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S^TWEll^
FRANK D. ROGERS.
JS97
THOUSAND ISLANDS p-J3LISHINC CO ,
CLAPTON, N. y.
\<\
P(.BI ISHED BY
FRANK D. ROGERS,
CLAYTON, N. Y.
FOLK=STORIES.
FULLY ILLUSTRATED
FROM DRAWINGS BY
ROBERT H. ROGERS, UNION '99.
To the memory of
EDWARD C. ROGERS,
Whose untimely taking off by the very elements
he so much loved removes a brother and a
critic upon whose practical knowl-
eage of practical subjects the
author was wont to draw,
This work is affectionately dedicated.
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CONTENTS.
11
Autobiography,
Preface, ^"^
17
Burial of Harry Millikin,
Perry's Victory, (Old Song)
The Dance at Johnny Beaver's, 25
A Cannon Shotted AVith Gold Coin,
The Legend of Calumet Island, . - - -
Daniel Millikin, American,
Wind and Weather Permitting, 63
71
132
138
143
Wars and Rumors of Wars, . - - -
Up the St. Lawrence, 1796, - - - -
Down the St. Lawrence, 1818,
Captivity of Mrs. Howe,
A Pioneer's Hardships, 1^"^
1G5
203
210
Folk-Stories,
Three Links,
A Bit of Topography,
The French Settlers, ... - - - 218
Two Old-Fashioned Boys, = 229
The Last Haul;
209
COPYRIGHT,
BY
FRANK D. ROGERS.
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A UTOBIOGRAPHY.
The sponsor for this little volume has loiiix bcei! a eon-
trihiitor to the leadino; periodicals along the lines of romance
as well as deep thought. But his contributions hav(> l)een al-
most invarialdy returned, when the return })0stage was pre-
paid, aceom})anied by a [printed note indicative of a wholesale
business in declinations, " on the grounds that our columns
are not adapted to its publication, but as early as a meeting
of the directors can be held the policy of our magazine will be
changed to meet the requirements of your j)roduction. "'
Clever, l)ut positively deceitful managing editors ! Thus
ever has budding genius been stifled by sordid directors whose
interest in the uplifting of humanity is confined to th.e ofhce
clevatoi'.
The author was born on the North Prairie in the rity t)f
Chicago. True, lie first opened his eyes a hundred miles
westward from Lincoln Park, Init the corjioration lines have
been so often extended that it is believed the place of his birth
is at present within the city limits. Tic had barely attained
the age of five years than immediately the civil war broke out
with all its attendant carnage. Even ;.t that tender age he
12 AUTOBIOGKAPHY.
was determined to enlist in his country's cause, and in fact
was enrolled by a recruiting officer, but was recalled by paren-
tal restrictions. At six he was a successful pilot of runaway
slaves on the Underground Railway, much to the discomtiture
of the largest slave-holders, who had put a price on his head.
At the age of ten years he removed to New York state bring-
ing with him his parents, Avhom he succeeded in giving a
good common school education the following summer. At
fourteen ho was yet undecided whether to practice medicine,
be a blacksmith, join a circus, or run for congress. Haply the
last rash choice was averted by his choosing a mercantile ca-
reer, which he abandoned after breaking the firm by which he
was employed in a little less than six months. He then
adopted journalism, bought a newspaper which, however, an-
other sold, but not until he had outdone Dr. Tannor's fast by
eleven days, ]iot exactly as an experiment but rather as a mat-
ter of necessity to which many editors uncomplainingly sub-
mit, the while writing menus for each day of the week. Later
he went on the road, but finding expenses greater than the com-
bined sales and collections, he concluded to develop new^ fields,
and so took up life insurance. With his usual aptness for
the new and novel, he succeeded in writing one risk, extra
hazardous, upon himself and never caught another. Then he
started a magazine which a subscriber stopped because he was
appointed receiver. Then and not till then did this great
government of politicians, by the lawyers, and for the spoils,
demand of our hero his immediate and undivided attention at
Washington. Thither he went to bolster up a frail and totter-
ing dynasty. He had no sooner thrown himself into the
breach than congress convened and laid out work for a suc-
ceeding congress by enacting new laws to be unmade at the
next session. After deciphering the hieroglyphics which con-
AlTOBIO(iRAPHV.
