<^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) \ A {./ ^ A^ V. i/.. ^ 1.0 iill^ II I.I 1125 ■£121 12.5 |50 "^f" M^V ^ lii 11 2.2 ■" ISA us " 1^ ill 2.0 U III [.6 °w Photographic Sciences Corporation \^ ^^\ '^ «^ >^ ^^K\ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^° f^ ^.y r.%- CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVi/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian InstltuM for Historical MIcroraproductlons / Instltut Canadian de mlcroraproductlons hittoriques Technical and Bibliographic Notaa/Notaa tachniquaa at bibliographiquaa Tha Inttituta haa attamptad to obtain tho baat original copy availabia for filming. 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T si T 3 b( rli m 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X aox J 12X 16X aox 24X 28X 32X Th« oopy filmed h«r« hm k,«Min raproduoad thanks to th« o«n«rotlty of: DouglM Library Quaon'a Unlvoraity L'aMamplaIra film* f ut raproduit grica A la g*n4r9s!tA da: Douglas Library Quaan's Univarsity Tha Imagaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quality poaalbia conaldaring tha condition and laglblllty of tha original oopy and In kaaplng with tha filming contract spaclfleatlona. Original coplas In printad papar covara ara fllmad baglnning with tha rront covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or llluatratad Impraa- slon. or tha back covar whan approprlata. All othar original ooplaa are fllmad baglnning on tha first paga with a printad or llluatratad Impras- slon, and anding on tha last paga with a printad or llluatratad Imprasslon. Tha last racordad frama on aach microflcha shall contain tha symbol — ^> (maaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol ▼ (maaning "END"), whichavar appllas. Las Imagas sulvantas ont At* raprodultaa avac la plus grand soln, compta tanu da la condition at da la nattatA da I'axamplaira fllmA, at an conformltA avac ias conditions du contrat da fllmaga. Laa axamplalras orlglnaux dont la couvartura an paplar aat ImprlmAa sont fllmAs an commandant par la pramlar plat at an tarmlnant solt par la darnlAra pagn qui comporta una ampralnta dimpraaalon ou d'llluatratlcn, aolt par la sacond plat, aalon la caa. Tous laa autras axamplalras orlglnaux aont fllmAs an commandant par la pramlAra paga qui comporta una ampralnta d'Impraaalon ou d'lllustratlon at an tarmlnant par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una talla ampralnta. Un das symbolas sulvants apparattra sur la darnlAra Imaga da chaqua microflcha, salon la cas: la aymbola — ► signlfia "A SUIVRE", la aymbola ▼ signlfia "FIN". Mapa, plataa, charts, ate, may ba fllmad at diffarant reduction ratloa. Thoaa too larga to ba antlraly Included In ona axpoaura ara fllmad baglnning In tha uppar laft hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, aa many frames aa required. The following diagrams llluatrata the method: Los cartes, plenches, tableaux, ate, pauvent Atre fllmAa A das taux da rAductlon diff Arants. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre repcodult en un aaul cllchA, II eat fllmA A partir da Tangle supArleur gauche, da gauche A drolte, et de haut an bea, en prenant le nombre d'Imagea nAcessalre. Lea diagrammes sulva its lllustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 f 6 MAJOR NICHOLAS STONER, as accouied for the forest. \ \ \ I I • V * : ■ \ * TRAPPERS OF NE ,V YORK, OR A BioesAPii? or NICHOLAS STONER & NATHANIEL FOSTER j TOSETHER WITH ANECDOTES OF OTHER CELEBRATED HUNTERS, AND SOME AOOOrifT 07 SIR WttLIAM JOHNSON, AND BH Smi OF LITIMO. BY JEPTHAR. SIMM S, AUTHOR OP THE HISTORY OP SOHOHARIR 00T7NTT, AND BORDER WARS OP NEW YORK. He lifts the tube, and levels with his eye ; Straight a short thunder breaks the frozen skv.- -Pom. ■(i ALBANY: PRINTED BY J. MUNSELL. 1850. LP n^3. ^s-f I Entered according to act of Congreis, in the year 1850, by JEPTIIA R SIMMS, In the ClerkV Office for the Northern District of New York MUNSELL, STEREOTYPER, ALBANY. b ■i?*. f. \ b ■ TO THE YOUTH OF NEW YORK, THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED, BY THEIR FRIEND, THE AUTHOR. N ro 76 ^: 6 f # PBEFACE. " To be ignorant of all antiquity," says a popular writer,* " is a mutilation of the human mind; it is early associations and local circumstances which give bent to the mind of a people from their infancy, and insensibly constitute the nationality of genius." This is a truism. which can not be contravened, and although the world is now full of books for good or ill, yet I venture to add another. Well, as this is only a duo- decimo, may I not bespeak for it a little share of public favor ? For if it is but a small volume, it has nevertheless required considerable time and care to collect and arrange its minutiae; The author does not claim for it a place auong classic works, which sparkle with literary gems; but he does claim for it the merit of candor. In a wor)c purporting to be one of truth, he would not impose upon the credulity of others, what he could not believe himself.. •I. D'Isreeli. 6 PRErACK. This book has been written with the view of giving the reader some knowledge of the per il>env ironed life of a hunter; in connection with the early and topo- graphical history of a portion of northern New York. As the forests disappear, the country is settled and wild game exterminated; that hardy race of indi- viduals which followed the chase for a living will have become extinct: indeed, those who would have been called professional hunters, have now nearly or quite all left the remaining woods of New York, and most of theiii sleep with their fathers. JVfany of their names with their daring adventures are now forgotten. How important is it therefore, to place on record what can still be gathered respecting them, to live in future story; when some American Scott shall have arisen to connect their names and deeds forever, with the rifle-mimicking mountains, the awe-inspiring glens, the hill-encompassed lakes, and the zigzag- coursing rivulets — upon, within, around, and along which they sought with noiseless footstep t^e bounty- paying wolf, the timid deer, and fur-clad beaver. I may remark, that one motive in producing this book has been, to contribute materials for the future I rtBFAOB. f history of the state. Says an American scholar/ *' The general historian must gather his facts from the details of local annals, and in proportion as they ire wanting must his labors be imperfect." A imall budget of antiquarian matter, and some interesting incidents of the American Revolution are here intro- duced; and in connection with this subject, I will take occasion to say, that I am collecting original matter of an historical character, with the intention of publishing it at a future, not distant day. There are yet unpublished, many reminiscences either of, or growing out of, our war fof independence, both thrill- ing and instructive. Not a few such are now in the writer's possession. They are generally of a personal and anecdotal nature, and many of them were noted down from the lips of men whose heads are whitened by the fiosts of time, or are now laid beneath the yalley-clods. If such an anecdote should still linger in the mind of a reader of this page, or any old paper of interest remain in his or her keeping, that individual would confer a favor by communicating the same to my ad- ♦WUliam A. Whitehead. . ! § rttrAci. (IrcM. Our Rfvolution is dt'stincd, in iU t'ullnriui of benefit, to imam iputc tho world from tyranny; und every minute incident relating to that great dtruggU i^ not only worthy of record, but highly important, for the proper understanding of its cost to the young, to whose guardianship its principles and advantages must soon be confided. The diiiiculty of preparing u work for the press, where much of the matter is to be obtained by con- versational notes, is only known to those who have experienced the task; and such bejr and Conyne how wounded — Three Stoners on duty in B node Island — Anecdote of a theft — Stoner a prisoner — Japturc of Gen. Prescott — Attempt to capture Stoner and others near Johnson Hall — Signification of Cayadutta — A prisoner from necessity .---.- 55 Chapter V. Biiker for Johnstown Fort — Singular incident at his house, and dangerous situation of Stoner — Residence of Jeremiah Mason — His daughter Anna — The Browse family — Stoner pigeon hunting — He takes his captain on a hunt — Hunters how Alarmed — Browse family remove to Canada — Maj. Andre's gallows how constructed — Stoner eats pie near it — How ho got two floggings — How the British army surrendered at Yorktown — > Errors in pictures — Stoner's first day at the seige — First fire on the British works — Nicholas Hill finds many friends — Henry Stoner leaves llie army — Is mur- CONTENTS. 1] dered by the Indians - Treachery of Andrew Bowman - His treatment at Johnstown fort-Prisou^.rs made at Johnson Hall 70 Chapter VI. John Helmer in jail - Escapes from it three times - Stoner in New York at the close of the war -Is one of the band per- forms at Washington's leave taking -. Stoner and his stool pigeon before Col. Cochrane -His return to Jchnstown- Firet marriage of Anna Mason - Her husband how slain near Johnson Hall -Stoner's marriage -Is deputy sheriff- The Stoner brothers again in the army -British invasion of New lork- Battle of Beekmantown - Anecdote of Maj. Wool- Battle of lake Champlain and death of Commodore Downie - Gen^ Macomb fires a national salute - Burial of his remains -Mourners at his grave - Celebration at Plattsburg in 1842 — btoner again leaves the army - - - - «fi Chapter VII. Maj. Stoner becomes a hunter - Hunter's law -How accoutred for the forest - Intemperance an attendant on war - De Fon- claiere keeps a tavern in Johnstown - How his horses ran away -Indian hunters at his house - Stoner obtains an ear- • jewel -An Indian boasts of killing his father -Is branded with a fire-dog - The Indians leave the place - Stoner in jail -How liberated -His celebrity in Canada - . in Chapter VIII. Stoner's bear-trap - Precaution in its use- Bait for beaver- Season for hunting -Accident to Capt. Jackson -Dunn in Jackson s place - Hunters' lodges how constructed - Their larder how supplied - Johnstown hunters meet Indian trap- pers- Fierce quarrel at Trout lake - An Indian falls up- 12 CONTENTS. OD the shore — Dunn transfixed to a canoe — Stoner ii; th« enemy's camp — Trophies he there obtained — Hunters return home — Stoner and Mason hunt together — Mason discover! bear's tracks — Stoner seeks an interview with Bruin — Dis- covers him on a log over the Sacondaga — A rifle is heard and tb« bear falls into the river ..... 133 f Chapter IX. Stoner annoyed by a bear in his wheat and corn-fields — How he loses one leg of his pantaloons and kills the bear — A deer hunt — Hunters swamped at Stoner's island — Have a gloomy night — Frederick's gratitude toward Stoner for saving his life — Stoner and Mason on a long hunt — Food how cooked — A peep at a hunter's camp — Out of provisions the hunters seek a settlement — Stoner almost shoots another blanketed bear — Mason arrested in Norway as a spy — Is liberated — Hunters return to the woods — They meet two Indians — Stoner mis- taken for the hunter White — A quarrel — An Indian's death- yell — His comrade takes leg-bail — Johnstown hunters return home with three guns — Stoner suspected of smuggling mer- chandise — Anecdote of Green "White .... 134 Chapter X. Hunter's Moccasons how made — Stoner hunts with Griswold — A dog eats a moccason for Griswold — The loss how repaired — Stoner hunts with Capt. Shew at the Sacondaga Vlaie and there shoots a wolf — Stoner and Foster on a hunt trap an oagle — Different trappers with whom Stoner is associated — "With an Indian partner visits the head of (Jrass river — The're met a white hunter with a squaw — Stoner makes a map for him to go to Johnstown — Hunts with the Indian Gill — Lat- ter spears the beaver - Stoner hunts with Obadiah Wilkins •who encounters an In(' in — Magic of Stpner's name — Stoner's last difficulty with Indian hunters — How he loses a trap and V « CONTENT!*. 13 fu: — How he gets his trap and pay for the fur — The Sabbath how regarded by hunters — Admonition of a young Indian — Stoner's dog in trouble — Spirit of Mary Stoner - - 146 Chapter XI. Major Stoner a widower — His voluntary marriage — Again a widower — His last marriage — His present residence — Ga- roga and Fonda plank road — Chase's Patent — Foolish ex- pression of Capt. Chase — Stoner a pilot lor surveyors — Signification of Piseco — Goes to a settlement for food — Has' a warm job of it — Law students in the forest — Ice discover- ed — Fourth of July how celebrated — Stoner skins a hedge- hog — Description of the country — Prospective view of it — Newspaper notice of Lake Byrn — Sundry other lakes — Lake Good-luck, why so called — Water privileges of Hamil- ton county — Description of the country, by Dr. Emmons — Stoner and others discover a dead man near Jesup's river — Importance of preservi;ig Indian names .... 160 Chapter XII. Birth place and marriage of Nathaniel Foster — Settles in Salis- bury — Description of his person — His success the first year in hunting — Large game killed by him — Anecdotes of his wolf killing — Supplies museums with moose skins — Is near being shot — His rifles — A tussle with a deer — A wolf for a pet — Where Foster learned to write — Brown's tract of land — Source of Mill stream — Brown attempts to settle hi^ lands — His death — HerreshofF goes there — His birth place and person — Clears up land — Builds a forge — Ex- pends large sums of money — Becomes discouraged and com- mits suicide — Time of his death — Inquest — Place of bu- rial — Inscription to his memory — Cost of his iron — His taxes — Brown's tract when and by whom surveyed — Its townships — Survey of roads — Moose lake — Indian clear- ^ 14 CONTENTS. ing — Distance from Boonville to forge — Huckleberry late— Surveyor kills a hedge-hog — Anecdotes of Hcrreshoff 175 Chapter XIII. Benchlcy^s description of Brown's tract — Usual route to it — Use of drays — Size and power of Moose river — Present condition of early improvements on the tract — Its ore — Effect of erecting a dam — Lakes how numbered — First lake — Dog Island — Second lake — Foster's Observatory — Third lake — Grass island — Fourth lake — Line between Hamilton and Herkimer counties — Extent of tract — Re- spect for the Eagle — Description of the Indian Foster kill- ed — Effect of liquor — Foster's vision — Five echoes — North Branch lakes and outlet — Fifth and Sixth lakes — Carrying place — Foster at sixty — Prospective use of a lock — Seventh lake — Beautiful view — Character of Green White — His tragic fate — His success in hunting — The hunter Williams — Place for trout — Pitch pine grove — How Foster shoots a deer — Why he would kill a doe — Eighth lake — Racket inlet — Grave of Foster's victim — Floating for deer — Jer- ■eyfield lake — Jock's lake — Little Salmon and Black River South lakes — Physical outline of this region of country, by Lwdner Vanuxem - - - - - - -191 Chapter XIV. Brown's tract tcnantlcss — Is a resort for hunter's — Premises Icctsed — Lease assigned to Foster who moves there — Indian Peter Waters or Drid — A debt — Drid threatens Foster's life — Goes to his door to shoot him — An interview — Indian attempts his life — Foster before a peace officer — Apprehen- sions of Foster's family — Last interview between Foster and his foe — Their threats of vengeance — Foster on Indian's point — Drid's approach — His death — Foster aids in getting his body home — Foster is arrested — Note explaining cut ."^08 (XKfTENTS. Chapter XV. 16 Foster ii arraigned before Judge Denio — Is tried and acquitted How he receives the verdict, and leaves the court room — Hit acquittal how received by the public — Anecdote of Joseph Brant 818 Chapter XVI. Foster^s answer to Gen. Gray — Stoner^s opinion of Foster^ and his own skill as marksmen — How Drid^s friends received his death — Advice to Foster's family — Drid's wife returns to the St. Lawrence — Foster removes to Pennsylvania — Returns to Boonville and dies there — The Indian Hess — Im- portance of a country tavern — How Foster and Hess meet and part — Running fight with a moose bull — Sudden ap- pearance of Hess — He threatens to kill Foster — Falls from a log over his own grave — Mysterious sayings — How he shot eighteen otters — His eye-sight improved by venison — Signification of Oswegatchie — How Foster carried bullets — AnecL^otc of his rapid firing — How he made his camp in the woods — How he accoutred for the chase ... 241 Chapter XVII. Incidents in the life of Jock Wright — His birth, habits and ap- pearance — Is a soldier — Captures British officers — How he parts with one of them — He scalps a British ally — Visits his former prisoner in Boston — Again a hun<,er — The rattle snake hunter — A snake fight — Death of a panther — Wright removes to Norway — His family — How he lost and found his jug — The hunter Nicholas — His stock in trade — A rea- son wanted for his habits — He hunts with Wright — Finds lead ore — His death — Jockos lake — Crookneck the hunter — How he almost caught a deer, and got caught himself — How Uncle Jock kills two moose — His opinion of a certain 16 CONTENTS. prayer — Getd lick tnd prayi himielf — Crookneck on snow ■hoes — B«aver*i meat — Uncle Jock draws a pension — When he made huts — Hin death 803 Chapter XVni. Some account of the beaver — Peculiarity of its flesh — Its food — Bait used for its capture — Its social habits — Its dams and dwellings how constructed — A beaver community how fore- warned of danger — Habits of the otter — Its food — Form of its feet —i Its sagacity in preparing its burrow — The musk-rat — Not easily exterminated — Its fate in freshets — Habits of the pine marten — Its size — The wolverine — How it annoys hunters — Its great strenth ... 372 1 J TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. CHAPTER I. Incidents of greater or less interest occur in the lives of almost every member of the human family, which only need be known to be justly appreciated, or subserve some good and wise purpose; but occasionally an indi- vidual crosses the broad landscape of life, whose career may be said to consist of a bundle of incidents — the greater part of whose existence is in fact so full of novelty, as to claim, for at least a portion of it, a record for the benefit or amusement of mankind. Of the latter class is Major Nicholas Stoner, some of the most ro- mantic and daring of whose adventures are presented in the following pages. To say that a man lived through the American Revo- lution and participated in its perils, is alone a sufficient guaranty that he can, if at all intelligent, recount unique and thrilling scenes as yet untold in history ; but when we meet with one who has not only been ejcposed to the perils of an eight year's war, but has shared in the dangers and hardships of a second war — one, in truth, whose life has been checkered with a thousand hazard- 2* .^♦^,. 18 TRAPI'KKH OF NK.W YORK. ous exposures between an«l subsequent to those wars; we niiiy expeet, almost as a matter of eourse, to learn iVoin him not a little that will prove acceptable to the general ri-ader, nourishing ^' The accds of happineu, and |)owera of thought,*' The facts here given of this celebrated warrior, were noted down by the writer from his own lips at personal interviews ; not a few of which have been corroborated by the testimony of others. It is the fortune of very few individuali to pass through a long life surrounded by such a variety of perils, without receiving more personal injury. Henry Stoner, the father of Nicholas, emigrated from Germ ny to the American colonies, as is believed, nearly twenty years before their emancipation from British tyranny. He landed at New York, and after a short residence in that city removed to the colony of Maryland, where he married Catharine Barnes, by whom he had two sons, Nicholas and John. Nicholas Stoner, who was about a year the senior of his brother, was born Dec. 15, 1762 or '63: which year is not now known with certainty, the family record having been burned with his father's dwelling in the Revolution. H^ is five feet eleven inches high, of slender but sinewy form; and though his light brown hair is now ( 1848) silvered by the frosts of fourscore winters, and his body is a little bent, yet his step is still firm without a cane, and his intellect vigorous. He has from boyhood worn a pair of small rings in his ears. TRAPPERS OP NEW YORK. 19 His complexion, owiiif? to his mode of life, is now swnrthy. In his younj^jer days he must have been a man of uncommonly prepossessing personal appearance; for his ac(|uaintances of forty years' standi''^, speak of him " as one of the likeliest looking men they have ever known." His walk — indeed, almost every motion — betrays his forest life, for he moves with the caution of a trapper and the stillness of a panther: added to which he becomes impatient and vexed at restraint. The frontispiece, which gives a good likeness of him at the age of about eighty three, exhibits him accoutred as a trapper. He usually wore a fur cap when hunting, and a short coat, or cloth roundabout. A belt encircled his waist, at the foot of which was fastened a bullet pouch, and beneath which upon the left side were thrust a hatchet and knife j while under his right arm swung a" powder horn of no mean capacity. When trapping for beaver, ho was often loaded with a bundle of double- spring steel traps; which were suspended beneath the le^t arm. The frontispiece was engraved from two daguerreotype likenesses, one of which was taken in the village of Johnstown, on the 10th of Sept., 1846 ; and .as there was a militia general training in the village on that day, the old hero was not only accoutred with little trouble to visit the artist; but was greeted at every turn by numerous friends and acquaintances, all eager once more to grasp his hand and give him a friendly salutation. The other miniature, although it does not exhibit the old trapper in his forest garb, was 20 TBAPFBRfl or NRVr YORir. tnken sukspquently at hi.i place of re.si(ience, and i.i hj far the be.st lik('iR\s.s. A borrowed cap 8een in the pic- ture, oonceals much of his intelligent brow. New York city again became the rcdidencc of Henry Stoncr while his children were quite young, during which Nicholas went to school and learned to read* Hie was sent to school by John Binkus (if I have the orthography correct), a man of wealth, who had married Miss Hannah Stoncr, a sister of the young student's father. During the Revolution, this Binkus became a refugee officer in the fainous corps of Gen. De Lancey. Henry Stoncr, who had been a kind of trafficker or speculator in a small way since his arrival in the colo- nies, after a second residence in New York of a few years, resolved to become a pioneer settler, and removed with his family to FondaV Bush, a place in the Johns- town settlements, so called after Maj. Jelles Fonda, who took a patent for the lamls. The place is situated about ten miles north of east from the village of Johnstown, and the same distance west of north from Amsterdam. Fonda's Bush signifies the same as if it were called Fonda's Woods, a dense forest covering the soil at that early period — bush being the usual terra for woods on the frontiers of New York. Indeed, the Sugar Bush is the present appellation given to woods fron which maple sugar is .lade. At the time of St^aer's arrival, Johnstown, though but a small villag , was becoming known abroad ; as it was the residence of the Baronet, Sir William Johnson (after whom it was called), who, iHApfiiiii OP ifiw Tone. 91 M Indian agent for the Six Nations, and as a military man of repute, waa notorious in what was thtn Western New York. As Stoner was the first settler at Fonda's Bush, he left his family in Philadelphia Bush, while he was erecting a log dwelling four miles distant. The last mentioned place, now in the town of Mayfield, obtained its name from the fact, that one or more of its first inhabitants were from Philadelphia, or the vicinity of that city. Some two years after Stoner fixed his resi- dence in the wilderness, Josepb Scott, and about the same time Benjamin De Line, also located in his neigh- borhood. I say neighborhood because they were the nearest neighbors of the Stoner family ; although from one to two miles distant. His residence was still on the wild-wood side of his pioneer brethren. The next man who fixed his residence in the vicinity of Stoner, was Philip Helmer, who drove the wild! beasts from their haunts and broke ground two miles to the east- ward of him. Andrew Bowman, Herman Salisbury, John Putman, Charles Cady, and possibly one or two others, also settled in and about Fonda'^s Bush before the Revolution. Cady, who married a daughter of Philip Helmer, was one of the first settlers at the West villaf ;. He is believed to have gone to Canada with Sir John Johnson. It must have been about the time of Stoner's location in Fonda's Bush, that Godfrey Shew, a German, made the first permanent location near Sir William Johnson's I 1 tt TiArrtii or niw Yoke. fishin(i( iovith kind partiality and pointed indulgence. He observed the most rigid formality in teaching his scholars manners; a very important branch of education, and quite too much neglected in modern times. He required his pupils, however, not so much to respect age and intellect in others as in himself. If a child wished to go out, it must go before him with a complaisant — please master may I go out ? accompanied with a bow, a backward motion of the right hand, and drawing back upon the floor the right foot. On returning to the school-room, the pupil had again to parade before the master, with another three-motioned bow, and a very grateful — thank you sir ! The lad Jacob Shew, on becoming initiated into the out-and-in ceremony, accompanied his first bow with a scrape of the left foot. Tak the other fut^ you rascal ! K roared with such a brogue and emphasis by old gogue, as to confuse him, and he flourished the left foot again. Tak the other futy I tell ye ! came louder than before, attended with a stamp that carried terror to the boy's heart. Comprehending the require- ment, he shifted his balance — scrapert with the right Jut — heard a surly that HI doh ! and went on his way rejoicing though trembling. In nearly every school of New England and New York twenty-five years ago, the scholars on entering and on leaving the school-room during the hours of i i TRAPPRKS OK NKW YORK. 27 ering rs of school, had to make their manners — the hoys to bow — gracefully if they could, hut at an events to how, and the girls to courtesy, genteelly of course. Nor were the manners of the children confined to the school- room; for on meeting any sober person in the street, they had to make their obeisance, and learned to take pleasure and pride in so doing. It was then a vei^ pretty spectacle to pass a country school-house at noon, or when the children were out at play, and see them parade as if by military intuition, and give the traveler a united evidence of good breeding. This sight is occasionally seen at the present day, where female teachers are employed. Traversing the forest in the French war, from Ti- conderoga to Fort Johnson, his then residence, no doubt first made Sir William Johnson familiar with the make of the country adjoining the Sacondaga river; and soon after the close of that war he erected a lodge for his convenience, while hunting and fishing, on the south side of the river, nearly eighteen miles disteint from his own dwelling. The lodge was ever after called The Fish House. It was an oblong square framed building, with two rooms below, and walls sufficiently high (one and a half stories) to have af- forded pleasant chambers. Its site was on a knoll within the present garden of Dr. Langdon I. Marvin, and about thirty rods from the river. It fronted the south. Only one room in the building was ever finished ; that was in the west end, and had a chimney and TSSS ■ll i I S 28 TRAPPERS OK NBW YORK. firc-placo. The house was never painted, and in the Revolution it was burnt down, but by whom or whose authority, is unknown. The ground f'roin where the building stood, slopes very prettily to the river. No visible trace of this b'lilding remains. A village has grown up at this place, containing several hundred inhabitants, and bearing the historic name of Fish House, although the post-office is im- properly called Northampton, the .village lying mostly in one corner of that town. The village is built upon gentle elevations, and a degree of neatness and thrift pervades it, that agreeably dis appoints the visitor. Among its early influential inhabitants, were Asahel Parkes, John Trumbull, John Rosevelt, Alexander St John, and John Fay. The last one named located here in 1803, and the others a few years before. Where the Stoner family settled in Fonda's Bush, a pretty village has also sprung up. It is built mostly upon level sandy land, and contains double the popu- lation of Fish House. It is situated in the towa of Broadalbin, and like its sister village, has the misfor- tune to have its post-office called after the town in- stead of itself, a discrepancy that should never exist where it can be avoided. A plank road went into operation in 1849, from Fish House to Fonda's Bush, a distance of eight miles ; and another from the latter place to Amsterdam, a further distance of t^n miles, bringing the three places within a few hours' ride of ' taoh other. f> ■eft %; TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. W The villages of Fish ilouso and Fonda's Bush inu^i grow in inportanci' with their improved facilities for business — indeed, the travel to those places hits l)e^ a the river from Fish House, a stage runs twice a week to Baliston Spa, stopping at Fish House; and another runs through the place three times a week, from Northville to Amsterdam. Both are mail routes. Northville deserves a passing nof'ie in this plate: it is 8 charming inland village in the town of Northamp- ton, containing two or three hundred inhabitant:;, romantically embowered among the hills on the north bank of the Sacondaga, six miles above the Fish House, and is fast increasing in importance. The ffst settlers at this place were Abraham Van Aernam, Paul Hammond, John Shoecraft, Daniel Lobdell and Daniel Bryant. It is now in contemplation to build a planh road from Northville, to connect at Johnstown with th«; one from that place to Fultonville, on the Erie canal. At a little place about equidistant between Fish House and Northville, on the south bank of, the river, with a post-office called Denton's Corners, settled Garret Van Ness, Abel Scribner and John Brown. They located there soon after the war of the Revolu- tion closed ; and as they had all three been participa- tors in its perils, they must often have met of a long ■winter evening and fought their battles over. There is, at this place, a bridge across the Sacondaga. .3* •< I CHAPTER II. Sir Willintn Johnson was no doubt induccil to locate in Johnstown, partly on a<',co»jnt of the greater facili- tieti it would aHbrd him lor hunting and fishing about the Sacondaga river, ov«'r a residence in the Mohawk valley, and partly to obtain more favorable grounds to accommodate the numerous Indians, who at times came to receive presents from the royal bounty. North of the Hall was a forest, in which those visitors were occasionally encamped in great numbers. The Sacondaga and Mohawk rivers are about twenty miles apart, from Fish House westward, for some dis- tance. The Mayfield mountain stretches across from the former river south-easterly to the latter, and there forms what is called The Nose, while on the north side of the Sacondaga, mountain ranges of hills tower- ing one above the other, bound the view. The lands, on gaining the summit level, a few miles north of the Mohawk, are not mountainous between the rivers, but gently rolling from the Mayfield mountain, some twenty miles to the eastward, until they strike what is denominated the Maxonhill; the northern termina- tion of which at the river the Indians called Scovhi- rock-a. The scenery, therefore, to the northward of Johnstown and Fonda's Bush, is very fine. ^i TRAPPERS or NEW YORK. 31 From the resulence of Col. John I. Slu'W, situated on an eminence one and a half milt's from Fonda's Biwh, and on the plank road to Fish Hou.se, is afforded the lover of natural science, in a clear day, one of the richest landscapes in this part of the state. Here the eye, lookfhg north, seems to scan rather more thar one-half of an amphitheatre, an hundred miles in cir- cuit, with rich and varied scenery. Within the view is overlooked the Sacondaga vlaie, a body of from ten to thirteen thousand acres of drowned lands. This immense marsh extends c'ast and west about six miles. A strip at the west end, nearly two miles long, lies in Mayfield, and the eastern part extends into North- ampton; but the greatest proportion is in Broadalbin, where it is the widest, being perhaps a mile or more in width. A fine mill stream, called Vlaie creek, because it courses through the great marsh, rises in Lake Dasola- tion, near the Maxon mountain in Greenfield, Sara- toga county, and making a grand circuit of Broadal- bin, passing in its route through the village of Fonda's Bush, it enters the Sacondaga at Fish House, not more than two or three miles from its source ; although some twenty by ite sinuous route. The stream is some- times called thrf Little Sacondaga. The Indians called it Ken-ny-ett-o, says Isaac R. Rosaj of Fonda's Bush, who saw an intelligent Indian, many years ago, write the name with red chalk on the door of a grist mill The signification of this pretty aboriginal name, after 4 \i \ h ' I 32 TK.