The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 74

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098

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The serious condition of these prisoners excited the deepest sympathy of the people of Jefferson county as well as of their friends; and meetings were held in all the towns under great excitement, petitions being circulated far and wide and extensively signed. These were presented to Sir George Arthur, the governor-general, asking clemency for these poor deluded victims. The best legal talent in the State volunteered their aid in defence of the prisoners, and in mitigation of their condition. William H. Seward. Philo Grid- ley, Hiram Denio, Joshna A. Spencer, Bernard Bagley and Geoge C Sherman, all united and used their best efforts in appealing to the governor-general for clemency.

The court convened on the 28th of Novem- ber; Daniel George being the first prisoner to be tried, pleaded not guilty. When he was taken from the steamer, papers were found in his pockets commissioning him as pay- master of the eastern division of the Patriot army. Von Schoultz was then brought be- fore the court for trial. He employed the barrister, Sir John McDonald, to aid him in his defense. He pleaded guilty. He sent a written appeal to the governor-general, in which he stated that he was deluded into joining in the invasion of Canada by the gross misrepresentations of such men as J. Ward Birge and William Lyon Mckenzie, who claimed to know the sentiment and wishes of the people of Canada, and that they would be received with open arms. Also that the militia, when called out, would flock to their standard. All of which proved to be a base delusion. He asked for mercy at his bands. Every means of influence which could be brought to bear upon the governor-general by such men as Judge Fine, Silas Wright and a host of others, could not change liis determina- tion of executing all the officers and leaders. Hon. Preston King, of Ogdensburg, Norris M. Woodruff, Hon. Orville Hungerford and other leading citizens of Watertown, joined in appeals for mercy for the officers, but in vain.

Dorephus Abbey, a former newspaper editor of Watertown, was the next to be tried. He was captured while carrying a flag of truce, and was next in rank to Von Schoultz. Next was Martin Woodruff. All of these, after trial, namely: Daniel George, Nicholas Von Schoultz, Dorephus Abbey and Martin Wood- ruff were sentenced by Sir George Arthur to be hanged, and this sentence was carried out December 8th. Von Schoultz made his will, giving, among his. many bequests, $10,000 for the benefit of the families of the British soldiers who were killed at the battle of the Windmill. He also wrote the following pathetic and farewell letter to his friend, War- ren Green, of Syracuse :

DEAR FRIEND-When you get this letter, I shall be no more. I have been informed that my execution will take place to-morrow. May God forgive them who brought me to this untimely death. Hard as my fate is, I have made up my mind to forgive them, and do. I have been promised a lawyer to write my will-iotend to appoint you my executor. If the British government permit it, I wish my hody de- livered to you and buried on your farm. I have no time to write more because I have great need of communicating with my Creator to prepare myself for His presence. The time allowed me for this is short. My last wish to the Americans is, that they will not think of avenging my death. Let no further blood be shed. And believe me. from what I have seen, all the stories which were told of the sufferings of the Canadian people were untrue. Give my love to your sister. and tell her that I think of her as I do of my own mother. May God reward ber for her kindness. I further beg of you to take care of W. J. so that he may find honorable bread. Farewell, my dear friends. May God bless you and protect you. December 18. N. VON SCHOULTZ.

Joel Peeler and Sylvanus Sweet were executed, January 11, 1839. Sylvester Law- ton, Duncan Anderson, Christopher Buckley, Russell Phelps and Lyman L. Lewis were sent to the scaffold, February 11. They were followed by Martin Van Slyke, William O'Neal and James Cummings. The officers now having all been dealt with, they made quick work trying the men under them. Graves, Chipman, and two others had turned queen's evidence. The prisoners were brought into court in squads of from 10 to 15, and asked a few questions, and were then re- turned to their quarters. They all expected that their doom was sealed, and were anxiously awaiting their death warrants. But a powerful influence was brought to bear upon Governor-General Arthur, and he finally decided that there would be no more execu- tions, and went so far as to say that a num- ber of them would be pardoned. The court had adjourned from January 4th to February 26th. The prisoners were allowed to receive visits from their friends, but under close guard. On the 8th of April the steamer " Commodore Barry " arrived at Sackets Harbor with 22 prisoners, pardoned by the governor-general. And, on the 27th of April, 37 more pardoned prisoners arrived at the same place. All released were under 21 years of age. The balance of the men re- mained in the fort all summer, uncertain as to their fate, whether they would be pardon- ed or banished. On the 17th of September, 1839, orders were given to prepare for departure, and 95 of them were heavily iron- ed, placed in canal barges and taken to Mont- real, and there with another lot of prisoners, making about 150 in all, were put on board the ship " Buffalo," bound for Van Dieman's Land.

