USA > New Jersey > Mercer County > Trenton > History of the city of Trenton, New Jersey : embracing a period of nearly two hundred years, commencing in 1676, the first settlement of the town, and extending up to the present time, with official records of the population, extent of the town at different periods, its manufactories, church history, and fire department > Part 26
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" During our revolution, sir, I obtained an unlimited, indulgent confidence, which I am equally proud and happy to acknowl- edge. It dates with the time when, an inexperienced youth, I could only claim my respected friends' paternal adoption. It has been most benevolently continued throughout every circum- stance of the cabinet and the field ; and in personal friendships I have often found a support against public difficulties. While on this solemn occasion I mention my obligations to congress, the states, the people at large, permit me also to remember the dear military companions, to whose services their country is so much indebted.
" Having felt both for the timely aid of my country and for the part she, with a beloved king, acted in the cause of mankind, I enjoy an alliance so well riveted by mutual affection, by interest, and even local situation-recollection insures it-futurity does but enlarge the prospect, and the private intercourse will every day increase, which independent and advantageous trade cher- ishes in proportion as it is well understood.
"In unbounded wishes to America, sir, I am happy to observe the prevailing disposition of the people to strengthen the con- federation, preserve public faith, regulate trade, and in a proper guard over continental magazines and frontier posts-in a gen- eral system of militia, in foreseeing attention to the navy-to insure every kind of safety. May this immense temple of free- dom ever stand a lesson to oppression, an example to the op- pressed, a sanctuary for the rights of mankind, and may these happy United States attain that complete splendor and pros- perity which will illustrate the blessings of their general gov- ernment, and, for ages to come, rejoice the departed souls of its founders.
" However unwilling to trespass on your time, I must yet pre- sent you with the grateful thanks for the late favors of congress ; and never can they oblige me so much as when they put it in my power, in every part of the world, to the latest day of my life, to gratify the attachment which will ever rank me among the most zealous and respected servants of the United States."
On the same day that he was received by the congress of the
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United States, he was also received by the legislature of the state, then in session in this city, and presented with the follow- ing address :
" To the Honorable the Marquis Lafayette.
" SIR: We, the representatives of the citizens of New Jersey, convened in council and assembly, cheerfully embrace the op- por unity which your present visit to this state affords, of paying you that public mark of respect which is justly due to your dis- tinguished merit.
" With pleasure we recollect that, actuated by a love of liberty and a sacred regard for the rights of mankind, you left your na- tive country, and all the endearments of domestic life, and vol- untarily engaged in the hazardous cause of America, in her late contest with Great Britain ; and we acknowledge, with grati- tude, that the signal services which you have rendered this state, and the other states in union, have greatly contributed to the complete establishment of that freedom and independence which they now enjoy.
" Your unremitted endeavors to support our national credit and character, and your generous efforts to promote our trade and commerce, afford us the strongest evidences of your attachment to this country, and for the interests of our federal republic. Permit us, sir, to conclude with expressing our fervent wishes for your welfare and prosperity, and with answering you that the citizens of New Jersey will ever retain an exalted sense of your disinterested friendship and important services.
" Council Chamber, December 11th, 1784, by order of the council.
" WIL. LIVINGSTON, President.
" House of assembly, December 11th, 1784, by order of the house.
"BENJAMIN VAN CLEVE, Speaker."
To which the Marquis made the following answer :
"SIR :' In the friendship and esteem of the state of New Jersey, so kindly expressed by your excellency, the council and assem- bly, I feel myself the more flattered, as I have had numerous
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occasions to admire the spirit and patriotism of her citizens, to which, in trying emergencies, our cause has been so signally indebted.
" It was my fortunate lot, sir, to have been admitted among you in support of the great contest-it shall ever be my happiness, in zealous endeavors for the good of these states, to indulge the sentiments of my love and gratitude ; and while the blessings of this revolution, so nobly purchased, will be eternally secured in the united strength and wisdom of this federal republic, my heart feels deeply interested in the warmest wishes for the par- ticular welfare of the state of New Jersey.
