New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-05

gcncy Nobody but the jokers could do any
| thing with Van Stcenburgh. His friends and
relatives were powerless. for he had passed into
that strange mental state where only one spring
| Of action can be touched where only one i'm
pulse rules the conduct.
As soon az he reached the city poor Boot
began TO haunt the hall where the famous singer
appearing and to follow her carriage In
the street At one OF her public receptions at
the Revere House he declared his love before
the crowd present and said he had come TO
New York TO marry her and ended by grove-
ling the floor at her feet She had never seen
the man before, and Of course had him elected
from her apartments
He then began TO haunt the hotel lobby and
attempt 20 speak to her she passed out OF
the hotel. until the proprictors OF the house had
him put into the street His next move was TO
place himself where he could watch the singers
windows and he would not move from his post
for hours al "A time. Later on he seemed to have
had an idea that Miss Lind would love him
better II ne was "A musician. and then nc ap-
pcared in front OF the hotel with "A hand organ
which he would grind for hours at time. lie
soon became public nuisance. and was arrested
and taken TO the Tombs His friends in Kings
ton were informed came and took him home.
his mind Was destroyed. and he would do moth
ing but wander about grinding his hand-organ
He soon became such a plague to his native
town and TO his family that OF his
brothers smashed the machine, He then settled
down into a state OF harmless lunacy until the
broke out, when h" became mbued with
the idea that he was general. and began To
organize the boys OF the town into a company Of
soldiers. He made his headquarters at the State
Camp Grounds. and gave orders to both officers
and men, which they good naturodly pretended
to obey He then took on a new phase Of unacy
by gathering everywhere hc could brass buttons,
which he sewed on his cap and clothing until
ne fairly bent under their weight. He became
such "A walking show that his parents finally
destroyed his button bedcckcd suit.
DAFT ON MILITARY MATTERS.
All through the war he paid attention TO
anything but military matters. making inco-
herent stump speeches whenever he could get
any one to listen to him. After the war was
and the troops had disappeared he began
to show signs OF violence and was turned over
by his relatives TO the poormastcr, who sent him
to Jail. and finally to the madhouse attached to
the county poorhOusc lie was released from
there after few months, and instead Of re-
turning home he went into on Of the county
towns and built himself a shanty where he had
continued to live
From there ne had wandered all over the
river counties. from Lake George to New-York
and further south far as Atlantic City In
New-Jersey. He carried with him wherever he
went a paint pot and brush with which he
covered the rocks and walls with strange and
weird characters which he called inscriptions"
His inseparabIe companions were old market
basket an old Bible and card bearing Scrip
tural passage 1t is said that he had extended
his travels as far south as Washington, aUl