The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-11-08
MANKATO FREE PRESS

see His historical facts may be
wrong; the strangers did not attempt
to verify them. Legends must be
taken as one finds them, and these are
the grandfather tales of the Manor
House:
Frederick Philipse, the last lord
OF the manor, was big man in every
way, like most of the previous lords, "
was the way he began. Like them,
he was good, and his slaves, red and
black, were well treated. He went to
meeting when it was convenient, and
was thoroughly God fearing. But he
was also good man of business, and
that is why the old Manor House had
secret closets.
His ship, the Frederick, brigan-
tine, if 1 remember rightly, sailed
away on many voyages to the south,
and always came back with a full
cargo of rich goods. Her captain was
dark-skinned foreigner who had an
evil eye. He was known in Philips
borough as the Black Devil, aud
mothers used him to brighten their
children.
"Hush crying, they would say.
The Black Devil will come and. eat
you mp if you are naughty. $3.50
"When the Frederick was anchored
off the little settlement in the. cove
formed at the mouth of the Nepper-
han, children stayed in the house. for
the Black Devil strutted up. and
down. the street with knives and pis-
tolls in his belt, and the fercest sort of
scowl on his face They said that he
used to cut up sailors that displesaed
him and throw their bodies into the
sea. His oaths were terrible beyond
description, and even the men were
glad when the Frederick went to sea.
Zone night many years before the
revolution storm blew up the Hudson
with great fury. :. The Youncker, az. a
pleasure craft belonging to the Philipse
family, was alone in Nepperhan Cove.
At midnight man who had stayed
/, late at the Indian Queen tavern heard
the creak and rattle of chains out. in
the cove and he knew that some. craft
had put in. =. Presently light twas
raised and lowered several times, .and
an answering. signal came. FROM the
manor house. The citizen was curious
, and concealed himself behind. a tree.
Soon six of the biggest. negro. slaves
belonging to the manor went down to
the little stone pier. Out in the cove
! the noise attending the transshipping
of cargo could be plainly, heard; In a
little while the. Youncker. was pulled
to the landing place with rope which
was. fastened on shore. The negroes
who were waiting quickly took hold of
several heavy bales and carried them
into. the Manor. nall. .. They were-. SO
heavy that the strongest Of the slaves
staggered under. the weight: Soon
after the. outer door closed a light
glimmered through the shutters. Of the
southwest room. The citizen heard the
bales drop with dull thud on. the
floor. :. A second time the. negroes
staggered up. the path loaded down
with bundles. Behind them strobe the
Black Devil, =. and captain Of !, the
Frederick: Then the lights went ont,
and all was quiet about the Manor
house as it was on ordinary night. =
early the next morning there, was
excitement in the village when the
customs collector from New York. ar
rived in q, barge rowed by half dozen
slaves. :. Black Devil explained that
after he had sent a boats crew ashore
to notify the customs officers the storm
had. driven him up the river and
forced him to seek refuge in the cove.
Would the officer search the ship3
he thought he would, and the Manor
hall, too, for that matter. = In those
days customs collectors got very little
salary, and had to depend. almost en-
tirely on 'pickings. ~ -a
1.-THE citizen who had been cut. late
the night before was at the pier and
offered to help search the house,
though he said not word about what
he had seen. From. cellar to- garrett
went the customs officer and his men.
Frederick Philipse followed them with
a smile on his face, and Black Devil
went out to the Frederick to order. re-
freshments for the searchers when they
were satisfied that nothing had been
taken ashore. The citizen could hardly
wait until they got to the southwest
room, which he expected to lind
packed with silks and spices. Fred
erick Philipse himself threw open the
door. There was bed, few chairs,
a.chest Of drawers, but nothing more.
Not sign, Of. the. bulky cargo which
had been carried there few hours be-
fore, and, try as they might they could
find nothing suspicious.
"The customs officer went back to
the Frederick and the citizen to the
Indian Queen. That night.-.over his
ale. he told what ne had seen, and
lengthy discussion followed. The de-
cision was entirely in favor of secret
closet, and secret it remained, though
the Frederick landed many other car
goes, and spices and silks were often
imported into New York from
Yonkers, where no silks were ever
spun and spices never grew. ..---