This island, once a penal colony inhabited by convicts transported from British territory for various criminal acts, is now a productive and desirable country. The march of civili- zation has made it attractive to tourists, as well as rich in tropical fruits, and the pro- motion of many special industries has placed it high in rank as one of England's most favored colonies.

February 13, 1840, after an uneventful voy- age, they landed in the harbor of Hobart

349

THE PATRIOT WAR.

Town. After the inspector had taken a des- cription of them, the governor, Sir John Franklin, who afterwards died during a voy- age of exploration to the arctic region, came to see them, and after looking them over, read their sentence, which was banishment for life. He was happy to learn of the cap- tain of the " Buffalo " that they had behaved remarkably well during the voyage. He also informed them that they would be placed at hard labor on the public roads with other convicts, and that with good behavior, after three years, they would be granted tickets of leave, which would give them the liberty of the island.

After three years of this service, they were granted tickets of leave, but were confined within certain limits called districts, and obliged to report at the station every Saturday night. If they so desired they could be changed from one district to another. The deliverance from the heavy work they had hitherto endured, was a blessing, and gave them new life. A reward of a pardon and free passage to America having been offered by the governor to any of the convicts who would capture some bushrangers who were infesting the island, W. Gates, Stephen Wright, Aaron Dresser and George Brown succeeded in discovering the hiding-place and capturing two of the rangers. They were pardoned, and, after a long voyage, returned to America, having served five years of a convict's life.

In September, 1845, the governor com- menced to deal out pardons of 10 and 15 at a time. He thought it not quite safe to liberate too many at once. During the year 1846, all of the Canadian prisoners had received par- dons excepting some few whose behavior did not entitle them to such a reward.

Thus ended the Patriot war. It was not without some beneficient results to the Canadas, for the home government granted them a new eharter, by which the provinces were united into a dominion with a parlia- ment. The Tories were defeated in the par- liament, and the Reform party, after driving them from power, assumed control of the state. Even the outlaw, William Lyon Mc- Kenzie, was restored to citizenship, and was for many years a member of parliament, and the premier of the government. A curious phase of the Patriot troubles was the effect on the political heads of National and State governments. President Van Buren and Governor Marcy were both soundly denounc- ed by many newspapers for performing their duty in enforcing the neutrality laws, and lost many votes in the frontier States. Marcy was succeeded by Seward, and on the day the election of Harrison was announc- ed in Washington, the boys shouted about the White House the refrain: "Van! Van! is a used-up man." And even General Scott attributed his failure to receive the Whig nomination at the Harrisburg national con- vention to the machinations of Col. Solomon VanRensselaer, a delegate from New York, who held a spite against General Scott for

having "squelched " his son, the general in command at Navy Island.

For a careful collection of the facts in this chapter, we are indebted to Mr. Joseph Fayel, of Theresa. His brother William, now a veteran newspaper man in St. Louis, Mo., was one of the "invaders" who rendezvoused at Clayton. Indeed, Theresa and Orleans furnished many of these incipient warriors whose ideas of conflict were certainly unique.

