New-York tribune., 1901-12-29
OF you settle the matter

of the party Cannot you settle the matter
some other way?"
The rivals simply glared. They resented the
slur against the woman they loved, and to the
peacemaker was promised a chance to fight the
who won the duel.
we are determined to fght"' they both
claimed, which seemed the only thing TO say
under the circumstances. After that the
onds had nothing to do but TO load the pistols
and measure the distance The young officers
took their places and at the end OF the count
two reports rang out as one. Both fell mortally
wounded. and died in their tents in New-Dorp a
few hours later. They were buried together in
the old Dutch cemetery at Richmond, and the
sexton can point out the double grave.
Long after the war had ended and the British
gone a woman carried flowers TO the double
grave She believed until the time OF her death
that one or the other would return to claim
her She did not care which one came back. so
long came, and to the end she remained
faithful to both.
Nor is this the only duel which old residents
of the island remember. on the same spot.
Colonel Illig, of Lord Howes staff, cut and
slashed at Colonel Pentman over some old
erudge which they had treasured from youth.
AS usual. there woman at the bottom OF
it. The two officers fought from horses with
cavalry sabres and they fought long and hard.
were terribly injured. At last weakness from
| loss of blood overcame them and they were
| carried TO quarters. Mercful bullets put an end
| to the misery Of the horses. but the officers
| Colonel Illig killed in the fight at Princes
| Bay, which prevented the fire eaters from
| Colonel Ilig's second In this affair
| General Robertson was the most prominent
! officer to fight duel NewDorp. His oppo-
| nent was a French naval officer named Vollique,
who resigned from the service that he might
| fight the British officer. The Frenchman was
| wounded in the breast He begged them to send
| him to Canada that he might die among friends.
| The request was granted. and he died soon after
reaching Quebec,
| Before the Revolution superstition rife on
the island. There a haunted wood the
read to Old Town, and the Haunted Bridge"
at the lower end of the island is still remem-
bered. Then there "Spook Swamp" and a
| house burned by the Indians. in which there was
buried treasure well guarded by mad bull
| that 1t was never recovered. Another road was
| frequented by big black witch dog. which
trotted along beside the horses of passing riders
| and bore a charmed life against pistol shots A
| negro slave tried to Kill it with a broadaxe.
| and swung the blade through it's body. The
| dog howled lust once, but the next minute was
trotting beside the rider strong and spook-
! like as before. The negro fell in a fit
1t remained for Sprngville to have ghost
the like OF which had never before been seen or
| heard Of 1t was nothing less than child clad
in garments of scarlet. which appeared by night
and sometimes by day top of a big rock,
which used to stand opposite the Sprngville
schoolhouse. IT was not long before the good
people OF the village found reason for the ap-
pearance of the child and the story is a sad one
one of the prettiest girls in the village became
displeased with her parents and away from
home. She came to New-York, and from New
York went TO Albany. She loved man who
soon proved faithless by desertng her She
worked hard to support herself and her child
but finally gave up the struggle and returned
home. Her parents received her with open
arms but not so tae rest Of the village. Polly,
as she may be called, had been popular before
when she had been but maiden, but Polly, the
| mother, was impossible AT first she STAYED
at home and the neighbors kept away. Then in
church one day she made public confession of
her sin. She thought that her old friends would
| forgive her.
A neighbor was giving a fax bee, and gen
eral invitation was sent to the young people
Of Springville. No girl had more nimble fingers
for the handling of flax than Polly, and she
of happy young people. hetchelling the properly
rotted flax and otherwise preparing it for the
spinning wheel They laughing telling
jokes and teasing each other After the work
finished they would dance. AS she entered
the door silence fell upon the young people
Not one Of them greeted her. though some oi
the boys would have done gladly had they
dared, for Polly still pretter than any
other Springville woman. She sat down and
began to work. The other girls complained tC
the head of the house and declared they would
go home if Polly stayed. So the girl was
the chill of silence. The workers became merry
and the flax bee a success.
Late that night Polly took her child and stole
out of her fathers house. She was never seer
again, and most people believed that she haC
thrown herself into the bay 1t was winter be
fore the vision of the scarlet child appeared tC
a party of young people going home from 6
spelling match. The night well lighted by
the moon and the snow the ground
There on big rock at side of the roaC
stood the child, dressed in scarlet robes from
head to foot. The girls frightened anC
cried, for they feared that Poly's curse might
fall on them