Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-08-28
WHERE HAMILTON DIED.
House Rendered Famous by the Death Of
the lllustrious Statesman.

WHERE HAMILTON DIED.,
A House Rendered Famous by the Death Of
the lllustrious Statesman.
The late naval Commander Gorringe
so noted for his services in the. i'm.
portation of the obelisk-was a native
of the West Indies, and this recalls
the fact that Alexander Hamilton was
of the same origin, writes the New
York correspondent of The Troy Times.
His father was Scotchman, who went
thither for the purpose of trade and
married French woman. Both par
ents died there, little imagining that
their son (who sought q new home in
America) would attain such greatness.
Hamilton reached this port at the age
of II. He was possessed of sufficient
means to enter college. expecting to
become physician, but the opening
of the Revolution led him to military
life. He recruited an artillery com
pany. whose memory is still henored
in the national service by what is
termed the Hamilton battery"
AS we are just approaching the an
niversary Of Hamilton's death (July
II. 1904, it need hardly be added that
this thrilling episode will never lose
its interest. 1t is really the most
famous duel in entire record of. the
law Of honor, and will long hold this
distinction. Duels are generally
fought Oh what most people consider
the slightest pretexts. Burr's griev-
ance was that Hamilton had spoken in
''despicable" manner of him. This
was then 3 sufficient ground for q
challenge, and indeed Hamilton hinl-
self had served as second in duel of
this very character. This was when
Col. Laurens challenged Gen. Lee Tin
1773) for speaking disrespectfully of
Gen. Washington. Lee was wounded
in this affair, though not seriously, and
Hamilton having approved this chal-
lenge could not refuse one based on
the same grounds. 1t seems now al
most incredible, but then it Was very
plausible.
History informs us that Hamilton
died 'at the house of friend IN the
; suburbs OF the CITY," The friend re-.
fcrrsd to was William Bayard, a prom
inent business man, who had a farm
out Of town with a spacious country
seat. The locality was then called
Greenwich, aud a neat little village Of
that name clustered near the river.
The house is still standing and in good
; condition, being prominent feature
in Jane street. Instead of a country
seat, however, it is now in the center
of dense population, and the former
village of Greenwich is lost in the inn
mensity of the metropolis. The Bay
ards were then leading name in this
city, and Nicholas Bayard was an al
derman and an extensive real-estate
holder, but the family has since then
passed away.
Jane street connects the Hudson
! river with Greenwich street, and hence
is easily reached by the L road. Leav-
ing the ca1s, I soon found the house,
| which still has a commanding appear
ance 1t is of wood, but being we'll
! painted is in good preservation, and
/ like all such buildings of that day it
is double. Ringing at the door ! was
, ushered into spacious hall, where
the lady Of the house soon approached
me. She readily guessed the object
of my visit, and seemed pleased to oc-
cupy place of such historic charac-
ter. She had subtenant occupying
. part of the house, but l was made
equally welcome by both families. One
of the ladies seemed to look upon my
| visit as !, matter of course. 80 yes
said she, "there was a man here q
while ago and photographed the
! house, and ME sitting in the window"
"Why did he photographed it?'' was
my inquiry, for had not told the OBJ
! ject Of my visit, and was DESTROYS to
learn what she knew On the subject.
"Why, sir, there was a great man died
here, and he was general was the
reply; ''but I don't know his name.
he was a great man, though, and
, somebody Killed him, and every body
felt bad, but l don't know what his
name was.' Reader, how could /
avoid smiling to myself and recalling
Byron's lines on visiting the grave OF
a distinguished poet, of whom the
sexton knew nothing:
For did not dwell
With deep thought and sotened eye,
! On that old sections natural homiIy,
In which there was obscurity and fame,
| The glory and the nothing of name.
/ Going upstairs one could not but
notice the dignity and elegance Of the
upper rooms. especially when one con-
slders that this was but summer
house. The ceilings are high, and the
wooden mantels must in their day
have been the best of workmanship.
While was looking at them the
woman exclaimed: "There was an
old man came here spell ago, and he
looked at them, and then he looked at
everything else, and he said it hadn t
been changed since he was a boy"
This man, of course, must have been
some branch of the Bayard family,
but my informant could not give me
his name.
Can you tell me where that gem
eral died??" was my inquiry, after fin.
ishlng my survey of upstairs. 30
yes," was the reply, che died down
stairs. in the back room.' We pro.
ceeded thither, and Immediately per-
ceived This to be the best place in the
house for such an occasion. 1t looked
out on q pretty yard and was connect.
ed with the front parlor by folding.
doors. This was the place where the
greatest Statesman OF his day passed
the last hours of his life, suffering the
agony of a mortal wound, and the
deeper agony of parting from a wife
and six children, who were left with
no visible means of support. The
mourning family in this room sur
rounded the dying bed, and thence the
/. Il <~r t,<