\rPKKs or new yokk. which the villn^c iui«l {lost-f'tfice shnuhi have b«cn called, is now unknown. Thf ori^rin of this innrsh is thus given by Lardner Vanuxt'in, in his voluni«' of the Geology of New York. " The vlie, or natural meadow and .Hwainp which ex- tends along the creek of that name, to near the Fish Hou.se, are the remains of a lake, and show the pre- existent state of that country; the drainage of which happened at successive periods, as is beautifully shown, and the extent of alluvial action also, near where the upper and lower roads unite, which lead from Cran- berry post-office to the river, near the hill or mountain side. There four well defined alluvial banks exist, resembling great steps or benches ranging by the moun- tain side, which form a semi-amphitheatre, changing by a curve from a north-east to a south-south-east direction. The upper bank of alluvion rises about a hundred feet above the river; the next below, about eighty feet; the third, from thirty to forty feet; and the lowest, from ten to twelve feet. The upper one is of sand, the second of blueish clay covered with sand, and the two lower ones of sand and gravel. " The vlie, or natural meadows, are numerous in many parts of the [geological] district: they are the prairies of the west upon a small scale. Their soil, being composed of minutely divided parts or fine earth, is favorable for grass, the rapid growth of which smothers the germinating tree. This is the primary cause why trees do not exist where grass is rank; the .r i /^ • /- TRAPPKRfl or NRW YORK. 88 othem nro hut NulMinniiittc ones. One and all in the district show the sainc origin, havin({ hrt'ti ponds or lak«'s ri'Ct'iving thi' wash of" thf country which they (hainid, thi' finer particles ol which heing difTujied thr()ii;{h their waters, have hy su))sidence tbrnied their level hot ton), and their highly productive soil for grass." It id hy no rnean.s an uncommon occurrence for a pond or lake to become lilled up hy alluvial deposits, NO as to form dry and tillable land; and at times upon the surface of a body of water, a soil is formed that iii (Cultivated without its ever being known to the hus- bandman, that he is toiling over the bosom of a lake. In confumation of this I would instance a singular occurrence of recent date. On the Michigan Central Railway it became necessary to carry an embankment some fifteen feet thick across a piece of low ground, containing nearly one hundred acres dry enough to plow. The workmen had progressed with the grading some distance, when it became too heavy for the soil to support it, and sunk down into seventi/-nin€ feet of wafer. It then became apparent that the low ground had been a small lake, upon the surface of which, in process of time, a soil had collected, com- posed of roots, peat, muck, &c., to the depth of from ten to fifteen feet thick; the surface of which had become dry. Had it not been deemed necessary to carry so heavy an embankment over this miniature prairie of now rich arable land, it would probably % 34 TRAPrKUiH Of NKW V«»KIC. never hiivo been known that it rented on the bosom ol'u hike. On the northerly MJile ot'the vhii(> and to the weNt- waril of the centre, are two strips of hard hind bearing timber. They are ealh«l stacking-ridgfs, Ironi the tact that many tons of liay cut annually on the low grounds contiguous, are stacked upon them to be drawn off in the winter. Blue-joint grass used to f^row, and perhaps «loes to this day on the dryest bogs. Formerly, innnense (|uantitics of ('.ranberries were gathered on the north side of the marsh east of the lower stacking-ridge; on what is called Cranberry poirU. A kitul of 'jhovl with fine teeth wa.s some- times used to scoop them up, and nearly a quart could thus be gathered at once. This mode of picking in- jured the vines however. Cranberries are not as plenty here as formerly. Opposite Cranberry point the water in Vlaie creek is said to be very deep. One of the most interesting features about the vlaie is the fact, that a little knoll or table of hard land elevated some ten or twelve feet, extends into it toward the upper or western end. It is oblong in shape, level upon the top, and gently sloping all round. It lies about north-west and south-east; the summit being some 600 feet long by 150 in breadth; and con- taining in the whole say ten or fifteen acres of very good land. This tongue of land is called Summer' house point, from the fact that Sir Wm. Johnson erected a beautiful cottajre in the centre of it in 1772, # '* TKAITRKN or NKW Vi>RK. 36 and thorr spont niucli ol liis time in ihi' itimtniT for Ni'Vcrul NcH.vin.s. From Joliii.stowii to tiiis point, which ihju.st t'ourttrii mill's, tl.i> Hiiroiu't opMinl a curriu^c road. Whilf the road wh.h Murvryiiig, a lar^c tnr UHN inarkfd ut thr md of every mile, and numhered from the Hall. The one d»nominaled Mnc-miU Irte, a lar^e pine, wh.s .standing within twenty-live yearn, nnd was hy the late (ien. Henry Fonda desi^^naled to several persons, who have kept vip;ilan<'eot'its locality. The stump «)!' this tree which has tor seventy yeari* been a landmark, is still standing a little east of James Lasher's dwillin^, in the town of Mayiield. Siunmur-house point is approaeherhj)r;:;os hiil little if any more water than passes Sunimer-house point, in the Ken- nyctto: indeed, it is said by some of the observing citizens near itsmotith, that less water issues from the marsh than did formerly. 'Frenchman's creek is so called, because a French- man named Joseph DeGolier located at an early day upon its shores about two miles from its mouth. It has since been called McMartin's creek, after Duncan McMartin Esq., who established himself and erected mills upon it many years ago. McMartin was a sur- veyor and laid out most of the roads in and around Broadalbin. He was a man of wealth and respect- ability, and was appointed a judge of the common pleas in 1818 — was a master in chancery, &c. &c.; and as an evidence of his enterprise, erected a sub- stantial brick edifice upon his farm, some few years before his death. This same stream has also been called Factory creek, from the fact that a woolen manufactory was established upon it near the residence of Mr. McMartin, as early as 1812 or 1814. It is still in operation. Hans's creek got its name from the following circumstance: Some few years before his death, Sir William Johnson and John Conyne were fishing for trout in the mouth of this stream, when as Conyne was standing up, an unexpected lurch of the boat sent him out floundering in the water. He ship- ped a sea or two, as the sailor would say, before he was rescued by the helping hand of his companion u n '^ J more i Ken- lerving om the '"rench- rly day ith. It Duncan erected s a sur- around respect- common Sec. &c.; d a sub- w years [so been woolen esidence It is still from the store his |ne were , when ihofthe [e ship- lefore he ipanion i■:^ TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 39 from a watery grave. ]\Iy intbrmant heard the Ba- ronet relate the circumstance at Johnson Hall to a large circle of friends soon after, with his usual gusto for such adventures. He not only had a hearty laugh over it then, but often afterwards when telling low Conyne plunged into the water to seek for trout. Hans being the Dutch of John, and the familiar name by which Sir William called his companion in relating the incident ; hence the name for the stream. There is now along the sides and lower end of Summer-house point, a stunted growth of alder and swamp willow, but when occupied by Sir Willian Johnson; the bushes were all cut off, and the margin ^ of the stream kept clean. He had a beautiful boat there, in which he used to go down to the Fish House, four miles distant, sometimes with company, for he entertained numerous distinguished guests, and at other times attended only by a few servants, or possibly by his faithful Pontioch, who rowed the boat while he sat in the stern and steered it. His greatest time for hunting and fishing, was in the spring and fall. When f e marsh was flooded, a boat would pass over it any- where, the water raising at Summer-house point, from six to eight feet above low water mark. At such times the prospect was grand from the promenade of his cottage, access to which was gained by an out- side stairway, near the hall door. Thousands upon thousands of ducks and wild geese were then floating \ <'(' 40 TRAI'I'KKS OK >KW YOKK, V i \ ,&^' upon the waters, at which time his double-barreled gun was in almost constant recjuisition. Some twenty- five years ago, Inii^hod at hy his cotnradcs when a^ain in the boat. Query: Slioitid not this stream bu called Shuw's crt'ck, soiru' part of the time? Near the mouth of Ilans's creek, and about half- way from Summer-house point to Fish House, dwelt before the Revolution the family of Henry Wormwood. He had three daughters and two sons. The oldest daughter, whose name is now forgotten, married and went to Schoharie; the other two, Susannah and Eli- Kabeth, lived at home. Susannah, the elde.st of the two, was a l)( autiful girl, of middling stature, charm- ingly formed, with a complexion fair as a water lily — contrasting with which she had a melting dark eye ' and raven hair. Elizabeth much resembled her sister, but was not quite as fair. An Irishman named Robert or Alexander Dunbar, a good looking fellow, paid his addresses to Susannah, and soon after married her. The match was in some manner brought about by the Baronet — was an unhappy one, and they soon after »^ parted. She however retained as her stock in trade I a young Dunbar. What became of Dunbar is un- * known. Sir William was on veiy intimate terms with both ^ the W^ormwood girls, but the most so with Susannah, ^ after she became a grass-widow — at which time she was about twenty years old. Those girls were often at the cottage on the point, and not unfrequently at the fish-house. As the latter place was not fur- nished, when Sir William went down there, intending TRAPI'KRH OF NKW YORK. 46 to stay over nipht, hv took down a ht-d from tho point, wliirh, '* as the cvi'iiini; shades prrvailcd," was ma«|p up on the floor. In passing Wormwood's dwelling, soinr lialt" a mile distant from his boat at the nearest point, it' he desired an agreeable eompanion for the ni^ht, he discharged his douhle-harreled gun, and the two shots in (|iii(k succession, was a signal that never faiietl to bring him a temporary housekeeper. Su- sannah was his favorite, and so pleased was she with his attentions, that she often arrived on foot at the Fish House before he did, especially if he lingered to fish by the way. Wormwood and his wife sometimes accompanied one of their daughters to the fish-house, where they occasionally remained over night. The old man had the misfortune to break an arm, and by imprudence he kept it lame for a long time. Early one morning he called in at Shew's dwelling, situated over a knoll and perhaps one-fourth of a mile from the fish-house. Rubbing his arm he began to give a sorry picture of its lameness, in which he was suddenly interrupted by Mrs. Shew. "Poh!" said she, "you have made it lame by sleeping on the floor again at the fish- house." " No I haven't," said he; " I slept on a good bed; for Sir William brought down from the point a very nice wide one, which was plenty large enough for four"— " Four ?" quickly interrogated Mrs. Shew, greatly \ \ /. 46 TKAI'CF.KM OK NKW YOKK. Mtr|irist'(l ut thr reply ot VVoriiiuood, " pruy how did you luiiiia^rc to sit'cp j'o\ir in a l)t'«l /" " O, ca.Ny Liiou^h. Susannah luach* it up vi'iy uiiu-ly on the floor, arxi thfii Sir William told us how to lay. Ill- llrst (lircctfd the women to get in the midillc, and now, said he to me, you ;;('t on that side a'ld take /"eare of your old woman next to you, and I'll ^^et in on this side and try to take cure of Susannah. No, I didn't make my arm lame hy sleeping on the floor laii -* night." It is unnecessary to add, Mr.s. S. did not ^ question her neighhor any farther. To dispose of this family in a few words, which / catered for years to pamper the baser passions of an I infhiential man, liberally endowed with Solomondic J lust; the two sons went to Canada with Sir John Johnson; Elizabeth married someftodyand moved to— , somewhere; and Susannah, with an heir to the Sacon- *jr*laga vlaie — sex unknown — remained about Johns- town with her parents until the Revolution was over, and then went to Canada. Old Wormwood was seen at Amsterdam after the war by a former neighbor, ^ who en([uircd w/iere he lived ? " Any where," he re- plied, " where I can find a house." Poor weak man, .he has beyond doubt parted with his 'mortal coil' long since; but his old bones, we hazard a conjecture, /more than once felt the need of Sir William's * wide bed,' or some other, before that solemn event. About the fish-house, Sir William Johnson re- served one hundred acres of land, which was confis- m re- konfis- •nt^rrnuM ok sr.w york. 4T OJitrd with his son's j'statr iti tin* Hrvoliitlon. Whrn (told 1)) the .s('i|iii>.Ntiatiii^r coiMinittct', it was pnrcha.si'd by Major Nirliolas l''i>li (hi' was a«rMilaiil-i;riicial of militiii ii^'T >h«' war), lor onr hiimlrrd pounds. Maj. Fish sold it at tht- close of thr war to Asa In I Parkts, of Shiirtsl)iiry, Vrrnutrit, who residrd wvi-rai yearn upon it. lie liiiiit a dwelling; upon the low |;roiind a few rotis from the mouth of V'laie ercek; ami the fol- lowin;^ sprint; he was driven out of it hy some four feet of water. Tractes of this liuildin^* are still to he Been west of the road, Just above the river hridge. Parkes sold the Fish-house farm to Alexander St. John. The villaf^»' has since heen built upon it. The bridfjje just alluded to eiosses the rivir wliere it makes its i^reat anghs and only a few rods below the mouth of Vlaie creek. The Sacnndaga at this place is about two-thirds as large as the Mohawk is at Fultonville. The cost of this bridge, u covered one, in Barber & Howe's Historical Collections of Jfew York, is erroneously stated to have been * sixty thou- sand dollars.' It cost about six thousand dollars, and ( was built by the state's munificence in 1818; at which time Jacob Shew was in the legislature and advocated the measure with success. It was supposed the .state would soon realize the funds again, by the sale of her lands on the north side of the river, a market for which would be more readily found by improving the way to them. How profitable the investment has proved for the state we are unable to say, but the ». » 48 TKAI'I'KUN or NKW YoUK. corivi'tiifticv ol' a iVcv brid|{t< tu tlif public in iiivulua- ble. AmoriK tht' iiiiwi.s#' incaMircN adopted in tli«- early part ot'uur Htru^^lc (or li!,"rty, wa.s that of tortil'yin^ Su miner-house point; it heill^ supposed hy .some that an enemy from the north, would he likely t<» approach tiie point by water. Part of a regiment of eontinetital troops under Col. Ni(;hol.son was stationed here inuth of the summer of 1776. An inlrenehment six feet wide and several l'e<'t deep was tut across the eastern end of the point; while the cotta^«' in j^reen livery, as we may suppose, assinned a warlike aspect. The point as a military post was abandoned at the end of the summer. The sununer-house shured the same fate as the fish-house, in tlu' Utvolution; as they were both burnt about the year 1781. We suppose that, from the fact that this cottap; had been oc(uipied by the Americans as a military post, and that the repos- session of it by Sir .lohn Johnson was now j)hiced almost beyond a doubt amon^ the impossibilities; he irave instru('ti()nstosome hostile invaders to burn that and the fish-house, that they should tail to the own- ership and occupancy of no one else. All traces of the fortifications on the point have disappeared, the ditch having become entirely filled up by deposits from the marsh. Just before Summer-house point was garrisoned, a scout of several men was sent from Johnstown to re- connoitre in its vicinity. From the point thf;y crossed ic-t'd ; he that ovvn- L!c'S of the )()sits THAKI'KHH OK NKW YOKK. 49 the inarah to th«> l)aiik of the Saronila^a, ami not find- iii^{ any traa« ol' an rnrniy'.s appioaih, thry returned to the point. VVIicri rtady to retrace their Nteps to Johnstdwn, they loiind the hont had ht>cn ict't hy some person on the opposite shore ot thr Kerinyetto. In attempting to eross the stream ant! ^et if, oneot the men, named Willie Itoiles, a (Continental .soldier, wan » drowned. His hody was re<;ov«'red and l)uri»'d on the ^ northerly en York troops, commanded by captain Timothy Hughes. Not long after his brother John, a mere boy, enlisted under Capt. Wright. Captain W. had been a British drum-major previous to the Revo'.-4tion, and being pleased with John, undertook to perfect him in the I art oifiammadiddles and paddadiddtes — in other words, in the ability to make a world of noise in a scientific ** manner. Henry Stoner, imitating the example of his boys, soon after enlisted under Capt. Robersham for a term of three years. The father and sons were all in' the same regiment, so that they not only saw each other almost daily, but the former could to some little extent, still exercise the duties of a parent. The re- giment alluded to was commanded by Col. James Livingston, of which Richard Livingston was lieuten- ant-colonel, and Abraham Livingston captain; the three Livingstons being brothers. In August 1777, the troops under Col. Livingston joined the army of i E •. i^ ii r ■'i/» I ft8 TItAri'KKS «»F NKW YOKK. Get). Arii()l ! I \i vallpy, his time chuyler, re Speii- vllla^e), ; enemy, BoatH er Butler about the t down to ,wk va'loy > hung, his n. Arnold Ills doath, r the camp lorces ad- aising the Schuyler olas was joncompli- n fidelity Is no little whether •own into |al shrewd [t, and ere dropped las to his teriously, Imerous?" Tounitin? 4 > riUI'IKHS OK NKW YORK. M ^ laden with provisions wn« taken up tiie Mohawk, guarded by troops alonp; the shore. As they drew near the theatre of the brave Herkimer's disasters, evidences of the terrible onslaupjht at Oriskany met them. Near the mouth of the Oriskany creek, a f,'im was found standing ajrainst a tree with a pair of [)oots| hanging on it; while in the creek near, in a state bordering; on putrefaction, lay their supposed owner. ^ In the jifrass a little way from the shore, lay a^jfenteely dressed man without coat or hat, who it was suppose the hiNt >ir bones A little ' liiiib of (lie traces iiiericans, ing made old, after tiwix and en. Gates lepteinber )Ught the iiged, an |). Gates, lined to- on Gen. lus being I the san- [leights, lor the I evening 1 e general, who had \ 4no\v-<'lad plains of l in peril of the gal- Ti! \rrr.u«* or nkw york. 61 of that day, that daring chief led a body of troops into the very heart of the llrssian <:unip; carrying dismay | along the vsholo Uritish line. In this impetuous onset he was shot through the leg,* and would to God the ^ ball had passed through his heart; and that that tear- \ less and reckless leader, who, up to that hour had been (tne of liiBKRTY's lioldcst champions, could have ^ sealed with his life-blood his former deeds of glory! Yes, would to (Jot! that that l)rave general, who had faced his country's foes on the snow-cl Abraham, and been a companion lant, warm-hearted Montgomery, could now have found a grave on those hi ights, where his own blood had mingled with that of the foeman! But alas! alas! a sombre destiny awaitt'd him. Among the dtath-daiing spirits who followed Ar- nold to the Hessian «'ainp, was Nicholas Stoner, and near the enemy's works be was wounded in a singular manner. A cannon shot from the breastwork killed a , soldier near Stoner, named Tyrrell. The ball de- molished his head, sending its fragments into the faceT of Stoner, which was literally covered with brains, J hair and fragments of the skull. He fell senseless, with the right of his head about the ear severely cut * A wounded Hessian fired on Arnold, and John Rednnan, a vo- lunteer, ran up to baytmot him, but was prevented by his general, \ who exclaimed, " He'x a fine fellow — don't hurt him .'" The Hessians continued to fight after they were down, berause they » had been told by their employers that the Americans would give no i^ quarters . — Stoner . 6 ,J» 68 TKAI'I'KUK OK NMW YOUK. by portioiiNot' the .skull horn, v^liicli injury Ntill ufrvctJi hJM hrarin^ in that cur. Shortly utter, u.s the yoiin)( ■» fitcr WHN ini.«Min^, one Sweeney, an Irinh soldier, wu.s Nenl to iieek out ami hear him from the field; hut u /cunnrm .shot whi/xcd ho near his own head, that hv Noon returne a stature seemly, graceiully jutting out where swell- | ings were most becoming, and bewitchingly tapering ' where diminution is sought in female form. Her skin was clear and fair, and her hair and eyes black, the latter shaded by raven lashes under the control of jnusfcle, that gave to the organs of love a most melting exprc.;:.ion. n 72 TltAITKHS OF NKW YORK. Some distaiicf (.iitlicr fVoin the tort, iiml on the mi I ac road us Mason, dwell a family iiaini'd Hrovvst*; the mall' mrmlM-rs oC wlmii ,vc;»' in tin' camp ol" tin- t-ncmy. At home wt'tv Mrs. Browsr and two beaut i- Inl dau^iitcrs. They, too, wi-re in tlieir teens, and like Anna Mason, they had sparkling Mack eyes, rnhy / li|)S and cherry cheeks. The war of the Kevolntion soon rendered nei^;hl)orin^ lamilies distant and Ibrinal, where they looked with div«'rse lavor upon the acts of the contendinj^ parties, even though they had boei; • intimate before. The resolutions of vigilance com- mittees often tended to such a result. I have remarked elsewhere, that yotmg Stoner, when on duty at Johnstown, went hunting in the proper season. Mis pigeon hunt'mg often gnve him an inter- view with the young ladies named, and not unfre- V"^quently did Anna, as the lumter was about to proceed I farther from the gan ison, with some anxiety and a I reproving look, cast a caution in his jjath from her — father's door, such as " Nicholas, you'll be surprised r yet at that tory house and taken oil" to Canada: you . had l)ett«,'r not go there." If the maiden had not con- reived some attachment for the yoimgfifer, the reader ' will agree with me, that she was possessed of sisterly feelings. He was then quite partial to Anna, as he / admits, and we think he mUvSi have promised her to limit his future excursions to a nearer range, else why - the caution observed in another visit. As the yoimg musician usually hunted in the same chisoX can- I TKAPF'EUS OF NF.W YORK. 73 direction, it was suspected hy more than one at the station that he went sky-larking;, and Janoes Dunn, who was possibly in the secret of his destination, one day told Capt. Pell that " if he did not look out he would lose his lifer, as he not only went upon danger- A» ous jrrounds, but hunted two kinds of pigeons.^^ The captain, whose inrlinations led him to follow all the fortunes of war, took occasion secretly to catechise the younR hunter; and the latter, with his usual dor, owned up. The consequence was, the commander of the garrison concluded the hunting o( pigeons must be rare sport, espec ially if they were not too lean, and T- soon obtained a promise from young Nimrod to take ^ him where he could find one nestled. Arrangements having been made for a hunt, secretly of course, a garment was thrown over the back of an old white mare belonging to the widow Shutting, which sought its living around the fort; and selecting a propitious evening, the hunter and his pupil — under cover of a cluster of trees a little distance from the garrison, mounted their Rozinante and set off. The reader may be surprised that they started on a pigeon'^ hunt in the evening, and still more when informed that they left their shooling-irons behind; but this is^ all owing to his ignorance of the policy of war, for he should know that game is easier tal'en on the roost \^ than on the wing. It was the wish of the master hunter to avoid pass- ing on their way the house of Jeremiah Mason, and 7 74 TRA.'^rKHK OP NRW YOnK. why, possibly tlu' nadt r may ititVr; he says himself, howi'Vcr, it was iVoin Irnr a wat« h-doj^ might fjctruy 5 the miturt! of their errand ami thus startle the bcH (Tame : eonsequeiilly a bliml ami eireuitous route wixsi chosen, some; distance from the public, highway. Wh( tiler the animal was too heavily loude take a midnight observation. It turned out that Mason's sentinel was barking at tlie old mare the hunters had abandoned. Having - collected her scattered limbs, she too had concluded to go browsing, and was, as the reader will perceive, on i the rigli! track. On the return of his pioneer, the v 76 TKAPrEltN OK NKW VOHK. 1 ) ) / r C cnptain wa.s ((ratifird to Irnrn tliut Ihert' wm no real tausr ol' alanii, ami pigeon hiintiriK Hoon prrwpprHl aKaiii. Towarils the dawn of day llu» Mport.smen rv liiriM'd to till' garrison; ('apt. I'cll (>xactinf{ from his iuu.>i('iari IIh- most solemn assurancrs of secresy n-- (ipi'ctiiif; his surt'r,s,sful and oril; attempt at fowling anjonj; the Hrowse, until he ahould meet ivith me. The female and infant part of many tamilie.s in the border .settlements of New York, whose male ncmbciii were foes of the country, removed about this period to Canada, among m hit h wn.s this Hrowse family; and such others as did not go voluntarily, were compelled to by an act of the state legislaturi* soon after. In the summer and autiunn of 1780, Nicholas Stoncr was on duty in the valley of the Hudson. He was a filer of the guarri at Tappan, which attended Major Andre from his prison to his gallows; and witnessed the execution of that unfortunate man. The gallows was constructed, as he says, by the erection of two white oak crotchea, with a cross-piece of the same kind of timber, all with the hark on. Not far from the gallows was an old woman selling pies, to whom Stoner directed his steps. He met at la r stand Elijah Cheedle, then a stranger to him. They paid this huckstress $ 100 in continental money, for either an apple pie, or pumpkin pie, which at first she declined receiving: she finally concluded to take it, observing as she did so, " My children, the pie is worth more than the money, but I will take it that I may be able f\ TRAPI'KIIH OF N:'.W YOKK. 77 to Hiiy, I Holil a !»i«' for one hundred dollars.^* Mr. 7 ) :) Chrt'tllr Ntttlnl ill Kinj;sl»()r<»u>(h aflrr iUv war, wht-re he Mtiil rcNidr^ n rrsprctcd citi/cn. While statioiuil al Snake Hill, near the IliaUon, youn^ Stoner's ituliiiation to mischiet' procured for him u duplicate ilo^^iii^. There was daily about the cnmp a hoy nainetl Albright, who had been so un- fortunate as to |f).se un eye. Stoner, ineliiud to he wa^f^ish with all, procured the eye of a heef butchered in the neighborhood, and olfcrin^ it to Albright, said to him, '' Here, take this and you will then have two I '»yes and be somebody." The boy complained to Ids mother, an Irish woman, who, stating the matter t( the connnandini; oflicer, had the .satisfaction of know inj5 that he was punished for treatiufj; her .son .so un kindly. Stoner did not relish the interference of the mother, as the boy was about his own ape, and bej:ranN to puzzle his wits for .some method of retaliation. A sohlier's a^^ent is powder, although he may be a fder, and loading an ugly looking bone with the dangerous du.st, he watched a favorable opportunity when she\ Wiis near his tent, and applied the match to it. The explosion was greater than he had anticipated, and / tlu' scattering fragments not only tore the old woman's ^ petticf)ats, but severely wounded her arm. Although he had improved a most promising occasion to avoid detection, yet .some trivial incident betrayed Stoner as the artilleri.st, and he was very severely whipped for the act. lie was served rightly no doubt. 1 I 78 TlUrPKKS OF NEW YORK. In the fall of 1781, Nicholas Stoner was on duty at Yorktown, and when the srlge of that place closed, he sa . ' Gen. O'Hara surrender his sword to Gen. Lincoln.