him great pleasure to say, though he was not a member of the Owl 
 Debating Society, yet he was personally, he might say intimately, ac- 
 quainted with the learned gentlemen who were to open the debate. The 
 name of Pickeral was a sufiicient guarantee that the canine species 
 
248 A BEIEF HISTORY OF PETER PICKERAL. 
 
 would be ably represented. As for Mr. Chanticleer,- lie was too old a 
 bird to be caught napping, and would, no doubt, be found game to the 
 last. In conclusion, he had the honor of introducing to the audience 
 Peter Pickeral, Esq., who would now take the floor. 
 
 We regret our inability to give Mr. Pickeral's speech in full, but 
 trust the few extracts we are able to make will prove acceptable. 
 Mr. Pickeral, after placing the red bandana in such a position that 
 the tip end might be constantly in view, proceeded to say that man had 
 no firmer friend here, on this troublesome earth, than a dog. How 
 dreary, he continued, would be life, what an aching void would be 
 found in every human heart, if there were no dogs. Dogs, he said, 
 were the emblems of civilization. The howls of a stray cur around 
 our dwellings at night brought solace to every ear. When he walked 
 or rode abroad, it was immaterial which, should he see a little dog in 
 front of a dwelling, he knew that bhss reigned within that habitation. 
 Should he see two dogs in front of a house, one yaller and one black- 
 and-white, he knew that not only bliss but genius held sweet unison 
 there. If he saw three dogs in front of a house, he felt a peculiar trans- 
 port of joy, and longed to be an inmate of so favored a habitation. 
 We have already, said the speaker, alluded to the fact that dogs wei'e 
 the emblems of civilization, in proof of which he would say that in 
 whatever portion of the earth the foot of man had trod, be it among 
 the burning sands of Africa, the jungles of India, or the great prairies 
 of the West, he had been followed by his ever-faithful companion the 
 dog, who had been his consolation in his hours of loneliness and toil. 
 Why, Mr. President, continued the speaker, if we could penetrate this 
 evening to the farthest verge of the ice-clad mountains of the North, 
 and on their dizzy heights unfurl the starry flag of freedom — even 
 there some member of the canine race would find us, who, inspired 
 with the grandeur of the occasion, would, in tones of thunder, call on 
 the nations of the earth to rally around the flag. [Tremendous ap- 
 plause.] In conclusion, the speaker urgently and affectionately enjoined 
 on the society not to steal his dog, for he had made up his mind, come 
 what would, blow high or blow low, though friends forsook him and 
 fortune failed, even in the darkest hours of adversity, he should hold 
 on to his dog. [Applause.] 
 
 To the able speech of Mr. Pickeral, Mr. Chanticleer arose to reply. 
 
A BRIEF HISTORY OF PETER PICKERAL. ^49 
 
 His features were rather sharp, but the general contour of his face gave 
 signs of promise. Mr. C. commenced his address by complimenting 
 Mr. Pickeral on his able defence of dogs. He said, since listening to 
 the remarks of his learned friend he felt a deeper and more abiding 
 attachment for the canine species. But, said Mr. Chanticleer, when we 
 survey the wondrous traits of a rooster, and gaze with lustrous eyes on 
 his gilded plumage, the dog dwindles into insignificance. Who is it, 
 he asked, on each returning morn proclaims with terrific notes the com- 
 ing of the orb of day — but the rooster ? 
 
 The gentleman in the opposition, he said, had remarked how pleasant 
 was the sound of a yelping cur at midnight ; which sentiment, so full 
 of poetry, he was happy in being able to indorse — but as for him he 
 greatly preferred the music from the neighboring hen-roost, where the 
 feathered songsters, through the livelong night, warbled forth their sweet 
 libations in mellow cadence, so refreshing to the nocturnal rest of man. 
 
 What, said the speaker with an elevated voice, is a dog good for 
 when he is dead, and here, gentlemen, he remarked, I come to the 
 very pith of my argument. A dead dog is worthless, but a dead roos- 
 ter, if fat and lately killed, is just as valuable when dead as when alive. 
 If any gentleman of this society desires full information on this point, 
 let him go to any of the restaurants in this village, or to those in Mat- 
 teawan, or anywhere else for that matter, and ask the head cooks of 
 those establishments what dish at the present time is in most demand, 
 and the ready answer will be rooster-pie. [Great sensation.] Again, 
 gentlemen, when fierce disease stalks rampant through the land, de- 
 populating the earth, and lays its palsied arm on the loved ones of home ; 
 when the family physician, as is the case at such times, indulges in 
 nods and winks, showing plainly he is perfectly at sea, knows nothing 
 of the nature of the disease, then, in that hour of trial and gloom, if 
 we ask what nourishment should be administered to the patient suf- 
 ferer, the answer will be as ever, chicken, or what is better, rooster 
 broth. Gentlemen, one thing you can bet high on, and that is, roosters 
 are a great institution. The sale of them in the markets of the world, 
 for the past thirty days, has been prodigious, and the demand, as we 
 are credibly informed, is fearfully increasing. If any member of this 
 society has a few old roosters to dispose of, I advise him to take ad- 
 vantage of the present state of the market, and am happy in being able 
 32 
 
