The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-12-23

on Lake Ontario. In 1877 Massachusetts
sold to Oliver Phelps ard Nathaniel Ora
ham The whole tract west of the pre- emp
iion line, containing 5000, 900 acres, for
, 81 600, 600. About teo>thirds of this
tract reverted 10 Massachusetts, and was
subsequently sold 10 Robert Morris. Nor
ris sold about seven eighths of his Pur-
chase 10 a company of capitalists of a M
stCrdam, Holland, and this tract was af>
forwards known as The Holland 'ur~
chase. The Holland land company pur-
sued an exceedingly liberal policy with re-
gard to their lands. They thoroughly
surveyed the whole region, built roads and
mills, and by every means encouraged set
element. THeir lands were sold on easy
terms of payment, and ii ia probable that
now there is but very liitle of Shis vast
tract that is not held 10y actual owners
who have secured their title from this IA
nous company, " no must have made
themselves and their successors immense
ly rich by the operation For more than
half Of his life, Governor Seward was the
principal agent and attorney in superin-
tending the disposal of their lands, tie
foreclosure OF their mortgages in care Of
default in payments, and the other details
connected with the vast property interest.
And to-day the little land Office that holds
the records Of this Holland company's DO
ings, and coNducts the remant OF It's bus
mess may be seen in the village Of West
field, Chautaqua county, New York, forty
five miles west of Buffalo, being il charge,
as it has been since Governor Seward re-
Iinquished it, Of Ex-Lieuteuant Governor
George W. Patterson, Of New YU&
To make This bit of historical reminis-
cence complete, We will add that the con~
fIicting claims which New Yrrk hsd wi,h
New Hampshire, also groeing cut OF this
same Duke Of York grant, led 20 frequent
violent collisions ana almost civil wax,
and were only settled IN 1890, nhen tie
territory in dispute was erected into Yer
mont and the State Of New York was
paid s30,C00-[Detroit Post.
As & sequel 10 the foregoing, tue CHI
cago Times adds the following: Governor
Seward did not act IS The immediate rep
resentativo of the Jan Van Renssllaers,
Peter ScIiumelp lpInnicks, and other Ne!h
erlandish and outlandish Dotchmen who
composed the Holland land company, pglor
to The year 1886. Before That time the
agent was bIr. William Peacock, ll.le
old man with hooked nose and gold
bowed sPectao!es, who kept the little bull
bous- s-bo;tomcd land cfice of his Dutch
principals in the village of Mayville,
Chautaqua county, and lived in the style
of country gentleman in the middle of a
large garden, bsrricaded against predatory
boys with lofty board fence aud sharp
iron spikes. A series of events, fJrerun-
ming symptoms probably Of the financial
crash of 1887, caused the farmers Of Tie
| surrounding country 10 fall considerably
in arrears upon their payments, for which
the Holland company held mortgages up-
on their farms For some reason, The
agent refused 10 listen 10 their reasonable
| petitions for sn extension OF lime, and
commenced, il shat as thought a most
arbitrary sud unjust way, g general fore
! closure of MORTGAGES. I he farmers took
! counsel among themselves Il was Ia the
depth OF wInieF when a great number of
mortgage sales would take place, which
! threatened TO drive poor farmers and their
|
own labor had built, into snow drifts. =
Those men determined upon the course
they would pursue, in case sold Billy
! Peacock should persist in his threat TO
sell them ont. He did persist. One cold
! night in January the village Of Mnyvjlle
was suddenly thronecd with sIeiehs, that
came ia, as if at given signal, from
/ every difectinn, and every sleigh contained
! Ten or 4 dozen resolute men with muf,ied
and disguised faces. The land Office was
| the focus of the gathering Every sleigh
! was eInptied of all bu: the driver, who
/ kept his team IN the road. There WAS no
noise or disorder; bat in very few min
utes the Holland compsny's land Office
was demolished, and books of record,
papers. and everything ii contained, with
! the building itself, we're the materials of
grand bonfire. Peacock, the agent, was
not molested, but be was so badly scnred
! that he ''put of" instsnter, and paused
not in his buried fight until he reached
Buffalo. Some weeks elapsed before he
ventured to return, and he never again
assumed TO act as agent OF the Holland
land company
1t was this occurrence which brought
Mr.. Seward into direct relationship with
the inhabitants of that section as repre-
sentative of the Holland land company,
and he so managed the business as TO pre-
serve 10 the farmers their lands and get
for the company their pay Moreover,
By his conciliatory and equitable course,
he won from every debtor OF the company
his everlasting esteem and gratitude =