USA > New York > Greene County > Catskill > Reminiscences of Catskill : local sketches > Part 9
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Standing at the Western bounds of the en- closure, I gaze upon the unsurpassed view of the Valley of the Catskill, the outlines of the perpetual mountains, the green fields, the groves, the orchards, and the thousand cvi- dences of prosperity and refinement ; and as I turn to where the white monuments rise from the green sward, and glisten in the sun- light, like opals set in emeralds; and as I strive to recall the forms and features of the old friends and companions who sleep below, and remember that they, too, in days gone by looked as lovingly as I do upon this landscape, of which the eye never wearies, I become as homesick as a child, and claim a share in the hopes of the poet :
"In all my wanderings round this world of eare, In all my griefs-and God has given my share- I still had hopes, my latest hours to erown, Amidst these pleasant scenes to sit me down ; And (as a hare whom hounds and horns pursue, Pants to the place from whence, at first, she flew,) I still had hopes, my long vexations past, Here to return-and die at home at last."
But I find I am growing slightly sentimental, and as I only intended, in this brief paper, to advert to the changes which have taken place in Catskill, I proceed to note the manner of celebrating the Anniversary of American In- dependence in the "old burgh" at present, as compared with the "olden time."
The celebration, this year, as heralded in the Village papers and prodigious posters, was to be on a magnificent scale. All the F. F. C.'s were represented in the committees; bells Usually, however, in the "good old days" which I love to remember, the day was ushered in by the "drowsy tinklings" of the Court House and Academy bells, and the thunders of Captain STOCKING's six and nine-pounders. A military parade took place in the forenoon, were to be rung and cannons were to be fired at day-break; the procession was to be of almost interminable length, and to peregrate through all manner of streets; the order of exercises was to embrace prayers, praises, declarations, orations and benedictions ; the | and by two o'clock, P. M., the whole male
How far the programme was carried out, your readers probably all know. The bells, possibly, were rung, and the guns, possibly, were fired, but, if so, it must have been after the manner of the roaring of NICK BOTTOM's lion, "gently as a sucking dove," for they utterly failed to rouse me from my slumbers at the Catskill House. Then, it was discor- cred that the President of the day had gone off to the Pine Orchard ; then, the Parsons refused to pray for any such "old fogy" insti- tution as the Fourth of July, and it was feared that the programme would have to be executed without benefit of Clergy ; then, the process- ion delayed moving until three-fourths of the spectators were tired to death, and the other quarter too blind to see well ; then there was a row among the denizens of Morocco Street and Poverty Hollow, because the Caravan had omitted to traverse those avenues ; then, "MEL. " OSBORN read a written Oration (which was said to be extremely eloquent and excess- ively patriotic) ; then, 'Squire KING made an extemporaneous speech ; then, the invalids were led off to Bumpie's Hook, to feed, and then,-I left. It is hoped the fire-works were cracked off, in the evening, in a style corres- ponding to that in which they were cracked up in the programme.
So much for the Fourth of July, 1865. And if the exhibition shall ever be repeated, "may I be there to see," if for no other pleasure than to take my old friends by the hand, and to see another bevy of country girls, dressed in the national colors : red cheeks, white frocks and blue woolen stockings.
Reverting to the past, my earliest, and most indistinct recollection is of a double celebra- tion of the day at Catskill. Party spirit ran high, and the two political divisions were so much embittered against each other, that they could not mingle their patriotism, even on the national holiday. Each party had a process- ion (by different routes). Each had an Ora- tion, (the Federalists at the Presbyterian Meet- ing-House, and the Republicans, or Demo- crats, at the Court House,) and it is to be presumed that each had a public dinner, though I don't remember where. Nor do I recollect who were the Orators of the day. The names of JAMES POWERS, MOSES I. CANTINE and THOMAS P. GROSVENOR are floating in my mind, but I cannot specificate.
