The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-05-21
Anneke Van
Wrinkles Wit
A Story Of an Old Dutch
Town.
By F. A. Mitchell

the latter part of the nineteenth cen
fury was a sleepy Dutch village.
In the early days, when the Indians
used to come into Schenectady to
dispose of their pelts In exchange for
various articles. the principal Of which
was 6rewater. there lived in the town
a young man named Hieleger Van
Tromp. He was in love with Anneke
Van Wrinkle. u fine specimen Of a
Dutch girl, VINO. when wearing all the
petticoats she possessed, looked very
much like u humming top.
Some twenty miles from Schenectady
the remains Of u historical mansion
that was occupied by Sir William John
son. prominent in colonial times, still
stand. A fur trader named Martin
Smith lived in that region and made
frequent trips to Schenectady In the
way Of business. On one Of his trips
he caught sight Of Anneke Van Win
kle and fell violently in love with her.
A neighbor Of Hieleger's told him that
he had better look out for his sweet.
wi lHC IL UNA q NLCu at
her house begging her to go back with
him to the Long house. as the residence
Of Sir William Johnson was called.
This is the only recorded case OF
Hieleger showing any animation. He
got up from his chair. dropping his
pipe. which was shattered. and triangu
lated to Anneke's house. Smith saw
him coming. his eyes afire. and with
discretion withdrew. Hieleger chased
him out Of the town. and when the
former returned his shirt was bloody.
1t was supposed that the Dutchman
had given the Englishman nothing
more than a good trouncing until II
man came in from Johnson's to learn
what had become of Smith. for he had
come to Schenectady for q day only.
and though a week had passed he had
not returned. The fact that when
Hieleger had come back from chasing
his would be rival blood was on his
clothing was proof to the Dutchmen
that he had killed Smith. A search
was made for the body, but it was
not found. But this had little weight.
for 1t was supposed that the murderer
bad buried It.
Hieleger was tried and convicted
The fact that Smith had disappeared
after having been chased. that blood
was on the shirt Of the man who had
chased him. was quite enough 70,
those who tried Van Tromp without
wasting words over any possible ex
PLANTATION. The Dutchman of that peri,
cd was not imaginative or ingenious
What was before his eyes he saw; of
what might be behind his back he took
nc note. That Hieleger had killed the
heart from him they did not doubt
Some were inclined to Ieniency on az
count of the provocation. but these
were overruled by the wise heads who
declared that murder was murder and
that was all there was about It. So
Hieleger was condemned to be hanged
one month from the day on which he
was convicted.
Anneke received the verdict stOlidly
At least she appeared to do SO, though
her face was so fat that 1t is not prob
able any change of expression could
appear In her lineaments. Neverthe
less she loved H%ieleger. and her love
for him had been much enhanced on
seeing him chase away the man who
had thrust his attention upon her. She
went to her home. sat down in the liv
ing room and. taking up her knitting,
began to think. for Anneke could never
think unless her fingers were working
the needles.
It would be a mistake to suppose
that because Anneke's face was rs
round as an apple and her little eyes
were set above a pair Of exuberant
cheeks she had no power Of thought
She had a considerable thinking appara'
tus-that is. for those times in the stu.
pid Dutch town In which she lived
And she was not so slow In heI
thoughts as one would suppose. While
she was knitting a pair Of stockings
she thought out a plan by which she
might possibly save her lover from the
gallows. 1t was not a plan that would
work In any other age or among any
other people, but for them it was admi
rably adapted. for the Schenectady
burgher was a man accustomed K
moving in a single plane. Out of thai
plane he at once became befogged and
could not move at all.
There was in those days one churct
in which all the people Of Schenectady
w%orshiped. In its steeple was q clocl
that furnished them the time. The SUI
might rise and set irregularly, but tn
clock went right on just the same. In
deed, it would have been treason II
doubt its accuracy, for it was the onl.
calendar in the town. By the hour 1
marked all things were decided. II
man promised to pay a sum of none,
In thirty days the expiration Of the pc
Rod was not marked by the fact tina
the sun had risen and set thirty times
but that the hour hand Of the cloc|
had noted the passage of thirty days.
The people In Schenectady were use
in those days to getting up at 6 In tn
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