The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-08-01
BURNED BY ANTI-RENTERS.
sEyENTr THOUSdND DOLLARS WORTH
or PROPERTY DESTROYED.
e,orse CLARKE. Owner of $4,000 Acres. Warn
cd by Ills Hcnants. wh" Organized IA so-
c,ety TO Compel Him TO Reduce His Rents
o.. of the Alleged InccndInrIe. Locked Up.

c,.,v TO Compel Him 10 Reduce His Rents |
O,e of the Alleged InccndinrIe. Locked Up. |
George Clarke of Springfield, Otsego coun-
~ who, 1t is said, is tho largest landowner in
New York State. owning about 26.0OO acres.
mad Charles Montanye arrested yesterday. on
charge of being one of n gang Of anti-rcnt in
..cdinrics who have destroyed $3.50 600 worth
Lhis property. Montanye came TO New York
IN 1876. and has since been n truckman.
He was formerly resident in the
neighhorhood of Charleston Four Cor
ners. in Montgomery county. in which n
large part Of Mr.. Clarke's property Ia situated
I, s charged that Montanyc. who has bccn fol-
loved by Mr.. Clarkc's detectives. has admitted
his completely with the ant-renters. lie is
rnminally sued in civil court for $4,000. and
his hail was fixed by Judge Donohue at s25 900.
IN default Of which he was lodged in Ludlow
street jail.
Mr.. Clarke's property extends. rs he says.
from Rome to Poughkecpsie. The locality Of
the anti-rent troubles is in Montgomery county.
but ne likewise owns 5000 acres in Dutchess
county. $1,000 in Otseeo. 1000 in Oneida. 1000
in Fulton and very large tract In Greene.
Mary Anna Gregory daughter Of Dudley s.
Gregory OF Jersey City. was married to him
and he has family OF three daughters and
son. Domestic difficulties have separated Mr..
Clarke from his wic and daughters. His son.
who is nearly OF age. remains with him. His
homestead ut the head OF Otsego lake. is valued
at 100000. In his complaint. on which the
arrest was made. Mr. Clarke declares that
large number Of houses. barns. buildings.
fences. and other property in the vicinity OF
Charleston Four Corners have been DESTROYED
by fro. and that in January. 1871. there began
10 appear in various newspapers in Mont
gomery county and vicinity articles OF an in
ccndiary character.
One Of these articles is headed " Anti Renters
at Work" and gives the particulars Of two fires
on the night of Dec. 20. 1873, when there were
two barns. one house. and woodshed set on
fire. On the night Of Jan. . other buildings
were burned by anti-renters who were said to
be well armed and equipped for any emer-
gency. The article was signed Anti Renter to
the Backbone" and warned those who had tried
10 save tho property that they must not do it
again. for II they try to save thing that be-
longs to GeorgcClarke we will have to introduce
them TO Il yolley Of lead pills. The article iur-
ther said:
And there are some in this community who .ay that
they can hnd out The perpetrators o the crimes We tell
them let hat lob ouf or they may smell smoke nearer
sS%Sc sS%S a" bc bas Nu if sc e & Or s Say otie
man let ths ,ry to on@ oai ,e ner u ss dGfe m 1l AM
are any who disin'errici IN our ana.r let them
fsi.e nsse num- oar rent. % ' ON the '' iarm, 6at he
claims 70 own ihroueA r1aa & eG @ soi them m ana & nqT
he wants 10 pay him more. which would rob us OF
Gn shreS s SaSSel SS rave fS N" IOWA VIA a % 'iE
we cannot meet him ~ the courts ior he has always
ior lie cannot buy IN, way ,hgoush hs court and We
w s'r T am.1 Ne Ne hi Mrh 0S1 anti on nd s nS ali to 10
Keep OF his land when they become unoccuiyd i9r we
rent these hard ume sell h' land. 10 The occupants
they wish 70 buy II j. not the tenants only who are
together who have got tired OF paL,ns ihe taxes which
starvc him out So w- give timely warnin, io yer on,
ney may get w and get teiofsNhev know ~
The next issue ot the newspaper contained a
communication from Mr.. Clarke in answer 70
the Anti-R"nter to The Ba ,kbone IN which
that under the British rol fniai system most Of
the lands in this state cast Di Onondaga Hol-
l9y were gTnted ny ne yoIm na,snt C3Fh- Thc
lands were called Eas E2tfn's ana coIrv the ven. re-
petentee with others. in Montgomery county
with grant stretching .nto tho towns of Root
Charleston and Glen. The associates OF Cory
transferred an undivided moiety 70 George
remaining was transferred to settlers in and
about Corrytown and Root, now mostly the
place place is 81 the 1e' PROPERTY Of the Sheifs. William
Cory died. and his son Isaiah transferred the
ssS"a neey Of Sew W" York city, Tbo tract Sr Was then
surveyed and run out into lots Of 200 acres
each. Upon partition OF the properly eertair
of Independence. The lots belonging TO hin
were conGscated and sold by the Commissioner
Of Forfeit, 70 parties purGhqsing m fee simple
The State thus guaranteed the deeds.