" Highly sensible of my obligations to your excellency, the honorable council and assembly of New Jersey, I beg leave to present you and them with most grateful acknowledgements, and the affectionate assurances of my respect.
" LAFAYETTE.
" His Excellency the Governor, the Honorable the Council and Assembly of the State of New Jersey."
The "New Jersey Gazette," under date of January 3d, 1785, contains, under its items from New York, the following :
" Last Tuesday evening arrived in this city, from Trenton, on their way to France, the Marquis de Lafayette, with his young, but very interesting companion and fellow-traveler, Monsieur de Caraman, a knight of Malta, and captain of dragoons, and Monsier de Grandchain, of the beautiful frigate La Nymphe, now in our harbor. Since the 4th of last August, the two former gentlemen have traveled upwards of eighteen hundred miles ; viewed almost every remarkable military spot ; twice visited our great Cincinnatus, the matchless Washington, and assisted at the Indian treaty held at Fort Schuyler. Wherever they have passed they have been received with that warmth of friendship, that energy and gratitude and affection, which ever will be due by the true citizens of these states to that excellent young noble- man, whose military services in our cause, whose great exertions, weight, and influence, has been so sensibly felt during the most critical period of our late arduous conflict. May the winds safely waft over to his native country this new citizen of ours ; may
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Heaven long preserve a life which promises to be so eminently useful to both countries, are the earnest wishes and prayers of the
" CITIZENS OF NEW YORK."
By the above notice it appears that General Lafayette remained three weeks in this city.
December 20th, 1784, at the session held in Trenton, con- gress passed the following :
"Resolved, That it is expedient that congress proceed to take measures for procuring suitable buildings to be erected for their accommodation.
"Resolved, (by nine states), That a sum not exceeding one hundred thousand dollars be appropriated for the payment of the expense of erecting such buildings ; provided always, that hotels or dwelling-houses, for the members of congress repre- senting the different states, shall not be understood as included in the above appropriation.
"Resolved, That it is inexpedient for congress, at this time, to erect public buildings for their accommodation at more than one place.
On motion,
"Resolved, That if it is expedient, congress should determine on a place at which they will continue to sit until public buildings for their proper accommodation shall be erected."
On the 23d of December, 1784, the following was enacted :
"Be it ordained by the United States, in Congress assembled, That the resolutions of the 20th instant, respecting the erecting of build- ings for the use of congress, be carried into effect without delay ; that for this purpose three commissioners be appointed, with full powers to lay out a district not less than two, nor exceeding three miles square on the banks of either side of the Delaware, not more than eight miles above or below the lower falls thereof, for a federal town ; that they be authorized to purchase the soil, or such part of it as they may judge necessary, to be paid at proper installments; to enter into contracts for erecting and completing, in an elegant manner, a federal house for the accom- modation of congress, and for the executive officers thereof; a
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house for the use of the president of congress, and suitable buildings for the residence of the secretary of foreign affairs, secretary at war, secretary of congress, secretary of the marine, and officers of the treasury ; that the said commissioners be em- powered to draw on the treasury of the United States for a sum not exceeding one hundred thousand dollars for the purpose aforesaid ; that in choosing a situation for the buildings, due regard be had to the accommodation of the states with lots for houses for the use of their delegates respectively ; that on the 24th day of December instant, congress stand adjourned to meet at the city of New York, on the 11th day of January fol- lowing."
Samuel Tucker, Esq., was treasurer of the provincial con- gress of the colony of New Jersey.
