Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-06-15
A. Isesld Il Sleepy Hollow
3 wAsaIIoToI 1Rvrsa
1vuuxD AMONG 1IiR PAPERS OF THE LATE
paxpRtCH HN1CKERBOCyKER.

DlKDR1CH KNlCKERBOCKER.
b the bosom Of one Of those spacious
r ooveD which indent the eastern shore Of
- Hudson, at that broad expansion OF
- tivee denominated by the ancient
HO9och navigators the TapJaan Zee, and
W1so they always prudently shortened
III and implored the protection Of St.
NIc1olns when they crossed. there lies q
Qn0u markct town or rural port, which
Z ~ some b called Greensburg. but which
y mug0 generally and properly known
! ~ the name Of Tarry Town. This name
- given Il, We are told, In former
4Ayu, by the good housewives Of the ad.
, jocent country, from the inveternte pro.
: ecnsity OF their husbands to linger about
yne village tavern on market days, BE
S enat - u may, do not vouch for the
fece but merely advert to il for the sake
g being precise and authentic. Not far
nom this village, perhaps about three
nilss, there Is y little valley, or rather
Iap of land. among high hills, which Is
00o Of the quietcst places in the whole
world. A small brook sIidcs through II,
1 With just murmur enough 10 lull one 20
/ tepuse; and the occasional whistle Of a
quail or tapping of n woodpeckcr is
almost the only sound that ever breaks
{ n upon the uniform tranquility.
recollect that, when STRIPPING, my
first exploit I'm squirrel shooting was In a
grove Of tall walnut trees that shades
one side Of tho valley. l had wandered
Into it at noon time when all nature Is
peculiarly quiet, and was startled
BY the roar Of my. own gun
q Il broke tho Sabbath stiffness
around and was prolonged and revorber.
ated by the angry echoes If ever ]
RYSnasI6 xx.sc1, fnv, xhtyhar 4
steal from tho world and It's distractions,
and dream quietly away the remnant Of
troubled life, know Of none more
promising than this little valley.
From the listless rcpose OF the place,
and the peculiar character Of its inhabit-
ants, who arc descendants from the
original Dutch settlers, this &C.
questered glen has long been known
BY tho name of Sleepy Hollow, and
It's rustic lads arc called the
Sleepy Hollow boys throughout all the
neighboring country. A drowsy, dreamy
influence seems TO hang over tho land
and to pervade the very atmosphere.
Some say that tho place was bcwitched
by o high German doctor during the
early days Of the settlement; others,
that an old Indian chief, tho prophet OF
wizard Of his tribe, held his powwows
there before tho country was discovered
by Master Hendrick Hudson. Certain IL
b that the place still continues under the
sway Of some witching power that holds
spell over the minds Of the good people,
causing them TO walk In u continual rev.
eric. They arc given 10 all kinds of mar
vclous beliefs; aro subject 10 frances and
visions, and frequently see strange sights
and hear music and voices in the mir.
The whole neighborhood abounds with
le,cal tales, haunted spots and twilight
superstitions: stars shoot and mctcors
glare Oftener across the valley than in any
other part of the country, and the night
marc. with her whole nine fold, seems to
mako II the favorito scene of her gambols.
The dominant spirit, however. that
haunts this enchanted region and seems
to be commander-in-chief Of all the
powers of the air. Is the apparition Of
figure on horseback without u head.
IL Is said by some 10 bc the ghost of q
Hessian trooper, whose head had been
carried away by a cannon ball IN some
nanieless battle during the revolutionary
war, and who Is ever and anon seen by
tho country folk, hurrying along In the
gloom of the night ms II on the wings Of
the wind. His hatints are not confined
20 the valley, but extend at times To the
adjacent roads. and especially to the vi
cinity Of q church that il ut no great dis
tance Indeed. certain Of tho most a,l-
thentic historians Of those parts, who
have been careful In collecting and col
lating the floating facts concerning this
spectre. allege that the body Of the
trooper, having been buried in the church,
yard. the ghost rides forth To tho scene Of
J hattle In nightly quest of his head, and
that the rushing speed with which he
. midnight blast, Is owing to his being
-bclated aud In n hurry 10 get back 10 the
churchyard before daybreak.
Such Is the general purport Of this le-
gendary superstition, which has fur
nished materials for many wild story
In that region of shadows: and the Bprctre
IS known ut all the country iircsidcs by
the namc OF the Headiess IIorscman of
Sleepy Hollow.
1t is remarkable that the visionary pro-
pensity i have mentioned t. not confined
TO the native inhabitants of the valley
but h unconsciously imbibcd by every
ono who resides there for time. How
ever wide awake they may have been he
fore they entered that sleepy region. they
are sure in u little timc To inhalo the
witching influence of the air and begin
to grow imaginative-to dream dreams
and SEQ aPparitions.
mention this peaceful spot with all
possible laud, for II Is In such little re-
tired Dutch valleys found hero and there
embosomed ia the great state Of New
York that population, manners and Gus
toms remain fixed, while the great tor
rent OF migration and improvement
which Is making such inccssant changes
In other parts N this restless country
sweeps by them unobservcd They are
likc those little hooks Of still water which
border q rapid stream, where we may see
the straw and bubble riding quietly Mt
anchor, or slowly revolving in their
mimic harbor, undisturbed by the rush
OF the passing current. Though many
years have elapsed since ] trod
the drowsy shades Of Sleepy Hollow,
yet ! question whether ! should not
still find the same trees and tho same
families vegetating in its sheltered boz
som.
In this by place of nature there abode
In q remote period of American history,
that Is to say, some thirty years since, a
worthy wight Of the name of lchabod
Crane, who sojourned, or rs he expressed
"tarried" In Sleepy Hollow, for the
nsDose OF instrrciing the children of the
tnsd!ty. lie was native Of ConncCti-
snn,e state which supplies the Union
beings peers for the mind as wen as for
"Whet. and sends forth yearly its
got q side rontier woodmen and country
on the sied,s. The cognomen of Crane
and tarpauiiolicable 10 his person He
to give up saiycecdingly lank, with mar
sad skates. l,ong arms and legs, hands
oar progress, p,ile out of his sleeves,
like floor, and I'VE served for sboyeIs
II the beginnintmo most inoooIu 1Ir b,,n,, ms,
climbed to heigil was small a,a d aa;
now ON an extens s,r. wis 'ii,am, .rll,, anu @ lia'
sr ,,-.S long snlpe nose, 50 that
shesrn,S. like a weatheicock pcrched
ss cas- spindle neck TO tell which way
cent I'D blew. Toseo him striding along