* A part of the time while at Yorktown, our hero ^ was a fifer under the noble-hearted Lafayette. One • Several eirors have crept into histoi y about this ceremony. The facts were as follows: In May, 17S0, Gen. Lincoln, then in \ command iit Charleston, S. C, was compelled to surrender his ] sword to Cornwallis. When his lordship found himself obliged to yield to Ihe al'ied army, he knew that Lincoln, who was his ^ equal in rank, was with the concpiorois, and as th(> terms now f^ meted to him were jirecisoly like those dictati'd 1o Lincoln, he possibly may have corijoctured that that ofTicti would be designated nt to interior military posts; and Col. Cortlaudt\s regi- ment, to which Nicholas Stoner belonged, on its re- turn march to(df live hundred prisoners, destined for Fredericksburg, in charge for some distance. While tilt; troops were crossing at a ferry, i)robal)ly York or Rappahannoc river, Stoner snw a French ofhcer drop J his purse, and lost no time in restoring it to the owner. The ollicir grateful for its nn'overy, although h(» had not yet missed it rewarded him with a half doubloon "^ (iSS), mnnerous bows, and not a few expressions of re- gard, such as — " You pe a grand poy ! You pe bon U honest American! You p(> a vcr line soldier, be gar! " and the like. The reception of this money, obtained through the generosity of a kind hearted stranger, for ^ an evidence of commendal)]e integrity, afforded young '' Stoner more pleasure, as he assured the writer, than I i, TIIAI'PERS OF NEW YORK. i| could possil)ly tlic whole amount the purse contained, had he dishonestly kept it; for to retain that wliich we know anolhei has lost, is almost as great a crime as to purloin it cither by stealth or force; and a "con- science void of oflfence," allows its possessor to sleep V soundly and have pleasant dreams. The young musi- cian had many IViends while his eight dollars lasted, --" for come easy^ go easy^ was the soldier's motto. Henry Stoner, as elsewhere stated, enlisted for a term of three; years, in the American array. At the expiration of that time he received his discharge at Verplanck's point, soon after which he reenlisted at Groton, for three months, to fill another man's place. After the time of his second military engagement was up, he returned home. For about one year he lived on the farm of Col. John Butler, on Switzer hill, from whi(;h he went to reside near Tribe's hill, not far dis- tant from Fort Johnson. The farm to which he re- moved from Butler's, is now in the town of Amster- dam, and was long known as the Dr. Quilhott place: the late John Putman, if we mistake not, was residing on this farm at the time of his death. In the summer of 1782, a paity of seven Indians'^ traversed the forest from Canada to the Mohawk val- ley, the ostensible object of whose mission was to capture or destroy William Harper, afterwards judge (he resided for some years in Queen Anne's chapel parsonage), John Littel, afterwards sherifT, and such others as chance might throw in their w^ay. Arriving (1 1 82 TRAPrERS OF NKW YORK. at the bouso of Dries* Bowman, to the eastward of Johnstown, the hostile scout learned that Henry Stoner — was a whig of the times; that he had two sons then in the American army, and that he was living in a f situation from its retirement, exposed to their mercenary designs. Thwarted in their original plan, they direct- ed their steps, piloted by Bowman, to the dwelling of Stoner, and on their way captured a man by the name V of Palmatier. Unsuspicious of danger, Mr. Stoner, accompanied by a nephew named Michael Reed (son of Conrad Reed), went early one morning to a field to hoe corn; J it was the first hoeing for the season. Mrs. Stoner having prepared breakfast, blew a horn to call her friends, and they were about to leave the corn-field, as young Reed, a lad then in his teens, discovered r two Indians armed with hatchets approaching them from adjoining woods, and directed the attention of his kinsman that way. The latter, who kept a loaded . gun in his house, attempted to gain it by flight, seeing which, one of his foes ran so as to cut off his retreat. /v While making an angle in the road, the savage headed him, by crossing a piece of growing flax. ^ Whether the victim offered to surrender himself a /prisoner to the British scalper, is not known; it is V, very probable he did; but the cry of mercy was un- heeded, and the assassin's keen edged tomahawk de- ^ scended with a crash, through an old fashioned beaver • Dries is an abbreviation for Andreas, the German of Andrei*-. TRAPPERS OF NE^' \ORK. 83 =1 hat anu what resistance the skull ofTered, and pene- trated the brain. The scalping knife was quickly unshr;ithed, an I several fingers of a Imnd the stricken patriot had laid imploringly upon his aching forehead, were nearly r.ni off with the scalp lock — the rnerchan- \ dise that would then most readily command British T% gold. Some of the Indians now ran to the dwelling, which was soon rifled of its most valuable contents, ""• and set on i ^. As they approached, Mrs. Stoner dis- covered them near the door, and snatching up a frock, threw it out of a back window which was open. The enemy lingered sufficiently long to secure what plun- der they desired, and see the house so effectually on J fire as to ensure its destruction, and then directed their course towards Canada. No peisonr.l injury was offered Mrs. Stoner, and soon after the destructives had retired, she obtained the dress cast from the win- dow, the only article she was enabled to save, and went to the house of John Harman, a neighbor, sup- /^ posing her husband and young Reed were prisoners. Bowman aMod the prisoners in carrying their plun- der to a secret hiding place, near the Sacor '^^a, where beside a log, they had concealed food. Tal- matier effected his escape on the first night after his '^ capture, to the great joy of his iilends; and the feigned prisoner, Bowman, was allowed to return home the •» night following. From their secret rendezvous, near the present village of Northville, the party journeyed with their captive Reed, by the nou-.crly route to '1 ()» ; r W; % I M 94 TKArrKIlS OF NKW YDKK. Canada, where he hecanio a (IruinnuT in Butler's Ran- ^gers a'ul rcruaineci until the war closed. llaruian, alter the arrival of Mrs. Stoner at his ^ house, suspected Bowman of treachery, and made known his suspicions to some of his neighbors, who went with him to Stoner's premises. Going from the N ruins of his house to the corn fiehl, they found him where he had been cut down, in or near the road. ^ He was still alive, and although unable to speak, sig- nified by signs, his desire for wati r, which was pro- J cured in a hat as soon as possible; but on drinking a draught he expired immediately. He was buried be- . neath a hemlock tree, near which he ^ad been slain. ' Thus ignobly perished a brave man, who with scores of other citizens on the frontiers, of all ages, sexes, and conditions, found an untimely, grave, because the evidence of their destruction would command a liberal S ' price in the camp of the enemy. English freemen, ■^ where is thy blush? Where is thy shame for the \ I deeds of hellish cruelly inflicted by thy hirelings, not / I only on brave men, but on unoffending mothers and •ri smiling inlimts? Lini;uTY purchased at such a price, * oh, wuth what jealousy should it be guarded! When Palmatier returned and made it known that • Bowman had aided the Indians in carrying their stolen \ goods, the latter was arrested by patriots and confined in the Johnstown jail, then fortified. A party of whigs, among whom were Godfrey Shew and his son Henry, John Harman, Jamt. Dunn and Benjamin i TUArrisRS OK NKW YORK. 85 DeLine,* assembled, fully dctcnnined to make IJowman confess his evil deeds. Amoii}^ other devices resorted J) to, to make the tory disclose the information desired, a rope was thrown round some fastening overhead with a noose upon his neck; and he was recjuired to, mount a barrel. But lie was interrogated and threat- ened in vain; and after the patience of his accusers was well nigh exhausted, Dunn, who partook largely ' of the patriotic spirit of the times, swore he should > hang; and kicking the barrel from under him he did hang — or rather stood very uncomfortably upon air'\ for a little time; but was finally taken down, and with I various warnings about his future conduct, was again ^ allowed his Ireedom. At the time of his father's death, Nicholas Stoner « was on duty at King's Ferry. I • At the time of Sir John Johnson's invasion of Johnstown and its vicinity in the summer of 1780, DeLine and Joseph Scott were living in Johnson Hall. When Johnson visited there to procure his concealed property, DeLine and Scott were made prisoners and taken to Canada. From his having been a hunter and fa- \ miliar with the forest, DeLine wa.s li({htly bound. This was the -^ second time they were taken to Canada during tlic war, and how long they remained prisoners there tit this time is unknown to the writer. M CHAPTER VI. John, a son of Philip Ilohner, named m one ot the pioneer settlers in Fonda's Bush, who remained there after his patriotic neighbors had removed to Johns- town, accompanied Sir John Johnson to Canada on his removal from Johnson Hall, early in the Revolu- tion. Returning to the settlement not long after, he became an object of suspicion; was arrested by the patriots, and confined at Johnstown. A sentinel was placed over him who was very green in the scn'ice, '^and improving a favorable opportunity, the prisoner JJtook occasion to praise his gun; and closed his adula- /^ fXion by requesting permission to look at it, which was 7 readily granted. The piece had hardly passed out of ^ the young guanl's possession, ere his authority was ^set at defiance, and its new owner took it to a place of |/Y retirement to inspect its merits; which were not fully J decided upon until he had safely arrived in Canada. At a later period of the war, young Helmer again had the audacity to visit the Johnstown settlements. I He returned late in the fall, and was concealed at his I father's house for some time, intending on the return I of spring, if possible, to take back some recruits viith him for the British service. The nonintercourse so generally observed between whig and tory families IRAPPKRS OK NKW YOKK. 87 favored his (li,si|^'ri, l)Ut by some mraiis liis plin'o of ^ rofugc luratnc known to thior piitrintic- neif^hbors, . Benjamin Dcliinc, Soloinori Woodworth .'ind Henryy Shew, who di'tcrinint'd on his captuiH.'. Well atraed, they procct'dud one nij(ht to llic vicinity of his father's ^ dwellinji^, and cont'eaU'd thi'msclvcs at a phico where i they had reason to suppose he woiild pass. They had (, not been there long wlien, unsusj)i(',ious of danger, he approached the trio, who poised their fire-arms and he ^ yielded to their authority, and was lodged in the Johns- town jail. The entrance.' to the fort through the pick- eted enclosure, was on the south side. Helmer had a sister named Magdalene, the Germans call the name Lana, by this name she was known, y Miss Lana was on intimate terms with a sohlier then on duty at the Johnstown fort; and at an interview ^ with him after one of several visits to her brother, to whom she carried such little comforts as a sister can provide, she got a pledge from him, that when on / sentinel duty he would unlock the prison door and set X the prisoner i'riiv. It was in the night time and while his vigils lasted, that she had found access to the pri- [ soner. True to his j)romise, Lana's lover did set her brother at liberty, and, with another soldier, was se- duced from his duty by the prisoner, when both fled in his company. When she vyills it, what can not wo- man do? A sergeant and five men, Amasa Stevens, Benjamin DeLine, before named, and three continental soldiers were soon upon their trail, which they were I- i 8H TUAPPKUS or SKW YtmK. onalilrtl to follow !)> tlir Tall of alight snow, aiul t.ikinpf J with (luiii u lantern that they ini(;ht truvcl hy ni^ht, thry came up with and surprised thoin in tho woods. Thi! two soldiers wore fired upon and killed, hut llel- Xnjer, with a severe hayonct wound in his thij^h es- caped: he v.ns afterwards discovered nearly dead, in ■y'fionie bushes where he had concealed himself, and was taken to the fort: there he was cured of his wounds V* and a^ain imprisoned. Bysome unaccountahie nieuiLi ' I he succeeded the third time in effecting his enlargo- I ment; fled to Canada, and there remained. He, too, ^f had been a hunter before the war; and was familiar with the forest. A part of the preceding facts were from Jacob Shew. At an interview between Helracr and Nicholas Stoner, which took place in Canada Y subsequent to the war, he told the latter that he suf- *A fered almost incredible hardships in making his last Ji journey to that country. In the last year of the Revolution, Nicholas Stoner belonged to a band of musicians, which marched into New York with troops under Col. Willctt, on its Xevacuation by the enemy. He played the clarionet, as did also Nicholas Hill. During the stay of Gen. Washington in that city, an exhibition of lire-works took plac»-, on which occasion the band alluded to performed. Stoner also saw Washington enter the barge at Whitehall on his leaving New York; and to ruse his own words, was one of the hand that played him oj/'. ) ] TRAPPKRS OF NF.W VoKK. 89 Mischief lurked in tho vrins of yntincf Stoncr to ilm A end of \^ ^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^ ^ ^^^ 4^' ;■! .11 1.0 I.I 1 2.5 ■^ Uii |2.2 i^^^S 1.25 ||U 1.6 ^ 6" ► 4 ^ V] /I. y: o-s-m. %' o 7 /A Photographic Sciences Corporation * \ c^ w^\ V <^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 873-4503 i .11 ^^ 1- O^ 90 TRArPEHS OF NEW YORK. r i intrusion? several voices were at once demanding, a» the last enterer, almost out of breath, stammered out — \ " Massa curnil! dis deblish musiker, he 'suit me berry •* bad; I'm lame, can't help it; froze my feet, like to /! froze my body too: all under Curnil Will't in de bush j f* spow knee deep: dis rascal call me iocl pigeon; I no stand it." " I comprehend," said Col. Cochrane: "you have I been very unfortunate while in the service of your -^ country, and it grieves you, as well it should, to have any one speak lightly of your misfortunes." ^ "Eezzur!" " Well, my good fellow, leave the matter to me, and go to your quarters: I'll punish the impudent ^ rascal." ^ " Dat's wat I want," said the lame soldier, now rc- ^stored to good humor ; " he desarbs it, and I hope you ^ whip him berry hard, massa curnil; yah-yah-yah — '* " That I will," interrupted the officer. " Tank you, cv-.rnil, cause you my friend ;" con- N tinued the offended warrior, as he turned to go out, and restored a care worn drab and black hat to his O bump of pugnacity. While closing the door to leave N. the presence of his umpire and friends, a smile of I satisfaction was seen lurking about his under lip, and V he was observed to close his fist and shake it at his offender, as much as to say — " Ha, de curnil gib it to ^ you; you get your hide loosened dis time." While the dialogue lasted, a frown sat upon the n Tr.API'EIlS OF NEW YORK. 91 brow of Col. C'oihrance, and the young culprit beganX to feel in imagination the whistling lash his unruly tongue had invoked; but no sooner had the complain- ant closed the rough door, than, in spite of all his efforts to the contrary, he found himself obliged to 7 join his merry companions and laugh heartily. The figure of the limping negro, who, if he did not wear cotton, was anazingly outward-bound, seemed still before him, and turning to the mischief-maker, he with no little effort gave him a sharp reproof for thus j imprudently wounding the feelings of one who should I exite his sympathy; and then, not daring to venture a longer speech, lest he should spoil it with a laugh, he ordered him from his presence with a threat of terrible vengeance at the end of a rawhide, if he ever did the like again. Bowing his thanks for the easy and unexpected terms meted to him, young Stoner promised to do bet- ter in future, and as he left the hut to seek his own,V the walls of the rude dwelling behind him shook with \ the boisterous merriment of its inmates, at their very unique entertainment. When the war of the Revolution closed and the dove took the place of the eagle — when the prattling infant could nestle in its mother's bosom secure from midnight assassins — when the warrior once more laid aside his sword and musket to grasp the hoe and spade N^ of thrift — when commerce again spread her white wings w^ithout fear of the foeman's fire — when art and I V ) 92 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. science again smiled o'er hill and dale, enriched by j the blood of freemen slain — when Liberty, with a home of her own, invited the oppressed of the earth tto her embrace, extending to the penury-stricken the horn which needed only his industry to become one of plenty— then and not till then did our hero, grown to man's estate, return again to reside in the vicinity of Johnstown. Where is the hoary-headed warrior that never felt the melting influence of woman's smiles? If any such there are, let them come forth while I tell them a brief love-story of their own time. I have already informed the reader, that there dwelt at Johnstown in the Re- f^ volution, a soft haired, dark eyed maiden named Anna J Mason j and have shadowed forth the fact, that a little I intimacy existed between her and our hero in their youthful days. As no matrimonial engagement had passed between them, not having seen or heard from — the young jwgeon hunter for several long years; and not informed whether the glory of a dead warrior or the triumph of a live one were his; in fact, not know- ing if he were alive in a distant colony, but what some other young heart then beat against his own; it is not surprising that she looked upon him as lost to her, however vividly fancy at times may have brought back his graceful figure. Among the Johnstown patriots was a young man named William Scarborough, who answered also to the name of Crowley. His mother, at the time she ( TUAITERS OF NEW YOKK. 93 married Jeremiah Crowley, was a widow Scarborough, her husband having been killed in the batteau service, and was already possessed of little Willie, but people did not always stop to consider his true parentage, and after a while he almost ceased to be called Scarborough. On page 477 of my History of Schoharie County, etc., where his death is mentioned, he is called Crowley, as ^ I was then ignorant of his true parentage. William Scarborough, who was in some respects a very worthy young man, paid his addresses to the charming Anna Mason. Now William was a brave youth, and had been in the service of his country, which Anna hap- pened to know, and on which account she the more \ highly respected him; for the women of that period could and did discriminate between right and wrong ;\ between liberty and oppression. To cut a long story short, for wooing is full of mazes and phases, and in- # teresting filagree, William found himself enamored with the bewitching Anna, who, on his making lender advances, cast a long sigh on the war-path of a cer-^l) tain hunter, blushed deeply and reciprocated ardently his attachment. Early in the year 1781, but in what month we can not speak with certainty, Anna Mason was led to Hymen's altar, an altar on which have been offered many pure affections, but few more unsullied than hers, and became the bride of her heroic William. Days, weeks, even months passed, and still the young wife was happy; should she ever be otherwise? for < ) 94 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. she had a kind husband, and was surrounded by those who loved and respected her. The green summer flew past, and autumn with her russet-clad meadows and golden forests arrived, and still Anna Scarborough was cheerful and happy: but alas! a civil war that had raged for years and stained with life-blood the threshold of many dwellings within a few miles, was still devastating the land; and although the war-cry for a little season was removed to a distance, and no immediate danger was appre- hended, yet the midnight alarm might again break on the ear, and the most tender ties be sundered in a mo- ment: for Storms that have been again may bet The battle-axe if yet on high, Stained with the blood of martyrs free- When thought most distant may be nearest by; And from it fondly cherished may not fly. On the morning of October 25, 1781, a large body of the enemy under Maj. Ross, entered Johnstown with several prisoners, and not a little plunder; among \ which were a number of human scalps taken the after- ) noon and night previous, in settlements in and adjoin- ing the Mohawk valley; to which was added the 1^ scalp of Hugh McMonts, a constable, who was sur- prised and killed as they entered Johnstown. In the course of the day the troops from the garrisons near and the militia from the surrounding coi ntry , rallied under the active and daring Willett, and gave the TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. M n- e r- e enemy battle on the Hall farm, in >vhich the latter were finally defeated with loss, and made good their ^ retreat to Canada. Young Scarborough wus then in the nine months' service, and while the action was going on, himself and one Crosset left the Johnstown fort, where they were on garrison duty, to join in the / fight, less than two miles distant. Between the Hall and woods they soon found themselves engaged. Crosset after shooting down one or two, received a bullet through one hand, but winding a handkerchief J around it, he continued the fight under cover of a hem lock stump. He was shot down and killed there, and 'f his companion surrounded and made prisoner by a f party of Scotch troops commanded by Capt. McDonald. When Scarborough was captured, Capt. McDonald was not present, but the moment he saw him he or-"^ dered his men to shoot him down. Several refused ; ^ but three, shall I call them men? obeyed the dastardly order, and yet he possibly would have survived his wounds, had not the miscreant in authority cut him down 'with his own broadsword. The sword was w caught in its first descent, and the valiant captain drewy it out, cutting the hand nearly in two. Why this cold-blooded murder? Were those hostile warriors rivals in love? Had the epauletted hero, com- missioned at the door of the infernal regions, sought v the hand of the blooming Anna and been rejected be- cause his arm was raised against his suffering country? Or must the prisoner be destroyed because in arnui dly. his\ lim Vl> r 96 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. with his countrymen? A more hellish and mah'gnant ^act was not perpetrated, even by the sons of the forest, on the frontiers of New York.* Jeremiah Crowley, p the step-fat!icr of Scarborough, was made a prisoner by the enemy and taken to Canada. Mrs. Scarborough, v.'ho was at her father's on the morning of the action, fled to the fort with her father, Mrs Mason choosing \ to brave the dangers of the day to save her effects. Mason's house stood a little north of the present site of John Yost's tavern, and on the edge of the Hall farm. The action was fought in its vicinity, and thir- I teen balls were fired into it, which no doubt kept the J old lady from falling asleep. One of McDonald's men, 1* Previpuo to tho war, McDonald and Scarborough Mrero neigh- bors, and in a political quarrel which took place soon after the commencement of national difficulties and ended in blows, the loyalist was rather roughly handled. A spirit of revenge no doubt prompted him to wreak his vengeance on an unarmed prisoner.— Stoner. Scarborough was overbearing and at times insolent towards those / who differed with him in politics. On one occasion during the war, at the gristmill in Johnstown, Scarborough met an old man ' upon whom he heaped a deal of abuse. The young miller, a mere lad, offended at such unkind treatment, jumped into a sleigh then mt the door, rode up to the fort, and informed the garrison of what Li he had witnessed. Several soldiers, determimxl to set fair play, ^ returned with the millei ; and on their reproving Scarborough for I ill treating the poor old man, he turned upon and began a quarrel J with them. The result was he received a severe castigation for • • his temerity, which cooled him down. From James Frazier^ then a boy, who, if I mistake not, witnessed the whole scene at the mill. TRAPPKR8 OF NKW YORK. 97 ' who haimiiuuu1 when [he invasion of Prevost began, but his call on the patriotic sons of New York and Vermcmt was promptly obeyed, and he was enabled to keep a vastly superior force at bay, until reinforced sulliciently to cope with his adversary. From the 3(1 until the 11th of September, repeated engagements took place contiguous to Plattsburg, in \ several of which Nicholas Stoner, then a fife-major, was engaged. lie took a musket, however, and per- y formed duty at this time ^ a sergeant, and as he was I a good marksman, several must have fallen before his J deadly aim. ^ (I In I** Is Is TKAIM'K.KH or SV.Vf YORK. 101 Thrrr was not a litllr rxcitriiunt in tlir Aiiirricaii cuiiip at IMatt.sl)ur(( iis tli<> HritiNli army was advariciiii^ on that |)()Nt, and y;r«>at exertions were ntaile to put it in a fit state lor the enemy's reception. The merit- orious younj; Trojan, Captain Wool, as a rrwanl lor his to present Major Stoncr's military life connt'ctedly, although some of the incidents which follow, transpired between the wars. Fond of novelty and adventure, and inured to pri- vations and hardships in the Revolution, which pecu- liarly fitted him for a life so full of excitement and / peril, Mnj. Stoner became a celebrated hunter. Nor was he the only gamester who traversed the then wil- derness of North-Easter^ New York: several of his companions in arms were often by his side, threading their own intricate foot-paths along a score of crystal lakes, the greater part of which are now situated in the present counties of Fulton and Hamilton. There were other Nimrods, or master spirits, in this particular avocation, two of whom were Nathaniel Foster and Green White. The former lived in Salisbury, Herki- mer county, and the latter in Wooster, Otsego county. The Johnstown sportsmen not only met Foster, "White and other sportsmen associated with them — as they usually went in pairs for the greater security in case*} of sickness, accident or difficulties with individuals of (^ the craft — but white men and Indians from the shores of the St. Lawrence. i I I ) 112 TRAPFEKfl OK NEW YORI. Ditncultirs sointtimcs aroso between these Ktrangers of like uvoi'ution, nnd in the absence of any other tri- bunal, might made right. Trouble seldom ori(;^inated between the white hunters, however, as the more noted were not only known to each other, but their traps readily recojrnized by some peculiar mark, were not molested, unless it were to take out game in dan- ger of being lost; in which case some token was lert to apprise the owner who had it, and that it would be accounted for at a subsequent meeting. Over- jealous of their rights, the New York and Canadian trappers did not at all times scruple to avenge an in- jury done them, with the life-blood of the oflender, as I shall have on several occasions to show. The class of men of whom I am speaking, not only entered the forest with their tra^^s, their rifles, and a good supply of ammunition, their hatchet and knife, and often a jug of rum; but what was all importan!, a pocket compass and some sure means of kindling a fire. Friction matches were then unknown, but fire •was soon enkindled with flint, steel and tinder, or touch-wood; and now and then when they became wet, by a flash in the pan of a gun. If trappers chanced to visit the water courses alone, they almost invariably took with them a well trained dog. Ppok horses were often employed to carry provision** co the hunters' canoes, which were usually moort t in some little eddy, contiguous to which the trapping began. One of the evils if not entailed upon us, at least 'I .• II I' TKAFPERS OF NIW YOKE. 113 greatly aupmontcd by war, is tlmt of widc-sprriid In- ^ TEMPEiiANcK, 011(1 fi'W who had lu'i-n served for yrars ^ with a (hilly ration of rum or whiskey, could refrain ( from its use in after life: indeed soldiers had not only to drink with each oth( r after the Revolution, as a\ matter ^f courtesy, but every one esteemed it a privi- I lege, nay a duty, to treat a hero who had periled his L life for his fellows: hence many of them who could not say no when invited to drink, had to become a \ walking slop-bowl, and receive flip, kill devil, punch, w or the raw material divested of its lure. Many a scar-honored veteran filled a drunkard's grave, because '^ custom, compelled him, of all others, to drink; and •• not a few more of the same band would have foand such a grave, had not temperance hung her rainbow along Heaven's blue arch, inscribed — My worthy, it shall not only be your privilege, but creditable for you to refrain from the use of that which sets the brain on fire, destroys domestic happiness, and causes pre- ^ mature death. Vaumane Jean Baptistc De Fonclaiere, a French- man who had emigrated to this country in the Revo- lution, married in New England, and after the close of the war k*^ jt a public house in Johnstown for many years. The first house he occupied is still an inn, and is yet standing, a few doors east of the court house.* • In 1790, De Fonclaiere erected a tavern stand at Johnstowo, in the forks of the Fonda's Bush and Tribe's Hill roads, which stand was known for many years as Union Hall, and in which M 10* I ' I 114 TRAITKK.n or SV.Vf VORK. The Canndinn hiintcn, who woro familiar with (he forest Ix'twcrn Montreal and Johnstown, from having traversed it repeatedly to obtain American Healps, not unfr»'(|ii('ntly visited the latter place when peace re- turned, to sell their furs, wheru they found a ready market. A party of Jteven arrived there in the sprinj^ / of the year soon after the llevohilion, with a larj^e cpinntity of fur, and put up at the inn mentioned; dis- posing of their wealth to John (iraitt, then a village merchant. lie was enabled to carry on the tradic, throiifjjh the agency of Ijeut. Wallace, who could — Jjpcak the Indian tongue. "mine host," ho BporU tho rcnrmimlcr of hi» tiayi. Thi« Hall building i* now owned ami occupied by Mr. V. Bah'h an a privatt dwelling:. The followinjj unecdoto of the old Frenrhnnan, who u ■till ri>nicml>erpd around Johnstown for his extra bows and es« p«cial ri'^Mrd for the comfort of his customers, was told the author by Thoiuna Marhiii^ Kuq. J There stanili in Johnstown, on the north side of the street, a /few rods to the eastward of the first inn kept by Do Fondaiere, / an antitinated building with a gambrel roof, owned and occupicii I before the Revolution by M;\j. Gilbert Tire. The latter building j after the war, was occupied as a tavern stand by Michael Rollins, I a son of the ouierald isle. Do Fondaiere kept a span of mettle- \ some horses, and when a deep snow had sprr-ad her white mantio \ over the bosom of the earth, and the bells and belles begin to jin- I glo and smile, the restless steads harnessed to a sleigh tr, give his I ladies an airing, were brought before the door, with their nostrils snuinng up the wind in the direction of the Mohawk. Left only un leellc moment to their own wills, the gay animals J of Mons. De Fonclaicre, either of which would have served a Ringgold or a May for a charger, abused the confidence of their / / \ < TUAPrKRS OF NF.W YORIC. 115 It hnpprnrd ilurinjj; tho stay of tlu'ic northern hunt- ers in Johnstown, that Maj. Slonrr, thrn u jh'puty- \ Bhrriir undt-r Littrl, was in \\w. phicc on profcjwional \ husincss. Nathnniil Thompson, n c.onstahh' whom h(Mh'sin;(l to :ue, he found Ncatod in the kit«hrn at\ Do ronclaiorc's, near a tahip, on which stootl sevcrnl I flasks of li(|U()r, phircd there* at the expense of the Indians, to scorch their own or the throats of those / they wished to make their friends. Gin was formerly imported in eases containing a said the major, who never would take an insult from ' an Indian with impunity; rolling together threaten- -^ ingly at the moment the bones of his right hand. Liquor is brought forward to cement friendship, yet it often produces an adverse result, for men influenced y by it need little provocation to fight. Face to face the two new foes grappled to test their physical I powers. The major was too much for his antagonist, I and in the scuffle which followed, threw him head- / long upon the table, oversetting it and dashing its quadrangular, half-filled bottles into scores of angles ^ never heard of in geometry. Quick as thought, the r red man was upon his feet and leaping the table Jj had again clenched with his adversary. Cooking stoves arc an invention of the last forty years, and in V the kitchen where this scuffle took place, yawned a f ». TRArrrRS of nkw york. 117 huge fire-placr filltd wi(l» blazing I'aggots; while upon > the hearth before it stood a platter of fried pork swim- I ming in hot fat, and a ilish of wilted sallad, just taken \ from a bed of coals by some member of the family, who was providing dinner for the fur-sellers. Stoner'*j attempted to east the Indian into the fire, but falling a | little short of the aim, the -latter fell plump into the I dish of gravy, burning his back adown in a most V • frightful manner. The fracas had occupied but a few moments, yet the whoops and loud threats of the combattants, with the whys and wherefores of spectators, and screams of women, had been sufficient to throw the whole house into one of uproar and confusion. The honest land- lord entered the kitchen trembling between contend- ing emotions of fear and passion, believing that the character and business of his house would be ruined; and with numerous threats against sheriff Stoner, uttered in broken English, as soon as the storm began^ to subside, ran off to get a writ of Amaziah Rust, Esq., then a lawyer of the place. Now Squire Rust, as it happened, was a particular friend of our hero, and knowing what an untamed spirit he possessed, and J withal how he felt toward the race who had murdered / his father, he was probably not much surprised to ^ Lear that the major had worsted an Indian; and lay- ^ ing down his pen and assuming a thoughtful mood he gravely inquired, " Do you not know, sir, that Cap- tain Stoner is apt to be deranged with the changes of • 118 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. I'. '• I (( the moon?" " No, monsieur," replied Fonclaiere, did not know that. 0! le (liable, vat shall I does ^ then? me ruined sartain!" With kind assurances from Mr. Rust (who was less anxious for business than arc some professional men), that all would soon be forgotten — that Stoner would no doubt make full /reparation for the property destroyed, and that the re- putation of his house would not receive any lasting ^ injury on account of the morning's frolic; the landlord was persuaded to go home and overlook the matter. On returning to his dwelling, how provokingly wrong did the poor Frenchman find things had gone in his absence. Leaving the kitchen after his second encounter with the intrusive Indian, Major Stoner /entered the hall where he almost stumbled upon an Indian called Captain John, who was lying upon the floor in a state of beastly drunkenness. Excited by the strong waters of death, and impassioned by what k had already transpired, he halted beside the inebriate, \ in whose ear as it lay up, was suspended a heavy \ leaden jewel; the weight of which had caused the boring to become much elongated. Placing one foot 1 upon his neck, and thrusting a finger into the slit in j the ear, the unpolished ornament was torn out in an jy instant, and fell upon the floor. Unconscious of the injury done him, the poor Indian turned over with a I grunt, and Stoner passed into the bar-room: the place ' at that period least calculated of all others, to quiet a raging mind. V s /; B'"' l]h.