On being informed that the British army under General Howe was on their march through this province, and that their design was to be at Trenton, he thought it most prudent to remove all his papers with his most valuable effects, out of Trenton, to- gether with the unsigned public money, which he accordingly did on the 30th day of November, 1776, and removed all his bonds, deeds, books of accounts, together with those belonging to sev- eral estates in his hands as executor, with all his plate, his and his wife's clothes, with other valuable effects, one horse and phaeton, some Maryland and New Jersey loan-office money, which he took to the house of Mr. John Abbott, about five miles from Trenton, in the county of Burlington, with about five thousand eight hundred and eighteen pounds sixteen shil- lings and three-pence of unsigned congress money, which he left under the care of John and Samuel Abbott. General Howe and his army arrived at Trenton on Sunday, the 8th of Decem- ber, and on Monday one Lieutenant Hackshaw, with a detach- ment of British troops, by order of Lieutenant Colonel Aber- cromby, went to the house of Mr. John Abbott, in company with Mrs. Mary Pointing, an inhabitant of Trenton, and seized all the effects at Mr. Abbott's, the property of said Tucker, with those in trust in his hands, together with the unsigned pub- lic money, and carried the same to the house of Mr. Randle Mitchell, showed the money to Mr. Mitchell, and afterwards
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carried the same, or part thereof, to Princeton, and from thence to New Brunswick. Part of the clothes and linen were sent home, and his wife's watch was delivered to her by Lieutenant Colonel Abercromby. On the 8th of December he left Tren- ton, and took with him the signed public money, amounting to one thousand five hundred and four pounds and four shillings, with about one thousand pounds more in trust in his hands as an executor. The public money he paid to the treasurer, Mr. Smith, and placed the other money in such secure places as were in his power, none of which was lost. On Saturday, the 14th of December, he learned that his wife and family were in the most distressed condition with sickness ; his wife sent him word begging he would return home. He set out for home, and when about one mile from Crosswicks bridge he was met by John Leonard, Anthony Woodward, and about twenty others on horse- back. Leonard presented a pistol at his breast, and said he had General Howe's order to take him prisoner, and used very vio- lent language toward him, and detained him until Mr. Robert Pearson gave his parole that he should remain on his farm until they gave further orders. He remained at Mr. Pearson's until ordered home by one Mr. Brown, a Hessian lieutenant. He ap- plied for a protection, which was granted by Colonel Rahl, on the 17th of December. He then inquired after his papers, and found part of them in Colonel Abercromby's lodgings in Prince- ton, and afterwards received a part of them found by one Mr. Lester, and carried to Philadelphia. He sent a letter to Colonel Abercromby, which was delivered by his niece, Elizabeth G. White, requesting he would return his property and papers, par- ticularly those belonging to Anderson's and other estates in trust in his hands, and received an answer that they could not be delivered with propriety until they knew the part he would take or act.
The above facts were affirmed to by Samuel Abbott, before Ephraim Harris, on the 17th day of January, 1777.
Randle Mitchell was also sworn, and upon his examination testified that Colonel Abercromby, with five hundred men, came to his house on Sunday, the 8th of December, and stayed there until the Saturday following; on Tuesday or Wednesday after
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they first came, some officers in the room where he was showed him some letters directed to Mr. Tucker ; he asked them where they got the letters, and they told him they had information of Mr. Tucker's goods, and that they were concealed in Trenton ; the same evening he was called into Colonel Abercromby's room, who asked him if he knew one Samuel Tucker ; he an- swered he did ; the colonel then asked him about the character and situation of Mr. Tucker, and whether he was not a violent rebel ; he answered that Mr. Tucker was a man of character and considerable fortune as he understood ; that he was a member of the provincial congress, and had been president thereof ; that he had formerly been sheriff of Hunterdon county and a mem- ber of assembly, but believed he had never been a violent rebel, for he understood he (Mr. Tucker) had been the chief cause of the last clause being inserted in the constitution of New Jersey. The colonel then showed him a square black trunk, with a great number of papers and parchment deeds, and said he must have been a man of considerable consequence. They asked him to look at some of the deeds, &c .; he told them there was no use in his looking at them ; they then pointed to a large parcel of printed paper on the floor, and told him to look what a fine par- cel of money they had got. It appeared to be about a ream of paper. They then took up some half sheets and counted how much a sheet amounted to. They contained twenty pounds and two shillings each. They then gave him some of the money and desired him to look at it, which he did, and found it signed by only two signers, and did not know it ought to be signed by more ; they asked him what he would give for it, and he said he would not give anything for it, and looked on it as not worth anything. He asked what they intended to do with Mr. Tuck- er's papers and money ; the colonel answered he would pack them in the trunk again and send them to General Howe.
