USA > Wyoming > Wyoming; its history, stirring incidents, and romantic adventures > Part 8
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" The night of the 3d of July, Halldron, a tenant of my father's, came to the block-house in Buttonwood, and told the party there that they must leave it, as the Indians would be upon them before morning. But my grandmother, Mrs. Burritt, said she did not think they would be along before the third day after; nor were they. However, the party set out immediately, and proceeded two miles, then halted, and waited the ris- ing of the moon, the night being very dark; then set out on their journey again, and were three days and nights in getting to Fort Allen, now Allentown, on the Lehigh. The second night there was a child born in the camp, the son of Mrs. Morris, whose husband was in the battle, but escaped.
" When they reached the Lehigh a man came over the river to meet them, riding a powerful horse, and bringing a bag of biscuit and two large jugs of milk, with which he fed them, and also helping such as had no horses of their own to cross the river, by taking two at a time on his own horse, and fording them over.
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"The party had suffered much for want of water on the road, and when they got to the Lehigh both man and beast were eager to quench their thirst. The horse my mother rode put down its head so suddenly as to jerk the bridle from her hand, and I, whom she carried in her bridle-arm, was thrown from her grasp, and but for her catching my clothes quick as thought, I had closed a brief life by drowning in the Lehigh.
" The route which was taken by the fugitive party was called the 'Warrior's Path,' and led from Wyo- ming to Fort Allen. Some vestiges of it still exist, and it is noted in the old surveys and maps. The party were three weeks on the road from Wyoming to Connecticut, the place of their destination."
Mr. Hollenback was for a time so discouraged by the turn of affairs in Wyoming and the unsettled state of things there, that he left and went to Easton, where he lived with some of his acquaintances, but did not remain long. He was calculated for a life of activity and business, and was ill at ease while he was not ac- tively and profitably employed. As his interests were all in Wyoming, he returned, built another house and store-still standing in Wilkesbarre-and once more embarked in mercantile pursuits, taking into partner- ship a Mr. Hagaman. As was the case before, the man was remarkably successful, extending his business, en- larging his influence, and increasing rapidly his pecun- iary resources.
The inhabitants of Wyoming had hardly become settled after the trouble with the Indians when the Pennamite feud again broke out, in which Mr. Hollen- back took an active part on the Yankee side. He ren- dered the New England people good service, not so much in fighting as by giving those who did fight
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the "aid and comfort" they needed-affording them at his establishment powder, lead, and provisions. A party of Yankees retired to the mountain for safety, and constructed under a hanging rock a rude fortifica- tion, calling it "Lillapie," or Fort Lillapie. To this hiding-place Mr. Hollenback frequently sent a stock of ammunition and eatables by trusty adherents to the cause, and assisted the party in various other ways. These civil wars very much retarded the progress of the country, and we now can hardly imagine the amount of trouble attendant on them. Much mischief was done by the Pennamites in the exercise of their authority, and many people were killed in the various skirmishes. Colonel Pickering came here, on the part of the Pennsylvanians, to adjust matters between them and the Yankees, but the affair was a tedious one, and a long time elapsed before its conclusion. The Yan- kees finally adopted Pennsylvania laws, and their lands were resurveyed and apportioned again under Penn- sylvania warrants.
After the establishment of peace between the United States and Great Britain, Mr. Hollenback made the ex- periment of going with a large drove of cattle to Niag- ara. On arriving there he was taken prisoner by the British and Indians, they not having been informed of- ficially of peace being made between the two nations. They kept him six weeks, until the intelligence was received, after which his captors purchased his cattle, and he realized a large profit. He made considerable money by this trip, and was encouraged to keep up the trade.
Determined to extend his business operations, he bought lands at Tioga Point-now Athens-and New- town-now Elmira-where he established stores in or-
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der to trade with the Indians, and laid in a stock, at both places, of such articles as would attract their cus- tom, and for which they would exchange their furs and peltries.
