Morning journal and courier., 1884-05-29
Romance of & Decaying Boat.

The Story of How Young Deacon Mar
 win VVoosd Pretty Betsy Lee. aybrook (Conn.l Lsttez t0 the New York Times
 Away up on the rank sedge marshes of Saybrook, amid patches of wild violets and dandelions, reciines in her decaying old age the oncs attractive form of the Betsy Lee, the onetime queen of the Hartford and New York fleet of sail packets in the palmy but slow days which antedated railroads and steamboats This old craft is now doomed to the useful but ignoble duty of a rack for the drying of the nets of the merry shad fishermen in the Connecticut The carved figure head at the bow, which once repre- scented Miss Lee as full-faced, doughy-look- ing maiden in gleauaing gilt is now bat tered pine knob, the vessels blanks have dropped of in many places, blue martins have nestled for decades in the crazy hooks of her hold, and the carved name-board of soft pine at the stern has been cut through and through with the ambitious jack knives of spooney rural sWRins and strollers from the Fenwick House across the river, who sail over to the Miss Betsy in s1arms every pleasant summers day. Many troth has been pliehked, many 8 heart lost and won, under the full bows of the Betsy. The most interesting thing about the old nautical ruin is the quaint and homely love story in con- nection with the origin of her name Eve ry ybody in the Lymes knows 1t, and every summer visitor to these parts goes away with it learned by heart.
 The sides of the old schooner are sculp- tured here and there with the names of Reynolds Marvin and Betsy Lee, some of which are we'll nigh effaoed by the weather. and which show that the story given here with has fingered about the old hulk for Jonathan Tuaa nf Old Lyme. built and launched the Miss Betsy Lee at Goodspeed's landing early in the present century Out of venefation for his grand mother, Betsy Marvin, and love for the story spoken of, he gave the schooner her maiden name He sailed the vessel many years, and was favorite skipper with travellers between New York and Boston; yRa Hartford. Ills bones now rest in the Old Lyme cemetery, while his vessels are slowly rotting at the mouth of the Connecticut.
 The story runs in this wise, as the judge says when charging the jury, and the finding of the facts are iu the ancient burying ground and in the town clerks office. In the crude days of Old Lyne-1734-there lived on the Dark Hollow road thrifty but eccen- trio young deacon, Reynolds Marvin by name, whose fields and whose cattle were among the best in the town. This deacon was a dreamy man, who though blessed with sufficient wealth, had little of the Puritani
 
 the captainey of local military company, and had fulfilled deacon's orders in the church one year, he was content to rest on his honor and write poetry. He was oonsid- cred the ''catch" of the country by the de- mure maidens of the town, and was a deyout- brother of the church, but the sssrner fath- CTS and mothers frowned upon the young mans idleness and his poeticaI efusions Oddly enough, perhaps, the deacon became at length impressed with the belief that he ought to marry Miss Betsy Lee, a spruce young maiden, whose parents were violent ly opposed to him Miss Betsy Lee lived on a farm across the town from him, bnt she was a devoted member of the sane church with himself. Their eyes had met on several occasions during the droning Sabbath noors in lapses of wandering from the face of the good minister as he reeIed of his two-hours sermon. Deacon Marvin mustered all his energy to the conquest. One Monday morningin golden September,