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population were ready to sit down to a sub- stantial dinner at BOTSFORD's, or CHANDLER'S, or DONNELLY'S, Or CROSWELL'S. But not until after the cloth was removed, and the Clergy- men had retired, did the Fourth of July fairly begin. Then came the speeches, the toasts, and the songs. It is true that the sentiments were not always the most chaste, nor the songs exactly such as would be selected by a church choir, yet they were generally patriotic, always humorous, and invariably received with clam- orous applause. I venture to say there are none, now living, who mingled in those fes- tivities, who will ever forget the stories of the elder FRANK BOTSFORD and NOALI LINSEY, Or the songs of "Scratch me here," by Captain BARENTJE DUBOIS, of "John Anderson my Jo," by HANK VAN GORDEN, "The Parson and his ale-cask, " by MACKAY CROSWELL, with its rollicking chorus of "Down, derry, down," or the hundred others "which were wont to set the table in a roar." These parties usually broke up at an early hour of the evening, and there was little need of fire-works to taper off with, as each individual was supposed to be able to see more stars than Astronomy tells of. 1
For many years, the celebration of this Anniversary fell into desuetude. The uni- formed companies (the Artillery, which I first recollect as being under the command of JARED STOCKING, and the Union Volunteers, under ISAAO DUBOIS or DAVID G. ABEEL, ) be- came partially, if not entirely disbanded, patriotism became inert, and the citizens of Catskill seemed perfectly willing to accept the blessings of Liberty, without fatiguing them- selves by any very vociferous thanksgivings for the benefaction.
For a long time after this, the only ob- servance of the day was by the "Turtle Club. " This association was formed about twenty-five years ago, and held its first regale of turtle soup and salmagundi, I believe, at Fox Creek. At each return of the "glorious Fourth," the clay was religiously (if not piously) observed by the Club, up to the time when I left Cats- kill. Whether the organization is yet in ex- istence, I cannot say, but I know no good reason why it should not be, for the members have been wonderfully spared ; in fact, I do not remember to have heard of the death of more than one or two of all those who con- gregated at the first "feast of good things." The Turtle, or Tortoise, is said to be a long- lived animal, and it is possible that its flesh (especially when converted into soup) is con- ducent to longevity. At any rate, at my last visit to Catskill, I met many of the original members, and they seemed to wear as well as the garments of the Israelites in their exodus. There was "CHARLES Fox," somewhat dried, but tender yet, Cashier COOKE, "DAVE" DUN- HAM, "YELLY" HOWELL, "DICK" BREASTED, and many others; while it is not long since I heard from "Gus." ROGERS, and it was but yesterday that I was visited by "GIL." LUSK.
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But I have, somehow, got pretty well into the present generation, and have wandered a long way from "the dead of Our Cemetery." The hour is late, I am growing drowsy, and I will conclude this rambling paper with the promise that I will hereafter adhere more closely to the purpose for which these poor Sketches were commenced-the revival of the memories of the old inhabitants of Catskill.
CATSKILL CEMETERY PAPERS .- SECOND SERIES .- No. XIII.
TUESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 1, 1865.
Accidentally meeting, the other day, with the fac-simile of an ancient Roll of Attor- nies of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, I discovered, among the latest signatures, that of JOHN VAN DER SPEIGLE SCOTT, affixed June, 1791. The sight of the old document recalled to my mind the Courts and Bar of Greene County, some fifty years ago ; and, as I have hitherto neglected to pay proper attention to that portion of the old in- habitants, I propose to devote this and, per- haps, one or two succeeding papers to the
subject. Many of those who were promi- nent lawyers when I was young, have died so recently that their names are yet fresh in the recollections of the middle-aged among your readers ; of these are JACOB VAN ORDEN, JAMES PINCKNEY, ROBERT DORLON, JOHN ADAMS, and others. One, JAMES POWERS, having suffered and surmounted as much of physical affliction as usually falls to the lot of man, still survives, and, when I last met him, I was pleased to see that he was, apparently, making fair progress on his return to the bor- ders of rejuvenescence .* I remember others,
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however, who have probably passed from the | SICKLER seized and maltreated the young wo- memories of most of your readers. Among those were JESSE BRUSH, JAMES BILL, JAMES F. WIGHT, MOSES I. CANTINE, SAMUEL VAN ORDEN, AUGUSTUS DONNELLY, CORNELIUS DU- BOIS, JACK HAIGIIT, GROSVENOR, BEACH, CAM- FIELD, and others whose names will probably recur to me as I proceed with these sketches.