250 A BRIEF HISTORY OF PETER PICKEEAL. 
 
 to say, that ready sale can be found for them in that portion of our 
 village where your speaker has the honor to reside. 
 
 In conclusion the speaker hoped that the distinguished gentleman 
 who occupied the judicial chair, would remember, in considering the 
 argument, how many chicken-stews he had disposed of, and the num- 
 ber of roosters he had demolished — ^which, according to the science of 
 ornithology, had become part and parcel of himseK — and then, in view 
 of these incontrovertible facts, decide the question by the light of 
 science, in favor of so useful a bird — as the rooster. 
 
 Several other speakers in turn took the floor, and ventilated their 
 views of the question. After which the judge, Mr. Dumfounded, 
 summed up the arguments as follows : 
 
 He remarked that he had listened with great pleasure to the able re- 
 marks of the different speakers, but was forced to acknowledge from 
 personal experience that all dogs were a humbug ; he said, when a 
 boy he was bitten by a dog supposed to have Jbeen mad, and had felt 
 very queer ever since ; and no later ago than last winter he had ten 
 sheep killed by dogs, and among the number was an old buck worth 
 at least nine dollars ; he was therefore down upon dogs, and if he could 
 have his own way, every dog in the land would be speedily extermi- 
 nated. As for roosters, they were a humbug, too. His wife, some three 
 years ago, bought an old rooster in Fishkill Village, for the sum of 
 thirty cents, which, after being boiled two days and two nights, was 
 still so tough that no knife could penetrate it, nor axe indent it, and 
 had to be rent asunder by some explosive oil, the name of which he 
 had forgotten. He thought that that rooster must have been at least 
 forty years old. He was therefore done with roosters. But he sup- 
 posed as judge of the debate, it was his duty to decide the question 
 somehow ; he therefore, in consideration that a dead dog was good for 
 nothing, and a dead rooster some foolish fellow might buy, would de- 
 cide the question in favor of rooster. 
 
 After recording the decision of the question by the secretary, and a 
 vote of thaiiks to the various officers, the society adjourned. 
 
 We are happy in being able to say the Owl Debating Society con- 
 tinued its debates for many years, and left happy and good impressions 
 on the community, and has been followed by many successful imita- 
 tors both in that vicinity and elsewhere. 
 
THE BLACK CAT OF WALL STREET. 
 
 " HE Wall Street of the city of E"ew York enjoys a wide rep- 
 utation, not only as the financial centre of the new world, 
 but as the place wliere the money-changers most do congre- 
 gate to buy, to sell, and to get gain. 
 
 It is the place where colossal fortunes are frequently made and lost 
 in a single day, for there the bold adventurer in stocks suddenly be- 
 comes a millionaire. And there, too, many a well-devised financial 
 scheme has found a sepulchre, and foiled ambition, in the twinkling of 
 an eye, has been buried out of sight. The bleached skeletons of 
 wrecked fortunes tower up in monumental piles throughout the Wall 
 Street of New York, and the daily turn of fate's capricious wheel 
 keeps adding to the number. 
 
 But we turn our attention from the great moneyed mart of our conti- 
 nent to another Wall Street, whose history, we are happy to say, is de- 
 void of so sad a picture. 
 
 Fishkill Hook, justly styled the garden of Dutchess County, and so 
 long known for the intelligence and industry of its inhabitants, for- 
 merly boasted of a Wall Street ; unknown though it may have been to 
 commercial or financial fame, yet it had its history, to record which is 
 the object of the present communication. 
 
 According to Conklin and Henry's map of the town of Fishkill, 
 pubhshed in 1Y81, the Wall Street of Fishkill Hook commenced at 
 DuBois Corners, and ran from thence southerly through Ladue City, 
 to a cedar post on the top of Shaw's Hill, making a distance of two 
 and a third miles. This street, we believe, has not for many years 
 been known by its ancient name, as, according to Alfred Gruff, a 
 writer of some prominence in those parts, we learn that the name of 
 Wall Street, as applied to that locality, long since became obsolete. 
 
