The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-05-29
STORY OF A roa
HAUNTED HOTEL.
Legends Which Grew Up About Building
at Hopewell, Duchess County, N. Y.
(New York Tribune.)

Islander, named Hendrick Hageman. He
cleared the woods from his purchase. laid
out roads and erected n tavern. The house
he built, which is still standing, was for
many years the only tavern east of the viii
age of Fishkill until the Connecticut line
was reached 1t stands one mile northeast
of Hopewell Church, in the Township of
East Fishkill.
Hageman is said to have run away from
his family, or, as others have the story,
his family kicked him out and forced him
to come to the wilds of the then new set
Elements in southern Dutchess County.
When he arrived in HOpewell he was a
man in the early prime of life, being under
40. of large though not ungainly build, Of
great strength, and active when it suited
his convenience.
4 man of few words and they not al
ways the most choice, he never was pop
ular. Hageman had little means when
he built his tavern, and only put up suff-
cient room to accommodate few strag-
Cling guests. For years he had no barn,
but stabbed his horse in an outcellar con-
nected by n passageway with the house
cellar He had large brown horse,
which, rumor, said, he had lifted from
some person in Westchester County while
on the way from Long Island. This horse
was blind OF one eye, but always in fine
fettle. and on it Hageman used to scour
the country day and night. He never did
any work on his place except to gather
a little hay. The oats his horse consumed
We're unwillingly furnished from other
farmers bins and granaIies, as report has
it. He was ION the make" in any way
possible, and would trade and dicker in
anything that he thought there might be
sixpence of profit in.
Guests at Hageman's tavern were few,
and his place had bad name even from
the start. He kept on, however, and as
his expenses were small he gradually ac-
cumulated means, added to his building
and in few years was known throughout
the whole region as man with ready
money in plenty which was unusual in
the newly settled neighborhood. To make
business more brisk he widened out Il mile
stretch on one of the roads he had cut
through the forest, and, Ieveling it up,
made racetrack, which became known as
Hageman's running lane. Here on after
moons in pleasant weather races were run.
All this brought money to his till.
Hageman had kept the tavern some 10
or 20 years, when one December night, in
n severe storm of hail. and sleet, pack
peddler stopped at, his place for nights
lodging. The weather being so unpleas-
ant, the few loungers that had been hang
ing around the fire had nearly all gone
away, and only two or three besides Hage-
man and an old woman, who was his
housekeeper, remained Hageman soon
hustled the remaining lcungers out. and
by 8 o'clock the doors We're shut and
locked. ~
The peddler had, supped before they
went away. and was sitting Mt one corner
Of the big fireplace warming himself when
the last lounger went ont the door. Some
time during that night be was killed, the
legend has it, as other travellers had been
killed before. But how the murder was
carried out, how much, if anything, the
innkeeper secured and where the body was
buried were never learned. .-.tf .s
The morning following the coming of
the peddler to the tavern the storm was
as fierce as ever, and so bad did the wealth
er keep for several days that no one ven
tured to visit the house. When clear
weather came the visit of the peddler was
not borne in mind, as it was thought he
had gone on the morning after his arrival.
Several weeks passed. and then there were
inquiries concerning him. 1t appeared that
he was younger brother of prosperous
merchants in New York, who had sent
him out with large sum of money to pay
for wool purchased in the inferior OF
Duchess County. and he took the pack of
goods along nartty hind and also IN
introduce goods from the store in the CITY
He was easily traced IN Uaeemon's tay-
ern but there all track of him was lost
Never was he heard Of again after the
deporture of the Iounpers on thar Decom
her evening
As soon ne II becamo known that searcb
ing innuir;es wore ofoot concernino th.
peddler the people began to tell how he
had beep chol,ed to death in tho tavern
Stories Of his fouI murd.r sormed tho COS.
sin of tbe countrvsda for m;jos around
and in tho long Winter EVENINGS old and
voung world listen with bated breatb to
The tales of robber;es and murders com.
mitted in Uooemon's toyarp peonIe said
onenIv that there wero secret rooms in tho
tavnrn info which M ono wos oiIowod to
enter If , lone troveIer cama there ~
nipbt who was NOT ac,uaintod in. Tho ra
o;on uogemon ,rnn,J 1t h;n, 20 IoJno =,
ono of these secrot rnnms and tho man
nnver onneoreJ AGAIN IT, ruas cnrranti,,
renortod and bei;evoJ .s c.snol truth hv
great numbers Of tho ;nbo b;tapts that
tboro bad hoon = eanro % narsa, Eli,
J.olt With IN uaoonan,s hprso al that
Tho ros,laa,s sn;.;,s nf 81, ,,,,.dna 10 aa.
moda Tho n;a1,ts b;Jno',n b., thn;. IN" ".s
and ,ornan pofnua ~ ~ u, .n.n foahs
tins II was s,id Hon. ,rn,,d oh.i,,
them to tho woII onJ nhnLo tbon, mi, i;fa
wos noorIy oxt;nnt 1rhosa 49,. ~, ,. nno
never soan ~. Rod a,,.,,Iara n',n,,. :, ti,o
MINER mar, 81 tia ia ho,,so ~, - ~ 'n ~.
IIaa,,,nn i'll n 40 lS "a; 40
sn;rit ,"n. saiJ 70 ho,',t an ne -, 20 t me