Connecticut western news., 1906-11-22
SOME "REMINISCENCES
A TALE OF "YE OLDEN TIME"

Soldiers Pilfered for Selves and Horses
 The Mysterious Stranger and His
 Hidden Treasure-Some Interesting
 Relics.
 Charles E. Dean of Danbury, who owns a farm between Beebe Hill and the "river road" in the Falls Village neighborhood was one of the many who read in THE NEWS the interesting story relative to Falls Village history in the redskin days, as told by Orville Hosford of Falls Village.
 MT. Dean was caller at THE NEWS sanctum few days ago and related reminiscence embodying the following facts. They refer to the days mentioned by MT. Hosford and are in way, con- tinuation of Mr. Hosford's tale:
 ''It was in the winter, said MT. Dean, s'that Burgoyne's army camped on my farm while being marched from Sarato- ga to New Haven. AS I remember the story, as told by my parents and grand parents, the army was marched in three columns or sections, one column passing through Norfolk The column which camped on my farm probably included 1000 or 1500 men. How long they re- mained I cannot tell, but it was at least, several days The question of owner ship made little difference to them when they discovered, in the section, any thing they could use. My grandfather and great grandfather suffered with the rest and unwillingly contributed their hay and potatoes toward army support.
 In those days it was customary with farmers to bury their potatoes in the ground, in large holes, containing from 20 to 25 bushels. 1t was these mounds that the soldiers opened and if they left a potato it was an oversight.
 Their camp extended over mile and of the Hunt school at Falls Village down to the foot of Barrack noun tain and when they left the section it was over Barrack mountain that the army wended it's way to New Haven.
 Some years afterward, when the resi- dence now occupied by Arthur Gibbs was used as a tavern, stranger arrived late one afternoon and arranged for a nights lodging. After he had eaten his supper, he enjoyed quiet smoke on the pinzza and early in the morning dis appeared and was neither seen nor heard of afterward. The only evidence of him that was found consisted of hole in the ground near the barn, large enough to contain an ordinary nail keg. Near by were barrel slaves and hoops that he had evidently used in digging the hole.
 The above incident immediately re- called to the mind of Miss Eunice Hos ford her dream of three consecutive nights previous to the coming of the stranger She dreamed each night that 8 sum of money was buried at the precise spot where the stranger dug the hole Miss Hosford had told her dream to other members of the household and asked them to investigate but they scoffed at the idea. s.
 The conclusion drawn from the in- cident was that the stranger was one of the soldiers who were with Burgoyne's army, that he had on his person a con- siderable quantity of money and rather than run the risk of its falling into the hands of the enemy (the army had been captured) had buried it while in camp and carefully marked the spot, fully in- tending to return in after years and re- gain his treasure which he did.
 MT. Dean, besides possessing fund of "reminiscences of the early days in this section, has several valuable relics and curios. Among the relics is a 11a inch pod auger. It is 20 inches long, was fashioned from piece of solid steel by a blacksmith and is estimated to be at least 120 years old. Three times it has been carried by team from Falls Village to Northern Vermont, there to be used in boring holes in barn frames. Into these holes were inserted the wooden pins which held the frames together. This auger also bored all the holes in the frame of the barn on MT. Deans farm.
 MT. Dean is also preserving, as curi- osity, a piece of the first rail laid in Con- necticut. He says it was on the Housa- tonic road which extended from Bridge port, Conn.,, to State Line Mass.
 MT. Hosford mentioned fort on an island in the Housatonic river to which the settlers fled for safety in Indian times. MT. Dean says that there was also fort near the spot now occupied by the Hunt school. To this fort, &C., cording to the stories related to MT. Dean. the settlers with their families went almost nightly to insure safety against sudden attacks by the reds.
 Sold His Home
 Martin Francis has sold his place near the Hotchkiss School at Lake