i:>>
oressmen are pleased to call " writin', " correcting their bad
s|)ellin(^ and worse grammar, he paralyzed the whole govern-
mental fabric- by resigning. " Not dead, but resigned, " they
said of him, and he was sought by many and pointed out as
one who had the nerve to cut loose from governmental dugs
and face a blank and uncertain future upon his own resources.
After having been connected with so many defunct enter-
prises it was but natural that he should give his attention to
an apprenticeship with an undertaker, one who laughs when
others are in dead earnest, and straightens out a patient after
the doctors give him up.
PREFACE.
The making of a book is accoin})lislie(l in many ways.
In this particular instance the last chapter was written first.
Then at odd times other chapters were written, and as the
work progressed it received something like systematic atten-
tion. The subject- matter is one in which the writer has ever
taken a delightful intesest. It is a pleasure to write of the
triumphs and record the trials constantly recurring in the sim-
ple affairs of our forefather.-! whose heroic endurance made and
saved our nation. They it was who made possible the as-
tounding progress of this nineteenth century.
The foundation of these stories of every day heroism is
mainly from the lips of a paternal grand-mother whose simple
though impressive language kindled an admiration for a peo-
])le whose oftimes most heroic acts the historian has passed as
unworthy of record in the face of warlike deeds. That the
privation and sufiering, toil and combat patiently borne by
the struggling pioneers, who in their unpretentious ways si-
lently, and yet with irresistiljle energy, paved tiie way to pros-
perity for successive generations, shall be the more keenly
realized may be after all the purpose of putting a dress on these
unpublished Folk-Stories of the Northern liorder.
To make the stories appear continuous the same charac-
ters have been employed, and that with a care to their indi-
viduality in the incidents narrated. Inconsistencies of time
will l)e discovered by keen readers who, noting tlie customs
portrayed, may discover the generation in which the material
facts sprang into existence.
The world, is slow to recognize the every-day heroism ou
i'uioi'Aci':
1;1
the tanii, in tlic kitrlu'ii or at llic desk. Xeverlbeless it is
tliri'e. and often the sacritices nuidc in the daily discliaiiie of
simple dntv aiiKunits to a lici'oisni worthy the i)en of a Ban-
eroft.
I)Urns saw poetry in a friohtene(l mouse and a broken
daisy. A limpin,^ hare attract(>d his sympathetic i)en. Shak-
s[)eare writes of sheep-shearino- and crcenwood shades. Seott,
liyron and Pope turn the brilliancy of their oenius upon the
dailv alfairs of men and there is a revelation as of the electric
scarchdioht. The Bible itst'lf al)Ounds in tlie daily heroism of
peoples of Inunble calling. Longfellow, l>ryant, Whittier,
Emerson, Lowell, and the whole galaxy of Aniei'ican stars are
not above the heroism of the humble walks of life. Ian Mac-
laren has innnortabzed Looiealmond, the " Drunitochy " of
his sketches, l)y bis dei)ictions of the homely Scotch life that
existed in that community years ago, and our own New Eng-
land life has latterly received some attention on that line. Not
an old town in existence Init would furnish abundant nniterial
for the story writer after the historian, scorning the j)recious
dust and ore ri(di with pleasing memories, has de|»arted with
the nuggets.
Pictures of home life ! Paintings of the truedieai'tcd, hon-
est i)oor I do read •• Ik'side the Bonny Brier i>ush :"' go see
and hear Denman Thompson in "The Old Homestead, " and
say whether it is author and actor, or the portrayal of the un-
sullie
that reacln^s the beai't^and starts the tear uid)idden.
