The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-01-28
AS ONE WHO SLEEPS,
Judge Knapp as He Lies in
the Old HackenSaCk
Homestead.
CHANCES AL HIS HOME LIFE
Hudson's Court House Draped
With Bunting and Other
Evidences Of the Pub
lie Sorrow.
CHANCES AL HIS HOME LIFE
TODAY'S MEETING OF THE BAR.

- Ne~A AAOASo
in Hackensack rests all that is mortal of
Judge Manning M. Knapp. Undertaken
Ricardo embalmed the body Tuesday
night, and as Judge Knapp lies there in
the embrace of death he appears to be
simply sleeping. A calm and peaceful
expression is upon the cold features and
perfect content with Gods will is dis
cerned by the most superficial glance at
the inanimate form.
The old homestead of the dead Judge is
one of the landmarks of Hackensack.
A five minutes walk from the New York.
Susquehanna and Western Railroad
depot brings you to it. The house is on
Main street directly opposite the beaut-
full little park Known as "The Green" 10
the north of the house is the bank. and
oppo site this building is the Mansion
House. a hostelry where General Wash
inqton was guest on many occasions On
the east side of The Green, In full view
from the windows of the homestead, is
tho old Dutch Reformed Church, with its
burial ground attached, and which con-
tains monuments and headstones dated
back to the Seventeenth century. To
the south of The Green is the Court
House, County Clerks and Surrogate's
offices, which are in separate buildings.
THE KNAPP HOMESTEAD AND GROUNDS.
Thus it will be seen that the homestead
Is situated in the central part of the town,
the most delightful location in it, The
house is two story and attic building
with two large extensions attached,
These were built for convenience and not
for architectural beauty. 1t Is not from
the appearance of this property as OBJ
served from the street by the passer-by
that its beauty and comfort is discovered.
You must enter the gate and pass to the
lawn in the rear of the house. This lawn
is four hundred feet long and one hun
dred and fifty feet wide. 1t must be
most beautiful when the grass is
green and the trees are in leaf. Shrubs
and flowers tastefully dot the grounds
and the carriage way to the stable, which
is at the extreme end of the lawn. This
stable has for twenty-siX years been the
almost absolute property OF Tom. the col
,red coachman. Tom never thinks of
saying 'yhis is the Judges team" he
s ALWAYS says Our" horses. Tom loved
the Judge as a servant seldom loves a
master, and the Judge could no more
have got along without Tom than he
could have done without his library.
Judge Knapp did not keep trotters and
road horses, but his stable always con-
tanned TWO fat and well groomed carriage
horses.
In the centre of the lawn a visitor
would first observe slightly elevated
d
around 1t. On this railway rested tele-
scope carriage which is SO constructed
that it could be adjusted to any height
under seven feet. 1T was here the
dead judge found his greatest relief
from the vexations and care of the court
room and the quarrels and quibbles of
the lawyers. On this carriage the Judge
would place one of his numerous tele-
scopes, all of his Individual make, and
for hours he would live among the stars
and solar system. He was an enthusiastic
student of astronomy, and from it he re-
ceived his chiefest pleasure. Some of the
telescopes possessed by the Judge are six
and seven feet in length, but the lenses
possessed by him are of all sizes. Judge
Knapp was frequent visitor to Alvan
Clark & Sons, Cambridge, Mass, the
celebrated telescope lens makers, and
whenever this firm had any particularly
fine specimen of work on hand Judge
Knapp was requested to examine it, The
celebrated lens manufactured for the
Lick telescope was submitted to the
Judge for his criticisms. In addition to
this Judge Knapp was one of the most
expert judges of diamonds in the land.
IN HIS WORKSHOP.
Judge Knapp's workshop is in q room
In one of the extensions of the homestead.
Ie opened into his extensive library
The workshop contains several lathes and
qrindstones calculated to do the finest
delicate than the manufacture of perfect
lenses. TO man unskilled in mechanics
the workshop is devoid of interest, but to
q skilltul mechanician 1t would be al
oasis in the desert. Tools of every des-
cription required in the Iabors pursued
by the Judge were abundant, and his
resources did not stop there, for in the
very large library in the room adjoining
are many valuable treatises on his favor
ite science and mechanics.
So fond was Judge Knapp of the study
of mechanics that nearly every week he
would visit first class workshops in New
York and watch expert workmen by the
hour. An intimate friend of the dead
Judge said last night that Judge Knapp
visited one workshop in New York
several years ago and becoming interested
in some work being done, he offered to
pay the foreman liberal sum to permit
him to watch the work until it was COM
pleted. The foreman politely declined
payment. but offered the Judge every
facility for observing the work. From
that day until the death of the Judge
warm friendship existed between the
mechanic and the Judge.
IN HIS HOME LIFE
Judge Knapp's home life was simple.
The affection between him and his wife
is proverbial in Hackensack. She is a
small. delicate woman. refined i'll her
tastes, and ever friend, helpmeet, and
guardian over her husband. The love
Judge Knapp had for his children was in
tense, and his son Joseph was treated
more like companion than a son. When
the Judge would go shooting in the
South for he was very fond of this pas
time, and followed 1t closely until few
years ago, he was nearly always accom-
panied by his son. The Judge was
passionate aud enthusiastic trout fisher
man, and each trout season he would
take Joseph with him to the mountain |
streams, and be as delighted rs a child
with the sport of landing speckled
beauty.
The affection he bore his wife aud tn
absolute dependence he placed on her is
best told by an extract OF letter TO her,
in which he said:-
"You ask me how enjoy my vacation.
shall never take another unless you are
with me- for without You it is no vaca-
tion."
the Judge was vecy fond of parrots
and other birds and he bad number in |
his house. The birds knew the Judge
md the parrots would talk to him by the
nour il he would linger with them.
the funeral will take place Saturday.
short service will take place at the |
souse at ono o'clock, and then e mourn
Irs will go to the Second Eeformed