The Washington times., 1932-03-08
LEGEND COVERS
L|NDY'S HILL
WITH CURSE
Jersey Trapper's Story Links
"Butcher John Tragedy" to
Lindbergh Estate

s G.N.S.).-Had four GUS
toners walked into Gerhardt s
restaurant a week ago and
demanded service, a flustered
waitress, unnerved by the un-
precedented rush, undoubtedly
would have complained that
she was being overworked. ,
Today $50 newspapermen and
women jam their way into the
one room of the wooden building.
demanding food at all hours OF
the day and night.
When a tip comes or a wild
rumor in the Lindbergh baby
hunt Sits through the heavy
smoke-filled room. there is a con-
centrated rush for the one tele-
phone, for phones are as scarce
in Hopewll as subways are in
China.
Legends Of the Hills
In addition to the press repre-
sentatives, a grizzled group Of
firm hands and trappers main
tain grim witch.
They are resolved not to miss
anything and they cock eager
ears as men hurl themselves near
the phone booth.
Most of them have lived in or
near this old Revolutionary War
town all their lives. and as they
sit, they talk of the legends OF
the hills, half forgotten, but new
remembered in the light Of the
kidnapping.
Il remember that when / was
a kid" one said. 81 heard the
story of Butcher John Hartwell.
Do you remember that?"
"YOu mean Deacon Hart
welI?" a listener asked.
"Well, he was Deacon Hart
well afterwards, but when he
was in George WaShingtOn's
army, they called him Butcher
John.
Nasty WIN bayOncC
"They say he was the nastiest
man with a bayOnet to ever
fight the kings men. The war
ended and he came over here
to Flagtown to settle down.
Zone night he was out hunt
ing foxes and he stopped on
the top of a hill. 1t was a full
moon and the moon beams
were streaming down. AS he
looked, a figure came flashing
down those moon beams, and
as it got closer, he saw 1t had
no head. The figure was all
in white, and it stopped in
front Of John HartweN.
"'The Lord is diSpleased at
the work of your right arm,
the figure said, and it reached
out and touched John HartweH
on the arm. Immediately the
right arm shriveled, and 1t was
there that John got the call.
From then on he went around
preaching, and when he died.
everyone mOurned Deacon John.
On Lindbergh Hill
"Just before he died, he asked
that he be buried on top OF
the hill, where he had seen
the headless ghost. 1t was on
ton of a hill-the very hill
where Colonel Lindbergh built
his bride a white house,
There was silence for a While:
One doesn't laugh at these old
trappers, who live so close to the
earth.
One doesn't fully believe them
either, but they are all part OF
the picture.
Like Sour Cream
A third member of the group
unloosened the top buttons OF his
heavy hunting coat, and said:
81 believe that. / believe that
strange things 60 on in those
hills, near the COlOnePs house.
Pick up a handful of dirt on his
property. It smells like cream
that has been left in the sun.
what makes that earth
sour? Some say a bolt Of light
ming once struck that hill.
and since then, nothing has
grown there, and the earth is
no good at all.
"The Colonel flew over this
part of the country and he
looked down and saw that hill.
There wasn't q thing growing
on it but some scrub oak. All
around it was heavy pine, but
there on the hill was q big
clearing.
So he built that white house
for his bride there. Maybe he
should have asked someone
around here why it was that
nothing grew on that hill. I
don't know why, but / know
there are strange things that
happen up there"