My earliest remembrance of Courts and lawyers in Catskill, date back to the time of the trials of KAVANAGH, and of LENT, and SICKLER, for the murder of SALLY HAMILTON. That event, from its atrocity and the mystery which enveloped it, filled for a long time, the minds of the people, not only in the imme- diate vicinity of its occurrence, but through- out the whole Country. The circumstances were, as nearly as I can remember, as fol- lows : SALLY HAMILTON, a daughter of SAM- UEL HAMILTON, Esq., of the "upper Purchase" of Athens, had been making an afternoon vis- it to a neighbor, and about dark, started to return to her father's house, which, although but a few rods distant, she never reached alive. Her absence from home, until an unusually late hour, causing some anxiety, enquiry was made at the place where she had been visit- ing, and as she was not found there, nor at any other of the neighbors', her parents be- came alarmed, the inhabitants of the village were aroused, and diligent search instituted for the missing girl. Some persons then re- membered to have heard, or fancied they had heard, cries of distress in the early part of the evening, but as the night was boisterous and blustering, these sounds were supposed to be but the wailings of the wind. At an early hour of the succeeding morning, the body of the unfortunate girl was found in the water, under a bridge crossing a small stream, which has, ever since, been called "Murderers' Creek." I have heard Miss HAMILTON de- scribed as a lovely, modest and amiable young lady, and it was not strange that the whole community should be violently excited, and the most earnest measures be adopted to bring the perpetrators of this foul act to punish- ment. I believe there were a number of ar- rests made, but the first which I recollect was of one KAVANAGH. No testimony sufficient to convict him was however adduced, and he was acquitted and drummed out of town, probably as a punishment for his ill-looks, for he had the most villainons countenance I have ever seen.
Some time afterwards, a man of the name of SICKLER was indicted for this murder, on the testimony of a comrade named LENT, the latter being accepted as a witness for the State. On the trial, LENT gave a circumstantial ac- count of the affair, telling how himself and | human ken forever.
man ; how she shrieked for help ; how they killed her; how they dragged her body to the creek ; and how they lifted a plank from the bridge and thrust her into the water. He al- so swore that after the commission of the crime, they passed through Catskill, in the early dawn of the following morning, and saw one man, whom he described, standing at the door of a porter-house or grocery, and that he was, apparently, the only person stir- ring in the village. Confirmatory of this ev- idence, the person described (I believe it was CURTISS GRAHAM) testified that early one morn- ing, about the time specified by LENT, he saw two men resembling the prisoner and wit- ness, passing hastily down Main Street. And yet, mirabile dictu ! notwithstanding the clirect testimony of the man who confes-ed his own participation in this horrid crime, and the partially corroborative evidence of GRANIAM, neither of these men were guilty of this murder, nor were they within thirty miles of Athens at the time of its commission !- Officers of the United States Army were sum- moned as witnesses, who swore positively that both LENT and SICKLER were in the barracks at Greenbush, at tattoo, at nine o'clock of the night of the murder, and also present at re- veille at day-break the following morning. The fact was that these men, a few days sub- sequent to the night referred to, had escaped from the camp, and being closely pursued, and fearing to be captured and shot as de- serters, they had preferred to throw them- selves into the clutches of the civil law, by assuming to be the perpetrators of a deed which could not fail to come to their cars, as the whole country was ringing with it. The result was that LENT was indicted, convicted and sent to the State Prison for Perjury, and SICKLER, being acquitted, went "scot free," the war having terminated, and martial law being consequently abolished.
After this, I believe, there were no more arrests for this crime, and the affair gradually died out of the minds of all, save the gossips, who for some time busied thems Ives with vague conjectures and flimsy th ori s, among which were those of unrequited affection and suicide.
Many years after, a school-teacher of Ilu !- son, (who was said to have been the intimate friend of Miss HAMILTON in her life-tim) while skating from that city to Catskill, fell through the ice, opposite PENFIELD's, and was drowned. It is scarcely credible that he knew any more of the manner of the death of Miss H., than others-at all events, the mystery will now, probably, remain unrevealed to
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But I return from this digression to my | son HECTOR has been, for some time past, a proposed subject-the Bench and the Bar. The first presiding Justice (or First Judge) of our County whom I clearly remember, was GARRET ABEEL. He was not, I believe, a member of the legal profession, but I have always heard that he was a most excellent magistrate, and that all his rulings and decis- ions were based in sound sense, and were in- dicative of a fair degree of legal acumen. He had a sort of nervous affection, and, like most of the Dutchmen of that day, was an invet- erate smoker ; and sometimes, when I have seen him with a long clay pipe in his mouth, and a nodding head, engaged in adjudication, I have been puzzled whether to compare him to RHADAMANTHUS or WOUTER VAN TWILLER.
