The weekly tribune., 1892-04-02
NEW ROCHELLE.
A Hugucnot COMMUNICATIONS Paine's
Old Home and Monument.
Especial Corrcspondence.l

Old Home and Monument.
Especial Corrcspondence.l
New ROCHELLE, n. V, March H.
Settled by Huguenot refugees in 1859.
and long retaining the language and life
of French community, the old village
of New Rochelle has had unique his
tory 1t is said that the women carried
stones in their hands and mortar in their
aprons to help build the first church III
the place, and before the people had Il
settled pastor they used to walk twenty
three miles to New York for the Sunday
worship, starting Saturday evening and
returning Sunday evening, their breth
ren i'll the city Offering them enter
tanment over night. Obviously peo-
pie so devoted to their religion would
not have invited the great Freethinker,
Thomas Paine. to make his home in their
midst, nor would he on his part have
chosen their village rs particularly
congenial abode. Yet the lapse of more
| than century had wrought changes in
the town, and one must remember that
the inestimable services of the author of
Common Sense being recently rem
dered, were fresher in the public mind
than now.
Those services were deeply appreciated
by Washington and valued by congress,
which voted Paine thanks and money.
The state of New York showed its sense
of obligation by granting him a large
farm at New Rochelle, made up of land
coniiscatcd from Huguenot Tory. The
place was on North street, over mile
from the village, and here Paine lived
awhile before he went abroad to mingle
in the fierce controversies of that stormy
period Returning at length, broken III
fortune and repute, he alternately re-
sided in New York city and at his farm
till his death in 1909. A portion of the
house he occupied is still standing, and
the room in which he slept is still point
ed out. Until few Years ago the quaint
"Franklin" stove was preserved in his
old room. but was then taken out and
displayed as an advertisement in local
hardware store.
1t is claimed that Paine provided for
| his monument III his will, but the monu
ment now standing on North street i'll
forms us that il was erected by public
contribution in 1889" 1t stands near
| the spot where he was buried, at the en-
| trance 10 Il private lane leading back
| half mile east to Il farmstead on the
| hill. A neat wall incloses the monu-
mcnt, and i'll each corner of the square
yard is hourishing tree-two willows,
a maple and hickory. An iron fence
and gate border the road. The memorial
| is about twelve feet high, of marble and
| capped by an ornamental block. The
| faces of the shaft are two feet wide, and
| on three sides are engraved notable Sc
lections from "CoH.non Sense" "Age
| of Reason and Crisis" The front
| bears a medallion Of Paine cut in stone
and surrounded by Il wreath of laurel.
| The bones of the restless patriot and ag-
| ifator were not allowed to rest i'll peace
where he intended but were some years
later spirited away by the English
radical. William Cobbctt, who thought
10 aid the growth of republican ideas in
England 10y producing the relics. The
plan failed ana their final resting place
| is uncertain.
Directly opposite where Paine was
! buried used tu stand an old Huguenot
inn where merry times often prevailed.
Once during local carnival The British
suddenly appeared and captured sono
Of the youth, required them 10 deliver
up their valuables, and even stripped
them of coats. hats and shoes. Here
and there i'll the village ANA cnvirons
| are to be seen II few of the ancient
| Hugucnut houses, small. low and solid
! ly built, with massive stone chimncyS.
! The old French names are still numer-
ously represented among the people
! Many interesting traditions are pre-
| served of Paine and of old time matters
He is said To have preached his doctrines
in grove Ill the village for time lie
frequently made the rounds of the farm
crs and accepted their hospitality.
Striking tales OF his drunkenness and
| blaSphcnly are told, perhaps colored
somewhat by prejudice, though there l.
| little doubt that his last years were un-
| happy. The influence of so popular and
noted IA man was considerable in the
community during his life, and natural
| ly some of his neighbors and acquaint
ances synpathizcd with his views, but
we are told that this influence was al
| most wholly destroyed by the advent OF
| itinerant Methodist preachers i'll the To-
cality not long after Paine's death.
New Rochelle WAS the birthplace of
that good Boston saint, Peter Faneuil,
| who gave the famous old Cradle of Lib
erty,' Faneuil hall, to the Hub" He
came of approved Huguenot stock. To
show the contrasts of this life, one must
add that the notorious Captain Kidd
also knew this quiet old hamlet on the
sound, having used it rs recruiting
and provisioning ground. Along these
beautiful shores lie "sailed, and he
sailed" bequeathing TO this and to that
inlet and point sundry ghostly tradi
tions of dreadful deeds and of buried
treasure. Defying the powers Of both
earth and heaven, he still sailed, anI
/.