On one occasion he took a number of men with him, and went up to their town, on the Seneca Lake, to make arrangements with them and obtain their trade. But the Indians were suspicious that the party had come for the purpose of surveying and taking away their lands, and consequently made them all prisoners. All their baggage underwent a thorough search to see if there was a compass with the party, and Mr. Hollen- back always thought that, had one been discovered, they would have paid the penalty with their lives. They counciled, and came to the conclusion at least to kill him, as he led the party, and even sent some dis- tance for a young brave to come and kill the "Shinne- wany." Mr. Hollenback said he felt somewhat alarm- ed, but took care not to manifest the fact; and when the chief entered the wigwam, he returned his steady and fixed gaze with one equally as steady. He rose and extended his hand; the chief had his tomahawk raised for instant use, and had, without doubt, intended to dispatch him; but his coolness and friendly bearing had its effect, and the brave gave him to understand that he need not fear, and seemed willing to hear what he had to say. After having conferred with him, and finding that his was a peaceful errand, that he had no idea of getting their lands, but wished to trade with them, he set him and his party at liberty, and agreed to influence his tribe to bring their trade and furs to Newtown. The result was their good-will and contin- ued trade for many years after.
He went many times to Niagara with cattle, and
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once collected a large drove, which he intrusted to a young man to take there; the fellow sold the cattle, and ran off with the money, Mr. Hollenback losing the whole.
In 1783, a treaty between the whites and Indians was held at Newtown. Mr. Hollenback had been em- ployed by the government to furnish the Indians with all they required while they were there. In this op- eration he made about a thousand pounds. Colonel Pickering was the person who treated with them, and was so much of a favorite that they complimented him by giving him a name which, in English, means "the side of a mountain."
The famous John Jacob Astor was at this time do- ing business in Philadelphia, where Mr. Hollenback made his acquaintance as a customer. In 1789, by ar- rangement, Astor accompanied his friend from Wilkes- barre, up the Susquehanna, and so on to Canada. On the way they crossed the outlet of the Seneca, which was much swollen by a heavy rain, in which act As- tor came near losing his life. He was not then accus- tomed to fording streams on horseback, and in the middle of the stream his head became unsteady. Hol- lenback, seeing Astor reel in his saddle, by a glanc- ing stroke with the butt of his whip dashed the water in his face, and, at the same time, struck him under his chin, and roared out, "Look up, Astor!" He recov- ered himself, and came out of the imminent peril with- out harm.
It was this journey which made Astor's fortune. He saw the vast profits which could be made in the fur trade, and commenced his operations in that line. He made an effort to get his friend Hollenback to go to New York and engage in business with him; but
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the latter had settled his plans for life, already having considerable real estate in the Susquehanna Valley, and was not to be diverted from his purpose. These veteran traders met in New York in 1824 for the first time after their separation in Canada, and talked over their early adventures to their mutual gratification. " Hollenback, have you any sons?" inquired Astor. " I have one," was the answer. "Send him to me, and I will take care of him." "I thank you, sir; he can take care of himself," replied Colonel Hollenback.
The last trip which Mr. Hollenback made to Ni- agara was in 1792 ; and, after selling out his stock and concluding his business there, he made the discovery that the Indians were preparing to waylay and rob him on his return home. Such being the case, he laid his plans warily to elude them. His own horse being lame, he exchanged it with the landlord for another ; had it taken into the woods at night and shod; and, all things being in readiness, he, with several others, started under cover of the night to pass through woods, and swamps, and over rivers, back to Penn- sylvania.
There was with them an aged Dunker minister, named Rothruck, who was ill and poorly clad, and on foot. He had taken out cattle to sell in order to pay for his farm, and succeeded in getting bills of exchange for them. Mr. Hollenback was very kind to him, and helped him on as far as Owego, telling him to wait there until some rafts came down the river, and then to go to his house, and his wife would "nurse him up again." He did so, and Mrs. Hollenback clothed him, and ministered to his wants. When the wagons went down to Philadelphia for goods, he was put in one of them, and safely transported to the city, where Mr.
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Hollenback got his bills negotiated, and sent him home rejoicing.
