New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-30
A LEGENDARY NINE.
rorKLORE AND FACT RESPECTING SILVER
IN ROCKLAND COUNTY.

yA' s,cu, the best part Of his life in plurdering
18th ships wandered into this req IN ana oso'Vereu
r.r ore in these mountains. In rnde way nc
So Il and extracted the metal on the spot. lie
Md In this way several summers in the winter
" uorld disappear one spring he did not return
~, tho birds as usual and when the people haue
wy they learned that he had died several months
80 at Piermont, on his way to New-lorR'
ue WAS peculiar man, and people stood In awe OF
a., Nc boarded with various families whose houses
49, still pointed out. but lie made no condolences
.oI,s ~ him are plentiful. All describe him as q
dium. sized man, OF wellknit frame with restless
80 owe He talked little. He worked at nlgh''
"a aid women tell how their grandmotheIs' wheh CHI
s would lie In bed and watch the Hight OF his lois'
enc,d IN the sky or be awakened by the explosions
=, his blasts Yet no one dared question him ABOUT
VI, work one season he hired negro as helper, and
Iop no closed work in the fall killed him and threw
MS body into the mine. The metal was run lh'o
bars about an inch square and twenty mches long,
d one of them was found several years ago IN tear
ins down an old barn in this town Most OF 'hen'
However he hid In a cave nearby.
when he died this silver intact and no one Knew
40 locaiion OF the cave or The ullne. 1t WAS r'i-
moced that he left descendants who had maps ol inc
,sg1o: hut no has ever been found tut ever
s,oo. his day. men have searched for this cave ann
nine Few are they among the old settlers VINO nave
NOT spent more less time and money IN the WORK
u]e have come from distant States and spent weeks
IN the mountains and one old woman for years en-
,orsd every Granny IN tine region. hoping 10 IND the
entrance 10 the cave
too have been interested IN ths search anu
have made several trips thrOgh the eastern side OF
me- mountains but ncsthc: cave nor mine c"'d hnu'
The sngh old sneiss rock seemed to laugh at the
,d.a of either cave or silver But one beautfm
.,r,,n,.e morning, IN company with several native
rnssstoeer and two friends who were also seairherS
let this town ly tie western side OF the mountains
We had a theory OF own based on the STRUCTURE
Of the mountains. We pissed HiLburn ana kanapo
=, the gray Night, before even the crest Of rome
Mountotn was lighted BY the suns rays past oi'"'S-
hug and on into the mountains Houses became
s,o,cnr and cultivated fields smaller. our Nad LED
nm seeo Agls and alcDg quiet fertile valleys. We ioi
lowed along oak shaded rorgcs and looked dawn lNl0
pook black as night. lI1clcd 10 the dash Of wafer
falls Sometimes booked lar of on llais WING Gmet
IN the sunshine. their white iarml"useS G'Hhnie Ia
the morn4ns sunlight Occasionally the silence WVu4'
be broke! nv the swish Of wing as crow or an
owl was stnrd from It's perch. or the Whirr OF IN"
daily r,tt.onake wralld make Us look around. Then
ve would pass pleasant farms vhsrc growing crops
and sleek cattle told OF prosperity then into the woods
and past lonely cabins. was walking along with one
Of the guides and had reached pretty brook crossed
BY picturesque bridge. Pointing TO an Ola Tree
little way Of he said;
There is a story connected with that tree. NV
Grandmother used 10 tel ii TO Years ago enc
Of the people up here 70 Ramapo To do some
trading for that the ONLY store around Mere"
There Was a light on the ground. lie did not
return and In two or three DAYS searching party
started cut after him. They found his BODY at the
foo, OF that tree His groc,ci-s were untouched.
