Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-06-23


years this day sixteenth of June, 1861 since
first walked the streets of New York. Ifmy mem
DRY Is correct 1 have sent you an anniversary
episte every return of the season, since the pamy
days or the old Mirror perhaps twenty years ago.
landed ON Gouverneurs Wharf then the cor
ner OF Gouyerneur's Lane and Front street. South
street was forty feet below the surface Of the river
at that period. strolled up the centre OF Wall
street; on the corner Of Water street they were
digging the foundation for the Tontine Coffee
House. This building was demolished in May last.
The original subscribers numbered one hundred
and sixty-one--all of whom are now numbered
with the dead. was then in my twenty second
year some dozen of the subscribers were about
my age.
The pillars of the balcony of the old Federal
Hall stood parallel with the curb-stone ON Wall
and Nassau streets. On one of the pillars was
show BILL headed in red letters, as large as your
foot, "Scotch Ointment for the Itch" said to
man who was reading the bill
It's an abominable lie. / am Just out of a ship
from Scotland, and never saw either itch or oint.
ment there
This prince Of quacks, whose name was Doctor
Church, protested to have cured one million Of
Scotchmen with this same ointment. He also
drove aiming swell in the yellow fevers of 1905
and 1898, with boxes, pills, and phals Of anti-bil
ious, anti-dyspeptic, and anti-fever nostrums He
died Of yellow fever In l79s A Scotchman wrote
his epitaph, the last couplet Of which runs thus
He cured million Of Scotchmen In his day:
Death itched for him, and scratched the man away"
The Bank of New York, and the branch Of the
old United States Bank were the only banks then
In Wall street. General Hamilton's modest dwell
ling stood where the Mechanics Bank now stands.
Big Simmons sat on his stoop, corner of Wall aud
Nassau streets, where now stands the Office Of the
New York Evening Express. II was said he
weighed four hundred and twenty-five pounds
Certain It Is that after his death they were COM
PEELED to break away the piers between the two
front windows to let the coffin pass out.
A living contrast was Billy the Fiddler He
dwelt in Nassau street, opposite to where now
stands the Herald Office. He was three feet nine
inches in height, weighed eghty-two pounds; was
neat and wellproportioned; wore knee-breeches,
jack-boots, cocked-hats and military queue
School-boys of eight summers--his equals in
height--would step softly on his rear, tip his
shoulder and fall back few feet; when he turn
ed round, the boys would shout "Billy the Fid-
dler" and run of. have seen the simple little
mortal follow the boys round whole square, and
while they shouted "Billy the Fiddler" he swors
in High Dutch His fiddle was the Dodsworth
band to the upper and lower tens Of that day.
At the foot of Broad street stood the Royal Elk.
change, erected in the tenth year of the reign of
George Third, in 1894. A market 70. bcefsteaks
and Bergen cabbage was held on the ground floor,
and Gardner Baker kept his museum in the second
story. The only watch-house In the city stood on
the south corner of Wall and Broad streets On
the corner of Exchange and William streets stood
the post Office. The original ferry-house to Paulus
Hook stood on the east corner of Exchange and
Broad streets. A natural canal flowed up Broad
nearly to Wall street.
lady in her ninety-6fth year told nue. she pick.
ed whortleberies where now stands the custom
house. On the corner Of Pine and Nassau streets
orr an nld Dufch hon tha a;f
ting on his stoop, in his ninety-seventh year. In
1858 1t was his fathers farm, from Nassau street,
down Pine and Maiden Lane to the East River
Colonel Burr kept his law office at the corner of
Cedar and Nassau streets.
In 1875 crossed for the first time, from the
foot of Courtandt street, in an open ferry boat to
Paulus Hook twenty minutes was good passage
in those boats. Then, Paulus Hook (now Jersey
City, contained tavern two stories high, stable,
barn, COW and pig house. Major Hunt "a soldier
who had served with Washington) was lord Of all
he surveyed. We rode to Newark the road was
corduroy-trees cut down, and laid side by side
We left Paulus Hook at ten A. NJ, and got to
Newark Bridge at one p. NJ. Bump, bump, bump
over pine trees, for three hours.
In 1901, Thomas jefferson became President of
the United States. Aaron Burr, Joel Barlow, Thos.
Paine, and others, we're his privy- counseors. Now
the age of experiments. Mr.. Jenfer-
son, In his inaugural speech recommended rota-
ton in Office, and to sell our frigates and build
gunboats The frigates were sold for less than the
price of the rigging, In seven years thereafter,
saw the gun-boats transformed into dung boats,
manure from the old Fly Market foot
Of Maiden Lane, to raise pumpkins among the
Dutch farmers on Long Island.
But the rotation In Office was mere serious con-
Germ. The Irish Rebellion Of 1898 had just been
hundreds were ordered to leave the
country: America was their goal. These patr-
OTIS must be provided for. A secret conclave was
held 10 the star-chamber, Burr and Jefferson
being the master-spirits. Il was resolved to se-
cure these patriots, and this would secure the
votes of all their countrymen, who were daily ar
irving by thousands on these peaceful shores.
After Colonel Burr returned from Europe, whittier
he had fed, after the death Of Hamilton, he gave
me this piece Of political intrigue) In accordance
with this cold-blooded plan, saw Revolutionary
men and officers who had fought with Washington,
pine in the prison-ship and groan in the sugar
house.
Yes, saw them marched out Of the Custom
house, Post, and every other Office, some on
crutches, some having one leg, some one arm, and
others leaning on their stats, from wounds re-
ceived In defence Of their country. / saw their
places 6led by foreign patriots, many Of them
never having learned letter oftheir own language,
and not even able to speak a word OF ours but
such Is the gratitude Of model Republics.
lHtu CuuffnthCt1 tnt uOUu VI iOTelBU luuutuCt,
which threatens TO place US on the same list with
the republics that were.
was naturalized and voted when Washington
was President, therefore think that I have rs
good right TO think as any freethinker in Ameri-
ca. saw the rise and fall Of the French and Mex
lean republics. Both were strangled In their birth
by the hands OF freethinkers and priests. The
same tools are at work among us, and few Judas
Americans are selling their liberties to foreign
potentate for mess Of pottage; and, except God
work a miracle, l think before January, 1901, our
dear sister republics France and Mexico, may look
up and exclsm, "Loi America also may become
like one Of us ~
The signs Of the times are portentous. With
few exceptions the pulpit and the press are silent
on the subject. Having watched the republic since
the day Of its birth, for my brethren and compan-
ions sake wish il prosperity. For myself, there
Is but a step between me and death.
GRANT THoRBURS,
Aged eighty-two years and three months.
A BEAuTiFuI Cusroy -Among the French act