The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-18
A MONUMENT DESTROYED.
The Shaft Erected to Major Andre
Blown Up by Dynamite.
The Explosion Shakes the Ground
for Miles Around.

for Miles Around,
A third attempt, and this time a SUCCESS
full one, has been made to destroy the monur
ment erected a few years ago to Major
Andre, the British spy of Revolutionary
times, by Cyrus W. Field, at Tappan, N. Y.
The report of the explosion, which occurred
at about 1880 P. NJ, was terrific. The earth
for miles around trembled as though an
earthquake had shaken it. Several buildings
in Closter, five miles to the south,
had every pane Of glass broken, dwell
ing houses on the sloping sides
of Hook mountain, two miles to
the north, shook until the crockery in them
ratified like castanets, and there was not q
building in Sparkill or Closter but suffered
to a greater or less extent. A peaceable far
mer who was quietly driving a stolid horse
IN Blauveltville was startled so that he fell
out of his carriage and broke his arm, while
his horse ran like mad for home. The 400
inhabitants of Tappan were all sound asleep
when the shock came, and they awoke
in trembling houses amid the crash
of smashing glass. Two hundred
feet south of the monument is a large frame
house, occupied by MI. K. Simons and his
family. Mr.. 'Simons was asleep when the
shock awoke him. The house trembled like
an aspen. forty panes Of glass fell out Of the
windows. and Mr. simons saw his wife sit
ting up in bed, staring about in a dazed,
helpless way. Before he fairly re-
covered bis senses his wife tainted,
and the entire household was in a turmoil Of
excitement. Leaving his wife to the care of
thu women servants, Mr.. Simons reused up
his ,nan-servant and ran with him out of the
house. His three dogs were barking and
twinkling lights Of a number OF lanterns were
| seen coming through the field toward the
monument.
Tho first man who reached the scene of the
explosion was George Vanzilan, the brawny
village blacksmith. Silenus Conklin, Isaac
and Thomas Parselle, and twenty other vii
layers came trooping along behind him.
Huge pieces Of granite were scattered all
over the field, and the rusty circular iron
broken here and there where the pieces Of
granite had been dashed through it.
There was not a person within a radius OF
three miles of the place but knew that the
explosion meant the destruction, or the at
tempted destruction. Of tho monument. Elk
plosions and the monument have somehow
become ~inseparably connected in the minds
of the people. None Of the men who arrived
on the scene were surprised, therefore,
plel over, the base missing,
and a large portion Of the brick foundation
replaced by a big hole several feet in diane
ter, and about fifteen inches deep. The monu-
ment had been lifted off its foundation and
toppled over in a southwesterly direction.
The double foundation that had been shat
tered at the last attempt at destruction had
been removed a month ago, and a single base
O foot thick had been put under the monu.
ment in its place. The work was finished
onlya few days ago. This new base was
forced by the explosion from underneath the
monument, and was distributed about the
village i'll fragments.
The monument was erected on the spot
where Andre was hanged. It is on the top Of
a little hill in an uncultivated field of four
teen acres, owned by Cyrus w. Field. The
| field is unprotected by fences, and the only
buildings near it are Mr.. Simons' house and
barn. The place has been much frequented
by strangers, and a well-worn wagon road
runs up from the public highway to the mon
ument.
The first thing Mr.. Simons saw when he
reached the railing that surrounded the
monument was a rope ladder that hung from
LILO pCdh VI OIC vi IilC 1OA Ddlo Ou Vllo
east side of the railing. 1t was about
four feet long and was made of two pieces
steps of thick Irvine. Mr.: simons
! put the ladder in his pocket, and is guarding
it carefully in the hope that it may lead to
discoveries. The explosive used was appar-
emily dynamite, as the force ad a downward
tendency. The explosive was placed on the
east side Of the monument, opposite the spot
Spbora tho ro,,o 1aIdor tyoc found
The monument was a shaft of gray granite
standing OH a base Of the same stone. The
four faces Of the stone are rectangular, and
| are polished to within one and a half inches
of the edges. From the ground to the apex
the height is seven feet, and the stone was
nearly four feet thick. 1t weighed about
four tons. The western side OF tho stone
bears this inscription:
"Here died, oct. z, 1850, Major John An
Dire of the British army, who entered the
American lines on q secret mission to Bene-
dict Arnold, was taken prisoner. tried, and
condemned as O spy. His death, though ac-
cordiug to the stern code of the law, moved
even his enemies to pity, and both armies
mourned the fate of one so young and so brave.
In 1921 his remains were removed to West
minister abbey. A hundred years after his
execution this stone was placed above the
spot where be lay by a citizen Of the States
against which he fought. not to perpetuate
tie record of strife, but in token Of those bet
ter feelings which have since united two ma
tions, one in race, in language, and in re-
ligion, with the earnest hope that this friend
ly union will never be broken.
"ARTHUR PENRHYN STANLEY,
Dean Of Westminster"
On the southern face was this line from
VirSil's -Eneid:
"Sunt lacrynlm rerum ct mentum NOR
ITALIA tangunt."
On the north side of the stone were these
words Of Washington's:
"He was more Unfortunate than criminal;
an accomplished man and q gallant soldier"
On February %, 1882. the monument was
hacked by George Hendrix, who died two
years ago. Several verses, written on fools
cap paper and breathing hate against the
British, were left on the stone by Hendrix.
On April l of the same year an attempt was
made to blow up the monument with nitro
glycerine.