The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-06-01


second marriage he had one child, named
could not have been more than four
years old at the time of her fathers
death, and in his will he speaks of her
as " my little daughter Mehetabel."
He died of dropsy, Dec. 8, 1870, and
was buried in the old burying ground at
Horse Neck, on the brow of Putnam's
hill; but the spot is no longer known,
for there is nothing to mark his last
resting place. The burying ground it
self is overgrown with briers and
thorns. Quiet now, yet it overlooks
the scene of Putnam's wonderful ex-
plot, and tumult of the warriors on the
plain below.
The bravery of the father descended
to his children, and the incidents con-
nected with them serve to show of what
stern material our "rude forefathers of
the hamlet were made.
Two anecdotes of the twins (Anna
and Nary come down to us. At one
time when q raid was made on their
fathers house, and it was surrounded by
Tory Light Horse. the family were at
breakfast with some of the generals
friends. They had barely time to es-
cape through the rear door, though not
entirely unperceived by their fierce pur-
suers, when one of them rode up to the
door ard demanded of Anna, then
girl of about eighteen years OF age,
where they were hid. She refused to
give a satisfactory reply, when he de-
and getting off his horse, aimed blow
at her head with hissword. She lodged
the blow, and his sword struck the door
casing, " cutting it quite in two" snys
one report.
Finding he could not intimidate her,
the cavalier remounted his horse, rode
into the house, placed his loot under the
edge of the table and tipped it over,
breaking the dishes. Confronting n
large mirror, he dashed his sword
against the glass and broke it into
thousand pieces, at the same time ex-
claiming " There's Congress for you."
General Mead's son, Alan, was at that
time a very small boy, and took refuge
behind some evergreens in the fire
place. Being very much frightened at
their wanton and boisterous conduct,
he begun to cry, when some Tory
cavalier said to him i: "Stop your noise,
or 1 will cut your head off,"
Anna always declared that she would
remember that man, no matter where
she should see him; and, singular to
relate, she met him frequently after the
war closed, almost always at the same
church.
At another time, when the oldest son
John was home from the war on parole,
it being very dry and the water at the
house having failed, Mary went to q
spring some distance in the rear of the
house to rinse some clothes. While
there, she saw her brother run from the
back door in his shirt sleeves, through
up from the roots Of a tree that had
been removed, and conceal himself only
a short distance from her.
In few minutes she was surrounded
by British and Tory Light Horse, who
demanded of her where her brother had
fled to. She not giving the informa-
tion, horseman rode up to her, drew
his sword and placing it at her breast
swore he would take her life in an in
stant, if she did not reveal her broth
ers hiding place. Her presence of mind
did not forsake her, and she explained
that she came out there early in the
morning, had not been from there, and
therefore under the circumstances could
not know what had taken place at the
house. She was finally successful in
convincing him that she did not know,
and he left her; yet the place of con-
cealment was within sight and almost
within sound of her voice. Thus she
f,,r h.
Mary married Levi Hanford, resi-
dent of New Canaan. In the month Of
October, 1776, Hanford enlisted in a
troop of horse under Captain Seth Sey-
mour, whose duty it was to guard AT d
protect the seacoast. On the thirteenth
of March, 1777, Hanford, with twelve
others of the troop, was detached as a
guard and stationed at South Norwalk,
then called cold Well" The night
was dark, and the weather inclement,
and the officers in consequence negli-
gent in their duties. In the course of
the evening they were entirely surround
ed by party of British and Tories
from Long Island, who came over in
whale boats, and the whole guard were
taken prisoners, Hanford included,
though he was at the time but a little
over seventeen years of age. The
prisoners were conveyed across the
sound to Huntington, from there to
Flushing, and thence to New York.
Upon their arrival in the city, they were
incarcerated in the old "Sugar House
Prison in Grown, now Liberty street,
near the old Dutch church, at that time
used as riding school for the British
Light Horse. OF those who were taken
prisoners at that time, all died in prison
of smallpox or other diseases, except
two, Ebenezer Hoyt and Levi Hanford,
who lived to be exchanged.
In January, 1852, an advertisement
appeared in the New York Journal Of
Commerce, stating that the author, Da-
vid Barker, Esq, had in his possession
a cane made from one of the beams of
tue cold Sugar House in Liberty
street, and calling upon any surviving
sufferer in that old prison to send in his
name, that he might have the pleasure
of presenting the relic to him as sup
port to his declining years. To this
call five only responded, disclosing the
melancholy fast that of those prisoners
only five remained alive. Each of these
applicants sent in his name, with brief
account of his Imprisonment and suffer
ings. 1t appeared from these state
ments that Levi Hanford was confined
the longest of the five, and was the
youngest of the number when impris-
oned. There being so many applicants
for the cane, it was concluded to leave
the choice to be determined by lot.
When the decision was made known to