During the "Patriot " war Watertown and the adjoining towns were filled with ex- patriated "Patriots" who had fled from Canada to avoid arrest and imprisonment for alleged treason. Watertown being the head- quarters of the Canadian leaders, William Lyon Mckenzie, VanRensselaer and others were located at the old stone Mansion House, kept by Luther Gilson, on the site of the present Iron block. The old hostelry was crowded with the patriots. During the early winter of 1838 the then governor-general of Upper Canada, who had been recalled from his position by the British government, was ordered to return. This notable official was Sir Francis Bond-Head, an ex-officer of the British army, and thoroughly despised in Canada. Wishing to reach New York to sail for England, he undertook to make the jour- ney by stage to Utica via Watertown. Not desirous of meeting his ex-patrioted subjects for fear of recognition and possible insult, he determined to pass through incognito. Leav- ing Kingston during the night, accompanied by a prominent citizen of that city, to whom he acted the part of valet (or gentleman's gentleman) he arrived safely next morning by wagon and driver, hired as an " extra." The driver, not being informed as to the quality or rank of his passengers, drove straight to tlie Mansion House, and landed his man at the headquarters of his enemies. It was just after the breakfast hour, and the lobby was filled with the Patriot community, who recognized the Kingston citizen and greeted him cordially, but did not recognize the valet, who discreetly kept in the back ground. Prominent among the Patriot leaders at the hotel was Hugh Scanlon, an Irish-Canadian, a bright and shrewd fellow. After a short time Scanlon noticed that the valet was miss- ing, and his suspicions were aroused, so he began to hunt him up. After looking high and low and all around the public square without finding him, he continued to search elsewhere, and at last found the lost valet cosily sitting on a wheelbarrow near the stables. Walking np to the late governor- general he recognized him at once. Intro- ducing himself, Scanlon invited him to breakfast, and to meet his late subjects, assuring him that be would be welcome, and receive every courtesy due his rank. The governor accepted the invitation and came forward. He was met by all in a courteous and friendly way, and was assisted in his arrangements for departure. He left town in a coach and four with cheers, and without a single uncomplimentary remark. A. J. F.

350

THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

MR. JOHN. A. HADDOCK'S GREAT BALLOON VOYAGE WITH PROFESSOR LAMOUNTAIN.

WHEN the writer was in school at the Sul- phur Springs in Houndsfield, under Professor Morsman, there were two kinds of English Readers then published by the firm of Knowl- ton & Rice, one containing Gaius Rich's story of his fight with the panther on Bluff Rock, below Theresa, the other edition failing to contain that narrative. The book with the panther story was eagerly sought and de- voured by all the children who could read, while the other edition was not by any means regarded with affection. The intense impres- sion made by that panther story upon my own mind and upon that of the other scholars, has been a matter of recollection through the 60 years which have elapsed. For that reason the author of this History has yielded to urgent solieitation, and presents below the story of his great ærial voyage in 1859 with John LaMountain, one of the longest voyages ever made in a balloon. The writer appears to be best remembered by that perilous episode, especially among those who are now the busi- ness men of Jefferson county, but who were then eager, pushing lads, nearly crazy over the balloon fever, which was at that time violent in Northern New York. Perhaps the most important result attained by that dismal balloon experience may be found in the article following this account, which relates to the "Awakening of Henry Backus."

The interest aroused by this balloon trip was surprising and almost phenomenal, my account being published at length in nearly every English newspaper. Perhaps the story illustrates fortitude under trying circum- stances and under the agonizing strain experi- euced in the uncertainty which surrounded LaMountain and myself when toiling in that wilderness. In that light it may be regarded as an object lesson, not altogether to be lost upon those who are to come after us.

THE ACCOUNT.

It is now about 35 years since the under- signed made the memorable balloon voyage with Professor LaMountain-a voyage in- tended to be short and pleasant, but which resulted in a long and most disastrous one, entailing the loss of the valuable balloon, and seriously endangering the lives of the travel- lers. Since then, LaMountain, after serving through the great rebellion, lias made his last " voyage," and has entered upon that exist- ence where all the secrets of the skies are as well defined and understood as are the course of rivers here on the earthi.

To fully understand my reasons for making the trip, some leading facts should be pre- sented :

1. There had been, all through the year 1859, much excitement in the public mind upon the subject of ballooning. In August of that year I returned from Labrador. and found that the balloon Atlantic, with Wise,

Hyde, Gaeger and LaMountain, bad been driven across a part of Lake Ontario, while on their great trip from St. Louis to New York city, and had landed and been wrecked in Jefferson county, N. Y., and the people of that whole section were consequently in a state of considerable excitement upon tlie subject of navigating the air .*

2. I had heard of other newspaper editors making trips in balloons, had read their glowing accounts, and it seemed to me like a very cunning thing. Desiring to enjoy "all that was a-going," I naturally wanted a balloon ride, too, and therefore concluded to go. expecting to be absent from home not more than 10 or 12 hours at the longest, and to have a good time. Being a newspaper man, and always on the alert for news, I had also a natural desire to do all in my power to add to the local interest of my journal, and for that reason felt a willingness to go through with more fatigue and hazard than men are expected to endure in ordinary business pur- suits.

