The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-07

relies. These often haypgood basis Of beiief-so
nsS our s.hinston railing Our home manu-
setors q events but the chronicIers mako
Mr.. baly Ia a son OF one Of the old Poard n,
Hoyern9rs OF Belleyue. His, brother, Daniel
ing, was seen BY the reporter, and no assertad.
too, that the stone was n fake. In his fathers
time, he said, no claim vac eyer made that the
This claim was OF comparatively recent years.
and all tho researches. that had been made
With this statement and Mr.. Timothy Daiy's
COMMUNICATION THE, sun reporter called on Mr..
IT'S Queer" said Mr.. Jordan. THAT an at.
tack should be made on the stone At this late
Evidence to warrant 1"S his ass assertion that phhS'p relic
Is not genuine, The stone was presented to the
Government by the Chamber OF Commerce In
1888. Among the merchants members OF the
Chamber in those days were many. old men with
good memories. Some of them had personal
They surely could not have been fooled. MIR,
DAILY says this stone was nut In a c~rosswalk and
because IL is ordinary soft sandstone and IL
wouldn't stand the wear. II a wagon had been
driven across it it would have split In a hun
dred pieces"
Mr.. Jordan took the reporter out into the cor
rilor and showed the stone to him. 1t is care
having been broken In removing II from the
pedestal Of the statue; " am certain said MIR.
Jordan, that Mr.. DAILY is wrong. But the rec
prove him So" 49,,
son told the reporter that there were no rec
ords that would prove the authenticity OF the
siSpe Of S course .s G M4. b hsysr w Sss %rS %ssaek fSe S GhSm.
Der. he said, got the stone from Bellevue Hos
pital, where Z had been for half a century or
more. The inscription was on IL when they got
IT,. He referred the reporter TO the New York
Historical Society. There the reporter found
which a great TODD has been made lately. The
railing was the one on which. Washington
dress. It was "a part OF the Balcony. il Nhas been
said lately that 1t had gone into the hands OF
the Junk dealer. The society got II from the
lower hall, beside the pedestal OF the statue of
William Kelby Of the Historical Society said
ness OF the stone at the ub-Treasury. but there
ord to prove il sbsoluteiy. "'Ths, old CITY Hall.
or Federal Hall" said Mr., Kelby, was torn
comT for si%Ss. "TfS. The rail II and ne T the S Stone to in
the balcony on which Washington stood Was
P RriIeyys H Hnd Was F Tns r to ths city 1T S and h used In IN
Governors of Bellevue ought to show"
He said that Mr.. Days claim that no claim OF
historic interest was made for the stone until
recent years must certainly be- wrong. and he
got out a little monument made from u frag-
in 1864. On the monument were these inscrip-
tons: Federal Hall. New York. 4 New
from the Commissioner OF Public, Charities
ana as.ac RoIi re Tdos. = Draper, PreSsid silent.
i ioaa' l sei. Ja MDaGs Ii is Sf'"n ned !!Gmss Il W.a M,ShH,.
ton. Yorktown, lnaucurated First President"
The main inscription is on a silver plate, and is
the Balcony Of Federal Hall. Wall street. New
York. While standing on this, stone George
Washington was inaugurated first President
OF the United States. April Both. 1889" The
monument was presented to the society on Feb.
90. 1864. Mr.. Kelby showed the original letter
accompanying the gift. 1t reads as follows:
SIR: The commissioner OF Public Charities and
f ni.tprieSi sso E %i on sse city Soe OF SeW m9 Yors. to tho
Tals msmento ia formed OF the stone upon which
Street. Aprn so. 1859, ami maEes part OF the past
Try. Please accept 1t from us on behalf or the city OF
New York. With sreat respect.
MOSES II. GRiNSErI-
JAMES II. NICHoI soS.
Feb. 22, 1854. to Frederick De Peyster. ESD. Presi
dent New York Historical Society.
This stone" said Mr.. Kelby, was for years
In the wall OF Bellevue. 1t was removed when
the statue OF Washington was put up In Wn!l
street. The records of the Board OF Governors
should certainly tell where the stone was OBJ
tanned"
At the office of the Charities Commissioners
records o: BELLEVUE. and the, reporter was re-
ferred to Mr.. Ricketts, at the hospital. Mr..
Iicketts said that search had often been made
for the records of the old Board. but all that
was known OF them was that they had been
sent to Blackwell's Island years ago and had
Nj. Ricketts, has been connected with the hos
pital since 1871. The stone was, imbedded in
the wall OF Bellevue then. Il have stood in
read the inscription. 1t WAS this: Standing on
this stone In the balcony of Federal Hall. April
80, $50. George Washington took the oath as
first President of the United States Of America
| don't know Of any record now that will prove
the genuineness % the stone. 1t has never been
questioned before to my knowledge"