Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-05-25
Death Chamber OF Burr.

A few moons ago / took the ferry l,o :,
TO the north, or northwest. sh"r. /
Staten Island, and landed at the wiz. 4
Immediately opposite Bergen Ptle',
called Port Richmond, so named hecau 4
it is the water landing to old Richpa, ri
Court House, at the centre of the isiaiu !.
There is not more animated spot il,
the water scenery of New York bay ti,~u
tAis. 1t shows both the Bay OF \ "
York and Newark Bay, the latter recel,
ing the commerce of Newark CITY AMI
the Hackensack marshes, and of the
Jersey inlets as far down as the Rsritan
River. They all pass out between Port
Richmond and Bergen Point through the
Kill Won Kull, which is only half nli,s
wide. A sick man could sit all day hon..
at his window by this water, watchih
tugs, propellers, pleasure steamers.
sloops aud schooners, oyster crafts. RATS
and barge tows, garbage fleets, y.ch.s,
and excursion arks filled with music a ii
dancing 60 past like professions in j.
mirror.
1t was TO Port Richmond that Colonel
Burr, ex-senator and vice President ot
the United States, eA-AttorDey-GenelA
OF New York, ex-candidate for Govern,9
of New York and for Minister to France,
and once almost President of the United
States, was brought one day in early
June upon n litter to die. The hosl,
row called the Continental, stands near
y rs it did at that moment, right in y,rr
face as you turn from the water at Port
Richmond, and only a few hundred feet
distant-a yellowish brown hotel with
gambrol roof and six tail, spare, thick
wooden columns rising to the caves s,d
enclosing in their piazza three storir.
Ascending the steps 10 this piazza,
broad door and hall are right opposite
the middle of it, and broad flight OF
naked stops rises to the second floor and
a similar hall there, and the room to the
left, as you look up from the ground, rs
the room where Aaron Burr died. Under
IT Is the bar-room now. The chamber
Is square room, with little square bits
OF carpenterins about the chimney sid !.
and it is of respectable size, quite bed
room parlor Mr. Burr was borne 10 it
on litter from a steamboat, an Oh.
helpless invalid, prosecuted by be'i
decay and creditors, and the fear Of dy-
ing in the street.
He had lost the confidence Of man.
woman and child. Politics had spowci
him out thirty years before. Family
,cirr o. had tried him too often. WON,
had found that he would not only kiss,
but tell. Clients found that he woula
sell their confidence to the other side
The religious world remembered taat
the greatest logician and theologian since
Paul had been this outcdst's grandfa'h-
er. The educated class knew that the
founder of Princeton College had bccn
Aaron BuIr's father. Lawyers knew
that his SISTERS husband had founded
the first law school in the New World.
Once his daughter had led the fashion
aud beauty of Washington society, aud
married one of the richest planters of the
South.
lie was about to die in sight of his
birthplace at Newark and of his orphan
home at Elizabeth, where his father aud
grandmother had ministered, and whence
he had entered the Revolutionary Army.
These two towns of New Jersey are in
PLAN sight and Elizabeth is only about
mile distant. Fifty yesrs before being
brought to Staten Island to die, young
Burr, while on Washingtons sfan, had
proposed to the General to head an ex-
petition against Staten Island, every
lane and corner of which he knew, hav-
ing made its hills his rambling grouul
from the flat, mosquito-ridden plains of
Elizabeth. 1t was perhaps his play
mates son, Judge Edwards, resident
OF Staten Island, who was almost his
only visitor at the inn. That island If
Torres was now about to receive the last
mould aud living shadow of Aaron Burr.
A few moments after examining tins
room | fell in with an old man of one Of
Washington Irving's Dutch oounte-
nances, by the name of John ]. Clute
He was writing a local history, since
published. Said i, "Sir, you are old
enough to have seen Aaron Burr ON this
island?'
Sir" he replied, lyon are now talk
ng 10 the man who held the hand Of
Aaron Burr when he wrote his last sig
nature in this world.
asked the particulars.
Judge Edwards, my neighbor, came
to me aud said, "Mr. Clute, there is
si.k man at the Port Richmond Hotel
who wishes 10 make an aflidavitte an APP
rtcatbon for pension; will you take his
tatement?" ] went to the hotel With
IN. Judge, and found small man,
mor string of bones, mumbling to him
.rlf ia bed. said, ''This man is not ft
"a make An sfIidavit. / will not admins
'.-r it," "Well," said Judge Edwards,
"surpo4e you come around toward even
ug lie gets better in the afternoons.
ieturped in the afternoon, and lac vss
ln~t wall enough to give his oath. He
gas raised mp in his bed, poor htiie
Iul}i~h thing. and filled the quill with
nix and guided his fingers. And, sir, |
.,lld not help thinking, This is the
amid that killed Hamilton"