 However, as the documents in our possession abundantly show, very 
 
252 THE BLACK CAT OF WALL STEEET. 
 
 many years ago, wlien the street, according to the boundaries set forth 
 above, was known as Wall Street, and long before it could boast of its 
 present aristocratic residences, its occupants awoke one morning suffer- 
 ing from a terrible malady, which for want of a proper name or med- 
 ical term, was called the dancing hysterics. The epidemic appeared 
 to be no respecter of persons, for throughout the entire street, young 
 and old, bond and free, experienced the same moving sensations. 
 
 As may be supposed, the inhabitants so afflicted were greatly alarmed 
 at the sudden and unexpected visitation. The physician of a neighbor- 
 ing village, who was facetiously called Dr. Strong, from the st/rong pro- 
 clivity he possessed of blowing his own trumpet, was summoned in . 
 haste to allay the disease. The Doctor, who had not been troubled with 
 a patient for nearly three months, was greatly rejoiced to learn that the 
 epidemic was so extensive. He consequently shouldered his medicine- 
 chest, which was a pillow-case, containing at the time about a peck of 
 dried catnip and a few ounces of sassafras bark, and then proceeded on 
 the " double-quick " to the relief of the distressed inhabitants. 
 
 The Doctor, on arriving within the infected district, was greatly 
 amazed at the strange conduct of his patients, as he found them occupy- 
 ing the middle of the street engaged in an exercise somewhat similar to 
 the well-known movements of the shaking quakers. 
 
 The Doctor, as he gazed on the antic movements of the populace of 
 Wall Street, came to the conclusion that he had been grossly imposed 
 upon, or, in other words, had been duped. He therefore commenced 
 in a very earnest manner to expostulate with his dancing friends on the 
 impropriety of their behavior, especially so in calling him, a profes- 
 sional man, to witness their childish bufEoonery. But the Doctor's 
 hearers gave but httle heed to his expostulations, for they kept hop- 
 ping and skipping around him, all exclaiming at the top of their 
 voices, " Doctor, do stop us ! Why don't you stop us ! Can't you 
 stop us ? " 
 
 The man of herbs, believing his patients had suddenly become in- 
 sane, began to belabor them with his medicine-chest, but in so doing 
 the pillow-case burst open, scattering to the winds the catnip and sassa- 
 fras bark. As the Doctor saw his treasures disappear he was so over- 
 come at the loss that for a moment he stood paralyzed ; a profuse per- 
 spiration stole over him, when, in an instant, he too was seized with 
 
THE BLACK CAT OF WALL STKEET. 253 
 
 the epidemic, and commenced with alacrity to keep step with the danc- 
 ing multitude. 
 
 The Doctor's attack was extremely violent, as for the next five min- 
 utes he performed the most astonishing feats in the gymnastic hne. As 
 soon as he had somewhat recovered from his terror and surprise in being 
 so strangely handled, he cried out, " My friends, we are all bewitched, 
 there is a conjuror among us ! " 
 
 The idea that they were all bewitched threw the hysteric dancers 
 into the wildest commotion, and caused them to step around with 
 renewed activity. A.mid the increasing excitement some one espied a 
 large black cat quietly reposing on an adjacent wood-pile, and poor 
 pussy was at once pronounced the author of all the mischief. 
 
 In order that our readers may fuUy understand why the cat was so 
 wantonly charged as the author of the calamities which had befallen the 
 good people of Wall Street, it will be necessary for us to say that it had 
 long been currently reported in that vicinity that an old colored woman, 
 named Black Bess, was a professed witch, who resided at that time on 
 an angle of the street near Jack's Hill, and who, it is said, nightly 
 roamed abroad on spookish errands, in the form of a black cat. 
 
 The various and wonderful doings ascribed to the old woman, when 
 in the guise of a grimalkin, formed the subject of many a terrific tale, 
 nightly told aronnd the hearth-fires of those days in that vicinity, and 
 which, if published, would make an entertaining volume. 
 
 An old gentleman by the name of Jolly, asserted that he had fre- 
 quently passed the old witch's residence at a late hour of the night, and 
 had often noticed a large black cat on the roof of the house, apparently 
 engaged in placing bricks on the chimney. 
 
 But as Mr. Jolly frequented the tavern six nights in the week, and 
 as often, while there, became a Kttle jolly, he, of course, when returning 
 homeward, doubtless travelled with a brick in his hat ; it is therefore 
 not to be wondered at if his mind at such times became a Uttle excited 
 or mystified on the subject of bricks. 
 