My first introduction to the ABEEL family was when I could not have been more than three years of age, (probably less, ) and I only refer to it as a proof of a rather uncommon retention of memory. There are some living who must remember what was called "the CLARK fire." It broke out in the hatters' shop of CORNELIUS CLARK, opposite the present site of the Catskill Bank, and consumed, I be- lieve, three or four buildings. It occurred at night, and I have a distinct recollection of seeing the blaze of the conflagration, as I was carried in my mother's arms through our gar- den and across the back street, and deposited in bed at the old stone house of Judge ABEEL. I remember that, when quite young, I stood very much in awe of the Judge, but as I grew older and became better acquainted with him, I found him to be a very pleasant and sociable old gentleman. Among my happiest recol- lections are the hours which were spent in his spacious Dutch kitchen, or playing hide-and- seek in his hay-mow ; and when I was per- mitted to ride one of his horses to pasture (bare-backed and with a rope halter) I felt more real gratification than (I venture to say) even you, Mr. Editor, can possibly experience when astride the BUCEPHALUS of which you have recently become the proud possessor.
The children of Judge ABEEL, whom I re- member, were DAVID G. and ANTHONY, who occupied farms at and about "the Bockover." DAVID G. was an officer in the last war with England, and is still living .* ELEANOR, or "NELLY," married CHAS. BAKER. CHAS. C. ABEEL was a lawyer, married a Miss CANTINE, was County Clerk about forty years ago, and died not long since in Ulster County. [His
Justice of the Peace in Marbletown, and an- other son, HOWARD, who was for a little while a clerk of mine, is now a respected and suc- cessful merchant in Albion, Orleans Co. ]- BETSEY, another daughter of Judge ABEEL, is still living, celibate. ANN married HERMAN M. ROMEYN, of Kingston, and CATHARINE married BENJAMIN P. DUBOIS, of Catskill. JOHN, commonly called "the setter, " and Mo- SES were nearer my age, and were my friends and associates in many a scene of fun and frolic. JOHN married LYDIAETTE PRESTON, (a chere amie of Mrs. P.'s, in their girlhood.) Of all the sons of GARRET ABEEL, there are none surviving, to my knowledge, except the oldest and youngest-DAVID G., * and MOSES. The latter resides at West Catskill, or did not long since. His wife was BETSEY BAKER, a grand-daughter, I think, of good old Mother KANE, of whom I have before made especial mention.
But I have dwelt longer than I intended, and, perhaps, longer than will be interesting to your readers, upon Judge ABEEL and his descendants. Arriving at that age when men became legally (though seldom mentally) in- capacitated for judicial positions, he retired from the Bench, and was succeeded by MosEs I. CANTINE, who was, I believe, a brother of Mrs. ABEEL, and who married a Miss HOES, a sister of Mrs. MARTIN VAN BUREN. Mr. CANTINE did not long remain in office, being, soon after his induction as Judge, associated with ISAAC Q. LEAKE as State Printer and ed- itor of the Argus, at Albany, to which city he removed, and where he not long after died. He was succeeded by JOHN V. D. S. SCOTT, of whom I have heretofore written at some length in the "Harmony Lodge Papers."- Judge SCOTT continued in office until his death, and his successor was DORRANCE KIRT- LAND, of Coxsackie. At the expiration of Judge KIRTLAND's term, and I am not sure whether it was closed by limitation or by death, MALBONE WATSON became First Judge of Greene County, and he occupied that posi- tion when I left Catskill twenty years ago.
As I find most of the foregoing names on my list of attornies, I shall speak of them more in detail when I come to sketch that class of the old inhabitants of Catskill. Good night.
* Since deceased.
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CATSKILL CEMETERY PAPERS .- SECOND SERIES .- NO. XIV.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 9, 1865. Writing, last week, from very faint men- ory, of the Athens tragedy of fifty years ago, I am apprised that though my relation of the affair was substantially correct, there were some circumstances attending the trial which I had forgotten, and others of which I was uninformed. LENT, in his confession, told of the desertion of himself, SICKLER and two others, from Greenbush, a day or two before the murder ; that they stole a boat and crossed the River ; that they travelled some twelve miles into the country, and returning, came to a village where a Brigade Muster, or "Gen- eral Training, " was then held; that, after the murder, they slept in a barn two or three miles from Catskill ; that they passed through the village early in the morning, and that they went on board a Catskill sloop bound for New York. All these statements were verified by evidence before the Court : the owners of the boat testified that it was stolen on the night named ; it was proven that a general Militia muster was held at Coxsackie at the time stated ; workmen in the employ of WILLIAM BRANDOW swore that they saw such men emerging from the barn before daylight ; and Capt. VAN LOAN bore witness to the coming aboard of his vessel of certain rough looking strangers at about the time specified. It would seem that LENT's testimony, thus corroborated, would have been sufficient for a conviction, and it probably would have been, had it not been for the witnesses from Greenbush bar- racks. As it was, Judge WM. W. VAN NESS stated to the jury that although, technically, the evidence might not warrant a verdict of guilty, yet, that he, himself, had very little doubt on the subject ; and ELISHA WILLIAMS, the counsel for SICKLER, told him, after his acquittal, that, in his opinion, he was a guilty man and deserved to be hung. But the most important omission in my last week's sketch, was that of a fact which has since come to my knowledge. I am informed by my old friend, Judge NionoLs, who married a sister of the murdered girl, that some years ago, SICKLER, on his death-bed, made a full confession of his guilt ! Though this fact may somewhat detract from the romance with which mystery had enveloped the affair, yet it has the happy effect of terminating all the idle speculations of wonder-mongers, and of quieting all the doubts and fears and uncertainties of the few surviving friends of the ill-fated SALLY HAM- ILTON.