3. I felt safe in going, as I knew that La- Mountain was an intrepid and successful æronaut, and I thought his judgment was to be depended upon. How he was misled as to distance, and how little he knew, or any man can know, of air navigation, the narrative will readily demonstrate.

With these explanations I will proceed with my original narrative, nearly as written out at the time.

Nearly every one in Watertown is aware that the second ascension of the balloon At- lantic was advertised for the 20th of Septem- ber, 1859. The storm of that and the follow- ing day obliged the postponement of the ascension until the 22d. Every arrangement had been made for a successful inflation, and at 27 minutes before 6 p. m., the glad words, "all aboard," were heard from LaMountain, and that distinguished aeronaut and myself stepped into the car. Many were the friendly hands we shook-many a fervent "God bless

*The Wise named above was the celebrated æro- naut, Professor John Wise. of Lancaster. Pa .; and I may here remark that the trip made by him and his associates is by far the longest on record. Leaving St. Louis at about 4 p. m. they passed the whole night in the air, were carried across the States of Illinois, Indiana, a portion of Ohio and Michigan, over the whole northwestern breadth of Pennsylvania and New York. and were at last wrecked in a huge tree-top near the shore of Lake Ontario, at about 8 p. m. the next day, escaping with severe bruises but without broken bones, after a journey of eleven bun- dred miles. These adventurers did not travel as fast, ror encounter the perils that awaited us, but they made a longer voyage. It was with this same bal- loon Atlantic that LaMountain and myself made our trip; but it had been reduced one-third in size, and was as good as new. John Wise afterwards lost his life in a balloon, but just where he perished was never known. Gaeger was a manufacturer of crock- ery, and he died in Massachusetts. Hyde is publish- ing a newspaper in one of the western Fates. LaMountain died in bis bed at Lansinghurg, N. Y .. about 1884.

351

THE GREAT BALLOON VOYAGE.

you," and "happy voyage," were uttered- and many handkerchiefs waved their mute adieus. "Let go all," and away we soared; in an instant all minor sounds of earth had ceased, and we were lifted into a silent sphere, whose shores were without an echo, their silence equaled only by that of the grave. No feeling of trepidation was ex- perienced; an extraordinary elation took pos- session of us, and fear was as far removed as though we had been sitting in our own rooms at home.

Two or three things struck me as peculiar in looking down from an altitude of half a mile: the small appearance of our village from such a height and the beautiful mechanical look which the straight fences and oblong square fields of the farmers present. As we rose into the light, fleecy clouds, they looked between us and the earth like patches of snow we see lying upon the landscape in spring-time; but when we rose a little higher the clouds completely shut out the earth, and the cold, white masses below us had precisely the same look that a mountainous snow- covered country does, as you look down upon it from a higher mountain. Those who have crossed the Alps-or have stood upon one of the lofty summits of the Sierra Nevada, and gazed down upon the eternal snows below and around them, will be able to catch the idea. In six minutes we were far above all the clouds, and the sun and we were face to face. We saw the time after that when his face would have been very welcome to us. In eight minutes after leaving the earth, the thermometer showed a fall of 24 degrees. It stood at 84 when we left. The balloon ro- tated a good deal, proving that were ascend- ing with great rapidity. At 5:48 thermome- ter stood at 42, and falling very fast. At 5:50 we were at least two miles high-thermome- ter 34.

An unpleasant ringing sensation had now become painful, and 1 filled both ears with cotton. At 5:52 we put on our gloves and shawls-thermometer 32. The wet sandbags now became stiff with cold-they were frozen. Ascending very rapidly. At 5:54 thermometer 28, and falling. Here we caught our last sight of the earth by daylight. I recognized the St. Lawrence to the south- west of us, which showed we were drifting nearly north. At 6 o'clock we thought we were descending a little, and LaMountain directed me to throw out about 20 pounds of ballast. This shot us up again-thermometer 26, and falling very slowly. At 6:05 ther- mometer 22-my feet were very cold. The Atlantic was now full, and presented a most splendid sight. The gas began to discharge itself at the mouth, and its abominable smell, as it came down upon us, made me sick. A moment's vomiting helped my case materi- ally. LaMountain was suffering a good deal with cold. I passed my thick shawl around his shoulders, and put the blanket over our knees and feet. At 6:10 thermometer 18. We drifted along until the sun left us, and in a short time thereafter the balloon began to