^-' ;;*ip* STONER AVENGING HIS FATHER'S MURDER. See page 119. TUAPPEUS OF NRW YORK. 119 te > ^ER. The name of Stoner had doubtless fallcin upon the car of a half-drunk Indian in the bar-room, while the kitchen S(;ene was enacting, and reminded him of his former acts; for he had drawn his scalping-knife to boast to several by-standers (one of whom was Abra- ham Van Skiver), oi' the deeds of blood recorded upon its handle. J\rine marks indicated the number of American scalps he had taken in the late war; "and this" said he, pointing to a notch cut deeper than the rest to indicate a warrior, " was the scalp of old Stoner!" Major Stoner entered the room just in time to hear the savage boast of scalping his father, and as the brag- gart was dancing before the bar with yells and athletic gestures, cutting the air with the blade which had so many times been stained with the crimson torrent of life: stung to madness by the thought of being in the presence of his father's murderer, he sprang to the fire-place, seized an old-fashioned wrought andiron, and with the exclamation, " You never will scalp another one !" he hurled it, red-hot as it was, at the head of the warrior. His own hand was burned to a blister, even by the top of the iron, which, striking the object of its-aim in the hottest part across the neck with an indellible brand, laid him out at full length upon the floor; the register of death dropping from his hand. The quarrel having arrived at so dangerous a crisis, some of the friends of Major Stoner succeeded in get- ting him out of the house j while other individuals ran ' ! ii I ;l f ^^ >' . 120 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. for a physician, restoratives and the like. The In- dians of the party who were not disabled or too drunk to stand up, were boisterous in their threats of rc- / venge; but being advised to leave town, and possibly not feeling very secure in their own persons after what j had already happened, they lost no time in preparing I for a departure to the wilderness. A German, mmed Samuel Copeland, was employed to carry them in a wagon to the Sacondaga river, near the fish-housc, where they had left most of their rifles, their squaws and canoes. It was the opinion of the physician and /others, that the Indian with scared ji^gular, could not I possibly survive; but he was, with his fried compan- N ion, taken alo.ig by his fellows. It was never satis- factorily known in Johnstown whether this party of hunters all reached Canada alive or not, but it was I. . supposed that at least one of the number died on the way. Fearing this party of red men might return and re- venge the injuries done them on the settlement, if no notice was taken of the affair, and not from any ill will towards Major Stoner, some person in Johnstown lodged a complaint against him for the part he had acted at De Fonclaiere's, and he was arrested and put in jail.* As soon as it became known abroad that he had been incarcerated, and only a day or two was */ sufficient to spread the news, a large number of men • This old building, which was fortified as the Johnstown fort in the Revolution, was accidentally burnt down in Sept. 1849. \ id re- if no ny ill town had and Ithat was men n fort 49. TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 121 of Revolutionary memory, many of whom had been sufTirors in person, property, or frii.'n(!s, by the midnight i assaults of their country*s foes, and who were now disposed to justify the conduct of their former com-^ panion in arms, in his attempt to slay the murderer of / his father, assembled around the prison and demanded L. his enlargement. Of those congregated were several of the Sammonses, Fishers, Putman,\ Wemples, Fon-1 das, Vroomans, Vecders, Gardiniers, Quackenbosscs, \ and a host of others, whose names can not now be re- membered. The jailer was unwilling to liberate the prisoner without a formal demand, and the mob, pro- 7 vided with a piece of scantling, stove in the door and , " bi'ought him out. At this period one Throop kept a tavern near the centre of the village, with whom sheriff Littel was then boarding; and thither the party in triumph di- rected their steps to drink with the liberated hero. \ After allowing the mob some time to jollify, the jailer went down, and getting Stoner one side, asked him\ if he was ready to return! " Yes," he replid, and at once set out with the turnkey for the jail, some forty ) or fifty rods distant. He Vv-as soon missed, and the liberators, learning that he was again on his way to pri- son, once more set the law at defiance, and rescued him from the custody of the officer; when, to comply with their yrislics, he went home to his anxious family, and there quietly remained. Thus ended an eventful scene in the old hero's life. 11 } 122 TRAPPERS OF NKW YORK. After the incidents above narrated iiad transpired, and the Indian trappyrs returned to tlwir wip^wams, the pro.vess and A-arless acts of the Johnstown warrior gave iiini no little celebrity alonj^ the water-courses ot' Canada; and many a red pappoosewas taught in swaddles, to lisp with dread the name of Stoner. IW" id ms, rior rscs t in I'f^ i CHAPTEIl VIII. " Dark gnM'U was ihf iipnt, mid tho brown niountuin-hcathBr, Whoro th« pilgrim ol'nuliiro hiy Btrctohcd in ilecay, Like tho corpst' of im outcast almnilontnl to wf titluT, Till the moimtain-wiiiils vfiistod tho tcnantlcss clay." WalttrScotl. Wc arc now to consider a peculiarly t'xcitin*^ por- tion of our hero's life, and may fail to give the reader but a faint idea of the countless novel incidents fol- lowing the footsteps of a master hunter, although in fancy full "Oft have we socn him at tho peep of dawn, Brushing with hasty steps tho dews away, To meet the sun iipcn the upland lawn," and thus followed him on to the wood-entangled glen; where the growl of an animal caused a startle and \ placed the thumb on the fire-lock; the rustle of a leaf fevered the blood, and the snap of a forest-twig sent it tingling to his brain. In trapping, Major Stoncr used heavy steel-traps with two springs for beaver and otter, and occasion- ally single spring traps for muskrat, when their fur\ would pay. He had one trap four feet long made like the former, and designed expressly for bears. The" jaws of this ugly looking customer, are crossed on the under side by spikes, which, when an animal is en- V / I 124 THAI'rKKS OK NKW YOUR. I trappcil, iii'(> (Irivcii thioti^^li tlm Ic^ und rrmlcr its /t'scapi' iiiii>(is>iil)lt', unKss it ^naw its own litnl) olK ' ubovi' the ikslitiin^, and thus L;/ often the agent for exterminating several of its fel- lows. The usual time of hunting began with cool weather in the latter part of September, and lasted about two months, or until the streams and lakes be- came frost-bound and the hunter's paths obstructed by snow. The avocation was often renewed for several I IT I 1 I 1 T 1 TRAPI'KRH or NEW YORK. 126 weeks with the hreakiii^ up of winter, the hunters at times starting upon snow-shoes. One of the indiviihuils with whom Major Stoner sometimes hunted, wasCapt. William Jackson, u man of courage and ^jreat muscular strength. On one oc-^ casion they set out for a hunt towards spring, travel- ing on snow-shoes. Arriving at u place where they had to cross a field of ice, Jackson took olF his snow- shoes. With other indispensahles he was carrying a sharp axe, and hy some misstep he slipped and fell upon it, cutting himself under his chin in a shocking manner. His companion was two days in getting him «• hack to the nearest settlement; which w.is in Chase's patent, now Uleeker, and about eighteen miles fromV where the nccident happened. Leaving his wounded friend well cared for, Stoner retraced his steps to the wilderness; and Jackson sent James Dunn a few days after, to supply his place. Finding an inviting prospect for tlieir business on the Sacondaga, they began to set their traps. Hunters erected lodges for their accommodation at suitable tlistances from each other. They were small huts made of bark, peeled for the purpose, hence the ne- "\ cessity for an axe; besides, it was needed in preparing ^ fuel, and also in making canoes; which they con- structed by digging out a suitable log. Stoner and Dunn, after building huts, preparing for each a tree-\ canoe, and securing the pelts of some six or eight beavers, left their traps set and came out to the settle- U* isd TKAri'F.m or nkw vork. A ^ I raont on ('Iiuso'n putmt (or provisioiiM. Tliry left their canors in their aiMfticc, iniiMrrarn runtiin;; I'roin Trout laLc into the Sa(-on(la^ra. Their jouriiry to ob- "y tnin food, principally hn a«l,aH hiintriH coulil ^iturally irtipply their larder with ti>h and wiid-^Mine, oceupied only n few loud halloo! to which Stont r responded, although his \ companion thoup;ht it n loon. They now halted and awaited in silence, to learn what human voices be- sides their own, broke the ji;en»'ral solitudi» of the forest. Soon the lif^ht dash of a paddh; was heard, and iin- \ mediately after an Indian in a bark canoe rounded a y point of land, ami a few strokes from his brawny arm nent his fairy craft into the outl"» of the lake, beside, and ver)' ne»r the white hunters. Scarcely had the shoal navigator gained the point named, when another J Indian, on foot, rounded the point also, and stood ^vithin a few paces of the pale-faced strangers. At the feet o^tlio Indian in the canoe lay a rifle and one ^ of Stoncr's traps. The hunter on shore was armed with a tomahawk, carrying in one hand the shell of I Rn immense turtle, which the water had drifted upon I the b*nch. IJoth parties evinced siirprisc at the meet- lof ! TKArrr.nN or nkw york. 127 inf^i but the ('ana/on this spot long after the incident here related had transpired. Dunn was a man of small stature, but made up in nerve and agility what he lacked in r physical strength; and seeing the Indian leap from his canoe, he sprung into it in his pursuit, thinking thus to cross the creek dry-shod and detain him. But the frail barque would not withstand his weight, aug- mented with his descent from the shore, and he went through it plump up to his waist in the water. Ob- serving that his antagonist was fleeing, without waiting to extricate himself from his unpleasant /dilemma, he raised his gun and snapped it, but as the priming had been wet by his fall, (percussion locks are an invention of a later date,) the trapper escaped. Had he looked back and observed the plight of his pursuer, he would no doubt have halted long enough to have sent a bullet through his head. Whether these two Canadians were alone on this hunt is not V- known, but their loud halloo would seem to indicate that they were not. It was conjectured that the hunter who had jusi escaped from Dunn had fled directly to the Indians' • camp; and with his trusty piece well loaded, Stoner TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 129 left his companion at their own canoe to get dry as best he could, and being set on the opposite shore, ^ proceeded in search of said camp. To seek this wil- derness lodge alone, without knowing its whereabouts or how it might be guarded, was, after what had . transpired, one of the most presumptuous and daring I feats any individual could perform, as a concealed foe might have detected an approaching footstep and speedily revenged the fall of a friend; but the mission was just suited to the spirit of the trapper who had undertaken it, and onward he went, regardless of peril. In a secluded spot some half a mile or more from its outlet and not far distant from the lake shore, he arrived at the object of search. It was a well built cabin for comfort, constructed principally of bark and set against a bold rock, so as to make that subserve \ the purpose of one wall. It had evidently been aban- doned with precipitation, for it was not only cheered by a blazing fire, but in it had been left a beautiful bark canoe, finished and decorated in the most tasteful Indian style, a trap with one spring, a spear, and a j scalping-knife. The lattter instrument had no doubt been forgotten in the hot haste attendant on removing fur, eatables, etc., as so indispensable an article to an I Indian's full equipment for the chase would not have \ bten left intentionally, unless it were a duplicate. The articles found in this camp became a lawful prize, according to the custom prevailing at that period amon^ trappers, predicated on the rule of might and ■# 130 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. right. The Indians' canoe at the outlet of the lake was constructed of spruce bark, and made near there, but the one at their wigwam was of birch or some very light bark, and had doubtless been transported from Canada. Launching his trophied craft on the bosom of the sheen lake, this white forest son returned in it /to his anxious companion. The Johnstown hunters, reclaiming all their own traps but one, after continuing their avocation a while longer with some success undisturbed, indeed Sole monarchs of those crystal streams, set their faces towards home, to relieve the solicitude •* of their families and engage in cultivating the soil. After another seed-time and harvest had gone by, Maj. Stoner, accompanied by William Mason, his brother-in-law, returned to the same hunting grounds \ that himself and Dunn had visited the preceding I spring. Expecting again to renew the exciting avo- J cation of a trapper, Stoner concealed his traps in the spring in some safe place near Trout lake, after / greasing them thoroughly to prevent injury by rust. Loaded with provisions and Mason's traps, having said the necessary good-byes, the trappers buried them- selves in the dark forest, the one familiar with the destination acting as pilot, ^ " Their clock the sun in his unbounded tower." The Johnstown trappers struck the Sacondaga, where, discovering signs of a beaver, they set one of TRAPPERS OF NEW YORF. 131 Mason's traps, and with a vigilant look-out for other evidences of the desired game, they proceeded on in the direction of Stoner's traps. Next day Stoner sent Mason down several miles, to see if the first trap 'let did not contain a beaver. He returned with an assurance that the trap was not sprung, and whether it had been or not he could not determine; but that on a log which crossed the river near it, he had noticed / the tracks of a bear. Stonor thought it strange that a beaver had not sprung that trap, and still more won- derful that a bear should prowl around it; and the morning after Mason's return they visited it together.^ The instant the practiced eye of the senior hunter caught a glimpse of the foot-print pointed out by his\ partner, provoked at his stupidity in not determining j more readily what animal had made it, he demanded I with a look of surprise, in rather ill humor and possi-I bly at the end of an oath, if bears wore moccasons?\j^ Mason, who now rightly divined how the tracks came ^uere, was almost as much surprised at his dullness of ^^ p fception as his companion had been. On examining the trap, the discriminating eye of the master hunter also discovered that it was not in the position in which it had been left two days before, and it was conjee- '' tured that a beaver had been taken from it and the trap again set. Stoner now proposed to Mason that he should re- main concealed and await Bruin's return to obtain an interview; but the latter, who was a very strong man, A y jT 1-= I i V i 1 132 TRAPPEIIS OF NEW YORK. though timid, refused to remain alone. " Well," said the former, " then I will lay near the trap and see what kind of a bear comes to it." He seci'eted him- self, with the young trapper in his rear, and had been there about half an hour, when he heard on the oppo- \ site side of the stream the mufHcd and cautious tread of the anticipated bear. At this most exciting mo- ment might have been heard a noise in the morning stillness, resembling that of one iron slipping suddenly against another. The delicate ear of the visitant caught the sound, and listening, with head bent for- N ward, surveyed with scrutiny every surrounding object. All was again silent as death, save the murmur of the rippling rivujet; and reassured that he was alone, and \ that the click which fell upon his acute organs was / made by the leap of a squirrel, or some small anima] that had suddenly broken a dry twig. Mason's bear, with an eye oft scanning the direction of the trap J under consideration, stealthily approached the fallen tree, which served as abridge to cross the limpid river. The bear, which, as we have already seen, wore /moccasons, was tall, very r ict, with long, black, I straight hair, and was clad in a smutty blanket, J strongly girdled at the waist. In one of its huge paws it carried a dangerous weapon sometimes called a ^ tomahawk, and beneath the bosom of the blanket above the girdle, peered out the hairless tail and pos- /» sibly hind legs of a muskrat. A rifle that seldom required a second poise at the same object, was steadiiv is- TRAPPKRS OF NEW YORK. 133 ;er to re- \ off with \ aimed at this old bear from the time of his appearance until he reached the centre of the log overth*? stream, when it suddenly exploded, and unable longer tain an upright position, Bruin reeled and fell a death-groan, his life-blood crinisoning the pure waters of the Sacondaga. The traps of the Johnstown hunters were not again ^ disturbed this fall, and at the close of the trapping season they returned home bearing a valuable lot of fur, among which there was at least one muskrat's pelt. The junior trapper, notwithstanding his bear had met with a fate " which," to use the words of his partner, " would let the succotash out of his y stomach and the eels in," could not be induced to visit his traps alone in this excursion after the second — day. C 13 I i^ i 11. CHAPTER IX. While Maj. Stoner was living in Johnstown, and not long after he commenced housekeeping, a large . bear came into his wheat-field, doing no little mis- I chief. To destroy this grain destroyer he erected a /istaging and watched repeatedly for him, but his vigi- lance was all in vain, and the wheat, when ripe, was harvested. As the corn began to fill in the ear, Bruin again thrust himself upon the hospitality of the major, [is bearship soon found, however, as have some more worthy though less courageous, that the charities of J the world are granted grudgingly to strangers. For -». several evenings after his first entrance, the husband- man vainly sought an interview with his unwelcome guest, with malice aforethought rankling in his breast, death intent absorbing all his thoughts, and a rifle I loaded with two balls resting in his arms. At length, in one of his nightly watch ings, he heard r* his dusky visitant testing the quality of the tender ears, and although the night was dark, he approached sufficiently near to gain an indistinct view of him, and ^ instantly leveled and fired. At the report of his rifle, agreeably to concert, a large watch-dog confined in * the house was let out by Mrs. Stoner, and as the ^ interloper retreated from the corn, was soon yelling TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 135 at his heels. He leaped a fence into a field M^here a / lot of flax had been spread, and after pursuing some distance the dog returned home. In the morning, blood was observed on the fence where the anima] had crossed, and it was conjectured that if wounded « he would not return. Imagine Stoncr's surprise, therefore, the very next day, when a neighboring woman came running to his house, near which he chanced to be at work, to tell him that the bear had come, back, and was then in their orchard, but a short** distance off. Leaving the dog confined in his dwelling, to be let out if he fired, armed with his rifle, he ran to the orchard. He was not long in getting a shot, and soon the dog was at his side. The bear, badly wounded, was overtaken by Growler at the roots of a dry tree,^ and several times, as the former attempted to ascend, p the latter pulled him back. Without leaving his tracks after he fired, the sportsman, as was his cus- y^ torn, lodged another charge in his rifle. To his cliagrin he found that the stopple to his powder-horn was broken off, and he was obliged to cut a hole in the horn to obtain a charge of powder. This occa- - sioned some delay in loading, &nd by the time he had A finished, his dog was crying most piteously. Not pleased with being so unceremoniously drawn back, the bear turned upon his adversary, and succeeded m\, getting a paw of the latter in his mouth. A dag in distress never fails to bring down the V wr fir !f I i • l\ ^ I .^ 136 TKAPPKR8 OP IVFW YOHIf. ^venjjfcariCd' of its owner upon llic ohjict causing ff ; and hurry inp to the tree where was enaeting the tu|? J of war, lie thrust the inuzzh* of tlu? piece into Hruin's mouth to pry open his jaws and liberate his canine friend. Not altogether pleased with the interference, the grain and apple-eater struck a blow at the intruder ^with one of his monstrous paws, tearing olf one leg \ of his pantaloons, and leaving the prints of his nails J on the flesh. The end of the gun being still in vhc r animal's mouth, he discharged it and blew out his brains. The yell of the dog attracted the attention of several neighbors, and Just as vStoner fired a second time, Lieut. Wallace and his hired man, Ilulster, ar- ^ rived at the scene of action, armed with pitchforks. The bear proved to be very large, and had one J white paw. On examining, to learn the cause, it was found that one of the bullets fired at him in the corn- y field, had passed through the centre of a forefoot while in an erect position, and the animal had sucked it •J until the inner part was white as snow. Major Stoner was not only a trapper, but in the proper season he indulged frequently in a deer or a fox hunt; in which he was generally successful. On a certain occasion many years ago, accompanied by Benjamin DeLine and Jacob Frederick, he went to hunt / deer around the shores of the Canada lake, since by some called Fish lake, and by others Byrn lake. They succeeded in killing two noble deer, and started toward night to cross the lake in the ilireftton of ot while licked it t in the eer or a 'ul. On nied by it to hunt [since by |rn lake. [\ started tiion: af TRAPPKRS or NEW YORK. 137 homo. Their wattr-craft, a tree canoe, when they were all in with their game, was loaded almost as ^ heavily as .she could float; and the wind causing the waves to roll, mavater, for he found no bottom. He was unable to srvim, and seeing him sinking below the surface, Stoner leaped out to his rescue. His hair fortunately was done up in a cue, ^ l^wound with an eel-skin, and at this his deliverer made j a successful grab and swam to the shore. All having gained the land, the canoe, which had been guided along by DeLtne, was drawn up on the beach, ita ^ I valuables removed to a place of safety, and its water I emptied out. Frederick, whose powers of suction had V gained him one swell too much, soon disgorged the \ contents of his stomach; and when he could again ^ speak, he broke out with an o^^th in imperfect English, \ " / cross de ocean all safe from Sharmanyy and O, 'Ji musfU 1 pe troivn in dish tarn vreg-poni P Stoner's island, although preferable to the bottom ^ 0^ the lake, was far from affording the weary hunters a very comfortable night's rest. It had indeetl some trees and wild-wood vines, but nothing like a human habitation; still, as the gale continued with unabated violence, and it was now almost night, it was out of I the question to think of proceeding farther that eve- ning: they therefore set about making themselves as comfortable as circumstances would permit. As not only their guns and ammunition were. wet, but their materials for kindling a torch, they were obliged to ^ camp down with their clothes saturated and their TRAPPKUH or NEW YORK. 139 bodies ahivcrinjij, without one blazinj? fapf^ot to dry / their garments or cheer the midnight hour. ^ The Sun once more came peering o'er the Eart.'k, sending his light in golden streams through the pri- mitive forest which covered the surrounding hills, to leflect their mellowed rays on the glassy waters of Lake Byrn; in the bosom of which Stoner's island lay reposing, as calmly and as quietly as an infant^ nestled to sleep in its mother's arms. The deer-hunters rose betimes, and although their study of cause and effect, as we may suppose, had been somewhat limited, still the contrast of nature's dramatic scenes since the previous evening had been so great, that they could not fail to mark the change, and look with an ad- 1 miring eye on the rich and varied scene Heaven had spread before them. Once more embarked with their treasures, they gained the lake shore in safety, and proceeded home without further adventure. For the kind services rendered him at the lake, said Frederick, on his arriving at his own dwelling, " JVow, JVick\ schurst so long ash I has von cent in de vorldj so long j you shall never wants for any ting, for bulling me oiU*^ from dat tarn vrog-pont mit mine eel'shkin dail.^* ' For saving his life in the manner here related, this worthy German proved the sincere and grateful friend\ of our hero to the hour of his death, just before which event he urged upon his childien as a debt due to himself, that they should never see his lake savior want the comforts of life. It is gratifying to observe 140 TRAPFKKH OF NKW YORK. tlmt the FrrilrrifkH (a vt-ry rospiTtahlt' Miin<* in Fuf- ton count)') liuvt' honornt their t'uthvr, cv«n in death, l>)' remaining the warm I^ientb of the old trapptTf their i'ather'N Iricml; havinK eve held theniM'lve.s re* Hpon.sible lor the proper fulfUtnent, it' needNbe,ot' their * parent's unostentatious wish. On the eve of our luMt war with Great Britain, Major Stoner and William Mason entered the wilder- r"ne.s.s with their traps, and were ((one over two months. Their stay was protracted several weeks beyond the titne intended, an shared the hospitality of their dusky friends over night. This Indian first communicated to the Johnstown / trappers the fact, that hostilities had commenced be- I tween England and the United States. Knowing this fact, and thinking that possibly the whites were either p spies or foes, was what at first caused the fear of the [, young wood-nymph. Parting with their new friends, "with whom they were much pleased, Stoner and Ma- son journeyed on, and finally came out in Norway, Herkimer county; where they obtained provisions, and where too, they saw several families that were removing from the Black river country to the Mohawk I valley. ' They also came in contact with a body of United States drafts marching to the line between New ^York and Canada. Trappers in their excursions seldom take shaving utensils with them, and not unfrequently on their re- turn home, they might have been mistaken for the '^ prototype of Lorenzo Dow, of long-beard memory. The Johnstown friends had wandered so long in the forest, that their clothes were much worn ; and Mason, whose appearance was perhaps the most ragged, was T arrested on suspicion of being a spy, and his gun taken from him. Stoner having been a hero of the preceding war, was fortunately know^n to some of the soldiery, J and succeeded in effecting the liberation of his com- rade and the restoration of his gun ; and after liberally ^ replenishing their larder, they again buried themselves in the moaning wilderness. In this hunt, Stoner car- TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 143 ried his rifle and Mason a fowling-gun with which to shoot small game for food. On their way back to the place where they had secreted their fur, and when in a gloomy, mountain-encompassed dell, they accident-\ ally fell in with two Indians, who were there on the ) same errand as themselves. It seems to be a pretty true, though stale maxim, that two of a trade can not ^ agree. The strangers were Canadian hunters, having very little fur, one of whom was armed with a rifle. \ Scarcely had the parties met, when the one last alluded to commenced a fierce quarrel with Stoner. He took " the latter for Green White, another bold trapper, and | accused him of plundering and then burning their (^ camp some two years before. Stoner, enraged at the\ false charge, retorting the harsh epithets of his accuser, denied being White; or having stolen the fur of any . one. The other Indian, who said he had seen WhiteN told his companion that he was not the hunter before |^. them, but this the passionate savage would not admit, and the dispute continued. Observing that his partner would not be appeased, and that the quarrel must prove a serious one, the In- dian without a rifle approached Mason, who, as we have seen, was a little timorous in such an emergency,\ and desired to look at his gun. His object undoubt- \ edly was to arm himself. This seemingly small favor would possibly have been indulged, had not a caution • from Stoner, in the Low Dutch tongue, reached his j friend, to beware of a treacherous design. The master- ■ir 144 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. if i J !l f ! I \^ hunter could not only understand, but spoke the Indian dialect very well. Determined to possess himself of V" Mason's gun, his antagonist grappled with him to I wrest it from his hands. A shrill rifle-shot now rang among the towering hemlocks, followed by a yell so loud and death-like, as to startle the wolf and panther in their mountain lair. A moment after and the figure » of an Indian was seen receding in the forest with the •' fleetness of an antelope, and the click of a gun-lock fell on the ear; but its priming having been lost in his scuflUe with Mason, it missed fire, and the dark form •\ vanished in safety and alone. After this adventure, the Johnstown trappers pur- sued their way, without further molestation, to their fur and their traps, and ere long they returned home, to I the great joy of their friends; bearing a most valuable » jj lot of fur, and a spare rifle. It is not improbable that 'a their store of fur was augmented some in that lone I spot, where they had left a human carcass to return to J its earthly affinity. Major Stoner was gone so long that a rumor pre- judicial to his character was put in circulation in Johnstown just before his return. It was reported, and perhaps by some believed, that he had been en- V gaged in the contraband trade of smuggling goods J from Canada to that village, for Cornelius Herring and Amaziah Rust. He says the accusation was false, and although he saw goods carrying in the wilderness at this time, which may have been destined for Johns- TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 146 town; they were in the hands of individuals who were strangers to him. Squaws generally started with tlicT" merchandise from Canada, and at some designated place they met and gave it over to men employed to\ run it through. It is not unlikely that Green White, to whom allu- • sion is made in these pages, who was a celebrated and successful trapper, traversing the wilderness from Otsego county to the shores of the St. Lawrence, had numerous and sometimes fatal quarrels with rival \ hunters. John G. Seely informed the writer that he once playfully, though ironically, remarked to White,'^ " he did not like it that he was killing off' all his na-j, tion." The hunter replied, " D — n them, they must not search my traps then. The last one I saw was peeking over the bushes to look into one of my traps, and 1 soon after my dog was shaking his old blanket P* Some further account of this hunter, with his melancholy fate, is given in another part of this volume. 