I find no tomb-stone in "Our Cemetery" bearing the name of JESSE BRUSII, and 1 pre- sume he removed from Catskill before his death. My recollection of him, (if it can be called recollection, for it is quite indistinct,) is that he was a very fussy, busy, stirring body, perambulating the streets in a long morning gown, with both hands apparently filled with briefs, declarations and judgment rolls, endeavoring to impress upon the minds of the crowd an idea of the vast extent of his professional business-indeed, one of that class known as "Philadelphia lawyers, with a pocket full of papers with no writing on." How long he remained in Catskill, or where he went, I don't know, nor do I know anything of his family, except that I remem- ber a pretty and amiable young lady named ANTOINETTE BRUSII, who, I presume, was his daughter.
When I knew JAMES BILL he was Clerk of the County of Greene, and I probably should not remember him so well, if he had not giv- en me (for my name, he said) the first six- pence of which I have any very clear recol- lection. At that time he was dressed in nan- keen knee-breeches, white stockings and buckled shoes, and was a perfect specimen of the old-school gentleman. I don't think he practiced much as a lawyer-at any rate, I only knew him as the incumbent of the Clerk's office. He resided in the red house at the top of the hill on Thompson Street, afterwards known as "the CROSWELL house, " and which was, I believe, a few years ago rebuilt and enlarged by J. JOESBURY.
JAMES F. WIGHT was a son-in-law of Mr. BILL, and I only remember him as a dapper little fellow, who, for some reason of which I am ignorant, was known by the name of "Stoeffle Van dun der bergh." His partner. - BEACH, (I forget his first name) was a very quiet man, and reputed an excellent of- fice lawyer.
Among the early attornies of Catskill, was JAMES PINCKNEY. Ile was a native of West- chester county, born in 1776, and reared amidst the busy scenes of the Revolution on what was called the Neutral Ground. Doct. Bol .- TON, in his history of Westchester, says that the PINCKNEY mansion was, by turns, the fa- vorite resort of both American and British officers ; and I have been told, by one who ought to know, that COOPER, in his "Spy,"
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alluded to the place when describing the resi- dence of the fictitious Mr. WHARTON.
JAMES PINCKNEY left home at an early age, and was for a time a clerk in New York for ABRAM VAN BUSKIRK, (who, afterwards, re- tiring from business, built a country house at Athens, adjacent to the property of General HAIGIIT.) Afterwards he was sent to Savan- nah by a New York house, with a stock of goods, but the firm failing just as he was re- turning home, he lost all which he had made by the operation. He then resolved to "seek his fortune" up the North River, and, with a fellow clerk named WILLIAM CAIRNS, took passage in a Catskill sloop. Arriving here, he found employment in the office of JOHN V. D. S. SCOTT, and concluded to study law. Soon after his admission to the bar he was attacked by asthma, and, notwithstanding that during his whole life he suffered much from that distressing complaint, he succeeded in securing a good business in the line of his profession, and held a number of judicial and clerical offices. He was, at different times, and for many years, a Supreme Court Com- missioner ; from the erection of the County, in 1800, until 1831, he was Clerk of the Board of Supervisors ; from 1821 to 1826 he was acting County Clerk ; and for a long time, and until his death, he was a Commissioner of Deeds, an Examiner in Chancery, &c., &c. He died in 1834, leaving eight children, of whom but two are now living. He was my father, and it may be thought by some that it is not my province to speak more at length of his life and character. I know that he was a kind, indulgent and beloved parent, and I have never yet heard him spoken of, by oth- ers, in any other terms than those of respect and esteen.
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