 We believe from time immemorial every community has had a scape- 
 goat on whom was laid the responsibility of all their misfortunes. At 
 least so it was with the community of which we write ; no matter what 
 occurred in the Wall Street of that day of an unpleasant character, the 
 black cat was charged with being the offender, 
 
254 THE BLACK CAT OF WALL STEEET. 
 
 . If the good housewife's bread was heavy, the fault was attributed to 
 the black cat. If any miUc prematurely soured, the difficulty lay with 
 the black cat. If any article in or around the house was missing,. of 
 course it had been taken by the black cat. If a young lady looked a 
 little shy at her admirer or treated his attentions lightly, the love-sick 
 youth, instead of blowing his brains out, vowed vengeance on the 
 black cat. In fact the black cat was considered the author of all the 
 mischief and difficulties which occurred throughout the street. There- 
 fore it is not to be wondered at that the afflicted populace of Wall Street 
 should have regarded the poor grimalkin on the wood-pile as the cause 
 of their new misfortunes. 
 
 With this view, they all vowed vengeance on the cat, and- a rifle was 
 immediately sent for, for the purpose of putting an end to poor pussy. 
 But the sagacious Doctor contended there would be but little use in at- 
 tempting to shoot the cat. A common cat, he said, had nine lives, 
 and this witch cat had, at the least calculation, ninety and nine. But 
 the dancing multitude determined to try the effects of the rifle on 
 pussy, and one was accordingly procured. Knowing that nothing but 
 a silver bullet could hit a witch, and not being provided with such an 
 article, a silver quarter of a dollar was substituted, which was divided 
 into four parts and placed within the gun. 
 
 An old gentleman among the crowd by the name of Shoot, who was 
 considered a " crack-shot," was requested to take the weapon and give 
 the cat her quietus. Mr. Shoot accordingly took the rifle, but the 
 malady under which he was suffering prevented his holding the weapon 
 with any degree of steadiness, for as he pointed the gun at the intended 
 object, the muzzle played like a reed shaken by the wind. Mr. Shoot, 
 however, blazed away, but as might have been expected, the silver 
 messengers passed harmlessly over the head of the cat. The report of 
 the rifle startled poor pussy from her dreamy repose, and awoke her to 
 a sense of the danger that surrounded her, for with one bound she 
 cleared the wood-pile, and with rapid leaps urged her way forward, 
 taking the road over the mountains leading direct to Cold Spring, 
 closely followed by the exasperated multitude. 
 
 As the procession approached Cold Spi'ing, the inhabitants of that 
 ancient borough, hearing in the distance the tramp of many feet, 
 looked out and saw a cat followed by an immense crowd rushing fran- 
 
THE BLACK OAT OP WALL STREET. 255 
 
 tically towards their village, whereupon they hastily retired within 
 doors, and secreted themselves under beds, sofas, and up the chimneys, 
 where they remained passive, until such times as they thought all dan- 
 ger was passed. 
 
 The cat finding the press too great for her, yielded gracefully to her 
 pursuers, who carried her back in triumph to the place of beginning. 
 All agreed it would be folly to attempt to kill the cat, as she undoubt- 
 edly possessed ninety and nine lives. It was therefore deemed best to 
 secure her in such a way as to deprive her of the power of committing 
 further mischief. For this purpose a large excavation was made in 
 Wall Street at the point where the Wiccapie road diverges, into which 
 the eat was formally deposited and walled up, to the great joy of the 
 inhabitants. 
 
 Remarkable as it may appear, after the imprisonment of the cat, the 
 people of Wall Street immediately recovered from the strange malady, 
 with which they had been so suddenly afflicted. And what is still 
 more remarkable, the old colored woman who was considered identical 
 with the cat, disappeared from that time, and was never heard of more. 
 But the hut in which she had resided was, long afterwards, thought to 
 be haunted, as strange sights were frequently seen there at night, and 
 it became a special object of dread to the juveniles of the place. It 
 was finally in the great storm of August 10, 1802, struck by hght- 
 ning, and entirely consumed, and all associations connected with it have 
 long since faded from the minds of the community. 
 
 Wall Street, after the exciting events related, enjoyed uninterrupted 
 repose, freed from all unusual excitement. Its inhabitants, however, 
 living in the vicinity of the incarcerated cat, were, in time past, fre- 
 quently awakened at midnight by vociferous noises, pecuhar only to 
 the feline species. And even at the present day, as we are credibly 
 informed, the belated traveller, in passing that locality, is frequently 
 startled by the faint mewings of a cat. 
 
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