13 Tf lyfr ,; ''i j • CHAPTER X. r White hunters as well as Indians wore moccasons on their long hunts; usually making their own from ^ the pelts of wlui animals. Aaron Ciiswold hunted with Maj. Stoner on one occasion, and having killed Ta bear, as his boots chafed his ancles, he was not long lin making himself moccasons from the raw hide, J with the fur inside; and hanging up his boots in some secure place, they journeyed on some fifteen miles. Stoner had a favorite dog with him at the time, and \ in the night the animal ate up one of the newly made 2/ moccasons. Griswold was very angry next morning, < and swore he would shoot the dog; but Stoner ap- 1 peased his wrath by cutting the needed garment from I his own blanket, which lasted until the return of J Griswold to his boots; about which time the major —shot a deer, and the breach in his companion's ward- robe was repaired from its skin. Maj. Stoner was on a deer-hunt many years ago to the Sacondaga vlaie, in company with Captain Henry Shew. At a suitable place to camp out, he collected f'some dry wood and struck up a fire for their comfort, 1 his companion in the meanwhile, visiting a favorite « crossing place of the deer. Having started his fire, he crossed the low ground to the bank of the creek s TRAPPKUS OF NKW YORK. 147 which courses through it. lie had scarcely reached the stream, when he saw tlie tall grass covering the | bog on the opposite shore bending towards him. He at once recognized in the undulatory motion of the 1 grass, the probable presence of some wild animal; which he thought hardly lofty enough in its carriage *'* for a deer. He remained quiet, and soon the object made its appearance near the creek. At first sight he thought it a hunter's dog, but its wild appearance\ undeceived him, and he shot it. This was near night, and the following morning they made a raft of drift- wood, on which Capt. Shew crossed the stream to se what Stoner had killed. It proved to be a larg wolf, and a young cub which had just been trying obtain nourishment from it, fled on the hunter's ap proach, (as he had not taken his ^ in along,) and se- creted its famishing form in the rank grass. Shew skinned the wolf, and Judge Simon Veeder paid them > twenty shillings, the then legal bounty, for its scalp. Maj. Stoner shot but one other wolf while hunting, although he trapped them often. He never killed a panther, as none were so reckless of life as to cross V» his path; but he very often heard their startling* scream from their mountain haunts. He killed no^ less than seventeen bears in two seasons. ^ The celebrated Nathaniel Foster and Maj. Stoner were hunting together one fall, when they trapped a) large eagle. They set the trap beside the carcase /v of a deer the wolves had killed on the ice upon ' ge sh'*\ ing t( y ■„'».<• 148 TKAPPKKS OK >r:\V YOKK. )m •I \ Round lake; and the national bird, as a reward for the \ low company it kept, was cauj^ht in a wolf-trap, and / flew off with it ; a heavy clog being attached to its /chain. The following spring one Barrington v isited the place with Stoner, and in searching they foiK d the trap in the bush beside the lake, where the clog I had become entangled, else the majestic bird would I possibly have soared away to iN eyry with its vast load. It was dead when disco .'ered, and the trap, which was Foster's, was restored to him. During the time he was a hunter, a period of forty or fifty years, Maj. Stoner hunted with very many in- dividuals; among whom were several Indians. He was out some time with a man named Flagg, of whom we can say nothing, except that he wore a cu- rious cap, made from the skin of a loon with its J downy coat on. He hunted one season with a St. Regis Indian, named Powlus, and his acquaintances wondered that he dared to do it. With this Indian he explored the head waters of Grass river, which empties into the St. Lawrence. At this place they met with a small area of land with a fine growth of — hickory and oak timber. Persons going from Canada to Johnstown in the summer season, either had to go by way of the Sacondaga river, or else far to the west of it, on account of a large territory of drowned lands in the vicinity of Grass river. The latter district was traversed with ease in the winter, however, by hunt- ers on snow shoes, when the low lands were frozen. r I THAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 149 Near the head of Grass river, the Johnstown trappers met a French Canadian hunter, who had a squaw for a wife. He was desirous of going as far south as Johnstown, and Stoncr traced a map of the most feasi- ble route for him, upon a piece of birch bark, to en-/ able him to accomplish the journey. Whether he ever reached the designated point is not known. Subsequent to Muj. Stoner's hunting with Mason, Dunn, and Jackson, who were most frequently his companions; ho hunted two seasons with another St. Regis Indian, called Capt. Gill; with whom he was very successful. They caught twenty-six beavers and five otters, beside considerable other game, in one'] spring. Beaver usually sold foi about one dollar a pound ; and good skins would weigh about four pounds each. Otter skins sold from five to seven dollars the pelt. Stoner has received one hundred dollars for peltries taken in a single season. Gill had his squaw Molly with him while hunting, and a daughter, or d Molly junior, who, the Indian said,\ was not his papoose. Indian women usually remained ^ at the carap, and did the cooking for the hunters. Beavers generally built their dams across tlje outlets of the lakes. Gill was very successful in spearing/ those sagacious animals in their houses. While to- gether, they once trapped no less than four beavers in\ a single nfght. This Indian was a catholic, and in a thunder shower would cross himself repeatedly. He was in the English service in the war of the Revolu- 1.3* 9 I 1 I u < III il I I* 150 TRAPPERS OP NEW YORK. tion, and was present at the destruction of Stone Arabia; but in the last war he took protection under J the authorities of New York. He entertain^^! no lit- 4 tie fear, and possibly harbored not much love for his J' dlow countrymen; and on an emergency, would per- haps have scrupled as little as did his fearless com- ^panion, to punish their aggressions. Kben Blakeman, who several times hunted with our hero, was once on a hunt when the Indians disturbed his traps; but being joined by Stoncr, they left the * hunting grounds sans ceremonie. Obadiah W^ilkins, another lover of the chase, was more than once asso- ciated with Major Stoner in trapping excursions. Their wives were cousins. On one occasion when they were hunting in Bleeker, Wilkins, to replenish their larder, took fishing tackle and seated himself on a rock in West Stoney creek, a tributary of the Sa- condaga. He had barely gained the position, when ^a stout Indian came to him and inquired rather insult- ingly, " What doing here ?" He replied, " I am fish- f ing." " Have got gun ?" interrogated the visitor. " Yes, at the camp," said Wilkins, a little disconcert- ed at the fierce manner of his inquirer. Observing .the advantage he had gained, the red hunter continued, r*" This Indian^ s hunting ground — Yankees no business Y here —you must leave him !" As Wilkins made but little reply to the last remark, the speaker continued, " Has white man got partner ?" " Yes, at the camp." « What his name ?" " Nick Stoner." »> TRA1TER« OF NEW YORIt. 151 Had the witch of Kridor risen before him, th«M forest-son would not havo been more disa{];reeably , taken a-back, and he j^ave a loud guttural " Umph! "< Observing the magic wrouglit by the utterance of a single name, Wilkins became reassured, and invited the blanketed hunter to go with him to the camp. ^ " JVo/ Indian go to his own camp ! " he responded, '^ and soon after disappeared in the wilderness. This Indian had frightened a hunter, named Wiieeler, from '' these grounds not long before; but when he heard . that Stoner was in the neighborhood, the air seemed i to oppress his lungs; and hastily collecting his traps, f he broke up his camp and sought afar off a new forest- "* home. The reason assigned by Wilkins to his part- «. nor for being disconcerted at the interrogatories of this savage hunter was, that the latter was armed with *) a hatchet, and himself only with a fishing-rod. The last difficulty Stoner had with the Indians while trapping, occurred at Lake Pleasant. Dunning, who then lived at the Ox-Bow, four miles from Lake Pleasant, had left his traps in the wilderness w) re he had previously hunted, and was afraid to go after theraV alone at the return of the hunting season. Obadiah Wilkins left home with Stoner on this enterprise, and leaving him to hunt with Dunning's father nearer home, Stoner and Dunning set out to find and use theT hidden traps. Before reaching them, and about thirty miles from the settlement, Stoner set two of his own * traps for beaver, one in the stream and the other on "i I . 'ill 1 1 152 TKAPrFRR OP NEW YORK. the shore of a small hike; a little distance further he net another trap fur an otter. Arriving ut a pond which lay in their route, not far from where the last [trap was set, they found a large moose in it fighting ^ flics, which Stoncr, with some twinges of conscience, ' drew up and shot. They skinned it and sunk the hide beneath the water, to get the hair off; and two musk- \ rat skins they had already secured they hung up in the vicinity. Not more than one-fourth of a mile far- ther on, they came to a deserted camp, with the * appearance of having been recently occupied. Much wearied and the day far spent, they tarried over night at this hunter's lodge. On the following morning, as the distance was not very great, Dunning went back to the place where the nearest trap was set, but could not find it; and ) before renewing the journey for his traps, they returned together, if possible to learn the fate of the one, and recover the other two traps. The trap set for an otter ^was indeed clear gone, and about it were Indians' tracks, but the other two were safe. In the one left in the creek a beaver had been caught that proved wise enough to gnaw its own leg ofl*, and escape by J leaving its foot in the trap; and in the other they ^ found an otter. While on their way to obtain their traps, they heard the report of a gun fired in the distance, which they thought might possibly tell what direction the lost ^ property had taken. Recovering Dunning's traps, TRAPPKR5I OF NEW YORK. 163 they now wont to another stream to hunt, where they hud some iucccas. Visiting; their haunts one (iay,they\ found one trap had been robbed of its game; and as it was a very heavy one, the robber not caring to take it along had left it suspended by the jaws upon n ] stump. On their route Lome, the hunters halted where the moose had been slain ; and here they found fresh ^ evidence of intrusion upon their rights. Well was it for the evil doer that he had not lingered there, elsc\ he might have been mistaken for another of Mason's \ bears. The moose-skin had been pulled up and some of it cut off, and the muskrat-skins had found a new % owner. Arriving at Dunning's Saturday afternoon, they learned that two Indian trappers had just come in at the lake settlement, four miles distant, with fur; at^ which place there was a tavern, a small grocery, store, &c. Capt. Wright kept the tavern, and one Williams the grocery; the latter dealing principally in such articles as ammunition, blankets, rum, &c., to sell to trappers and adventurers. Stoner wished to visit Lake Pleasant to see whether the hunters had not got bis lost trap and stolen fur; but Wilkins de clined going with him, and the younger Dunning^ became iiis companion. On their arrival at Wright's they learned that the Indian hunters were Capt. Benedict anil Francis, a large yellow-skin, and that they were encamped in the woods about one hundred yards from the inn. As \ ■fir ■MM •ff if 154 TRAPFRRH OF KKW YORIt. Jit WHS nrai;!)' «lark, liny coru Imlrd to drfrr a viMJt to tlirir place ol' riNt until inoriiitit^. Soinr time in tlio ^y ni^lit, u sistcr'.s son of VVrij^ht awokr his uricU' to ^ iriiurrn liiiii that tiic (lo^it of tlu* Iridiaii liiintrrs wcro * killing; tluir .slu't'p. StontT f^ot up ami a<'<;()mpariittl tln' youn«; man to thr licld to driv*' iUv dof^s from tlio [^ 8li(«'p, one of wliicli they had already slain. In tho inornini^ Stoticr visited the Indians at their lire in tho woods. Near it lay the do|j;s, and at lianti were two rides, n hasket of potatoes, and a piece ol" pork. Tho \ rifles wore resting; one on each side ol' the hasket, while \ between his knei's F'rancis held a jupj of whiskey, over ^ which lie was sin;.^in!^ a /iim(.t()wn, and had on it StoiiciN privaliA himt(.>r*s mark. Wiuii hlacksmith.s made traps for ^ hiinttTs, thry ^fuiraily put somi' prculiar mark on tlirm thrir own fancy Mi'i-.^r.li'd, never placinj; the") same dj'vice upon the traps ofdillerent hunters. Seeini^ Stoner ahout to «ut it loose, Francis exclaimed, "JNo"! Cid him! Ab cut hiinf'^ extendinj^ his hand to pri- vent the act, at which interference the; claimant j raised the whole hundle and knocked tin; intruder I down with it. Ite^ainin<^ his feet and seeing the trap already in the possession of its owner, the con- * Kcience-stricken trapper said gruflly, " //' trap yours^y^ take him r ' Pay was next demanded for the lost fur, and cpi- /s thcts were bamlied between Sloner and Francis,\ of which passion wa.s the parent. Bencdittt, wlio was N evidently ashamed of his company, now intertered, and to some extent pacified his old acfpiaintance, whoy accepted the jj/g" of friendship, and tirank of its sup- posed healing and cooling, though very fiery waters, f As readily would oil put out a flame, as alcohol haver* quieted the storm of human passion. After a littlev further conversation with Benedict, not wishing to be outdone in generosity, Stoner asked the Indians to go\ to the tavern and drink with him. The invitation "was rei.dily accepted, and Francis, as the partner of 1 II ! I 111 156 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. Benedict, went along, although at first he pretended he would not go. The two friends before the bar soon held each a J tumbler of liquid fire, and Stoner asked Francis to pour out and drink with them. He declined in a very t^ insolent manner, whereupon the former smashed the * W tumbler he held, liquor and all, against his head. The Indian, as soon as he could regain a standing posi- ^ tion, enraged at the act, closed with his adversary, ^ ap.d in the short scuffle which followed, the latter . proved too smart for his yellow antagonist, and pitched j him neck and heels out of the bar-room door upon ' the ground. He had a hard fall, and when he rose /up several gravel stones remained half buried in his «J cheek and temples. The fight would no doubt have * become a deadly one, had it not been arrested at this point by the by-standers, who held the parties asunder until their ardor and passion had a little time to cool down. -^ When reason began to assume her throne, Stoner I demanded of Francis either the furs stolen from his J traps or the money for them. The parties now went to Williams's store, where they found the green bea- ver-skin stolen from the heavy trap, which the Indian had there sold the previous afternoon. He finally admitted having taken that skin from the trap men- tioned, but denied having taken the two muskrat pelts, although several were among the fur he had sold Williams, saying that probably some young ic Jh: Ml ' I • I TRAPPERS OF NKW YORK. 157 Indians who were then hunting in the woods had taken them. A conipromlse was now made, and Francis paid Stoner a certain sum to settle their diffi-7 culties, a receipt for which was drawn up by Williams,' as dictated by Stoner. About this time the young In- dians referred to, five in number, came in. They had several marten-skins, but more fully to establish the guilt of the accused they had not the pelt of a single) muskrat. One of the boys, a likely young Indian, who answered to the name of Lige Ell, and who was a son of Benedict, when told that he had been accused! by Francis of having taken Stoner's fur, seemed highly^ offended by the insult. The truth was, the traps of^ Francis being fastened together by strips of the moose- skin, near which the lost pelts had been left, if it did not prove his guilt, was at least strong evidence against him. Lige Ell went to the store to buy a pocket-knife, but did not like any there. He said of all Williams -7 had, " there wasn't no more fire in 'em t/ian there was j in his nose," Hunters wanted a heavy knife, with which they could not only skin large game, but one the back of which would elicit from flint the spark of comfort in the wilderness. Stoner handed the lad his own knife, with which he vSeemed d^light^d, and as the old trapper was rather partial to the boy, he made him a present of it. The young Indian then, to cap the climax of his happiness, bought a quart (yf the red man's exterminator, rum, and a cake of maple ^ 14 HIMHM if 1 1 li * ir ,■:!)! I ■;'! 168 l-KAPPERS OF NEW YORK. \ sugar, got pretty drunk, and with his no less tipsy ' companions went to shooting at a mark. Here is no doubt given a true picture of the manner ^ in which the Sabbath is too often kept, or rather, broken, on the outskirts of civilization. Benedict's y BOXi tohl Francis, after a knowledge of all that had transpired between him and " Old Stoner," with whom tby repute he was no siranger, that if he desired to live, he must never show his head in that region again; ^ as, if he did return, he would certainly be killed. It is believed he never afterwards intruded on the hunt- ing grounds of the Johnstown trappers; if he did, he J certainly was cautious not to disturb either their traps or their furs. It was customary some twenty years ago, in the summer season, for Indian families to come down from the north and locate themselves for weeks, and some- times for months, in the neighborhood of the Mohawk /river settlements and make baskets, which they ex- changed at the nearest villages for trinkets, gay calicoes, liquor, tobacco, scarlet cloth, &c. Three of a party that had taken up their residence one sum- \ mer to make baskets in Stoncr's neighborhood, lodged ^ in his barn. The major had a large dog at the time, and his guests a small one. One day when he was gone from home, his dog, not pleased with the In- dians' canine friend, which he considered intruding upon his rights, took him by the neck and gave him a hard shaking. The owner of the little yelper, armed TRAPPERS OF NEW YORE. 169 with a knife, set out to revenge the insult with the -^ death of the offender. This incident happened when Mary Stoner was in \ her teens, and at the time, she and her mother were at home aloi^e- Hearing an unusual noise, Maiy^ opened the door, and seeing the Indian in pursuit of | their dog, she called it into the house and fastened y it in. Arrested at the door, he uttered numerous threats, and several times stuck his knife into it, at which moment Stoner approached. Seeing an Indian"^ armed with a long knite, attempting to enter his • dwelling, he ran up and knocked him down, and was giving him a few hasty kicks, when the other two Indians came to the rescue of their comrade. Hearing her father's voice, Miss Stoner looked out, and seeing two Indians hold of him, she feared they would kill " him, and hastened to place in his hand a heavy fire- shovel lor his defence. The act proved the girl " aY chip of the old block," bu ^.e told her to carry back \^ the weapon, that the Indians would not hurt him. ^ They did not seek his injury, but to rescue their friend. — The day after this dog difficulty the Indians in theT ( v> neighborhood all disappeared, and one of the party who had borrowed a blanket of Stoner to go deer- hunting, forgot to return it. Maj. Stoner was a very successitL trapper, and frequently brought m such large quantities of fur that many suspected he had obtained it unfairly from other \ hunters, but such he declares was never the case. \i \< ■■ V ' CHAPTER XI. Maj. Stoner became a widower when he had been ' nicirricd over forty years; after which he lived be- /tween fifteen and twenty years with Mrs. Polly Phye, and until her death. Her husband, Daniel Phye, *• abandoned her, for what reason is unknown. He died many years ago at the westward. After Phye had bt't«n gone several years, and dark mystery had drawn her curtain of uncertainty around \ his fate; gossip sometiianes made Mrs. Phye a grass, •jand at others, i iaay-widow. At this period Maj. Stoner paid his addresses successfully, to the supposed /widow; and although she considered herself absolved from all farther conn in the town of Garoga, Fulton county; at a settle- ment which has recently sprung up, called Newkirk's Mills. He owns a comfortable dwelling in which he lives, draws a pension from the general government,\ and from keeping several boarders, who work in the V mills, which the industry of a smart wife enables " him to do, he passes down the evening of his life^ very comfortably. Garret Newkirk, the proprietor here, has an extensive tannery, and a saw-mill in\ which two saws are almost constantly rending asun- der the trunks of the surrounding forest. The place has some fifteen or twenty dwellings, a school- house, a post-office, (called Newkirk's Mills) &c., and is situated pleasantly on the outlet of the Garoga lakes, two crystal sheets of water, each several miles in circuit, located some twelve or fifteen miles to the westward of Johnstown. Since the above was writ- ten, a public-house has been opened at this place, several new^ dwellings erected, and a plank-road con- structed from thence to Fonda, sixteen miles distant. 14* iff •IT m m ill ill I't ,1 i' in !:■- 162 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. I have somewhere alluded to Chase's Patent. Wni. Cha.se, the patentee, was in early life a sea-eaptain, / and in the Revolution became an American privateer. He was captured and taken to Euroj)e, and while there visited France. After the war he removed I'rom Providence, Rhode Island, to lloosick. New York. At the latter place he built a bridge, by con- structing which, he was enabled to purchase some 12,000 acres of land in the western part of Fulton county. A large tract of land adjoining his, and which Cliase intended to buy, was subsequently sold in Albany by auction, and was purchased by Barent IJleeker, Cornelius Glen, and Abraham G. Lansing. It was known as Bleeker and Lansing's patent. Fail- ing to secure this tract of land, on which he seems to J have set his affections, Capt. Chase was heard to ex- rdaini with an oath, " I would rather have lost my y right in Heaven, than a title to this soil ! " People > when excited often utter expressions devoid of wit and common sense, if not, in fact, foolishly wicked. In most of the surveys of wild land in and adjoin- ing Fulton county, made since the Revolution, Maj. Stoner, who was peculiarly fitted for the task by his (familiarity with the forest, and his ability to endure fatigue, acted as pilot for the parties. At one time while engaged in exploring lands with Capt. Chase, the latter lost a gold snufF-box which had been a pre- Vsent in France, a gift he prized far above its real value. Stoner, fortunately for the old privateer's ;!!'!ii TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 163 peace of mind, for he was not a little vexed at the^ misfortune, seeing it glitter in the leaves, picked it/ up aud restored it to the owner, who almost waltzed^ for joy. This same Capt. Chase was not a little ec- centric, and usually got up at least once in the nightA' to drink and take a pinch of snuff. When the lands contiguous to Piseco * lake, known as the Ox Bow trad, were surveyed some years ago, and a road was laid out from the settlements on the north side of the Mohawk into the Piseco country," INIaj. Stoner attended the surveyor and commissioners as pilot, and was thus engaged for two seasons. Law- V rence Vrooman, of Schenectada, was the surveyor > who ran out the lines. On the southerly end of this road, John Rosevelt, of Fish House, was er>gaged as *• an agent or commissioner. Not a few pleasing inci- dents transpired in the wilderness during this time, to keep the party, which sometimes numbered nearly- twenty, in good spirits. Of the number while laying out the road, who thus enjoyed a portion of the novelty attending a trapper's life, and learned howy. large mosquitoes will grow in the woods if well fed, J were J. Watts Cady, and Marcus T. Reynolds. At :l • Pi-se-co is an aboriginal word, and in their pronunciation, the Indians speak it as though spelled Pe-sic-o ; giving a hissing) sound to the second syllable. It is derived from pisco, a fish, and therefore signifies fish lake.— JoAn Dunham. J:'iseco, says Spafford in his Gazetteer of NetuYork^ and which he spells Pezeeko, is so called after an old Indian hermit who dwelt upon its shores. ;^ ,i„ ill 104 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. that time ihoy were youiig men, possibly with some " wild oats," but since then they have become legal / gentlemen of no little notoriety. At one time when the surveying party were near \ the Ox Bow, a name significant of the shape of one of the lakes, and far removed from any human habi- tation; they got out of provisions, and the pack-men, whose duty it was to go after a supply, were unwil- ling to start, entertaining some doubts about ever finding their way back. In this emergency Stoner volunteered to proceed with as little delay as possible to the nearest settlement, which was Lake Pleasant, and relieve the necessities of his comrades. Arriving )just at evening at the house of a pioneer, named Denny, the family baked nearly all night; and early in the morning, with a sack upon his back, contain- ing nearly a dozen large loaves of bread, and a good " I sized cheese to balance, he set out on his return. r- Knowing the necessities of his forest friends he did j not tarry to let the bread get cold, and as the J weather was warm, his back was almost blistered on ^ his arrival. Before he reached the place of destina- • tion, he met a messenger despatched by Vrooman to " assist him ; bringing a junk-bottle of rum. Speaking of his experience in surveying in the Pi- seco country, Cady observed of Stoner, that he would I kindle a fire — climb a tree — cook a dinner — empty a 1 1 bottle — shoot a deer — hook a trout — or scent an In- f/dian, quicker than any other man he ever knew. I ^^ TUAPI'KKS OF iNEW YOUK. 10^ The old trapper, as he informed tlie writer, look some pains to show the young men named, (who were law students at the time,) how to catch trout, and in the 7 north branch of the Sacondaga, Cady, under his teaching, caught a bouncing one; of which exploit f he was vert^ proud, as in fact he had a right to be; for it made a meal for the whole surveying corps. Anxious to get through as soon as possible, the party . laying out a road, continued their labors in some in-y stances on the Sabbath. Stoner usually carried a small flag, and while crossing a mountain in advance of the men on Sunday, he discovered a mass of ice between the rocks, and gave a shout that at first ex- cited the anxiety of his comrades, lest some wild beast lingered in their path. The next day they cap- tuied a large turtle on the shore of Piseco lake, ann' from it took one hundred and seventy-two eggs, ol' j which they made egg nogg; cooled before being served round by ice obtained by letting one of the\ corps down between the rocks. About twenty indi- viduals partook of the beverage, among whom were Seth Wetraore, the state's agent for opening the road, Judge Peck, and Obadiah Wilkins. The last named gentleman acted as master of ceremonies in , dressing and cocking the turtle's meat, which afford- V, ed the party a fine repast. This was on the 4th day of July. At some period of the survey, Stoner shot a hedge-V hog, which Vr-'oraan wanted skinned; and besought 7 £ in 1 iiftMMMi 166 TRAPPERS OP NFW YORK. scvornl to do it, but in vuin: they did not dare to * handle it. The old trapper volunteered and took off \ the bristly pelt; which thu surveyor, on his return, carried home with him. The southerly portion of country under considera- tion is hilly and in many places mountuinous. Tho soil is generally stony, though in many instances, fertile; but tar better adapted to grazing, than the production of grain. The prevailing rock is of the primitive order, consequently tl. chores of the lakes which sparkle here and there in the glens, abound in deposites of beautiful sand; which often afford good i* writing sand. The timber is principally beech, birch, maple, hemlock and spruce. Much of the hemlock is sawed into fence-boards, and acres of the spruce 1 annually wrought into shingles or sawed into floor- plank; all of which find a ready market at the nearest accessible point on the Erie canal: and since the Garoga and Fonda plank road is favorable to its re- moval, not a little will find its way to Fultonville, where considerable quantities were landed before the plank road was laid out. Much of this country still has a primeval look, but its majestic forest lords and advantageous water powers, must in time invite in the thrifty artisan and hard- fisted yeoman, to subdue and cultivate it: indeed, the time may not be distant when this new country shall not only " bud and blossom as the rose," but vnth the /rose. It certainly must be a healthy district; lor it \-i TnAPr'* US OP NEW YORK, 167 u!>oun(ls In waters th«' most limpid, and brcctc?^ the inoftt invigorating. The lakis and thiir triltutaricN lire stored with an abundance of delicious trout; nnd^ if not walled (tastlt-s, stately nnansions may yet rcuf their imposing fronts in those glens; to be known in tuture ages as the rivals of the far-l.imcd glens of* Scotland; when some Seott or Burns shall rise up, to > picture their Indian lcg«nds in story and in song. The outlets to some of the lakes amund which Maj. Stoner used to trap the sagacious, though too often*^ confiding beaver, run off in a northerly course to swell the Hudson, while other lakes send their tribute in a southerly direction to the Mohawk. The most east- ern of the latter ^lass are the Caroga lakes, discharg- ing in a creek of the same name, which runs into the Mohawk in the western part of Palatine. Some two or three miles to the westward of the Garogas is a larger lake, lown among the early hunters as Fish lake, th>: ^ a O; .en called Canada lake, because it pays^ tribute to the East Canada creek. An anonymous writer in the Geneva Courier, over the signature of Harold, has thus pertinently described this sheet of water and its locality, in that paper, bearing date, Oct. 28, 1845. " Two and a half miles from Caroga [Garoga must be the aboriginal word] is a larger lake, about four miles in length, to which I gavp the name of Lake Byrn. It takes exactly tho^ form of the letter S. I think this is the must romantic ^ spot I ever visited. The surface of the grouiid rising \ M' 168 TltAPr^lltM OF NKW YORK. Imrk from thr shoro, in covcrnl with larpjr irrr(,MiIiirly hhapfd rocks, I'rnin fwv to forty trtt in iliiiinctcr, lyin(( cMtirily al)OY«> ^roiuui, anil often tuinlilin^ to^ftlicr in mountain inasMS, loii^cd and wedded in like dril't- wood. Many of these rcH-ks a." riven asunder and the l)ase of each portion thrown outuard from tlu' lin«r of separation, the superior parts resting against earh other, thus forming apaitinents with a solid si tne roof larj^e enouj;h to shelter a do/en or twenty men. This 1 think must have heen the work of fire. Slranj^e as it may seem, all this is in (juite a dense torest, and almost infinite are the shapis taken hy the trees in ^their turnings and twistin^s to avoid the numerous rocks. In some instances the roots of a single tree ^have prown astride a hu^e rock, the hase of the trunk resting on its apex, six or eight feet from the ground. The appearance is the same as if the rock were forci-d up from the ground beneath, elevating the tree with it, J hut not a particle of earth attaches to either; and these are all living, healthy trees. It is in this neighbor- hood that tradition sjiys large sums of money were ^ buried by certain Spaniards, in the time of the Ameri- can Revolution; but ' it^s sure never a bate o' it did I '^Jind at all, at allP So said a hard-fisted son of Erin, relating the story. Near the centre of Lake Byrn, is a small rocky island, covered with evergreens, birch / and flowering shrubs." This island, the reader will 1^ remember, I have named Stoner's island. The writer above quoted called on Major Stoner, at the time of 11) TrtArpRns OF new york. 169 his vliit, nixl his Chip.i of Travel lontaintd u hricf miimujuy of the old NMirrior's military lifr. A low miles (iistanl lioin Lake Ilyrn is u i)0i dark v eye, they were rather prepossessing. His complexion was sallow, his hair was a sandy brown, but not very gray to the hour of his death, although he grew bald ^ in the latter part of his life. At the time of Foster's emigration to New York, wild game was so abundant in th" r'ortherly part of Herkimer county, that with his fondncjs for the ex- \ 176 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 1' ; f citctncnt attending .1 hunter's life, circumstances com- bined to make him a perfect Nimrod. To adopt the ^hmguajjfe of a correspondent, " lie was a Lout her stock' ling of an original stamp, an devoted to a icild-wood I lifc.