The state treasury, in 1803, was kept in the cellar of a build- ing where the store of Messrs. Dunn & Ashton now stands, No. 74 Warren street.
The first robbery of the state treasury occurred on the 21st of July, 1768. It was then kept by Stephen Skinner, at the city of Perth Amboy. The amount stolen at that time was six thousand
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five hundred and seventy pounds nine shillings and four-pence. The second robbery occurred on the 9th of December, 1776. The treasury was kept by Samuel Tucker, at Trenton. It was done by order of Colonel Abercromby.
On Friday, the 21st of October, 1803, at two o'clock in the morning, occurred the great robbery of the state treasury, the particulars of which are hereby given.
This was the third time it had been robbed within the pre- ceding twenty-five years-the time before this being by the British army, by order of General Abercromby. The house of assembly appointed Messrs. Joseph Cooper, William Coxe, and Ezra Darbly a committee to examine into the robbery committed on the treasury of this state; the council appointed Messrs. William Parret and Peter D. Vroom for the same purpose, on October 25th, 1803, and on the 9th of November they submitted a lengthy report, which was read and laid over, and on Friday, the IIth of November, the report of the joint committee ap- pointed to examine into the robbery, together with several depo- sitions and statements thereunto annexed, was presented.
The following was the affidavit of Mr. Salter, made before the committees of the two houses :
" James Salter, Esquire, treasurer of the state, maketh oath, that on the morning of Friday, the 21st of October, 1803, about two o'clock, he heard a noise in the yard at the back part of the house ; when he first heard it he was doubtful whether it proceeded from rats, with which the house is much infested, or from his mare in the stable. After a few minutes he got up and dressed himself; he lighted the candle by a lamp which was usually kept burning in hischamber, and went down stairs with an intention of discovering the cause of the noise. He was pre- vented from awakening Mrs. Salter, from an apprehension of alarming her, as she had been frightened the night before ; on descending the stairs, and proceeding to the back door, he ob- served the door of the southwest back room (which was usually kept shut), to be open ; on entering this room he perceived a small window on the south side to be up, and the shutter open. He was then alarmed by an apprehension of thieves having en- tered the house, and at the same moment hearing a rustling noise
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behind him, he turned around and discovered four men, who were within three feet of him. After a momentary pause one of them addressed him in a low tone of voice, cautioned him against making a noise, said the money was their object, and that unless he opened the iron chest, they would immediately put him to death, or words to that effect. Seeing no means of resistance or escape, he opened the office door and the iron chest, the keys of both being in his pocket, except one of the padlock keys of the chest, which was in a case in the office. At this time, the man who appeared to be the leader of the gang cautioned him against making a noise in opening the chest which might awaken any of the family, under pain of immediate death. The same man then waved his hand for him to retire from the chest ; he moved back and sat down; one of the men stood near him with a drawn weapon, and three others were em- ployed, with their backs towards him, in examining the contents of the chest. In a short time the leader came to him, and asked him if a bag which he held in his hand, together with a number of bundles of bank notes, contained all that description of money that was in the treasury. He told him it did, and by way of accounting for there being no more notes in the chest, told him that most persons preferred receiving payment in notes, from their being of more convenient carriage. The man then returned to the chest, and took out several bags, apparently five or six, containing from four to seven hundred dollars each, and placed them on the floor near the chest. After this, the same leader, turning to his comrades, demanded of them what ought to be done with him, (the deponent), to prevent him from tell- ing tales, as he expressed himself ; the man who stood as a guard over the deponent, turned towards a trunk cord which hung on a nail over the chimney, and took it down and handed it to the leader, who cut it in several pieces ; he then tied the deponent around the ankles, knees, and hands, with his arms behind him, and gagged him by putting the key stick used in opening the chest, through his mouth, with the ends tied by strings, which were fastened around his neck. They then laid the deponent on the floor on his side, with his face towards the back part of the room. The deponent then heard them take up several of
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the bags of silver, with which they left the room, locking the door which communicated with the entry, and went out through the back door, which the deponent thought he heard close after them. From the time the thieves first entered the house until they left it, the deponent thinks was about a quarter of an hour. They left the candle near the door, on a chest. After struggling nearly an hour, the deponent managed to change his position, and with difficulty got to the door, which he kicked some time with his stocking feet, until the noise awakened the family. When Mrs. Salter came to the door, he was very much exhausted, and found great difficulty in conveying to her a knowledge of his situation, from the impossibility of articulating with the gag in his mouth. Mrs. Salter not finding the key in the door, went back to her chamber, the window of which she opened, and by loud and repeated screams, alarmed Mr. Hunt, the next neigh- bor, who came to his assistance, and broke open the door by knocking the lower panel out. Mr. Hunt and a negro woman (a servant in the house of the deponent), then untied and cut the ropes and strings which had been used to bind and gag him. His great weakness from the violence of his treatment, added to the impaired state of his health, obliged him to go to bed im- mediately after. Mr. Hunt, at his request, put a bag of silver, which the thieves had left on the floor, into the chest, which he locked, and the keys of which he took with him.
