Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-12-04
A RARE PHOTOGRAPH
The REPRODUCTION or THE OLD
DE WITT CLINTON DUE TO 1T.

Unique Rit Of History which Deals
with the old Anti-aIassnry Feeling In
New York State Over sixty Years Ago
a Clever Artist with Scissors
The New York Central Railroad com
pany's reproduction u the frs; railroad
train and locomotive ever run in New
York state, = most interesting and valu-
able exhibit at the Chicago fair, said an
old resident Of Albany. causes me 70
wonder how many of the officers Of that
company know that if the disappearance
OF Morgan from Batavia IS years ago
had not been attributed TO murlcruus
Vaccinations Of the Masonic fraternity.
which resulted in the great anti-M Masonic
excitement that spread throughout the
country and tocamc sensational poli;-
ical factor. they would not have been
able TO make the reproduction. and the
appearance Of that curious railroad train
and engine would never have bcJn known
in accurate and pictorial representation.
1t was years before the discovery and
practical introduction Cf that crude ure,l-
eccssUr Of photography. the daasucrrCo-
/ type, when the pioneer railroad train in
this state w,,> run. and as the future i'm
/ pOrtancC To history ~ the appearance, "
( that train never OCCur-Gvl 10 thyr-,, inter
estCl III bringing il into existence the
skill Of no artist with his pencil was
/ brought into use - VcrIa c-Gatc il on
paper. 1t happened that yJuu, man
named Bruwu-WilliIm IL Brown Of
| PhiladClph;a-w0 WAS in Albany on the DAY
| the train was run. Aug. 9. 1851. and had
| been in the place several dIys-
He had q marvellous talent for cutting
with Il Ilir If scissors out Of black paper
| hfclike profile portraits and accurate
I representations Of buildings. machinery
and even landscapes
/ The remarkable I1rt Of this talent of
( his was his Iuyy,r 10 make n PERFECTLY
| exact portrait Of persons days and even
weeks after having scCu them hut once,
/ and that only casually On the street.
He had for some time made = god liy-
/ ing by the exercise Of his peculiar art.
/ ThlddCus Stevens WAS n that time Just
beginning Ia make q reputation in poll
tics and had seized upon the anti-MlsOuic
idea for use in Pennsylvania, Is It had
been so SUGGEST fully worked bv Thurlow
| Weed and ms iCutCuaCts IN New York
/ state Tho feeling WAS growing in Penn
, sylvania. and Young Brown thought it
would b, Il cJ,zl strike. vi business for
him 10 20 to Albany. havc a l.,sk n
. Thurluw Weed anal others snip their
likeness out III silhouette, and lrIe.l,,s
I getting 4 lee from them for TIL work
I duplicate the pictures fu- sale among
the anti-MasonIc enthusiasts i'll P,u-.>yl-
wanna and elsewhere.
H went L. Albany early III August.
1851. and diI great deal ln0rc than 4,ct
the PORTRAITS uf Thurlow Weed Ills
wonderful work took the town l,v storm,
and he WAS kept busy from morning mn
I'll night cutting TIE silhouette likeness
of people II all kinds. srx-S AMI a-cs
that flocl,eI 10 his rooms
His greatest artistic feat WAS the, cut
ting in one large picture ri thu famous
Burgess CORPS entire. with staff and hand
in full parade each members portrait
being If surprising accuracy. This pic
ture is among the most I'rscioUs rrlics IL
the state library
And 50 il happened lnat this unique
young artist was III AllsI0y On ,h., L..,
the quaint locomotive ID Witt Clinton
withi,s EQUALLY qualn; coaches. WAS II In
run on its first trip ovcr the Mohawk l:.l
Hudson railroad
lie wuS enc Of tho lgl>>, myers ou thu
train. and w'i.u II ryturIlcd to Albany
he Cnt with his scissors AN exact Iic'ur
Of thu Locomotive and TWO II tie coaches
mHkiu-; the T. r:r-ilt g David Matthew
thu, ,.4.-iu,,.r and .i,,,., + CLARK ,h..,..,,,
ductor. ,,. his ..,t ,ll the, outside II IN.
front coach.
In that picture appear the hklue>>ss
Of Thurlow Ny,d vN-GOvCrnor Yates
and Other ,l~tirEli~hcl Alh9riaus Of
that dav. but neither Mr.. Weed nor the
ex-governor WIS az, The, rr,ir W-irI,,,,,
a Thought Of the future ~ that ri,.r,,rq
rs 4 valuabl, contributions, IN history
III, artist mi tl,,,,. ,.,---,ifs ,,,,,r.l,- ,s
an x,r,;s, Of his .lill u, ,1.,,;..-i,,.- -,,T,
iect from memory. H., told M, :, him
s..lf "a wears aftrrvsrl
Will, Artist Brown, yy.,s IN Albany
h, concluded 70 90 T., T-,s-.,,, mi II,~;.
ford Ia make, SIM. ,.,rrr-,irS ,,.i tn
cuttings with his marvellous scissors
While in Hartford h., showed the. ,,,-,r,-,
he had made A.: the, r.,ilr,ad rr-in AND
l,.n,,,.,tiv Il, I, I,,.,,,lz ,f ,E5,, C',,,,,-.fi-
cut Historical society. wh, n once saw
what 4 treasure IL must necessarily l-,-
come. and the artist presented itt1 the
society. when, II Is TODAY "a ?. lie l,,,v,r,l
pri,,,..
some SO vr4-s n(yrr CUTTING THAI 1.:,.-
Ill l,,,.,,.... I,;,,,sIf - ,,.,
-,,,S.l >, .,x,r,.;.,. H., ,-,;.,,-. LII -
frSs;,.-,gl1,. mi ..,, Law L,,,,. .,1,.,'..-