At one of the halting-places on the route the party found the vestiges of a man's clothes hanging on some bushes near a spring, and other indications of foul play with some one. They proved to be the clothes of a man-Mr. Street-who had left Niagara before them with about $2000, and had here been waylaid and murdered by a man whose name was Gale. Mr. Hol- lenback afterward found out the murderer, and suc- ceeded in putting officers on his track: he was taken and hung.
Before leaving Niagara, he found that part of a no- torious band of highwaymen, well known at the time and much feared-" The Doanes and Tomblesons"- were there, and also watching him closely. He as- certained that it was their purpose to follow him, and wait until he had stopped at all his trading stations, returned home, and set out again to purchase goods in Philadelphia, then to attack and rob him, as he would then have a large sum of money, and be the kind of prey they sought.
But he was too sagacious and brave to fall into their hands, though he came very near it. Soon after com- ing home he started for the city, and passed over the greater part of the distance before any thing occurred to alarm him. Upon riding along a sandy track in the woods one night, he heard some slight sound, and finally whispers in the bush, and his name was men- tioned. Certain that he was dogged, he made all speed, and reached a sort of tavern, and disguising himself as much as possible, and also feigning drunkenness, he dismounted, and began to look about to see what kind of place it was. Seeing many strange-looking men
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about, and not liking the appearance of things, he did not remain long; but, before he left, he noticed a party of odd-looking fellows arrive from the same direction which he had come, who were evidently the ones he had heard in the woods, and answered well to the de- scription of the Doanes, etc. He reached that same night another house kept by a widow, where they were in great alarm for fear of a descent by the Doanes, who were then filling the country with dread. Having taken supper, he retired to his apartment, got out his pistols, and watched the night long instead of sleeping. He arrived at the city the next day, and deposited his funds safely in the hands of Mr. Dorsie, his banker, thus escaping the Doanes and Tomblesons, who found in him too much courage and tact for their purposes.
Mr. Hollenback finally became more settled, and no longer went out on such toilsome and hazardous jour- neys, but remained more at home, still pursuing his business with energy and success. The mercantile business he kept up until the end of his life, and al- ways prospered in it : his store was for many years the best in Wilkesbarre.
He was made justice of the peace after the estab- lishment of the jurisdiction of Pennsylvania in Wy- oming, and, when the new Constitution was formed, was appointed associate judge of Luzerne County courts, in which capacity he served until the time of his death, which event occurred on the 18th day of February, 1829, the day after he was seventy-seven years old. His commission as associate judge is dated "in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety one," under the administration of Governor Mifflin. His first commission as lieutenant colonel is dated 1787, another is dated 1792, and still another
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1793. These commissions are all preserved, and are upon our table. The first of them was given by the executive council of Pennsylvania, and contains the autograph of Dr. Franklin.
When Jackson was running for President, he de- termined to vote for him, considering him the man most eligible for that high and honorable office. Be- ing quite ill, he went to the polls in his carriage, and the judges came out and received his vote, the last one he ever gave. This was in November, 1828.
Colonel Hollenback always took great interest in religious affairs and the welfare of the Church. He gave largely toward building the first church built in Wilkesbarre, and was generally punctual in his attend- ance upon the services, never absenting himself when it was convenient to attend. His house was the home of ministers, and his hand always open to them.
He was, in many respects, an extraordinary man. There was no such word as failure in his vocabulary. He had courage and sagacity both equal to any thing in his line. In all his business relations he was a pat- tern of punctuality and fidelity to public trusts and private confidence.
Mrs. Alexander says: "My mother was a few months his senior. She was, in all respects, a suitable helpmeet for him, and during his long absences took the entire charge of his affairs. His confidence in her was great, he never doubting her ability. Her benevolence was remarkable, and evinced itself in more than one in- stance. She was the friend of the poor and needy, and, until the close of her long life, practiced that kind- ness and sympathy toward her fellow-creatures which her enlarged means admitted of, and her memory is held in grateful remembrance by many who are now
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living; and very many more, who, like her, have long since gone to 'that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns,' and can not now speak save through their descendants, were once the objects of her kind consideration. Both Judge Hollenback and his wife took an active interest in all that related to the settlement of this valley, and the stirring events of its history. They lived to see it in prosperity, and entirely recovered from the terrible blow which so nearly blotted its white settlers from existence, when they departed peacefully at the Master's summons. My mother lived some years after Father Hollenback's death. She was born the 19th of November, 1750, in Huntington, Connecticut, and died July 21st, 1833, in her eighty-third year."
