Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1896-04-18
CLAUDIUS SMITHS BOOTS.
Haunted, Folks Said, After Their
Owner Was Hanged.
Threc Men Who Wore Them Killed by
RattlesnakeS-A Doctors Explanation
OF Story Told Up In the
Schunnemunk Mountains.

RattlesnakeS-A Doctors Explanation
OF story Told Up In the
schunnemunk Mountains.
mo one In the Schunnemunk noun
tains will ever forget the story of
Rrainard Persons haunted boots
said Christy Lord Of that historic part
of Orange county. "Thc story dates
pack good ways, but it's always new
and fresh along the old Schunnemunk.
"Brainard Persons boots, SO tho
story goes, were the very boots that
Claudius Smith kicked off his feet just
before he was hanged at Goshen in tho
revolutionary times. Claudius Smith
was the bloody Tory cowboy who, with
his following Of cutthroats and robbers,
terrorized the Schunnemunk and sur
rounding country for years. His moth
er was a pious 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! Youwill die with
your shoes OH, like troopers horse
after the patriots had at last
captured the desperate, and he was
taken to the gallows at Goshen, he
kicked his boots off as the rope was
placed about his neck, and exclaimed:
my mother said 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 and said:
"'But of course you amt going to
wear EN-, Brainard?
ITO which Brainard replied:
"'Ain't I? Well, but am, though,
most surely!'
"Then, as my father used to tell, folks
said to Brainard:
"'Woe to you, Brainard Pierson, II
you wear those boots! Not for all the
treasure Claudius Smith buried in old
Schunnemunk 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 oil
treasure which he and his gang stole
from the patriots, and it's there yet
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 is, 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 crittel
I've got"
$50 Brainard put on the boots and
strutted around in 'em proud as pea
cock. But folks shook their heads ano
said:
"'Not for all that Claudius Smith hid
in old Schunnemunk would we wear
his boots
"Brainard Pierson laughed, and next
day started with his cattle down Jerse !,
way, wearing the dead Tory's boots
Somewhere down near the Ramapt
Pass a man coming this way met 4
drove Of cattle. They went on by
and the man noticed that no drover was
behind them. He went on. He had gone
quarter of mile or so when he al
most stumbled over man lying in the
road. He noticed that the man had or
remarkably fine pair of boots, but hi
started back In terror as he saw rat
tlesnake 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 ant
swollen, and that he was dead. 1t wa.
plain that the rattlesnake had bitter
the man, who had then killed the snake
before he was overcome by its venom
"Thc dead man was Brainard Pier
| son. The discoverer of the tragedy
sought the nearest help, and the rattle
snakes victim was brought home +,
Schunnemunk. The head of the snake
had been crushed by stone, and one o.
its fangs was gone. The snake had bit
ten clear through one of the boot;
Brainard wore, and tiny puncture OF
his ankle showed where the deadly
venom had entered to do its deadly
| work.
"'Claudius Smiths bootsl' WINS th,
first exclamation that folks made wher
Brainard Pierson was brought hon,
dead from rattlesnake bite. 'ThtIe'l
blood on 'em, and we told him sol
For long time nothing wac tallse,
about all through the Schunnemunl
country but Brainard Persons haunt
cd boots, and the awful fate that Brain
ard met with because he flew in tn,
face of warning and wore them
Somehow or other, though, Brainard'
folks didn't seem to be able to see Jus
how it was that he wouldn't have beer
struck by the rattlesnake If he hadn'
had Claudius Smiths boots on, and S,
the boots remained in the family
There was no one big enough yet in tn,
family to wear boots, and SO they
were put to one side. And there the,
remained unused for ten years. Thei
the house was robbed one night
Among the property stolen were tn,
haunted boots. There was a grea
time among folks when this becam
known. They declared that they ough
to ride in all directions on fleet horses
and hunt the robbers down.
"'Not SO much because he's rob
ber,' they said, but to keep him from
wearing them haunted boots. We cal
Jail him for being thief. tn be
capital punishment II we let him wea
Claudius Smiths boots
IF they did any riding they didn'
overtake the robber in time to war;
him against the fatal boots. Two day
after the robbery young George Pier
n