The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-25
MYSTERIES OF FORT HILL.
Ghosts in Possession of Part Of Long
Island One Hundred Years.
Terror Of the Old Farmers and High Times
Among the Spirits.
First Bloody Tradition of Big
1njun Tecumwah.
The Fatal Loves Of a British Cap
tain and an Indian Girl.
GHOSTS OF THE LOVERS STILL UPON DECK
The Way the Ghosts Ku KluXed
new YORK fOeC.
How Poor Pat McCabe's Hair
Turned White.
FIGHTING SPIRITS WITH WHISKEY
The Brave Lady That Built
Fort Hill House.
Forced to Leave by the COLLINS
or Somebody Else.
How the Jesuits Fought the Ghosts
and Won the Victory.
The Brave Lady That Built
Fort Hill House.
Forced to Leave by the COLLINS
or Somebody Else.
How the Jesuits Fought the Ghosts
and Won the Victory.
SKETCH OF THE SPIRIT LAND.


Few of the thousands who, at this glad and glow.
ing season Of the year, pass and repass daily the
entrance Of this little-known and altogether neg
lected inlet Of Long Island Sound, dream Of the
strange old mysteries that linger by its woody
shores and haunt its dark everglades where the
long, reedy grass keeps time to the low, waing
monotone Of the evening winds. Since coming
here my mind has been filled with the singular
traditions that hang around the region OF Fort Hill.
have paid the old fort-a relic Of the Revolution
and the house that stands upon It's site several
visits. have used up the whole topog-
raphy Of this spirit land, wandered on
the. verge Of twilight through the forest
that surrounds 1t, trampling over mOnstrous toad.
stools, passing beneath whitened willow trees and
startling the big bullfrogs by the horrible lake
that lies In the deep glen below the ruins Of the
fort. The fort stood upon high hill looking
obliquey across the waters Of the Sound. In the
quiet OF these Summer evenings the view from the
sea wall Of the fort, now converted into q smiling
garden, out upon the distant headlands, ia per-
fectly enchanting. You may sit there for hours
and nnd new beauties to admire; now it is the
play Of golden sunlight on the tree-topped
hills yonder, then gallant neet Of yachts
fading, like a fairy vision, into the
far-on purple. You may indulge In retrospections
OF the past Of Fort Hill II disposed and thus en-
gagged It is marvellous how the spirit Of the hour
and Of the place conjures up that which is weird
and mystic. am little astonshed that the natives
all around this region believe the place is haunted
that from
THE DARK LAKE BELOW
us on the right shrieks as nom Q drown
ing woman come up loud and piercing
on the midnight air; that horsemen, with
streaming hair and naked swords, engage in
combat BY the lake shore; that sounds OF revery
are heard coming from the house on the hill; that
bodies Of men have been seen pitched headlong
from the fort into the lake and never
after been found, and human heads, de-
void OF trunks, rolled through the woods
In the cleaning, soaring the poor Long Island
farmers to death. Talk to the old fellows around
Huntington, along Lloyd's Neck, Horse Neck, over
ut Bayville, at Oyster Bay, around Cold Spring and
70 the people Of that ancient village and you get
pretty strange Impressions Of the credulity Of the
human mind and the quantity OF tomfoolery, hum
Dug ard superstition in the world. The Long
Islander who knows anything of the mysteries of
Fort Hill cannot be prevailed on to approach the
place at night for any consideration In greenbacks
or otherwise. Some, 1t is said, are afraid even to
pass 1t in boat, or even In balloon half mile
away. Nothing is 80 hard to kill as superstition and
humbug Prejudice, faith itself or political virtue
may be destroyed but superstition clings for ever
sticks like pitch plaster to pine plank. or as the
aroma OF the rose hangs to the fragments Of the
shattered vase.
THE FORT AND ONE OF ITS STRANGE TRADITIONS.
The fort on Fort Hill was thrown up by the British
to guard Long Island from an attack by part Of
the French feet under Rochambeau. The French
filled to reduce 1t but. as one story says, small
force of Americans, landing In small boats, and
aided by some of the wauwepek tribe Of Indians,
very interesting people In their day, stole march
at midnight upon the defenders, and disposed OF
them according to the prevailing fashion. One
tradition has 1t that Captain Flanders afterwards
In command OF Fort Hil with party Of his men
abducted daughter OF Tecumwah, big gun
among the wauwepeks, who lived In the neighbor-
hood OF what Is now known as jones' dock The
girl, as usual, was young and very beauti-
rul, and Captain Flanders gave her the
name OF Viola Tecumwah for q long time was
ignorant of who stole his daughter--it was as
much puzzle as "who struck Billy Patterson'-or
to what point ofthe compass she had been taken.
Prom what was subsequently revealed Flanders
succeeded to some extent In weaving Viola from
hcr natural attachment to the old man. She
could have readily escaped or contrived
20 convey news Of her whereabouts to the
camp OF Tecumwah The distance to day
from Fort Hill to Jones' Dock is only about three
miles as the bird fiies. Flanders was a splendid
horseman and marksnan, besides having some
knowledge OF the Indian language and showing. by
constant word and action, the most devoted attach
cnent to his prot5ge. The story goes that one day
out hunting through the woods Tecumwah came
Suddenly upon his daughter and Flanders, Counting
- usual There was instant flight to the fort on
the part OF the clandestine lovers who reached IL
in time to shut the gates on their fierce pursuer
Prom that day forth Iecumwah addressed himself
TO the task OF
RECOVERING HIS REcREANr DAUGHTER
and feyenging himself upon her abduct0r. He
made q trip across the sound to where there was O
small encampment OF American soldiers on the site
OF what is now the Neptune House, at New
Rochelle. He enlisted them IN his plan to surprise
the fort besides exciting their sympathy on behalf
OF his child.
The attack was stealthy one, Tecumwah him
self leading the way through the trackess wood
surrounding the tort. The wooden abatts and
The adjoining buildings were set on fire, and as the
flames rose the attacking party jumped from their
hiding place and poured a volley through
THE REVEALING SHEETS FLAME
into the scattered ranks OF the surprised and stag
rering defenders. According to the narrator of
this veracious history, who appears to have been
one OF the attacking force himself IL was at this
moment that Tecumwah caught sight Of his dangh-
Ser clasped In the arms Of her lover His blood