Judge Hollenback was a character ; he was emphat- ically a man for the times. He never knew fear; and that he was not reckless may be inferred from the fact that, amid the perils of his eventful life, he was never wrecked. He was brave, but not headlong. He cal- culated upon consequences with great precision. He was sometimes accused of obstinacy; he certainly had great firmness. Fierce and unprincipled opposi- tion would wake up in him the old soldier, and he was ยท a terrible foe. His perseverance and his power of en- durance were almost beyond precedent. He took all his journeys on horseback, and his range of business was from Niagara to Philadelphia. Between Wyo- ming and the New York state-line he owned immense quantities of wild land. He often visited his lands personally and alone, traveling for days, and even weeks, through the wilds of Northern Pennsylvania, and being as much at home in the wilderness, without a path, as in his counting-room. When night over-
F
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took him, he turned into the nearest human habita- tion, be it ever so humble, and made himself at home. He said to the man of the house, "Give my horse a peck of oats, or four quarts of corn;" and, entering the dwelling, perhaps a small log cabin, his language would be, "Good woman, I want a dish of mush and milk." Taking his seat while his supper was being made ready, quite likely he would fall asleep in his chair. His "mush and milk" disposed of, he perhaps asked for a blanket, and flung himself down on the floor, with his head upon his saddle-bags, and slept sweetly until daylight, when he was off. In his trav- els he often lay out in the woods upon the ground, covered only by the rose blanket upon which he rode.
In 1824-5, when traveling an extensive district, embracing a portion of Northern Pennsylvania and Southern New York, we often fell in with the veteran pioneer. He rode a large sorrel horse-a low-carriaged animal, but a fine racker. He would ride that animal from forty to sixty miles in a day. He often took re- freshing naps on horseback, during which his horse would move quietly along, but, when he awoke to consciousness, his sagacious animal soon understood that an increase of speed was expected.
Judge Hollenback was full of life, humorous, even jocose, and fond of repartee. He was good company, full of anecdote, and was a considerable wit. He liked a good joke even when it was against himself. When free from the cares of business, he would unbend him- self, and, walking back and forth across the floor, would amuse his friends, young and old, by telling stories. "Once," said he, on such an occasion, "when a lad, I crossed a grave-yard in the night, and thought I was not afraid until I made a false step and tumbled down
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among the graves. I was then so frightened that I bawled like a calf. I jumped up, and ran for life, thinking the ghosts were close at my heels." On one occasion, having been overtaken on the mountains by an awful thunder-storm, he said he paused under a great tree, and the thunder and the lightning were so terrible that he feared and quaked; and feeling that he ought to pray, he could think of nothing to say but "Now I lay me down to sleep," etc.
As for pride of equipage, Judge Hollenback had none. His dress was neat, but plain. He lived in a plain, old-fashioned, low frame house, planned for the purposes both of a dwelling and a store. He owned
LOSSING BARAITT.
no splendid carriage and plated harness, but traveled either on foot or upon horseback, with his saddle at-
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tired with a blanket, or a sheepskin tanned with the wool on.
Colonel Hollenback was as true-hearted a patriot as ever breathed. When the Revolutionary struggle commenced he held a military commission under the government of King George the Third, and every mo- tive which could be presented to an aspiring and a mercenary mind was urged as a reason for his espous- ing the royal cause. His patriotic feelings spurned the whole. He "threw up" his royal commission, and, as soon as his services were called for, he accepted one from the Continental Congress, in the most gloomy period of the Revolutionary struggle. His sympathy for the sufferers, and his energy in supplying their wants upon the occasion of that melancholy exodus of the settlers of the 4th of July, 1778, have been referred to. We have often heard the survivors of that terri- ble flight dwell with enthusiasm upon Hollenback's services and manner on that occasion. His horse was loaded with bread and biscuits. He flung a loaf to one group and then to another, with his usual saluta- tion, "God bless you! Keep up good courage; you will reach the settlement in safety," and words of like import. His timely supplies, his courage, his genial, ; earnest spirit, were largely instrumental in the deliver- ance of scores of the fugitives from death in the wil- derness.
