The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1903-03-12
N RELIC or PIONEER DAYS.
The ola stone House at German town,
n. Y., and the Romance Of
~ History.


A local newspaper learns that 'the
| old stone house at Germantown Is to
| have new roof" but BY neglecting
to state that III Is now more than $50
| years since the first roof was put ON,
| the newspaper missed the making Of q
really interesting item, says the New
| York Sun.
The old stone house at Germantown
was the very advance guard Of civil
ization on the southern border OF New
York at the time Of the French and
Indian war, during which and until the
close OF the revolutionary war, it was
a fort. IT is Of record that an Indian
trader named Haynes was living ct
this fort as early as 1760, and that q
daughter Of his married a CaptsAbram
Westfall, who was quartered there
during the revolution, but the record
does not deal with the romance and
tragedy of the courtship Of the cap
tain and the traders daughter.
The story is that the traders daugh-
ter had another lover, one De Witt,
and that she favored him over Capt.
Westfall. One day the girl, accom-
panied by the favored wooer, went
blackberrying upon the thickly grown
fatland that lay between the fort and
the Delaware river. Moved by jeal-
ousy, Capt. Westfall followed them.
When they had come near the river
bank lurking Indian sprang upon
them from thicket. The girls lover
fed. The Indian seized the swooning
girl and bore her hurriedly toward his
canoe.
Capt. Westfall, who had come OPP
portunely upon the scene, pursued the
Indian, overlook him as he was push
ing his canoe afioat, the girl lying un-
conscious in it, and brought back the |
captive and her captor's scalp. we'd
ding in the fort soon followed. The
traders daughter became the captains
bride.
The lover who abandoned the girl |
to the Indian turned tory, SO the story |
goes, and joined the Indian Chief /
Brant's band Of Indians and tories that |
raided the Minisink settlements year
later. When the news Of the Minisink
massacre was received at the fort
Capt. Westfall hurriedly gathered to-
gether all the men he could collect and |
went forth to offer resistance to the
raiders, who were advancing up the
valley toward the fort.
Guided by the recreant lover, Brant
and his marauders sought another
route, avoided Westfall's men and APP
preached the fort undiscovered except
by negro slave who had remained
With the captains wife and her new
born baby. The slave had time to give
his mistress warning and succeeded
N getting her In safety to the noun
aims with her child.
Brant's Indians and tories attacked
he fort, pulled down one end of it, set
ire to the upper story, which was built
q logs, and FASTENED on up the Della
ware valley, to be overtaken by Gen.
militia on the Delaware
highlands, where was fought the
'ioody battle Of Minisink. $50 disastrous
Q the Americans. Among those killed
4 Brant's men was the recreant lover
4 Capt. Westfall's bride.
The breach made in the old stone
ort by Brant's band was not repaired
ntil 1898, when the wall was relaid
Nth the stones that had originally |.
ormed 1t, and the log upper story was
eplaeed by stone one. With thai
RECEPTION the building is the same as
was when first erected century and
half ago.
II has been In turn fort. tavern, store
nd dwelling house. The village of
ort Jervis has grown up around II.
is now tenement house.