The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-05-28
The Haunted Boots,

Lord of that historic part of Orange
county. "The story dates back a good
way, but it's always new and fresh along
the old Sohunnemunk.
"Brainard Persons boots, so the story
goes were the very boots that Claudius
Smith kicked Off his feet just before no
was hanged at Goshen in tho Revolutions
airy times. Claudius Smith was tho bloody
Tory cowboy who with his following of
cutthroats and robbers, terrorized tho
Schunnemunk and surrounding country
for years.
CATER the patriots had at last captured
the desperate and he was taken to the gal
lows at Goshen he kicked his boots off as
the rope was placed about his neck and
exclaimed:
"'My mother said would die like
troopers horse, with my shoes on. will
make her out q liar.
"Those were Claudius Smiths last
words. His boots, through some manner
of succession, at last fell into the posses
sion 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:
"'Woe to you, Branard Pierson, IL you
wear those boots Not for all the treasure
Claudius Smith buried in old Sohunne-
munk would we wear those bootsl There's
blood on emf
"'And even If there is, Brainard said,
I'll walk it off tomorrow, for I'm going
to drive some cattle down Jersey way. 1
couldn't get pair o. boots like these for
the price o. the best critter I've got
"Brainard Pierson laughed and next
day started with his cattle down Jersey
way, wearing the dead Tory's boots.
Somewhere down near the Ramapo pass
man coming this way met q drove of cat
tie. 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 almost stumbled over man ly-
ing in the road. He noticed that the man
had on remarkably fine pair of boots,
but he started back in terror as he saw
rattlesnake lying near his feet Discover
ing that the serpent was dead he advanced
and was Mortified to sec that the PROSTATE
mans face was black and swollen and
that he was dead. 1t was plain that the
rattlesnake had bitten the man, who had
then killed tho snake before he died.
1.-THE dead man was Brainard Pierson.
The discoverer of the tragedy sought the
nearest help and the rattesnakes victim
was brought home to Schunnemunk. The
head of the snake had been crushed by
stone and one of its fangs was gone. The
snake had bitten clear through one of the
boots Brainard wore and tiny puncture
ON his ankle showed where the deadly ven
ON had entered to do its deadly work.
"'Claudus Smiths boots was the first
exclamation that folks made when Brain
ard Pierson was brought home dead from
rattlesnake's bite. There's blood on
'em and we told him sol
For long time nothing was talked
about all through the Schunnemunk coun-
try but Brainard Persons haunted boots
and the awful fate that Brainard met with
because he flew in the face of warning and
wore them. Somehow or other though
Brainard's folks didn't seem to be able to
see just how it was that he wouldn't have
been struck by the rattlesnake If he hadn't
had Claudius Smith s boots on, and SO the
boots remained in the family. There was
no one big enough yet in the family to
wear boots and so they were put one side.
And there they remained unused for ten
years. Then the house was robbed one
night. Among the property stolen were
the haunted boots. Two days after the
robbery young George Pierson, Brainard's
son, was hunting on Seven Spring noun
tain, and, going over to one of the springs
to get drink, he found dead man lying
near it black in the face and swollen. Near
by the body lay big bundle. The dead
man had on tho stolen Claudius Smiths
boots Young Pierson pulled off the boots.
On the mans right ankle was little pur-
plish red puncture.
"A rattlesnake has struck him as sure
as fatel exclaimed young Pierson.
The bundle contained the things stolen
from the Pierson family. George backed
them home and brought the boots along.
Then he spread the news about finding
the robber on Seven Springs mountain,
dead from a rattlesnake's bite
"Several years went by again before any
one else wore the haunted boots. Then a
relation of the Pierson folks, who lived
down in the Ringwood valley, visited
them. He saw the boots and took great
fancy to 'em He wanted to buy 'em, al
though he knew the fate Of the only two
persons who had worn 'em In years.
" There amt any rattlesnakes in our
section, said he. IN risk the haunt
"The Pierson folks wouldn't sell him
the boots, but they made him present of
'em. He took EN- home with him. Some
folks say that he didn't tell his father-in-
law the story of the boots when he made
him present of 'em after he got home
and some say he did. At any rate, the
father-in-law had good deal of property
which would go to this Pierson relations
wife when her father died, and her father
was in the best of health. The son-in-law
made him a present of Brainard Persons
| haunted boots. The father-in- law put
EN- on one day and went for walk. Not
long afterward he came staggering home.
she was dead man an hour later, with
black, swollen face and body On his
| Fight ankle was the mark Of rattlesnake
| bite as there had been on Branard Pier
| sons and on the dead robbers. And there
was not rattlesnake in all that country
The Authoritarian of the Pierson relation
was dead before the doctor could get there
The doctor was told the story of the haunt
ed boots. Selling the right boot, he slash
ed 1t down to the ankle with his knife.
Something white fell from it to the floor
The doctor picked 1t up. He examined 1t
| for a moment.
A rattlesnake's fang, said he And
there's poison enough yet in its channel to
kill another mani