^' lie began his pioneer residence in the winter, and the following spring he took a suflieient quantity Tof fur, principally beaver, to purchase a cow and ^ many articles necessary in housekee[)ing. lie after- wards obtained yearly large quantities of valuable ■ fur, such as beaver, otter, musk-rat, marten, &c. He J has been known to have three or four hundred musk- rat traps set in a single season*, employing at times several men to help him tend them. Deer, bears and wolves were so numerous for years after Foster made his home on the borders wf the forest, that he slaughtered them in great numbers. Indeed, it is believed, that he has killed more of those animals collectively, than any other individual Jin the state during the same period; having slain no less than seventy-six deer in one season, and ninety- six bears in three seasons. He has also been known ^ to kitt twenty-five wolves in one year; having a line of traps set for them from Salisbury to the St. Law- rence. These animals were so great a pest among ^ the sheep-folds when the country was new, that a j liberal bounty was paid for the'r destruction by the state; increased at times by the liberality of certain counties and towns in whi< ^ they were the most nu- merous. The avails of his limiting and trapping I TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 177 amounted in one year, when a liberal price was set upon wolves, to the sum of twelve hundred and fi/l]/\ dollars. lie occasionally killed a panther. The bounties paid for the destruction of wild ani- mals, often made the taxes of frontier towns a bur- then; and a wealthy fiirmer in the neighborhood of Foster, took a stand one season which prevented the paying of such a reward for the destruction of wolves as hunters thought they deserved. The consequence . was, that all the old and young Nimrods in the vi- cinity turned their attention to other game, and pur-^ posely let the wolves alone; which in a year or two more were greatly on the increase. Foster told his farmer friend at the election, he would be sorry for the manner in which he had voted, and after the animals had had time to increase, he was not much surprised, one morning, to hear a most pitiful story j from him, about the injuries he had sustained the^ night before by wolves ; they had been into his sheep- fold and destroyed more property in a single night, * than his tax, when the highest bounty was paid for^ their scalps, had amounted to in several years. He soon found, to use a hunter's phrase, he was barking j / up the wrong tree for sympathy. " Well," said Leatherstocking, with not a little manifest indiffer- ence, " I don't know as I can pity you much. If you are unwilling to pay me for protecting your sheep, N you must buy traps and take care of them yourself." C It is perhaps unnecessary to add, the penurious far- 'i m 178 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. mer was ready to vote a more liberal bounty than I ever for the dustruction of wolves, at the next proper election. Some winters Foster turned his attention almost wholly to the killing of deer, disposing of theii .,ad- / dies and skins for the eastern market. The visitor to the Albany Museum will there see the skin of a large J moose which was shot by this hunter, and for which he received from the proprietor some fifty dollars. There is the skin of another large moose in a New York or * Philadelphia museu u, also killed by this hunter. The following incident attended the death of one of those animals. Foster had a favorite dog, as fond of '^hunting as was his master. The bay of this saga- cious animal one day called its owner to a retired J spot in the forest, where he discovered Watch holding a moose by the nose; keeping his own body Y> between the fore-legs of his adversary, to avoid the , p heavy blows aimed at him with the antlers of the I I enraged animal, which formidable weapons weighed ^ together nearly thirty pounds. On nearing the spot Foster sent a bullet through the heart of the moose, which in its death-struggle dashed the dog off with a terrible blow. The print of the dog's teeth remained upon the nose of the moose, but both animals appeared to be dead. Foster took off his noat and laid his canine friend upon it, at which timf a partner in the hunt arrived upon the ground. With a heavy heart Foster prepared to skin 1 TRAPPF-RS OF NEW YORK. 170 the game, when his comrade observed a moving of ^ the muscles about the dog's neck, and told the former it would recover, but the old hunter shook his head \ doubtingly. After a while Watch raised his head — slowly from the ground to receive the caress of his) master; but as soon as his eye rested upon his fallen antagonist, he sprang to his feet and seized the life-j • less moose by the throat, from which he was with no F little difficulty removed. The restoration of his favor- ite dog to life, caused Foi.ter more real joy than could possibly the killing of a dozen moose. One or two years after Nathaniel Foster settled in Salisbury, his father removed from the east with his family, and located in the same town. He, too, was something of a sportsman. Nathaniel had two bro- thers younger than himself, who, as they attained sufficient age, indulged occasionally in hunting deer. The following incident will show how providentially the elder brother was once saved from harm. His brother Elisha having on some occasion borrowed his gun, sent it home by a young son. The lad as he neared the dwelling saw his uncle going in at the^ door, and to be very smart, as boys sometimes are, he/ drew up the piece and snapped it at him. On enter- ing the house he told his kinsman what he had done; when the old hunter took the piece from the hand of his nephew, walked to the door and snapped it,- and a bullet whi77ed through the air from its muzzle.\ He remarked as he went to set it away, that he had^s \ 7 I i }B0 TnAPTRRS or NEW YORK. '' 1 ii • /shot seventy-six deer with his ride that season, and it Hf had not before missed Jin: in a single instance during * j the whole time. ^ 'I'hc rifle with whicli Foster usually Ijuiitcd would /carry two balls as well as one; and when he desired ' to render the death of lar^c f^arne doubly sure, he ^ loaded with two bullets. Foster and Stoner had each a rifle at one time made after the same pattern, by ^ Willis Avery, of Salisbury, and called double shatters. They were made with a single barrel with two locks, onc! placed above the other far enough to admit of two charges, and have the upper charge of powder rest upon the lower bullet. The locks were made for percussion pills, and when the pick which crushed the pill at the first lock was down there was no dan- ger to be apprehended in firing the lower charge. J These rifles cost about seventy dollars each. That of Stoner was borne by a soldier into the late Florida war. The following incident will serve to show onc of the numberless perils to which hunters are exposed in the forest. Nathaniel Foster and his brother, Shubael, were on a deer hunt many years ago in St. Lawrence county, when the former came suddenly ^ upon two noble bucks trying titles to the soil. To end the dispute, he drew up and shot one, and as it fell the other bounded off a few rods, and halted to wit- ^ ness a more novel engagement than its own recent • one. The fallen deer was not killed, but was badly TiiArrr.Ks oi nkw yori. 181 ,1111 H <«a ho knil"«\ s of his J Klunncd l»y tht; ball striking it near the l)ank-bone, and as the htiiitor niti up to cut its throul, (he animal^ .'fpnmi; upon ills haunches, ami in its own rl ed upon it, with the view of bringing it into market. He spent very little time upon the tract, however, and had not accomplished much in the way of subduing those wild lands at the time of his death, which took place in 1806. Charles F. Herreshoff having married the widow Francis, a daughter of John Brown, resolved upon making a permanent settlement upon Brown's tract (so called since his purchase), and went on to it with that intent about the year 1812. He has generally been regarded as a German, but in answer to an inO quiry, he assured Darius Hawkins, he was a Prussian 1^ by birth. He had a commanding appearance, being over six feet high and well formed. He was very gentlemanly in his deportment, though extremely proud and aristocratic. He is said to have been a '"y 184 TRAPPERS OF NEW VORK. finished scholar. On entering the forest he declared with an oath, that he would settle the tracts or settle /himself. Herreshoff spent the greater part of his time on the ^tract for several years, but his wife, it is believed, was never there: she disapproved of his seemingly vision- "• ary operations. Although he was not as well calcu- lated as some men of a less enterprising spirit are to settle a new country, still, considering the great diffi- )culties he had to encounter, which are of a magnitude people living at ease in cities can hardly conceive, he had accomplished much towards the fulfilment of his purpose. He repaired the mills Brown had erected, and in the course of a few years he had cleared up nearly two thousand acres of land, the greater part of which had been heavily timbered, and erected thereon some thirty or forty buildings. The mills were nearly three miles from the most westerly lake of the Fulton chain, and at that place he built a forge for the smelt- I ing of iron ore. He also opened several roads to the nearest settlements. He had expended, it is said, more ih^n fifteen thou- ^ sand dollars (some persons have named a much larger sum), with as yet the prospect of its paying little or no interest, and made a call on his Providence friends for more money. But alas! for his peace of mind — / the draft was dishonored. Unwilling to survive the mortification attendant on a failure of his schemes. r and unable to prosecute them any further for the want TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 185 of means, he became disheartened, loaded a pistol, went into the yard in front of his dwelling, and blew out! his brains; thus effectuaWy settling fiimself. The re- ^ port of the pistol instantly brought out the inmates of the house, who found the victim of ambition sitting^ upon the ground, where, in a few moments he lay a7 gory corpse. Such -was the melancholy and tragic fate of one of the most enterprising men that ever entered the wild lands of New York, to subdue them. It would almost seem as though he had live4 before his time. Large sums of the money he had expended, were exhausted in searching for iron, where it is very possible, with\ the knowledge modern science has at her beck, little or no expense would have been incurred. That iron and perhaps other valuable ores abound in that part of the state in large quantities, is not unlikely; and* some more fortunate, though less enterprising man than the first active settler upon Brown's tract, may yet reap a rich harvest there for his labors. The death of Herreshoff took place December 19, 1819, at which time he was boarding with Gardner Vincent, whose family resided on the tract. Herre- shoff' took three hundred merino sheep on to his clear-^ ing, where he also kept a span of horses. The body of Herreshoff", after his death, was carried out to Rus- sia Corners, a distance of nearly fifty miles, where an inquest was held upon it by Henry S. Whiting as coroner. Several citizens of Boonville were there at 16* !ti 186 TKAITliKS OF M'.W YCUK. the time, wlio rt;(iut'ste(l to takt; tlie body to that place, utU-r the inquest, for burial, and they were permitted to take it. Says Doctor Henry Graves, of Boonvillc, in a communication to the writer: " At this place 1 I examined tlie wound of Herreshoif. The ball entered I the right temple and passed through the head." A few years after his death Ilerrrshoflf's friends placed V at his grave, which is near one corner of the village grave-yard in Boonville, a marble slab with the fol- lowing inscription: CHARLES FREDERICK HERRESHOFF, Obiit Dec. 19th, 1819, *** iEtat 50. Herreshoff is said, on good authority, to have manu- /factured just a ton of iron at his forge, from ore ob- ' tained on Brown's tract. It was of the very best quality, and cost, when ready for use, just one dollar a » pound Says a correspondent, " Black sand found *v upon the lake shore, and separated by magnets, was I principally used in making bis iron. He, however, expected to find mountain or rock ore, and in one case he followed a small vein in the rocks some 200 feet, /at an enormous expense." Some have stated that the quantity of iron made by Herreshoff was less than is named above, and a friend writes that " every pound .Tof iron he made cost him more than an ounce of gold." id TRAPrEllS OF NEW YORK. 187 The cost of his iron gives a principal reason why he committed suicide. The tuxes upon the tract were also heavy for unproductive property. The assessor's^ valuation was one shilling an acre. Samuel (Jiles went in from Russia two seasons (believejl in 1813 - and ISM), and collected the tax, which was sixty, dollars each year. Stephen Smith, 2d, of lluj^sia, was engaged as a surveyor on Brown's tract, in the years 1815, IG and 17. lie was employed by John Brown Francis, a step-son of Ilerreshofl', who has since been governor of Rhode Island. The tract was divided into eight townships, numbering from one to eight. Names arc said to have been given to those paper towns, two of which are believed to have been Economy and Fru-V gality: names very proper for any of those town- ships, and indicative of the virtues it would be '' necessary to practice, in order to live there. In 1817, Smith was engaged in laying out a public road through the tract. It began two miles cast of Boonville, and striking the tract it ran through town- ships number 1, 2, part of 3, and all of 7. From HerrcshofF's mills it ran up on the north side of the lakes, terminating at the Sacondaga state road, lead- ing from Russel, St. Lawrence county, to Lake Plea- sant, in Hamilton county, then being surveyed by Judge Atwater, of St. Lawrence county, and located by John Fay, Esq., of Fish House, as commissioner. This road extended southerly to the town of Wells, f'' ' 188 TRAPPKRS OF NKW YOllK. as I htivo elsewhere sliown. The greater part of it is now overfjrown with trees. The road opened by Smith was forty miles lonp, and intersected the Saron- daga road twenty-seven miles from Lake Pleasant. Smith was engat^ed on his road, of which he was also / a commissioner, sixty days, with nine hands. Bridf^es and cross-ways weic not made by the surveyinpf party. Moose lake, after which Moose river is called, is one of the larpfest and purest lakes on the tract, being 0^ several miles in extent, and very deep. It lies a few miles south of the western end of the Fulton chain. Southerly from Moose lake, and farther to the east- wanl, heads what is called the South branch of Moose river. It is three miles from Moose lake to the South branch ; on which stream, and nearly opposite Moose lake is a small clearing of several acres, called Cana- *■ shagala, an Indian name. Some suppose this clearing was made by the Indians, and others that the timber was destroyed by fire. The stream at this point is a remarkable spot for fishermen. The survey for the road was first extended up on the south side of the Fulton chain, and north side of Moose lake, to Fifth lake; but as the route was found impracticable for -a good r'>ad, on account of the diffi- culties to be overcome in the make of the land, it was located on the opposite side of the lakes. The road laid out by Smith, struck the Black river ten miles from the starting point: from thence to Moose river, was six and a half miles; from which place to the TRAPIT.I'.S OF NEW YORK. 189 middle settlement, or the Ilerreshotr dwellinp^, it was nearly five miles more, making the wiiolo jlistanco from IJoonville nearly twenty-four miles. The land on each side of the road was taxed to defray the ex- penses of its survey. Goinp^ in from the Remscn road, Moose river is crossed about one mile south of the clearinj^. Near the road from the middle settle- ment (on the rif^ht in entering), is a little lake of several acres, called lluckleherry lake, those berries > growing on its shore The outlet of this pond runs into the Mill stream. Few incidents attending the survey of Brown's tract are now remembered. A porcupine, one day,r claimed a preemption right to the soil, and evinced \ a disposition to dispute the surveyor's title, planting 7 itself in a bristling posture directly in the road. It was an ugly customer to handle without mittens, or rather tongs, and surveyor Smith, acting upon the^ forest hunter's rule, that might makes rights wilfully I and maliciously slew the varmint with his compass \^ staff. Herreshoft* was a good feeling man, and at tiraes'A rather jovial, liking a little fun withal. Cn some occasion, Smith, accompanied by Herreshoff, Vincent and Silas Thomas, went in a boat to the head of Fourth lake, to select some pine timber. Passing one of the islands in the lake, probably Bear island, Her- reshoff desired to be set ashore on a bluff extending -* some rods into the lake. As is generally the case il 190 TRAPPERH OK NEW YORK. >vith foreigners, who find tol)juTo very cheap in this Kcoiintry, he was a prent smoker, and havinj^ lit his I pipe, he concluded to increase the fumigation by also J Ii|>htinf5 the prass and dry brush around him. A few minutes only sufficed, with the breeze then puffing, to ^spread the flame over the bluff. The wind vo()d, would very seldom sup-) pose that any tiling of tlie kind was in sight. " At the head of Fourtii lake was formerly a grove of white pine. [To this grove HerresliolF was going when he was compelled to* take a eold bath.] Fivc^ distinct echoes to the human voice may lu; lieard at/ this place, and here I have repeatedly discharged a I gun, to hear mountain after mountain send hack its tardy response, until my rifle's shrill note had becn^ mimicked by five (as 1 suppose) mermaid hunters. "Lying parallel to the Fullon chain, and mostly op- posite Fourth lake, say two miles to the north of it, is a chain of three small lakes, several miles in extent, ■which also discharge their waters into Moos(! river. The stream is called the North branch, and the lakes arc known in the forest by the name of North Branch lakes. " Leaving the Fourth, you pass up the inlet some Haifa mile, into the Fifth lake, a small pond of eight or ten acres. From the Fifth to the Sixth lake, is a continued fall of three-fourths of a mile. Here is a carrying place; and Foster, at the age of sixty, would / . take his skiff upon his head and shoulders and carry I it from one lake to the other, with but one stop. In fact, at that agi*, Foster was known to carry a decr^ 202 TIUITEUS OF NKW VOKK. ^thrcc miles on his back. With ii single lock between Fifth and Sixth lakes, a water communication might easily be obtained the whole extent of the eight lakes. " The Sixth lake is quite small, and after wading and pushing up a narrow, rapid stream, say one and a half miles, you enter the ' Noble Seventh,' as Uncle Nat called it. The visitor on entering this lake, meets with a grand and beautiful view. The lake is about four miles lon'^ and two '.'ido, with a nameless island near its centre, of some fifty acres, covered with rocks and pine timber. [I have mentioned in these pages a forest-trapper named Green White, who was often on the island und( r consideration. With the rciidcr's ^ permission, I will call this island White's island.*] Near this island, on its south shore, we frequently get * White was rather under the middling stature, with a dark /^complexion, and possessing a very keen, dark eye. IIo was a 4 man of few words, but celebrated for his shrewdness. IIo learned / the blacksmith's trade at Schencctada in his early life, and always made his own hunting-knives and hatchets. lie was a very suc- Jcessful hunter, was extensively known, and by Indian hunters he was universally feared. The Indians, he said to his friends, never, m^ stole his fur but once. He occasionally crossed the track of Maj. i Stoncr, to whom he was well known, but as he hunted to tho ' westward of Stoncr, they did not often meet. Says Doctor Graves, of Boonville, "I was well acquainted with Green White, who was a great trapper on and about Brown's tract. lie hunted some in connection with Foster, but they /generally had the separate interest. White, however, was much // the most 8ucees.iful trapjier. lie would sometimes bring in a / J hundred dollars worth of Leaver at a time — lay drunk until he TRArrKRS OF NKW VOUK. 203 the salmon trout in 100 feet ilcjith of water. [Another informant says they arc cauf^ht hero weighini^ fifteen |^ or twenty pounds.] " At th(! head of Seventli lake is a pfrovc of pitch- pinc tiinl)er, whieli limber is not ilsewlierc seen in the district. On entcrinp^ this lake at one tinje with Foster he discovered a deer feediri'^; iipon a Rrassy beach, nearly half a mile distant. Said he, * B., put j mc on shore and I will give you some venison for din- I ncr.' I did so, and then rowed out into the lake, far enough to see the deer. After remaining some time, I s^w Foster step suddenly from the bushes upon the i beach, some distance from the deer. Almost the very had jjjont it all, an3 th(!n back to tho woods. Not so with Fos-^ ter: ho likcil a glass, but would be called a temporato mau. ' " I should think White had boon dead some fifteen years. lie with another man was corriinjj in from the tract; thoy halted by the way-side, built them a brush shunteo and stopped for tho nifjht. ^ During the night, a small stub of a tree foil across tho shanteej and broke White's leg. Early in tho mornin;;^ the man with Kim V. came to Boonvillo about tcvcntccn miles for help. Ho was brought \ in on a litter; but before a surgeon could be obtained to amputato"^ « it, the limb mortified and he died." *^ In the fall of 181.0, said tho surveyor Smith, White came in from Brown's tract with three hundred dollars worth of fur, and*]?* as usual on such ocasions, ho traincd\xn\\\ it was all gone. While V hunting, after the provisions were gone ho had taken in from tho I settlement, he lived on wild game and fish. This was the usual \^ fare of hunters in the forest. White is said to have been about the same ago of Foster, and is believed to have followed trapping about the Fulton lakes a few years earlier than did Foster. There was a hunter named Williams, on and about Brown's tract in 1815 001 TRAPPI.US OF Ni:VV VOIIK. J instant tlu< drcr raised its litad iVoui iVcdin^, I saw the flash of his rifle and tlie dtrr lall. At Foster's call I went asiiore, he not knowing that I hud seen ^ tlio doer lall. Well, Uncle Nat, said I, have you J killed him? He straightened up like u soldier, with ^ his head erect, and eyes glistening; and grasping his rifle in his right hand and holding it above his head, ho said, * B., he never told a lie. When you hear him speak, he always tells the truth.' I stepped on •shore and ibund he had put his ball precisely in "the J centre of the deer's forehead, lie must have been full twenty-five rods from the animal, and fired the /instant it raised its head. In a very few minutes he / had a fine piece of venison roasting before a good fire, \ and ere long we had a sweet morse! to dine upon. "At another time, while we sat fishing from our boat, he discovered an old doe with two fawns, the latter about as large as lambs at two months old. They were feeding and playing upon the beach, perhaps a quarter of a mile distant. Foster was on fire imme- diately. If he could kill the old doe, he said*, he could kill the fawns, and their runncts would bring him fifty J cents each. I remonstrated against killing the little , fellows for so small a gain, and proposed to pay bin) *lJ the dollar and let them go. But no; nothing w^uld satisfy him short of a shot. I then rather re 'used to .1^ row him within shot; but one look from him satisfied inc that I might as well comply. However, I managed . in the operation to make noise enough to frighten the TKAI'PKRS OF NEW YORK. 206 old iIot>; but not without strong suspiciorw on his purl, that it was \(>ral others of greater or less importance. The Jcrseyliehl hike, a handsome sheet of water some two mih'S h)n((, and around the shores of whieh l-'oster, in his eailier days, used to himt, lies in the easterly part of Salisbury. Black errek, which is one of the tributaries of WcNl Canada creek, has its soun;e in the Jerseyfield lake. Jock's lake, so called after Jock (Jonathan) Wri^^ht, an early trapper upon its shores, is a very pretty lake, five or six miles loni^, thoujrh not very wide; and is situated in the north-eastern or wilderness portion of Herkimer county, some ten miles from a place called Noblesborou^h. Its outlet is one of the sources of the west branch of West Canada creek. Some four miles south of Jock's lake is a small sheet of water called Little Salmon lake, and about two miles to tho westward of Jock's lake, is another trout inhabiting pond, called Black River South lake. Around those lakes, and nhng their sti'eams, were iavorite haunts of the trapper Wright. Of the physical outline of 'Hamilton county and the northerly part of Herkimer, Prof. Lardner Vanuxem, thus remarks in his volume of the Geology of New York. "The most interesting feature of the w'lder- ness region is its chain of lakes, placed so nearly upon a level that but little labor from man is required to connect those of three counties together. The lakes of Herkimer and Hamilton are arranged upon TIHITKIIN iif NKW VOHK, S07 n lin,. whi,.), i, ,„„„||,,| „|„, „,„ j^, f_^^^^^^^ ^.^ ^ '""'"'""■• '"!<■■ I will, ,/„. (.I,i„, &.,; „,,p„„i„g/ "';"" '■ "l-'t .n-r..|y, l.ut .1,.. r..,„lt of ., I„w/ «lK,s.. „,„.r,,,i,„„ «,,., i„ „„ .^ „.^^._.,. ^_^_ ^__^_j .v-ral ,K„al|,.k Tlus.. h.l,..», w.t.. „ .„„„„„„ic«. U '"" "!;'"';' '"" ' '"W"". »'".l,l l,..,nu.h r,.,„rtci 0. II.,. lM,n,.v ,„• ,|„.ir w„l,.rs, Ih-ir ..jrvalion. and ^ ""; ;"''' ""■•"•'y «''"''^'' ••"■rounds then, would not ' luiJ to attract visitor." CHAPTER XIV. i With the death of its proprietor, the Herreshoff settlement on Brown's tract became tenantless, and in a short time all the improvements were going to waste and destruction. Hunters occasionally visited the place, and when there, camped in the deserted dwellings. In May, 1830, the premises were leased for a small sum, and in February 1832, Nathaniel Foster, who had for years traversed this region, pur- chased an assignment of the lease and moved his v family there; that he might with greater convenience J follow his favorite avocation of a wilderness trapper. His family, consisting of himself and wife and his son David and wife, occupied the Herreshoff dwelling nearest the forge. In a hut not far from Foster dwelt an Indian hunter named Peter Waters, familiarly known in the forest by the name of Drid; and in an- other house erected by the original proprietor, resided three old bachelors, William S. Wood, David Chase, and Willard Johnson. Johnson first entered the forest with Hcrreshofl, to work at his forge. Some part of the time there were three or four other persons en the clearing, increasing the population to some fifteen in- habitants, all of whom depended principally upon \ hunting and fishing for their support. Johnson, who ^ TUAM'ERS OF SKW VOUK. 209 was a man somewhat advanced in life, often hunted with Foster; and Wood, of whom wc know but little else, would have frozen to death on one occasion, but^ for the attentions of Foster. ' The condition of the other settlers at this period on Brown's tract, was rendered the more comfortable by the family of Foster, whose women were able and ready to dispense the numerous little comforts the sex, can command. A difficulty arose between Foster and his Indian neighbor, which, from one of a trifling na-\ ture, assumed a most serious aspect. A feeling not the most friendly began to gain a place between them, and some person, either from motives of mis- chief or terror, took occasion to tell Drid that Foster! was unfriendly to him — that lie did not like other I hunters — was a dead shot, and the like. It was a per- son or persons, no doubt, who had had some misun- derstandi.ig with the Indian, and adopted this methodX to excite his fears without intending Foster any in-. * jury; possibly the informer was merely desirous of intimidating him, by making him feel conscious that i one man, at least, who did not fear him, had the U, ability to punish him; whatever the motive was is unknown, but the red hunter's worst passions wereX now aroused, and ere long he resolved to destroy a^ supposed foe, at whatever hazard. On several occa- sions, when intoxicated, he threatened the life of \ Foster, and to such a state of feverish excitement had he arrived, that he only seemed desirous of an oppor-7 18* It a 210 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. / tunity for executing his diabolical threat. The hunter Johnson, on several occasions, accompanied Foster to I prevent a surprise from his avowed enemy. The Foster family had always been very kind to I that of Drid, and when the latter was gone on a long I hunt, his squaw depended almost entirely upon the r* former for the support of herself and children. As / Foster kept a cow, the family of the Indian neighbor was supplied with milk free of charge; while not a few necessaries dealt out to them when Drid was from V home, had been carried into the clearing by Foster, ^upon his back. Of the latter articles he made a charge, and embracing some favorable opportunity, he asked the Indian to pay the account, in amount about seventeen shilliifgs; the latter promised to pay a part of it. Foster now told the Indian that he had Y«x heard of his having threatened his life; this he ad- \ mitted, said they lived there retired from any settle- irinent, where there was no law, and added, " If I kill \y youy I kill you ; and if you kill we, you kill me ! " Foster told him he would make no such agreement, ^ that he did not wiilh or design to injure him, and he must not harbor such feelings. One of the earliest causes of difficulty between these hunters originated as follows; nearly a year before his death, Drid took Foster's boat vithout permission and left it in the river a mile below where he had taken it. He was admonished that he must not re- peat such an act if he would not be punished for his /pe a /» TRAPi'KRS OK NEW YORK. 211 temerity, jit vvliieh just rt'proof he was very in(lif^niui.t ; \ and soon after was heard by several persons to say, ".1/e got a bad heart, me put a bullet through old Fos-'^'' tery It was about the time of the boat disturbance, , that certain indivichials attempted to terrify Drid byA threats of Foster's vengeance. In July, and about two months before Ids J donH owe you cent ! " He raised his tomahawk to /^strike the old man, who sp»ang into the house. He 1 opened the door with his rifle in hand, when his foe \\ sullenly fell back and exclaimed, "i/* you ever go to ^ Seventh lake, or to Racket lake, me kill you ! " Fos- ter threatened to complain of him before a justice of Vthe peace, and he replied, " Fll get there soon as you do — huint no law in woods here ! " The Indian with V many threats then went off to his cabin. Soon after this encounter with his adversary, Fos- ter went before Joshua Harris, a justice of the peace in Brantingham, Lewis county, twenty miles from his Y o^vn residence, although the nearest one, and com- I plained that this Indian had then a third time sought • I his life, on which account he demanded his arrest. •mi, The magistrate declined issuing a process against ^Drid, saying that if he proceeded against him, the Jlatter would be as likely to kill him as complainant. TRAITKKS OF NEW YORK. 21.