The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-04-10

tains will ever forget the story of
Brainard Persons haunted boots,''
said Christy Lord of that historic part
of Orange county. THE story dates
back good ways, but it's always new
and fresh along the old Schunnemunk.
"Brainard Persons boots, so the
story goes, were the very boots that
Claudius Smith kicked off his feet just
before he was hanged at Goshen in the
revolutionary times. Claudius Smith
was the bloody Tory cowboy who, with
his following Of cu6throats and robbers,
terrorized the Schunnemunk and sur
rounding country for years. His moth
er was a pous woman, who lived near
the Ramapo Pass, and when she found
she couldn't turn Claudius from his
evil ways, she exclaimed one day:
!"'Oh, my poor son! You will die with
your shoes on, like troopers horse
after the patriots had at last
captured the desperado, and he was
taken to the eallows at Goshen, he
kicked his boots off as the rope was
placed about his neck, and exclaimed:
"My mother said I would die like a
troopers horse. with my shoes on.
will make her out liar
Those were Claudius Smiths last
words. His boots, through some man.
ner of succession, at last fell into the
possession of Brainard Pierson years
after the cowboy was hanged. I've
often heard my father say that when
folks heard that Brainard had got
Claudius Smiths boots they went to
him ana said:
" But of course you amt going to
wear 'em. Brainard?'
"To which Brainard replied:
"'Ain't 1? Well, but l am. though,
most surely!'
Then, as my father used to tell, folks
said to Brainard:
Woe to you, Brainard Pierson, if
you wear those boots! Not for all the
treasure Claudius Smith buried in old
Schunnemunll would we wear those
boots! There's blood on emil
And you must know that was saying
a good deal, for Claudius Smith hid in
the Schunnemunk mountains thousands
upon thousands of dollars worth of
treasure which he and his gang stole
from the patriots, and it's there vet.
1t was put away so snug that although
the mountains have been dug over from
top to bottom and end to end, no one
has ever been able to find that treasure
So, of course, it must be there yet.
Well, when folks warned Brainard
against wearing the Tory cutthroat's
boots, and told him there was blood on
EN-, he answered back, so my father
said, that he hadn't noticed any blood
on 'em.
And even if there u.s. Brainard said,
I'll walk it off tomorrow, for I'm
going to drive some cattle down Jersey
way. | couldn't get pair o. boots like
these for the price O. the best critter
I've got"
so Brainard put on the boots and
strutted around in 'em proud as pea
cock But folks shook their heads and
said:
Not for all that Claudius Smith hid
III old Schunnemunk would we wear
his boots
"Brainard Pierson laughed. and next
day started with his cattle down Jersey
way, wearing the deSA Tory's boots.
Somewhere down near the Ramapo
Pass man coming this way met Il
drove of cattle. They went on by,
and the man noticed that no drover was
behind them. He went on. He had gone
Il quarter of a mile or SO when he al
most stumbled over a man lying in the
road He noticed that the man had on
remarkably fine pair of boots, but he
started back in terror as he saw rat
tesnake lying near his feet. Discover
ing that the serpent was dead, he adj
vanced and was Mortified to see that the
PROSTATE mans face was black and
swollen, and that he was dead. 1t was
plain that the rattlesnake had bitten
tie man, who had then killed the snake
before he was overcome by it's venom.
The dead man was Brainard Pier
son. The discoverer of the tragedy
sought the nearest help. and the rattle.
snakes victim was brought home 10
Schunnemunk. The head of the snake
mad been crushed by stone, and one of
us tangs was gone The snake had Bit
ten clear through one of the boots
bralnard wore, and tiny puncture on
MS ankle showed where the deadly
venom had entered to do it's deadly
work
Claudius Smiths boots!' was the
nrst exclamation that folks made when
nralnard Pierson was brought home
oead from rattlesnal<e bite. 'ThCie's
oiood on EN-, and we told him sol!
For long time nothing was talked
ABOUT all through the Srhurnemunk
country but Brainard Picrsor's haunt
"a boots, and the awful fate that Brain
ara met with because he e. in the
lace OF warning and wore them.
solhehow or other, though. Brainard's
iCiks didn't seem to be able to see just
now 1t was that he wouldn't have beer
struck by the rattiesnake if he hadn't
iad Claudius Smiths boots on, and SO
u, une boots remained in the family.
mere was no one big enough yet in the
family to wear boots, and so they
were put to one side. And there they
Unnamed unused for ten years. Then
.ne mouse was robbed 2 one night.
aniong the property stolen were the
.."unted boots. There was q great
"ine among folks when this became