" The deponent has no knowledge of any one of the thieves, they having kept their faces hid by their round black hats and by their great coats; they uniformly spoke in a low, whispering tone of voice. He fancied their leader's voice to denote him to be of German extraction, but of this he can form but an imperfect idea, from their extreme caution in speaking low. The deponent recollects that three of the men had on dark-colored great coats, and the other was without one. The person who acted as the leader appeared to be about five feet nine inches high, two about five feet eight inches, and the fourth about five feet six inches ; one of them had on half boots, and the others shoes. About ten o'clock on the day of the robbery, the deponent recollecting that a large sum, amounting to about sixteen thousand dollars in bank notes and about one thousand
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dollars in gold, was deposited in the bottom of the till of the chest, requested Mr. Hunt that the chest might be examined, which was accordingly done, as he was informed, in the presence of General Beatty, Mr. Peter Gordon, and Mr. James Ewing, when the bag containing the notes was found under the bags of silver at the bottom of the till.
" JAMES SALTER.
" Sworn to and subscribed at Trenton, this 2d day of Novem- ber, 1803, before me.
" JAMES EWING."
The report of the committee was taken up the same day, and while under consideration a message was received from the house, through Mr. Wilson, their clerk, of the passage of a resolution offering two thousand five hundred dollars reward for the appre- hension and conviction of one or more of the robbers of the state treasury, in addition to the reward of five hundred dollars offered by Mr. Salter, in which the council refused its concur- rence.
On Tuesday, November 8th, 1803, James Salter resigned the office of treasurer, and Peter Gordon was appointed by the legislature in joint meeting.
November 11th, 1803, the following was passed by the house but the senate refused to concur :
" Resolved, That the governor of this state be authorized to issue his proclamation, offering a reward of two thousand five hundred dollars, in addition to the reward already offered by the treasurer, for the apprehension and conviction of one or more of the robbers of the state treasury."
February 18th, 1804, John Voorhees and Benjamin Yard pre- sented a petition in behalf of themselves and others, praying compensation for the expense, trouble, and loss of time sus- tained in their endeavors to apprehend and bring to justice the robbers of the treasury of this state, which was referred to a committee.
In the "Gazette " of March 12th, 1783, is the following ad- vertisement :
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" On Wednesday, the 2d of April next, will be opened a dancing school at the Arms of France, in this town, by Mr. D'Ossiere, a gentleman who attends the dancing school of the French Academy in Philadelphia. The character and abilities of this gentleman are so well established in Philadelphia, that those who shall have any desire to be instructed by him have only to inquire there themselves. The said school will continue a sufficient time to complete two or three quarters in that year, and the terms will be the same as in Philadelphia. The school will be alternately in Princeton, if any can be formed in that place. All sorts of dances, the most in fashion, will be taught, but principally the graces and manners.
" If the inhabitants should have any desire, the director of the said academy will be very happy in procuring them also, for the same reason, a very able master in the French and other foreign languages."
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