*^ Failing to got a i)rt.('('j)t against his dusky antago- nist, some of his acujuaintances advised Foster to re- move his family from the forest, but he declared " ^M- would not he frightened off' by an Indian.''^ He was very malicious, so much so that Aleck Thonipson, an Indian hunter, who had a shanteenear his, would have nothing to do with him, at least, so say the friends of Foster. The apprehcmsions of the Foster family were such all the latter part of the summer, that they sel- dom lit a candle in the evening, from fear that Drid] would fire in at their windows. Indeed, he had threat- ened to enter the house in the night time, and stabj him in his bed. He had even inquired on which side of the bed Foster slept, that he might make sure of his victim. When told tha*^ so rash an act would endanger the life of Mrs. Foster, he replied, J/ " She good woman — me no care to hurt her — hut ra- I ther kill 'e/n hoth, than not kill him f " V On the morning of Drid's death, Foster was, agree- ably to an arrangement made the evening before, to accompany Wood and Chase on a hunting excursion to Fourth lake. The Indian had left his traps and rifle at Racket lake, some twelve miles beyond the intended destination of the party, but concluded to\ go up with them as far as they went. Foster called { in the morning to see if the bachelors were ready for a start, and the Indian being present, renewed his^ quarrel with the former and attempted his life. He >• was a stout young raan, between twenty-five and i II ■ I I I 214 TRAPPKRS OF NKW YORK. / thirty years of age, and Foster was upwards of sixty. He succeeded in t^etting the old man down upon the floor, but was foih>d in takinjjf his life by the inter- cession of the by-standers, who drew them apart, not j however until the Indian had cut his arm, in the J attempt to thrust a knife into his heart. Thwarted when he thought his victim sure, he threatened ven- •^ geance, and declared at the end of a horrid oath, M"yow 710 live till Christmas!" Foster, whose worst ^ passions were now excited, retorted, " you*ll do d ^ well if you see another moon !" Foster retired after the difficulty with the Indian, and did not join the party, increased on its setting out by several others, who were going a few miles on a fishing excursion; but well satisfied that his foe /would return and lurk about his dwelling to shoot him, as soon as he had obtained his rifle, he at once resolved to destroy the Indian, and thus prevent the V possibility of a future surprise. He accordingly pro- ceeded up the river nearly to the First lake, where, upon its northern shore, a point of land projected into the river, now known among hunters and fishermen I as Indian's point. With his rifle carefully loaded with two balls, Foster obtained a commanding posi- tion on the point, to await the arrival of the party. J After some delay in getting ready they left the dam at the forge, Drid in a light bark canoe, Wood and Chase in a large bark canoe, and the fishing party, \ consisting of four persons, in a boat. •i' » ! \\ ^ '•, 'Vr ' t a ■_■■*£■. DEATH OF THE INDIAN TRAPPER. '' ' See page 215. TKAI'I'KKS OF NKW yoHK. 215 rsonal sal't'ty j icar that of ^ The Indian, Tearing no doubt iVoni lhi> inornin^^'s encounUr and Foster's lliicat, that liis pen was in jeopardy, kept his little craft near Wood and Chase. At length tlui party neared the point, at which its present occupant knew Mie whiteX hunters must land to (;et some concealed traps. The * fishing party rowed on as the canoes put in for the shore, and passing the point they discovered the old trapper in the bushes, and pointing in the direction of the bushes, they said to the hunters, " there's old\ Foster .'" This announcement caused the Indian, who was then between the other canoe and the shore, change his position, and take the lake side of companions. The object of Foster's visiting the WIIU i,to) his/ the^ point was rightly divined by the white trappers, whoV landed and obtained their traps without loss of time, and put off from the shore, when Drid placed his J canoe along side of theirs, so as to bring himself I about midway between them, if possible to endanger ^" their lives should a shot be attempted at himself. Although Foster was several rods distant from the canoes, still the position of his foe did not secure his\ safety. The Indian's pye caught a glimpse of the fearful figure in the bushes just as the rifle was poised, \ and he threw up his arms in terror at the moment of I the explosion. Both bullets entered his left side near ^ the arm pit, passed through his heart and went out \ just below the right arm. They entered in the same^,^ spot, but left two places of egress opposite. The > 'rtl 216 TKAPJ'KU.s or NKW YOKK. \ Iruiinn iVil hackvvunls, with his head and .shoulders in I till! water, his I'cet and le^s remaining in the canoe. lie foil so dead that his position etjiif inued unehan^ed, Cthc fairy craft preserving; the cradling motion com- niunicated to it by his fall, for some length of time after the spirit of its owner had winged its flight, *' To raiiKo the circuit of the •!{}'." ^ The party in company with the Indian at ihe time of his death, either from fear or some other motive, did not offer to touch the body, but returned as speedily as possible to the place of starting. Leaving their boats, several proceeded directly to Foster's / house, where they found him lying on a bed. The **• distance from the dam to Indian's point by water is greater than by land, and the old trapper having T" finished his morning's work, had gained his own I dwelling, wiped out his rifle and prepared it for other *) game, ere the messengers arrived there. Foster ex- pressed some surprise at seeing the party return so j soon, and enquired what brought them back. He r^ was answered, that a dead man was up the lake, the ^ Indian Drid, and they desired him to go up and aid I in getting him down. Agreeably to the request, N. Foster went up with the party to get the body, and \ himself took it into the boat, as the rest seemed afraid J to touch it. He also aided in burying it, near the / Indian's former residence. For killing this Indian, I Foster was arrested soon after, bv the authorities of 1 TIlAIl'tllS OF N»;W VOIIK. 217 lii'wis county; luil whdi it was a.sccrt.'^itieiJ tliat the >/ scene of blood \va.s not within the jurisdiction of that county, lie was rtmovid fron» Marlinsltuif; to Ilorki- mer, where he f^avc hail for his appeuraiicc when 1 required, and returned to his fuiuil/. NoTii, explanatory of the engraving. A friend who made a little drawin^r of the Fulton chain of lakes, to give the writer an idea of the position of the parties, inadvertently placed the point on the south side of the kike, which led to an error in the cut representing this scene, as the point is on the north side. The cut, though an ideal one, is said (by per- sons who have been on the ground) to ijjive a very striking representation of the point, as Foster came » out between two trees. A row of fir trees are seen in the di;stance, said to be more numerous than are here represented. The cut is rather a spirited one, and if the reader will imagine the point transposed to the opposite shore, and the position of the parties changed accordingly, he will get a good idea of the tragic scene. 19 CHAPTKIl XV. Havinf( hron indictnl lor iiiunior, at n court of ponrral sessions, in IIirkitiuT county, on the third day of Fobruary, 181)4, tor killing the Indian Drid, or, ns rnllcd in the indi«'tinrnt, Peter Waters; Nathaniel Foster was arraipjned tor trial at th«' circuit court hehl in that (ounty on the fil'tt'etith , wrrc generally known; and it may hv ([lU'stionrd whrlhrr any twrlvi' fmhoMtTJiA calh'd promiscuously tVotn the county, would have ron- f dcrcd a ditrcrcnt viTdict iVoni that (;ivcn hy the jury iinpannclcd. James H. Hunt (district attorney), and Simeon Ford, wert' counsel lor the prosecution. The? prisoner was jleletided hy \']. P. Hurlhut, with whom were\ associated J. A. Spencer, A. Ilackley and Lauren Ford Mr. Hunt opened the cause hy observing that the pri- soner was arraigned for murder, a rare crime in that county; slatini^ in a brief and pertinent manner, the fa('ts ho evpectcd to show in the progress of the trial. Having cited from the statute laws what would and / what wouM not bo justillublo homicide, ho adduced I the following testimony: ])Avm Chask, sworn. — Was at West Brunswick on the 17th of Septemljcr last; tliere saw Peter Waters; knows the prisoner; saw him also that morning. Jona- than Tyler, William Tyler, Hiram Thomas, and Nelson Stiinpson, started together in one boat to go up the lake; Wood and witness were in a bark canoe; Wa- ters was in a canoe [of bark] alone; they started from the forge in company, and kept up the pond, east, until they came to a point of land about two miles from the forge, when they slopped to get their traps; witness and Wood were going to trap with the Indian in partnershij); Waters's boat was six feet from wit- J 1 220 TRArPERS OF NEW YORK. ness and along side; the other boat was opposite four or five rods. At this point of hind, First hike com- menced; as Wood stepped out to get the traps, wit- ness heard a rattling in the bushes and looked up the lake, thinking it was birds; turntd his head and kept watch; saw Foster, he was bent over a little, ap- parently, going sideways; saw him while passing, a distance of six or eight feet; had no doubt as to the person. Wood took up a load of traps and brought them to the canoe; does not know but he went again; thinks he brought them in two loads; went back out of sight half a minute; came out very quick; clenched up the traps and threw them in the boat in a hurry, and then moved off; Indian, as he heard a rattling in the bushes, shoved his boat close up to witness; they shoved oir from shore and brought the Indian between witness and Wood, in his own canoe; ; the gun then was heard to go off upon the shore on the point; wit- ness turned and Indian was falling backwards from his canoe; made two motions with his hands; his legs stuck in canoe and thus he died. Witness turned to shore and saw Foster on shore in the direction of the report, and where he saw him before; witness and Wood had each a rifle; neither of their rifles were discharged. Witness called to his companions and said ' here is a dead man.'' W^aters had no fire-arms; an hour from leaving forge to that time, he thinks, bat is not certain. Witness examined the body; un- der the left arm, about two inches, the balls entered, wit- Vom his irncd of and were and lirms ; inks, un- ered, TRAPPERS OF NTAV YORK. 221 and came out abotit six inches below the right arm; these killed him; gun was very heavily loaded; saw no other person on shore but Foster; Wood was in the boat before gun was fired. Cross-examined. — It was two or three rods from their boat to where Foster stood; after report saw him in the same open spot again; did not see any gun in his hand either way he passed; did not notice any smoke; was pretty badly frightened. Nelson Stimpson sworn. — Was present 17th Sept. last; saw Waters and prisoner; mentions same party in boat named b}' previous witness; Wood and Chase were in one canoe and the Indian in another alone; went up two miles; is not acquainted there; thinks it may have been an hour before the catastrophe ; saw a wake in the bushes; boat passed along but Wood's boat had stopped; witness saw Foster pass ten fect^ partly bent over (lurking) in the bushes; witness and his party were hallooed to at a distance of thirty rods from this, and after the report of a gun, came back and found Indian's head and part of his body lying in\ the wat«r, and his legs in the canoe; did not see any gun in Foster's hands; did not examine body; Chase fired.off his gun two charges; it was a double shotter, and appeared to have been loaded sometime; Wood discharged his gun; did not see Foster after report of gun; saw no smoke there. WiLLisTON Tyler, sworn. — Saw Foster on the 17th of Sept. last at Foster's house; saw Waters at the 19* U I'ff k-'; -'i' I ' 'f ' i: .1 1 iN h: fi: 111 222 TnAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 1 forge same day; went up from forge with party spoken of; they went up to the point (say two miles) in company; Wood and Chase together; Waters alone; all making to this point of land; W. and C. went a-shore; Stimpson spoke "There goes Foster;" (witness looked and saw a man there that he (witness) called Foster; they rowed round the point out of . sight of the rest; Foster was walking a little stooped I and sideways; rowed thirty yards, heard report of a gun; heard Wood or Chase hallo " come hack as quick as you can; " they went back, and Chase said / they had a dead man there; Waters's head and shoulders were in the water and his legs in the canoe; did not examine his body; two holes in the shirt un- der one arm; examined guns of the others and found them charged as stated by the other witnesses; saw ^no gun in Foster's hands; bushes two feet high; was ' five or six rods distant when he saw him; witness and Wood went to Foster's house; found Johnson on the hill after this in a house occupied by Wood and Chase carrying in some ha/; Johnson lived with Foster; this was four miles from the place of exe- /cution; did not see Foster after report of gun until ' at Foster's house same day, four miles from point. Cross-examined. — Went to Foster's house on the fwoy from point; found him there lying on the bed; I did not know Foster until the night before; he was a J stranger until then; Foster may have passed eight or / ten feet in witness's sight while they were going ..»» TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 223 along in the boat; there were bushes there but not so high as elsewhere; some were ten feet high; saw side of his face; judge of him partly from his gene- ral appearance; he was without a hat; was bald- J headed; he was leaning the same way they were passing; stooped; did not see his hands; Foster was between two and three rods from the point which was to the left; when they found Foster he was lying on a bed; saw his gun in a corner of the room; does I not know whether it was loaded or not; was nothing I peculiar in Foster's dress; witness was not rowing when he saw Foster in the space; neither saw him before nor after he was at that point. Direct testimony resumed. — Foster discharged arid reloaded his gun before he started; this was about one quarter of a mile from Wood's house; Foster's house is on the right-hand side of outlet; and he saw him at the other side of the outlet; the nearest way to get to that place from Foster's house was to cross the biidge at the forge; had a conversation with Fo'.er after he fired the gun and reloaded; witness / inquired " have you shot the deer? " " No, that d — d / Indian," showing on his wrist a scratch and blood; t^ " have had a squabble with the Indian and he cut this \ spot; and if it had not been for Mr. Wood and Chase^ the Indian would have killed me; go either forward or behind; I shall not go fishing." Cross-examined, — The place called the forge has not been used in many years; this is about eighteen r ^2'2'i TKAI'I'KKS OK NKW YDUK'. mill's iVom any si'lllcrs; \\\v outirt is iVoni ten to lif- ti't'M rods wide; lliry liillvcd ol" goin^' lo llu' fourth hdvr; lives in ia-ydon, Lewis county ; the liouses were tlwellinpj-houst'S ert'clcd by sonic past sclllcrs. Wn,i,i.\M S. Woon sworn. — Knows the prisoner; knew tlie Indian killed; was with (Phaser, did not see Foster Ihere [on the point | that day; went ashore to get traps; heard the report of a u;un; the Indian was killed; saw no person in the hushes; heard no noise; ^ was very busy ; got into the boat about as cpiiek as . usual; was about three or lour yards Ironi Waters when .shot; VV'aters's boat lying slill; witness was in liis boat when the gun was firiul; did not see Foster at all up there; saw him at home lying on his bed after the killing; also before that at my house in tlic morning; it was three fourths of an hour from the time Foster left my house in the morning to the gun report; not far from 9 a.m. when gun was fired; about four miles from my house to the point. For the prisoner. — The counsel for the defence here ofl'ered to show that the premises where the Indian was killed, were leased on the 4fh of May, 1830, by Caleb Lyon, for himself and as agent, to David and Solomon Maybec; that the Maybee's went in and oc- cupied under the lease, until the 26th of February, 1832; at which time David Maybee assigned the lease for the sum of ten dollars, to the defendant, who took possession and occupied under said lease until the all^^ged murder was committed; at which time his ^ J Tll.\n'Ki;s OF NKW YOKK. 225 riplif had nol rvpiicd. JikI'm- Dmio .said tliat tlir dclViidant was ])ri',siiiij('d lo occiiiiy in liis own rij^lil; and icjrctcd (lie evidence offered as (•onvenlional. Wm.i.iam S. Wood n. Ilpj 1 11 ; 226 TUAPrKKS OF NEW YORK. j^^ a notion to -/n backj ** 11" 1 can not ''ung upon Foster, took him by the neck and drew his knife upon him, which Foster knocked out of his hand upon the floor; Indian said, " You old devil, I got you now, I kill you;" witness then sprang and grabbed the Indian, and /Chase secured Foster's. rifle; then witness relieved Foster, who stepped to the door, saying, " Where 's /my rifle." Indian said, " Wlicre 's my tomahawk 1 Ny d — m old cuss! " Witness said, " You want no toma- j hawk; be peaceable;" said Indian after Foster went ^ out, " Now Foster wont live to see another Christmas! 'I I '11 kill hj^m, d — m old cuss ! " It was an Indian hunting knife which he carried by his side; in a /sheath in his belt; knife looked as if it had been a i ,.'» TIIAPPKKS OF NKW YORK. 227 case-knife, i^round off to ;i peak ami poinlod; Foster » was rut across his wrist and lacL' in tlui flesh; IndianN belonged to the St. Regis tribe, a (.'anada Indian^V lJriti,>h Indian stout and athletic; after Foster wentt^ out Indian said, " I shouhl have killed him then if it 1- had not been for Chase and witness;" three-fourths of an hour after this, Indian was killeil; witness was with Indian about six weeks, and left him. Cross-examined. — Did not tell Foster the last threat at witness's house; about a quarter of an hour after . this they started; were about haH' an hour in walking up to forge; Waters went with witness and Chase; were not long at forge; found others at forge; about twenty or thirty minutes at forge, can't say precisely; took perhaps twenty or thirty minutes to go to point; I never told Foster of any of the threats; witness and L Chase and Indian were going trapping together; Chase was not in first partnership of witness and Indian. ^ Counsel for defence. — Object to evidence of de- 1 fendant's confessions, as opening the case anew after I the prosecution had rested; overruled; witness went to Foster's house, and Foster went back with them [to the lake to get the body] ; did not heai* Foster say any thing. JuDAH C. Marsh sworn. — Was at Foster's between the 15th and 20th of August, a year ago; Foster asked Indian for seventeen shillings, pay for sundry articles; Indian offered to pay a part but not all; V 1' f 1 i m 228 THAIM'KKS OF NKW YORK. Foster suiil, " I 've K't you liavo artirle.s (o krep you iVom .starving; Indian nioul and potatoes which I Juive carried on my back seventeen niihs; " Indian (jllered to pay a part; "why not pay the whole? I'vi; dealt wilii you like a brother; I 've hearil you threat- ened to take my life; you came once where I was llxinii; u boat (I've been informed) on purpose to kill me; you came once to my house witii your rifle load- eil and called me to the door to kill me;" "yes;" " why do you want to luirt me ? I never wanted to soon kill a white man as an lu- ll you lor a million of worhls;" Indian asked how soon he would come to the Seventh lake; said " You must never come there; if you do you never come back again alive; we're now on ]5rown's tract and out of the way of all law; if you kill me you kill mc; if I kill you I kill you; " Foster said, "1 agree to no such thing; am afraid of your sly Indian way of fighting; I have heard that you threatened to kill several at Lake Pleasant; and a man by the name of Lyon; I shall complain of you t and have you taken' care of; I am afraid of my life;" ^ Indian said, " Complain and be d — d, me meet you; " Indian threatened to kill David Foster (son of defend- ant) if he came to the Racket lake; Indian started to ^the door, took up his tomahawk; prisoner stepped into the house, and Indian let his tomahawk drop after prisoner was out of sight. Cross-examined. — Is a son-in-law of defendant; •• " wliy do you want tc I hurt you; I would as xj (lian; I would not kil ) >) iitU «)f jlour, &,<;., lliat Foster ralliMl ovit; vote nuMitioiuil oiioo ho said it vv:is<:)i(>u|> / iaii spoko tolerably ^00(1 IOnjj;lisli; somo- I TUAn'KllS OK NKW YORK, 229 residrs at Auhuni; wont tlioro last July; iion't rocol- It'ot tho ainmitU of Hour, &<;., tliat Fostor oallod ovor; wIh'M items wo onoii^h; liiiii: hrokoii; witness staid but oi^^ht or ten should eonio us / soon as he possibly couhl; for ho considered ids lifcV in danm I long r \ 1 on his \ ling; it » T ;jl h !P ii'F ; 1 I / 236 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. came back he was cooled down; Wood got to Indian ^and Foster first; had no conversation with Foster since. ^ Nelson Stimpson, sworn. — Saw the Indian clench / Foster; Foster went into the house and spoke to Chase and Wood; asked them what time they would be up r the lake; Indian " How many times more will you \ call me d d liar ?" Foster, " Do you want to /pick a quarrel with me this morning, you black son yj of a bitch ?" The Indian sprang and clenched him, / and jammed the door too, and witness saw no more of it; saw Foster as he came out; he told witness to go down to the forge; four hours from time of scuffle to killing; had some conversation with Foster coming from tract next day. Francis E. Spinner, sworn. There was some con- versation when Foster came down from Martinsburg; / he said something; don't think he said he killed him; \ witness advised him to say nothing; he said there ^^would probably be no dispute about the facts; there / would be proof enough; thinks he said the Indian ' /suspected something, and put up his hands; he said I he examined the body, and in examination found he 'X.was shot with two balls; he said his rifle never told «, a lie; don't know whether this latter observation was in that conversation; he said they were afraid to take care of the body, and he went up; found it was a centre shot; a hole under one arm, close up, and two on the opposite side; is not clear, but he may have % TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. • 237 said that his arm must have been thrown up, or the / ball could not have entered there. The testimony having closed, Mr. Hurlbut opened the defence to the jury, and his associates Spencer and Hackley summed up. The cause is said, by spec- tators, to have been very ably conducted on both sides. \ Judge Denio, who was from another county, a stranger to the parties and unbiased by the prejudices I which made either for or against the prisoner, deter- I mined to try him fairly and impartially. There can be no greater virtue in any tribunal, than that of impar-K tiality in the administration of justice. Indeed, when other motives influence judicial decisions than those of equity, and power is warped to favor, rapine and { anarchy stalk the earth unbridled, honesty wears weeds, and disinterested benevolence fold^ herself up "^ in a garment of sackcloth. The following is a brief memorandum made by Mr. Hurlbut, of Judge Denio's charge to the jury. " The court advise the jury, that the law applies to the region of country where the offence was com- mitted. The law pervades every section of the coun- C try. There is no place where crime is not cognizable. ^ " In regard to the race of men to which the de- ceased belonged, when the question is, what will authorize, the taking of the life of such an one? we answer, no one can take such life without such rea- sons as would authorize the taking of the life of any ^ other human being. "Si N ^w I . i'll » \'tn\ 238 TRAPPERS OF NEW VORK. •• There are two cases ol' killing whicli is not mur- der. First, when there is killing in a sudden affray: /it is manslaughter. If, at the time of the rencontre in the morning, before his passion cooled, the prisoner had shot the Indian, it would have been manslaughter only. But if his passion cooled, and contrivance or • malice was aroused, it would have been murder. • Second, a man has a right to kill another in self de- .70 fence. The court would not abridge that privilege. If Wood's account be true, if the Indian came with his knife drawn and offered a fatal blow, and Foster had not time to retreat, he would have been author- ized to shoot him dead. That would have been a legitimate case of self defence. The law of this • country is not, when a man is out of immediate dan- T ger, but has a secret enemy, that he has a right to ' kill him. This would not be a good code of laws if that were so. In a state of nature, it would have been morally right to have taken the Indian's life in this case. The principle of self defence applies only / to the case of present attack upon the accused. If , Foster seriously believed he was right and justified, / it makes no difference in law, morally it does. " These views you have a right to overlook. You are not bound to pay any further regard to this opinion, than the superior means of the court of pos- sessing information may entitle it to." The jury retired. Before the trial commenced, Mr. Hurlburt received '* i TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 230 from Foster the most urgent instructions to convict/ him of murder or acquit him altogether. He pro- tcsteil against being found guilty of manslaughter, as j he dreaded imprisonment, even for the shortest term, / * worse than death. '^ The jury, after a deliberation of two hours, returned into court with a verdict of acquittal. As they entered and took their seats, the " cloud of witnesses " be- came hushed; the moment was one of intense interest;\ and to so great a tension had the feelings of the ohA gentleman been drawn by the excitement his preca- j rious fate had invoked, that his spirit seemed hovering ( between life and death. Says Mr. Hurlbut, " When the jury came in with their verdict, he was insensible; Jk and it was with some difficulty he was roused to con- sciousness, so as to understand the vt.dict. When V the words not guilty^ after being two or three times / repeated to him by his counsel, struck his senses I fairly, he rose up, stretched out both hands wide over ^ the heads of the Spectators, and exclaiming, ' God •* 6/''w you all ! God hless the people ! ' rushed out of^ the court room, and strode home his well known hun-l ter's pon|r." A murmur of applause ran throup;h the crowd, the\ sympathies of which were nearly all enlisted in his | favor, as the old trapper left the court room for the^ street, to which he was followed by scores of people of all ages, anxious to offer their congratulations.^ At Little Falls, great was the rejoicing and clapping 'I'l I '1 ^ 1 * r*; t I 240 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. of hands, when the news reached that place that 3 Foster -.vas free; indeed his enlargement met with rone universal burst of approbation throughout the county. Not because h'i had killed a poor Indian, ^ and been acquitted; but because he was not to be J hung for having killed a man in his own defence, as they viewed it. There can remain little doubt, when it is known as a characteristic of thi red man that ' y^ he never forgives a known or imagined injuiy, and y seldom a grudge, especially one he has determined to punish with death, but that he would have killed Foster " before Christmas," if Foster had not slain -^ him.