An anecdote was related to Mr. G. M. Hollenback by the late Judge Scott which furnishes a good illus- tration of the character of our subject. After the war was over, and Colonel John Butler was reposing upon his honors in Canada, he made application to the Brit- ish government to be admitted to the honor of knight- hood. His reputation had suffered in England, as
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well as in America, from the accounts which had been published of his cruelties in Wyoming. It was judged by his friends that if he could obtain a certificate from one of the officers who was present on the American side in that unequal conflict, to the effect that Colonel Butler's conduct was humane and soldier-like on the occasion, his application would succeed. Accordingly, a suitable messenger-a bland English gentleman- was dispatched to Wyoming. Colonel Hollenback was the man to be addressed. The agent of Butler called upon the old soldier at his office and opened the matter, taking from his pocket a parchment beautiful-
ly executed, only wanting the signature.
Colonel
Hollenback read it carefully ; then, looking the gentle- man in the eye, asked, "Do you expect me to sign this ?" "Yes, sir, if you please," was the answer. "I shall not do it, for it is not true." Butler's agent urged the matter respectfully but earnestly, but the reply was reiterated, "It is not a word of it true, sir- I say, sir, it is a big lie." The dernier resort was finally reached, and that was to "a purse of gold." This was a match flung into the magazine. The fiery soul of the old patriot could no longer keep itself within due bounds. "Gold! gold !" he thundered out, with voice enough to reach the outskirts of his regiment, if he had been upon the battle-field, "your king has not got gold enough to buy me, sir." Then, loading the poor, disappointed agent with a volley of epithets, he pointed to the door, and said, "There, sir, is the door; let me never see you again upon this business." The gentleman was almost petrified, but made out to steer his course between the door-posts, and so disappeared, considering himself rather fortu- nate, as well he might, that he was permitted to make
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his exit without help. A man whom gold could not buy was probably to him a strange spectacle.
The stirring enterprise, the untiring energy, and the thorough business habits of Judge Hollenback ex- erted a vast influence upon the progress and elevation of the country. He found business for many poor laborres; he furnished supplies to multitudes of new settlers; he took an active part in the early public im- provements; he kept in circulation a large capital; and he was a living-almost ever-present-example of industry and economy. Not Wyoming alone, but the whole country between Wilkesbarre and Elmira, owes much of its early development and present prosperity to the business arrangements and the indomitable per- severance of Matthias Hollenback.
Colonel Hollenback was employed by Robert Mor- ris, the agent of Louis the Sixteenth, to provide a place of retreat for the royal household at some se- cluded spot on the Susquehanna. This was in 1793. He accordingly purchased twelve hundred acres of land lying in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, and embrac- ing the locality where Frenchtown was subsequent- ly built. The unfortunate monarch, however, never occupied this asylum in the wilds of Pennsylvania, al- beit many of his subjects did. Louis Philippe, the late "King of the French," in 1795 came through "the Wind-Gap" on horseback, and lodged in Wilkesbarre in "the old red tav- ern," on the river bank, then kept by James Morgan, and subsequently known as "the old Arndt Hotel," and then made his way up to French- town. All this is true ; but our soil is none the. bet-
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ter for having been owned by falling monarchs, or even trod by the feet of royal fugitives. Louis Phil- ippe, like Colonel Hollenback, learned in America to sleep on "the soft side of a board," a practice which he never wholly abandoned.
Resolutions passed by the Officers of the Court and Mem- bers of the Bar :
" At a meeting of the officers of the court and mem- bers of the bar of the County of Luzerne, held in the borough of Wilkesbarre, on Thursday, the 19th inst., the following resolutions were submitted, and unani- mously adopted :
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