In the treaty OF peace in 1883 II was stipu.
lated that the property Of minors and British
Clarke was authorized by the treaty and by O
special act OF the State to hold his property
The moiety Of the Cory tract was from 1870 tc
1895 demsed or let to tenants or. occupants un-
der leases at the nominal rent Of II cents pei
acre for thirty-one years at least. The Clarke
moety was settled under these lenses
and remained. the present George Clarke
claims. until ALL with the exception
Of some ten or fifteen still outstanding
him and the holders or by expiration of THEN
own Limitation. SO strong had this idea o
fraud been among the laudhOlders that thirty
years ago. while the inexperence OF youth was
still upon him. Il suit at law was begun To- vacatC
Mr. Clarke,,ss title on the Er9nnd ot fraud a cen
fury ago. This suit was decided IN Nh Clarse
favor by the Court Of Appeals. Then Mr.
Clarke made new. arrangements in some
cases. for dollar an acre oycr ant
1870. This arrangement was continued unit
Mr.. Clarke desired 70 raise the rents TO " ~
acre over the taxes. he agreeing 70 eNpend 2
per cent. OF that sum In repairs Most oi thOs'
north Of BurtonYlle road acqulesccd; but upon
100 acres. formerly possessed by j. j. Frank
who paid Is cents m acre, an Increase 81 ren
was demanded 10 81 per acre, and refused. Th'
barn was burned and for a year the place wa'
lacent place wanted this 100 acres. and useC
ituntil he died. but did not pay for it. Abou
l3o acres OF this property came into the hands
o. Ryan and Potter who paid then 81 an acre
ipI ulne, but We're refused a renewal unles'
ue} would pny arrears. This they refused
anu ne pa'e was taken 10y Martin Busse with
out lehNe or license until he vacated, and whoI
ne moved out the buildings were burned down
The place burned on Jan 3 was occupied b,
Lew Duggert, VINO had paid neither rent moi
taxes. and who owed about II 600. RESPONSE
Die man onered 10 take tho place. but before h,
could move in the torch was apulied MIR
Clarke thought the lands Wero worth the ron
charged from the fact that two r.sn0nsibi,
parties had offered to take tnrm III
thought the incendiari-m was for tho pur
pose of preventing competition and compol
ling him to accept any terms which In,
cupidity ofthe tenants should prompt them l.
offer. As his land was within forty miles ~
Albany and an average OF ten miles from III
great line of communication for the commerc
Of tho continent. he thought the sl.5O an aor
over taxes coupled with 80 cents an acre to b
spent in repairs. was not oppressive. As I
selling the land. he said tho farmers did nC
seem to he willing TO pay the actual worth.
After the publication OF this communicate
AZ article in the same newspaper signed },
Mll!en appeared as an answer. Dir. Mile
said that the tenants did not claim the land, bl
only the improvements but that Mr.. Clarke
tlte was not valid on the ground that the orig
ihal grantees We're but paper men,, whC
had no rea existence but were put in for tn
hurpose ot securing the land. He instance
the case OF John Campbell who took a leas
moro than thirty years ago cleared his land IN
nT4Tft tffafI 10 I ..N