* But we leave this case to Him who set hifj . own mark on the first murderer, Cain; and to whoso / mercy Moses was subjected, when he slew and con- I cealed his man in the sands of Egypt. ^^ * The celebrated Joseph Brant, once found it necessary to kill ^ J^ bis own son. The latter had taken umbrage at his parent for /8ome cause, and on an occasion, pursued him with a knife, bent I on his destruction. Brant retreated to the corner of a room, rtLTtned with a tomahawk ; and satisfied the son would execute his _j threats, as he rushed upon him, the father sunk the fatal toma- hawk in his head. — Isaac H. Tiffany. ^ ha^ 'ii I CHAPTER XVI. About the time of Foster's trial, to an interrogatory from the Hon. Charles Gray, whether he did not con- sider the lives of the white hunters as greatly endan- gered, when he directed the balls between them only u few feet apart, which penetrated the heart of his victim? he replied, " No, not at all ! my old rifle never made so great a miss as that! " Remarking to Maj. Stoner my surprise, that Foster should have dared to fire between two white men in a changing position at a third person, the old Natty Bumpo replied, "Poh! Foster would have shot the Indian's eye out had he desired to! The truth is, either of us could send a bullet just about where we chose to." \i an inanimate and fixed target they were not so remarkably celebrated as marksmen, but give them game nioving sufficiently to excite their anxiety, and these two modern Nimrods may be said to have been a dead shot. At a reasonable dis- tance they would have driven an apple every time from the head of some young Tell, and scarcely dis- placed a hair, provided the head was moving. When a sufficient length of time had transpired after this Indian's death for intelligence of it to go to his friends near the river St. Lawrence, a brother-in- 21 242 TRAPPKRS OF NKW YorvK. law of his, who was a chief of lijc St. Regis tribe, and a very likely man, came down to llrown's tract to remove his sister, lie said the arii news from <|ui(hiiiiics; and as liitth' Falls, with possihly her do/i'ii (much scat- tered) insi^nilicant dwellings, was then a place of w)mc notoriety, on account of her new inland locks, and old moss-clad rocks, the bar-room of the villaf^o one-story tavern became tlu; place where all the clas- sic e\cnls of olden time, and all the improvements of modern days, particularly those which aided the river sailor in naviujatinjjf the far famed Mohawk, wcrt'i sans parliamentary forms, freely discussed. On a certain occasion Foster met the Indian Hess in the bar-room of llie Little Falls tavern, and observ- ing that his dress a-la-modo was that of a hunter, he attempted to engage him in a conversation. He fuigned ignorance of the Fnglish language, however, until his while competitor in beaver skins oiled his tongue freely at the bar, when lo! tlu; seal upon his lips was broken, and he spoke Knglisli tolerably well. The two hunters soon after kit the village and tra- veled some distance together, when the conversation turned upon Revolutionary scenes: boasting of his individual exploits on the frontiers of New York, the Indian exhibited a tobacco pouch. "This," said the crafty warrior, " me got in the war. Me kill white woman; rip open b-lly; find young pap- poosc; skin him some; make pouch!" He also lie TKAti'liUM OK Ni:VV YUUK. ii^t opened tl box in the breech ufhis rifle, ami exhibit- crtain it is, that one at least resolved not to be over-reached by the other. Not long after the above incidents transpired, Fos- ter was threading the forest alone, in the northerly part of Herkimer county, in the pursuit of game. In a secluded spot, he came unexpectedly upon and shot a moose cow. While securing the noble game, its mate, a most ferocious bull, attracted to the spot by the bellowing of the dam, attacked him with great 21* 1 ■i i i 1 1 246 TUAirKU.M OF NbW VOUK. I'liry. Ill a (loiip;iti^ i>.!;i>N tix' liuntrr was (il)li^nl to make Moinc lialf a do/en s\\f){s in rapid Mii('(-cs.siori. Foster ril(>a«lt(l his rifli* bcture iiu vcntiirctl to ap- proach nri anitnal that h.id hccn no tcnacioii.i of lilr, i^lMiou^h (\yU\\s, (he seldom changed his position in the woods wititout a eliar^e in his ^un); and whilu udvaneihf; to it, he was startled to hear a to(»tstep within pistol shot distance of him, and wn.s possibly not less surprised to find in the person of his new visitant, the inuseular form of the Indian Iless. Supposing, as is presumed, that Foster's rifle waH unloaded, his recent acquaintance, who now experi- enced no dilHcnlty in " munh-ring the King's Eng- lish," at the end of a whoop that toM credibly for his lungs and the absence of balsams, shouted aloud, " JVow Foster me got ymt ! me kU' you now! " Hc/- tween Hess and his intended victim there was a marsh, over which Wiis a fallen tree. Mounting thn log to appfoach the white hunter, with uplifted toma- hawk and death-boding mien, the report of a rifle again echoed amid the fir-tops of the forest, and up sprang the Indian high in air from the log. A bullet had plowed its way through his heart, and with a guttural groan, the dark warrior fell de.id upon the marsh. Lest Hess might not be unattended in the forest, the eagle-eyed marksman, whose rifle had not only been quickly loaded but quickly discharged, stamped the carcase of his victim deep into the mud. Dark mystery hung over the fate of lliis lone hunter TUArrKits or nf.w vork. 247 for yi'nrii Many rfmiiiilHTitl tliat his «lisnp|M'nrnnro was NUiliirn ami unr\|)irtnl; :iii(l others that thry ha of this unt'ortunutu savage, for whom No Rnlrtiin \h-\Vh mntullic toimiio, K'er tollM \\n flmitli iiotenii thn brrffz*; Zephyr* iiIinio lor hitii tticir riMitiicin^uiitlj nv\irtiiiir'(l, and tiriioni( The plunivil uiul bowing trefli. Foster, althoujrh n man of umlouhted verncity, when speaking of his own exploits, made use of aphorisms, or siu'h unexplained expressions, as left them a mystery to his auditors. This was particu- larly the case where legal advantage could be taken of his sayings and doings; hence, it is impossible to arrive with positive certainty, as is believed, at some of the most interesting incidents in his life. On this point, says a correspondent, " Foster would occasion- ally tell some of his exploits, but in such a way you could hardly guess his meaning. For instance, " The best shot I ever made, I got two beaver, one otter, and fifteen martin skins; but I took the fdling out of a blanket to do it !' And again, * I was once in the •woods, and saw an Indian lay down to drink at a brook; sofr. thing was the matter; he dropped his face I ',' 248 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. into tho water and drowned; I thought I might as well take his fur, gun, blanket, &c., as leave them there to spoil.' " Says the same correspondent, " On his way to jail, I saw Foster; he said to mo, ' Brother B., I am the man that pushed the bull off the bridge ; I never liked Indians /' While confined at Herkimer, he was ask- ed how he fared? He replied, " 0, very well, only I don't like to Le stall fed among gentlemen ! " About tho time of Foster's trial, while some friends were speaking of his success as a hunter and extra- ordinary skill as a marksman, he said the greatest shot he ever made was at otters, securing eighteen of their valuable pelts at a single shot. Although the fame of the (then) old hunter was very great, this story seemed to stagger the faith of his most confi- dential auditors; and when one ventured to express a doubt as to tho truth of the assertion, he explained as follows. In a hunting excursion he had once fallen in with an Indian, who carried upon his bacfi: eigh- teen otter skins; that he had no intention of harming the Indian; did not know that he had killed him; but that he never let an otter skin escape him alive. He fired; they all fell; he picked them up and came away. In the latter part of his life, Foster's sight began to fail him. His brother, Shubael Foster^ who is many years younger than Nathaniel, says he was deer himting with the latter, not many years before his death, in St. Lawrence county, on the " Oswegat- rh- leer Ihis cat- TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 249 chie,* in which excursion they If illcd twenty. Informant shot several before his brother got any; wlien they oarae together, tlje latter procured a good slice of venison, saying that if he could get a piece of deer into him, he could see to shoot them. During this hunt, they one day cornered a flock betwec^n them and a ledge, exposing the innocent creatures to their cross- fire. They drove the terrified animals from one to the other until they secured five of their number, four of which fell before the old rifle of the senior hunter., So much for eating a good steak of venison. Foster and Stoner were both remarkably expert at loading their rifles, but the former most so, at least if it became necessary to make several shots in hot haste, and at a short distance. Foster has been known repeatedly, upon a wager, to commence with his rifle unloaded and fire it otf six times in one minute. This, to the reader, if a modern marksman and unaccus- tomed to taking game upon foot, seems incredible, but it is nevertheless true. While hunting he usually wore three rifle balls between the fingers of each hand, and invariably thus in the left hand, if he had * Os-wc-gntrhie or Ogh-sxcn-f^atchie, »ft fmlian name, the his- torian James Macaut-ey, informed the author, whirh signifies going or coming round a hill. The ji^reat Ix^f/J in the Oswegat- chie river (or the necessity of it), on the borders of Lf wi« oounty^ originated its significant name. An Indian tribe, bearing the name of the river, once lived upon its banks; but its fat?, like that of many sister tribes, has been, to melt away before the pr^ gressive step of the Anglo-Saxcm. M! I'Ml ^\ '! 1 ^^^ 'I I i • ii J?> ' 250 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. that number of balls with him. He had a large bony hand, ant! having worn such jewels a long time, they had mad J for themselves cavities in the flesh, which concealed them almost as cfTectually as they were when hid in the moulds in wliich they were run from the fused lead. The superficial observer would not have noticed them. Foster's quick shooting \ras in the days of flint locks. He had a powder flask with a charger, and with six well pared balls between his fingers, he would pour in the powder, drop in a ball that would just roll down without a patch, and striking the breech of his gun with his hand, it was primed; soon after which the bullet was speeding to its mark. These rapid discharges could omly be made at a short distance, as to make long shots it became necessary to patch the balls and drive them down with a rod, the latter being dispensed with in the former case. Foster would make his six shots, so as to kill so many men, within one minute, at a distance not ex- ceeding ten rods. A regiment of such riflemen, in close action, would soon decide the fate of a battle. In the scconil American war with Great Britain, the following incident, says Shubacl Foster, took place in Manheim, Herkimer county. A regiment of riflemen, under Col. Forsyth, passed through that town on their way from the Mohawk valley to the military lines between New- York and Canada, and encamped there over night to wash their clothes. TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 251 The celebrity of Foster, as u marksman, cominjr to the ears of Co4. Forsyth, as the hunter was in the vicinity, he had him called to the camp. The most expert rifleman in the regiment was a man named Robinson, from South Carolina. The colonel was desirous of seeing]; a nether Foster or Robinson could make the most effective shots in a minute, at a tar- get ten rods off, each commencing with unloaded rifles. They began to load at a given signal, and Foster sent six bullets into the taiget within the minute; his competitor pulling the sixth bullet into his piece, as that of his own rifle sped to the mark. The whole regiment was astonished to see their fellow member — able, as was supposed, to make the most shots in a given time of any man in the world — fairly beaten by a New- York trapper. A murmur of ap- plause ran through the ranks, and Foster at once became a lion in the camp. Surprised at the unex- pected skill of a New-York odsman, and anxious to secure his services. Col. Forsyth offered Foster thirty dollars a month to join his regiment, with the complimentary assurance that he shoula eat at his own table; but as Foster did not approve of the war, he could not be prevailed upon to adopt die life of a soldier. When hunting, Foster would make his camp in forty-five minutes, where the snow "was a foot deep. He usually set up two crotches, laid a pole across them, and others' from thence to the ground upon the m ii': !'!',! 1! Ill 252 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. sides and one end; covering the wliole with hemlock boughs. In front of the open end, for his own com- fort and security against wild beasts, he built a good fire. Provisions placed under his head for a pillow at night, were often frozen hard in the morning. In cold weather, he carried a blanket, strapped upon his shoulders as a knapsack. He usually wore a hat, but at times a cap, smd uniformly a cofit when hunting; over his shoulders were strapped a powder horn and bullet pouch, of sufficient dimensions to warrant a lengthy hunt. He was always very careful tc have a pocket compass ^vith him when in the forest. ki \r I''. 3Ck »m- )od ow In his but md ta ive CHAPTER XVII. Since the preceding chapters were written, Col DANiiiL C. Hexdku.son, of Norway, has kindly furnish- ed me with some interesting mcnoranda in the life of Jonathan Wright, a hunter previously named j and several incidents worthy of notice, of several others of like craft, who followed trapping many years ago on and contiguous to Brown's tract. From Henderson's manuscript I glean the following facts. Jonathan Wright, or Jock, as he was called in the wilderness, was a native of Hinsdale, Cheshire coun- ty, New Hampshire;, and of respectable parentage. He was about five feet ten inches in height, rather stoutly built, with a sallow complexion. In the latter part of his life, and when known to my correspond- ent, he had a very stooping gait, and a walk pecu- liarly his own; lifting his feet high as though treading upon something light. His peculiarity of motion was no doubt acquired by carrying, as silently as possible, heavy burthens upon his shoulders in the forest, such as traps, wild game, provisions, canoes, &c. He had a keen eye shaded by heavy brows; and upon the whole was rather good looking. He was a man of few words, but they were pithy and uttered with energy. His education was such as the com- 22 I i i' H I i 254 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. mon scliools of New Enjijliind airorded at that early day, he being a school-boy just before the Revolu- tion. But little is known of Wright's youthful days, ex- cept that he was rather eccentric; and early evinced a disposition to be alone in the woods, with his dog and gun. At the age of eighteen he had, in the pur- suit of wild game and fur, reconnoitred the northerly part of his native state, knowing more, doubtless, of its topography than of its improvements. When our Revolutionary difficulties began, he was found among the champions of liberty; and five days before the Bunker Hill battle he arrived at the American camp near Boston, accompanied by a neighbor named Moffatt; both armed cap-a-pie for action. He was a volunteer under the brave Prescott, to aid in forti- fying Bunker hill the night before the battle, in which he took an active part. When Wright got back to his quarters in the evening, almost exhausted, he heard a call for a guard to prevent surprise from the enemy, " There 's no danger of that," he exclaimed, " the rascals have enough to do to dress their shins and wrap up their fingers for the next twelve hours, without beating up our quarters. I shall sleep for the next ten hours without fear." The reveille and tattoo savored too much of re- straint for the tameless spirit of a hunter, and tiring of camp monotony Wright returned home, and did not again join the army until Arnold's retreat from TRAPPKtiS OF NEW YORK. 266 Quebec to Ticondfiot^a; when he tliere enlisted under Capt. Whitcoinb; preferring to perforin scouting or other hazardous duty. Capt. W. had been accused of shooting Major (Jordon, a Btitish officer, and rifling his pockets; of which act General Carlton complain- ed, and demanded his trial for murder. The Ameri- can officer in comnuirid did not think the act, which was one of daring, demanded such a title; but viewed it as a consequence of war, and soon the matter was hushed. While on duty at Fort Ticonderoga, Wright and his captain went on a scout toward the lower end of lake Champlain, where they unexpectedly fell in with and captured two British officers well mounted. They proved to be a pay-master and lieutenant; who, not expecting a foe so far from the American camp, were off their guard, and easily secured by their rifle-poised captors. The horses could not be taken along, and they were set free in the road, to return to their mas- ters' former quarters. After the prisoners were dis- mounted and disarmed, they inquired the names of their more fortunate companions. At hearing the name of Whitcomb the pay-master turned deadly pale, and inquired with evident agitation, " Are you the man who shot Major Gordon? " "I suppose that I am;" replied the captain. WV: ht, who witnessed the effect of this announce- ment, divined that a desperate eflbrt might be made by the prisoners to escape, and advanced with a fl II 266 TiurrF.Rs of new yokk. ready riflf to a commandi..^' nosilion; whoii he as- sured tliein they slioidd have good (jUiirters, and not be injured unless they tried to escape; in wldeh event they would he sent to oblivion in a hurry ! Tins assu- rance tended to quiet their fears, and soon the party were thrcadinf];' a circuitous route lor Ticoiuh-roga. The pay-master chanced to have no funds on ids j)er- son, on wliich account he may have felt the more secure. When the captures were made, the scout were just out of provisions, and early the next morn- ing, as Wright was the best runner, it was settled that he should proceed to the fort with all possible disi)atch ; obtain food, and return to succor the party, which was to proceed up the lake shore. The adven- ture was carried out as anticipated, and In a few days all arrived safely at Ticondcroga. Soon after, the captives were exchanged. Wright ever spake highly of this lieutenant, whose name is now Ibrgotten. Just before they )iartcd, the latter addressed him as follows, " W^right, you have been kind to us, and I shall always retain grateful feelings toward you. Wc shall be down the next campaign, and then you may rely on my friendship, as you must and will be subjugated! " " You go to the devil! " replied Wright. " If you come again, death is your portion. You talk of sub- duing the States; when you come again, you fetch your cqlflns with you, for you Ul surely want them! " He continued with the northern army, acting much M Ijl * TKArPF.RS or NKW YOUK. 267 of the time cilluT as w scout or a spy, until aftor the surrender of Hurj^oync. Some lew days hel'ore that event,* l)einR on a scout in the vicinity of the J^ritish army, a violent rain-storm came on, and he sought a temporary shelter beneath the trunk of a leanin^^ tree; with his blanket over his shoulders, and his rifle in a position to bs kept dry. While thus situated, his quick car detected amid the roaring elements, an ap- proaching footstep; and looking up, he saw a large ■wolf just ready to spring upon him. He carefully raised his piece, and without bringing it to his shoul- der, discharged it, the muzzle being within a few feet of the animal's head, which was literally blown off. Thus did he scalp one English ally. Recollecting his former friend, the British lieuten- ant, Wright sought for him among the vanquished, and found him an object of commiseration. He had been wounded, and what with his sufferings and pri- vations, had grown defected; sick in body and mindj and did not readily recognize his former captor. When he did he saluted him with great emotion. In- deed, the meeting was such as caused the better feelings of both to mingle in a flow of tears. Wright was the first to regain his self-possessiop, and broke forth in a strain between seriousness and jtsting much as fol- lows: — " By ! you are a lucky devil though. I supposed you long since dead, as I told you you would be at the end of this campaign; but I rejoice to find you still alive, and hope you may live to repent of K I \ L* ', » 268 TRAITKIIM or NKW VOUK. your sins; but hy the lu'avrns, it I (-vrr find you in arnus against tlic States a|;ain, I will surt-ly blow your brains to the lour winds! " Wright with no little trouble |;ot his iViend in a waj^on und conveyed hiiu to a pbute ot" seetirity, wiiere he wa.H well eared lor, and soon alter they parted, as they supjjost'd, for ever. Th<' winter fol- lowing, the lieutenant was retained with many other prisoners In iioslon; and havin^j; oeeasiou to visit that city in the mean time, VVri^li' and his British friend again met; the latter then i.. good health and fuu' spirits. After several days of social intercourse the friends finally parted, but not until the lieutenant had pressed upon the acceptance of his guest numer- ous presents; with an assurance that no consideration would ever indme hirn to be found in arms again, against so brave and generous a people. Wright said in the latter part of his lile, that of all the friends he ever rnet, this military foeman gave him the heartiest welcome.^' Wright took no active part in the war after 1777, but followed his favorite avocation of a hunter in the northerly part of New Hampshire and Vermont; which the neutrality of the latter state, then a terri- tory in dispute, enabled him to do. Soon after th(! war, he, and a cousin of his, named Belden, who was usually called the Rattlesnake hunter, began to fre- quent the shores of lakes Champlain and George, and their inlets; as also the sources of the Hudson, in ifl TIUPPKIln or NBW VORK. 259 qui'st ot' I'ur. HoliU n bore a ilradly hatrcri to riiltlc> Hnnkcs, 'in0 TRArrKKM l.y NKW VOMK. over iitiil t>\vr\ l)ii> .•iriiikr coiniiiir ii|) at tlic last roll. Hclilni IxMiiiiicil ii|i, M-i/rd tlir Miaki! routid tli(> neck, loosriml its laiij^s, ami wliippiil it to dcatlt a^niii.st tlu> rocks; as his sticks iiad hccii lost in the lli^ltt. \Vii^j;lit often sai»l this was the oidy U:uv he ever saw nddcn rilht r scared or even started hy danger; hut the snakes had rest tlie reniainchr ol the ihiy." The two friends loHowcd trappintj fi>r several stn- Nons in the reii,i(>n of country unih-r consideration, and until heaver he^an to ^row scarce; for the reader must not suppose that they were sole nionarchs there; Indiiui hunt« rs were continually crossini^ their tracks. Am ^anu' j^rew scarce, however; they occasionally hunted for n Hcason as far eastward as the present state of Maine. While hunting in the nei^hhorhood of lake Chani|)lain they used a li^ht skit!' to coast with, and navij^ate streams. On one oc(!asion when they had moored their little hanpie iri some safe nook, they set off to visit their traps in dilferent directions; to meet at mii;ht at the startinfj; point. Wright re- turned just at sunset much fatigued, and as his com- rade was not there, he deposited his ^ame, laid down in the boat, and was soon in a sound slund)er; from which he did not awake until it was quite dark. He was then aroused by what he supposed the halloo of his companion, and while listening to hear the voice again, J3elden made his appearance, loaded down with a deer and other game, which he deposited in the boat. Wright asked him if he had heard a li TIUITKUN n^" NKW VOKK. 201 liiitnan voiiT, or nuy tliiii;; nsriiiMini^ it, nnd was aii.swrntl in tin* ii< i^ativc VVrip;l(t .s(r|i|M(l to iht; how of the l)o;il In loosen it, wlirii lir WiiH met I*) a loud .st'iraiii iiiid tlic p;laiiii^ cyc-luiils of a nioiislrous imntlu'f dinrlly IhI'oit liiiii. " Well H.ldrn," In; «»x- i'liiiini'dstaitiiitr hack, you have brou^'hla line friend to supper!" •• Yes," lepliid the latter, " and just wait until I ^ive him a polite reception." Snat<'hin|^ up his rille he discharged it, almost scorching the ani- maPs head; si ill it was not hurl or frightened from its piu'pose; hut stood al the how and prevented them from untying. U'riuhl then fnitl also without elKjt. Heidi II had soon reloaded, and with a piece of chalk carried for tht; purpose, he whileiud the harrel of his rifle, took a more deliberate aim at the ^larinp; tar^el and llred a tdth near its habitation. , In its natural or forest life, \vher»- undistciilied hy man, th«' beaver is social lu its habits, often number- ing^ twenty or more habitations in a single commu- nity, containin'jj froui two lo twenty members each at some seasons of the year, us circumstances warrant. The followini^ account of the manner in which those sagacious animals construct their dams and dwellings, is from (iodman's Natural History. " They are not particular in the site they select for the establishment of their dwellings, hut if in a lake or pond, wln're a dam is not rccjuired, they are ( are- ful to build where the water is sufficiently deep. In standing waters, however, they have not the advan- tage aflbrded by a current for the transportation of their supplies of wood; which, when they build on a ^^^ .."^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) Ji: ;;4 .^ y 41 > fe .> _^; ^ I.I Slit 1.0 ^1^ Ui ■U 1^ 12.2 liii llllii^ ^ i 1.4 6" - V] "^ ? /^ ^^ ^v^ '/ Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 145S0 (716) 872-4503 ^ :\ 274 TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. running stream, is always cut higher up than the place of their residence, and floated down. v ** The material used for the construction of their dams, are the trunks and branches of F,mn\\ birch, mulberry, willow, poplar, &c. They begin to cut down their timber for building, early in the summer, but their edifices are not commenced until about the middle or latter part of August, and are not com- pleted until the beginning of the cold season. The strength of their teeth, and their perseverance in this work, may be fairly estimated, by the size of the trees they cut down. These are cut in such a man- ner as to (all into the water, and then floated towards the site of the dam or dwelling. Small shrubs, &c., cut at a distance from the water, they drag with their teeth to the stream, and then launch and tow them to the place of deposit. At a short distance above a beaver dam, the number of trees which have been cut down, appears truly surprising, and the regularity of the stumps which are left, might lead persons un- acquainted with the habits of the animals to believe, that the clearing was the result of human industry. " The figure of the dam varies according to cir- cumstances. Should the current be very gentle, the dam is carried nearly straight across; but when the stream is swiftly flowing, it is uniformly made with a considerable curve, having the convex part opposed to the current. Along with the trunks and branches of trees, they intermingle mud and stones, to give TRAPPERS OF NEW YORK. 275 greater security; and when dams have been long un- disturbed and frequently repaired, they acquire great solidity, and their power of resisting the pressure of water and ice, is greatly increased by the willow, birch, &c., occasionally taking root, and eventually growing up into something of a regular hedge. The materials used in constructing the dams, are secured solely by the resting of the branches, &c., against the bottom, and the subsequent accumulation of mud and stones, by the force of the stream, or by the industry of the beavers. "The dwellings of the beaver are formed of the same materials as their dams, and are very rude, though strong, and adapted in size to the number of their inhabitants. There are seldom more than four old, and six or eight young ones. Double of that number have been occasionally found in one of the lodges, though it is by no means a very common occurrence. " When building their houses, they place most of the wood cross-wise, and nearly horizontally, observ- ing no other order than that of leaving a cavity in the middle. Branches, which project inward, are cut off with their teeth and thrown among the rest. The houses are by no means built of sticks first, and then plastered, but all the materials, sticks, mud and stones, if the latter can be procured, aro mixed up together, and this composition is employed from the foundation to the summit. The mud is obtained from the adja- ■I 276 TUAPPEUS OF NEW YOIIK, cent banks or bottom of the stream or pond, near the 'door of the hut. Mud and stones, the beaver always cariics by holding them between his fore paws and throat. " Their work is all performed at night, and with much expedition. When straw or grass is mingled •with the mud used by them in building, it is an acci- dental circumstance, owing to thn nature of the spot ■whence the latter was taken. As soon as any part of the material is placed where it is intended to re- main, they turn round and give it a smart blow with the tail. The same sort of blow is struck by them, on the surface of the water when they are in the act •of diving. " The outside of the hut is covered or plastered with mud, late in the autumn, and after frost has be- gun to appear. By freezing it soon becomes almost as bard as stone, effectually excluding their great enemy, the wolverine, during the winter. Their habit of walking over the work frequently during its pro- gress, has led to the absurd idea of their using their tail as a trowel. The habit of flapping with the tail is retained by them in a state of captivity, and, unless it be the acts already mentionejl, appears de- signed to effect no particular purpose. The houses, when they have stood for some time, and been kept in repair, become so firm from the consolidation of all the materials, as to require great exertion, and the ice chisel, or other iron instruments, to be broken TRAPPERS OK NEW YOR-i. 277 Open. The laborious nature of such an undertaking may easily be conceived, when it is known that the tops of the houses are generally from four to six feet thick at the apex of the cone." The tail of the beaver when swimming, serres for a rudder to aid the animal in its changing and often rapid movement in the water. Near their habitations, beavers establish magazines of green bark and soft wood for food, keeping them well replenished; and never do the membeis of one family plunder from the larder of another. A community of beavers, although it may consist of several hundred members, is seldom disturbed by domestic difficulties; peace and harmony being the bond which cements their union. If an individual is threatened with danger, it immediately takes measures to forewarn the whole village; which is done by striking the water furiously with its tail. Thus apprised of an enemy's proximity, the animals take shelter either in the water or their strong dwell ings, which are very tidily kept in order. The en- trance to a beaver's dwelling is by a small open door towards the water. The legs of a beaver are short, the foot has four toes, and what is remarkable, the hind feet have membranes between the toes to aid the animal in swimming. The Otter, which is also hunted for its valuable fur, resembles the beaver somewhat in size, but very little in its general habits. It lives a more solitary life, often changing its habitation, especially in the winter, 24 I I .. 278 TKAPPKRS OK NEW YOKK. when seeking to find untro/cn water. It ol'tcii travels a great distance at such times, and it' threatened by danger on the snow, it slides on its belly rapidly, leaving a furrow behind it. Some ' upposc it is done by the animal in an attempt to bury itself in the snow. This is not the case, but rather a necessity arising from the shortness of its legs, as proportioned to its body. The animal has been known, not unfre- quently, to get upon a hill near its own residence, when covered with snow, and with its fore feet bent back, slide down the hill for several rods, with great rapidity. This feat is evidently performed for a pas- time. The otter usually feeds upon iish, frogs, and other small animals; and when they can not be obtained, it will eat the tender branches and bark growing in or near the water, and sometimes grass. They are bad economists of food, and often annoy a community of beavers, by destroying their husbanded store of grow- ing eatables. The otter is less numerous than the beaver, and its fur more valuable. The foot of the otter has five toes, connected by webs, like the toes of a duck. It displays considerable sagacity in pre- paring its burrow, which it makes upward under a bank, the entrance being beneath the water, and that in a freshet it shall not be drowned, it opens a small vent to the surface, often concealed by leaves and bushes. The otter taken young has been tamed, and taught to fish for its master. TRAPPIRR OF NEW TORK. 279 The Musk-rat in its habits much resembles the beaver, but is small as compared with that animal, being scarcely one-third as large. It is called ihc musk-rat, because it is l'urnii>h(d with a peculiar matttir, of a strong musky odor. The entrance to its burrow like that of the beaver, is usually made under a bank beneath the water. Its food, which is similar to that of the beaver, is usually sought in the night. Although the latter animal entirely disappears as the country becomes settled, it is not so with the musk- rat, it continues its proximity to man's abode, occu- pying marshy lands along the shore of some river or pond, long after the lands are cleared up and culti- vated to the water's edge. It is an excellent swim- mer, and dives with great celerity. The flesh of the musk-rat is seldom eaten unless in cases of great hunger, because of its powerful odor. It is still quite numerous in and about the Mohawk river, where the country has been settled for more than a century, and is destroyed every spring in great numbers, when driven from its burrows by heavy freshets, at the breaking up of winter. On such occasions the banks of the Mohawk are lined with men and boys, watch- ing .with eagle-eye to shoot the terrified animals, which are often slain in the very villages contiguous to the river. Not unfrequently they are, by freshets, driven up drains into cellars, where they make great havoc among cabbage and other vegetables there stored. ! • 280 TRAPPERS OP NSW YORE. The Pine Marten, or forest weasel, is so called, be- cause of its preference to forests of pine, in the lofty tops of which it resides. It lives upon small quadru- peds and birds, obtained in the forest, and seldom approaches the habitation of man. It sometimes lives in the hollow of a tree, and not unfrequently takes forcible possession of a squirrel's nest, which it enlarges and occupies to rear its young. The fur of the marten is often used in the manufacture of hats, and in ornamenting winter dresses. The animal is about eighteen inches in length to the tail, the latter appendage being about ten inches long. The male is nearly one-third larger than the female. Trappers have often found the taking of the marten profitable. The Wolverine, which annoys the hunter by steal- ing game from his traps, resembles the skunk some- what in appearance. It is about two feet two inches long from the end of the nose to the origin of the tail, and the latter, which is quite bushy, is some eight inches long to the end of the hair. The animal is very strong for its, size, having very sharp claws and teeth. It is covered with fur, but not of fine quality. It is said to be able to defend itself against the at- tacks of much lai^er animalr^ not unfrequently OTer> powering and destroying them. 1 » V • ' r