Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-10-11

session Of rev AHlsterglaIu from the ilnglish
md held it Il year. On It's restoration &c. the
English in 1911, under tue treaty of West
miGster, Governor Andres. representing the
Duke OF York, who represented the crown.
took possession of the farm, seized and con-
iiscated in behalf Of the crown, Governor
Lovelaces estates, including this Bouwery.
The deed from the heirs to Governor Love
lace was discovered 10y the Trinity church
trustees in lJS5, and its contents communi-
Gated to some OF the heirs, rs If it vsas a com
plete answer to their clainls.
1t does not appear that Lovelace's title was
ever directly conveyed either to the duke, the
crown, or to Trinity church; but The transfer
TO him seems to have been treated practically
as if it was a deed to the crown. The term
King or Queens farm was supposed to in
clude the jansen, or Bogardus farm, and in
1908 the grant was made from Queen Anne to
the corporationof Trinity church, the validity
and effect of which has been n frequent sub.
ject of discussion i1 the courts, ana forms the
principal feature in the claim of title by
Trinity church.
The litigations over this bit of Manhattan
soil have been interesting andllumerous. The
heirs, seeking their own again, . have brought
to bear upon the venerable old sacerdotal in
IibiblSH cfStJ i1iI'islifsDG VI Dilt llN. L nc
city Of New York has put forward its claim,
and the state has tried TO assert its rights as
owner paramount, succeeding to the rights of
the British crown Each lawsuit ended lcay-
ing the church still in possession.
The battles fought over this coveted tract
of land have not been wholly forensic. Bone
and sinew have been engaged in the contest.
Heads have been thumped and broker, as
well as hearts, and shots a been fired.
For years before and after the evacuation Of
the city by the British the community was
kept badly torn up by tie contending factions
seeking to obtain and hold possession of the
old Bouwery. Long before the revolutionary
war this war was begun. Certain old his
tories contain very interesting particulars of
these battles. 1t is written that in Septem-
Der, l773, q dozen men armed with ~broadaxes,
under orders from the authorities of the
church, entered upon the premises where
one of the Bogardus heirs had located himself
on the tract, and tore down. his fences. In
1775 they got after a tenant of one of the
heirs, destroyed his field of rye. Kicked an old
woman liz the eye and wounded her husband.
In 1874 Trinity church sent out a little army
to destroy all tho Bogardus fences. Several
of the heirs, then located on the properly,
determined to fight it out. The church then
put up its own fences, which We're promptly
burned by the heirs. One witness who par
ticipated in this engagement swore under oath
that one ofthe church invaders took hold Of
Hannah Marsh, about 63 years of age, pulled
her down on her knees and attempted to put
her head in a pail of grog, tirsthaving dragged
her across the street, and gave her very
indecent usage otherwise" a year later there
was a fight, in which one of the heirs fred n
shotgun, wounding his man and four others.
The claimant on the Bogardus side who is
entitled to all the honofs of war was old Mrs.
Broad, no lived in the stockades of the old
fort at tie foot Of Reade street. One of the
witnesses in a suit brought in 1880 testified
in 1912 that he knew the old lady and thatshe
continued in possession of the old redoubt, re
fusing to leave until the opposing forces ac-
tually dug it away, when she cnmnronnise.l
with parties representing Trinity church.
Altogether, Trinity, venerable Trinity,
church of the chimes, high steeple and his
toric graveyard, has been the source Of much
strife and great bitterness of heart, In all
contests, however, the church always came
off victorious. One by one the original claim
ants have dropped into their graves; but the
fight still went on. The descendants took it
up and carried the war into Africa, other
wise down to date, They have not yet sue
cumbed. Meetings are still held for the as
sertion of their claims. One historian saws;
"The contest will probably continue until
through the natural increase of the multi
tudinous claimants the pecuniary results of
success would be reduced for each to a
p1i,riuunn, "