He had walked back aud lorti along the bank. and
trdden a hard path he had tried to kndle fire and
had not succeeded; lac had tried 10 The stream
and II was but step In vidtli-oIt had failed every
time TIE witches had stopped him. ana al last. worn
out he had lain down and Died. And when the people
ufted his body II home. thew heard screams
and laughter the air and they bore him pas, that
ridge they saw devils grnning them from ovc: '"e
crest
Wha; were they giardng1' asked.
~supposed treasure or arms hidden by QAldins
Smith, the old robbeT chief" he an-w"'d' Ghosts
have been seen the bEl viii guns IN 'h'lr MINUS
ON We went into the mountain farther and farther.
r tho Inst mile or mere we had been following cart
pa,b somewhere around here is the place. VIC
we're told al last. and the horses We're Tied I"
trees Where Wa did not know, nor DO ho" 10
this day was somewhere on Il southern spur 81 th'
Highlands. Away to the north ana west were INV
mn, If Orange County During the day saw
Haverstraw and Peckshill. and beyond The hills oil
Ve,cbes:er and Connecticut and sill further away the
silver thread Of the sound.
The lodges around We're rs bare as 'he Ga glacier
had left them. Examination una metallic points
everywhere, which analysis showed 20 he a worthless
kind Of iron ore with JUS the ehtes trac" OF silver
somewhat IN It's texture. At length We reached Il
broad ledge at least 100 feet above the path below"
We stopped 10 examine the old glacial maf"lhs' -"
YOU see that path down there and that h''e KhoiI
said one pointing far belo" Years ago cousin III
r,,,e r,,I his mother was out here onc day, hunting
for hooI,polcs She had sat down on roc" :" rest
and he was going along that path. something bnSn'
in The rock attracted hi attention. lie broke II OIL
with blow OF his axe, and put in in his pocket lie
heard ,nght noise and looking up "A" STOUT ti"'
vhskcred man coming along IN" pam '"N"i" MN
He .pa,c nile into the bush,, and ~ the man rcchc
the place where the broken rock was lE'hi' N san"
into the ground This - frightened ID" los '''' h'
dynY3ed his axe and ran screaming 10 d. m"ih'I'
After a while he thought Of his axe, al" """' '''
alter it, lie had found and va, coming away WIZ
out IL the bushes three terrible loohns women
,nc had no h:d-and with terrific NcTc ch''' ""'''
even his mother heard, rushed toward him. mat Wa
the last be knew III he lis m"'h' ici'H"t "N'I
him and ,.. told him she lad found him ..,'l''s ~
Tho path But neither Of item cou' oyer alter i''rH
The place. WAencvcr they came 81. The VICINITY ll''
would rcnblc and seem 10 LOSE their senses. I"eF
say that the piece Of rock Ac lrJhc on was SOFA IL
New York for no.
one Of our numbcr-now minn- superintendent
lad pushed ahead and WAS part way up Inc opp
SITE clif out OF sight suddenly hr gave q WIZ
vhoop Which We knew meant a ind; bat 0iI
guides thought IL nfaut witches. Two stood NtH eve
vide open and followed rs oily at a sai" distance
II was some time before they recovered themselves
We were soon al his Side and. a. 1t proved, be ha'
made the find q The tnp. Before us was l"'"
deposit OF ore adheiins to one on the walls OF an
excavation. II was iron with small pcTcchtA 20
OF silver and nickel. An Old trench vas hc'de IT,
nearly flied with debris, ana evd'lc's OF mining
excavations having been made long Tune ago Ne'e
.,crgs whore cd heaps Of roasted were ionhd
We followed the wall 500 feet or more but no"
deep il was We did not ascertain probably how
ever very shallow. The on, seemed to b" III a
pocket. We went on Il little further ana STOOD on
the cgS above valley containing several houses
"Ovcr ihcre,7 said one Of the guides, my great
grandmother born. Davis used to b"aId WIN
her father lie worked nights and s!'pl days. she
remembered sccin. hi, fires those hills ne
house would shaken by his blasts. AMI the wafer
IN the .urlnc would be rolled"