descend. We must have been, before we be- gan to descend from this height, 312 miles high. At 6:32 thermometer 23; rising. We were now about stationary, and thought we were sailing north of east. We could, we thought, distinguish water below us, but were unable to recognize it. At 6:38 we threw over a bag of sand, making 80 pounds of ballast discharged, and leaving about 120 pounds on hand. We distinctly heard a dog bark. Thermometer 28-and rising rapidly. At 6:45 the thermometer stood at 33.

At 6:50 it was dark, and I could make no more memoranda. I put up my note book,' pencil and watch, aud settled down in the basket, feeling quite contented. From this point until next morning I give my experi- ences from memory only. The figures given were made at the times indicated, and the thermometric variations can be depended on as quite accurate.

We heard, soon after dark, a locomotive whistle, and occasionally could hear wagons rumbling over the ground or a bridge, while the farmers' dogs kept up a continual baying, as if conscious there was something unusual in the sky. We sailed along, contented and chatty, until about half-past eight o'clock, wben we distinctly saw lights below us, and heard the roaring of a mightly water-fall. We descended into a valley near a very high mountain, but as the place appeared rather forbidding, we concluded to go up again. Over with 30 pounds of ballast, and sky-ward we sailed. In about 20 minutes we again de- seended, but this time no friendly light greet- ed us. We seemed to be over a dense wilder- ness, and the balloon was settling down into a small lake. We had our life-preservers ready for use, but got up again by throwing out all our ballast, except perhaps 20 pounds. La Mountain now declared it was folly to stay up any longer, that we were over a great wilderness, and the sooner we descended the better. We concluded to settle down by the side of some tall tree, tie up, and wait until morning. In a moment we were near the earth, and as we gently descended I grasped the extreme top of a high spruce, which stopped the balloon's momentum, and we ' were soon lashed to the tree by our large drag-rope.

We rolled ourselves up in our blankets, patiently waiting for the morning. The cold rain spouted down upon us in rivulets from the great balloon that lazily rolled from side to side over our heads, and we were soon drenched and uncomfortable as men could be. After a night passed in great apprehension and unrest, we were right glad to see the first faint rays of coming light. Cold and rainy the morning at last broke, the typical precursor of other dismal mornings to be spent in that uninhabited wilderness. We waited until 6 o'clock in hopes the rain would cease, and that the rays of the sun, by warm- ing and thereby expanding the gas in the bal- loon, would give us ascending power suffi- cient to get up again, for the purpose of ob- taining a view of the country into which wet

352

THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

had descended. The rain did not cease, and we concluded to throw over all we had in the balloon, except a coat for each, the life-pre- servers, the anchor and the compass. Over- board, then, they went-good shawls and blankets, bottles of ale and a flask of cordial, ropes and traps of all kinds. The Atlantic, relieved of this wet load, rose majestically with us, and we were able to behold the country helow. It was an unbroken wilder- ness of lakes and spruce-and I began then to fully realize that we had indeed gone too far. through a miscalculation of the velocity of the balloon. As the current was still driving us towards the north, we dare not stay up, as we were drifting still farther and farther into trouble. LaMountain seized the valve-cord and discharged gas, and we descended in safety to the solid earth. Making the At- lantic fast by her anchor, we considered what was to be done.

We had not a mouthful to eat, no protec- tion at night from the wet ground, were dis- tant we knew not how far from any habita- tion, were hungry to start with, had no pos- sible expectation of making a fire, and no definite or satisfactory idea as to where we were. We had not even a respectable pocket knife, nor a pin to make a fish hook of-in- deed, we were about as well equipped for forest life as were the babes in the woods.

After a protracted discussion, in which all our ingenuity was brought to bear upon the question of our whereabouts, we settled in our minds (mainly from the character of the timber around us), that we were either in John Brown's tract, or in that wilderness lying between Ottawa City and Prescott, Can- ada. If this were so, then we knew that a course south by east would take us out if we had strength enough to travel the distance.

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The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 74

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823- Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company Number of Pages: 1098

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098