I'^olk-Stories had their existence in fact. They are )iot
imagination or romance, but have a I'cal existence in the un-
recorde
Pviver and Lake Ontario regions, once popularly known as the
Black River countrv.
Burial of Harry Millikin.
Wlifii tli(> a]»p(>intc(l hour for the fuiuM-al arrived the
neighbors and friends had gathered from the North and vSouth
shores, from the ishmds and points, and from the settlement
reeently founded at the head of the creek. Tlie men were
grouped about the httle clearing in front of the ca]»in, and in-
side the womenfolk busied themselves at notliing, or sat list-
lessly holding their hands in their lajjs. In sulidued tones
they discussed the incidents of the very few funerals they had
attended "back east, " and many an eye moistened and many
a breath shortened as the thought of friends and associations
s?vered Ijy death and separation was brought the more vividly
to mind ])y the mournful surroundings. The minister, a good
old Presbyterian man, arrived on liorseback a full hour late,
l)ut the delay caused neither sur|)rise nor vexatious connnent,
for funerals were not conducted in a hurry nor with military
jn-ecision in those days. The cabin was about 12 feet by l(i
inside, with front and rear doors opening into the principal
room on opposite sides. To the right of the front entrance
stood a l)ed in a recess, its white valance of bleached cotton at-
tracting much attention for the richness of the decoration. Blue
IS lUHIA]. oi' UAIUIY MILLIKIX.
cambric curtains, parted in the center and tied back with red
braid completed the arrangement, except a linen coverlid, out
of which the bedposts grew to the ceiling, and ending in a
cherry knob. Next beyond the recess was a narrow stairway,
and beyond that and taking n]) the corner was the thorn in
the side of less favored housewives, a regular })antry with
shelves. The remainder of the house below was at once kitclien,
dining room and parlor, the fireplace and oven forming a re-
spectalde annex, and opening convenieidlv into the side to the
left. ' ' ■
On a })ine tal)le covered with an untinished piece of linen
lay the coffin, a crude affair made l)y old J lank Tubbs, the
cooper. It was fashioned out of pine boards, with but one an-
gle in the sides, and stained a dirty black. The lid was cham-
fered with a plane so as to leave a streak of nrdural wood
around its edge. The handles once were lilack, but having
seen long service on a tool chest they could lay no claim to
the merit of newness. A few shavings had Ix'cn strewn on the
bottom, by request, as even that sli )W of comfort was not cus-
tomary. The rough interior was not relieved l)y so much as
a bit of lace for it was believed tliat such " llxin's" were not
only a waste of material but a downriglit sin r.s well. The
emaciated form of Harry lay fkit u))on]iis biu-k, mouth ojjcu,
eyes staring at the bare joist overhead, and liisarms and hands
laid straight down his sides with the lingers spread in a con-
vulsive grasp. That the sight was one that would terrify the
most strong can not be denied, but it must be remembered
that the undertaker's art had not reached the ideal at that day.
The minister took a })osition at the head of the coffin
whence he issued orders earnestly and with the sternness of a
newdy appointed brigadier-general. The few relatives, besides
the parents, filed down from the garret and were seated about
Jn'KlAl. OK lIAltRY MlLr.IlClX. 19
the cotliii on i)lanks supix^rted l)y l)locks of wood. A li.uidol)-
servance of tlie order of relationsliip was maintained, the
cousins com in, u' in hist. Jnch'ed no little commotion and a
slio'ht delay was caused hy a third cousin who unwittingly
seated herself in front of a second cousin of her fathei'.
The o-ood man read the most of Deuteronomy, then turned
l»ack to Clenesis and read and exi)Ounded for a o-ood half houi-.
Then he started oil' on a lono- i)rayer which was of the most
liheral character, ^eooraphically speaking, lie had i)assed
Europe, Asia, and the other continents, the .u-overnment olii-
cials, who were not nearly so much in need of it as in later
years, and was excusing the failures of the ^\'higs, when a
clock, lialf as tall as a man, set up a most frightful striking.
At tirst it started off soberly to do business in the regulation
manner, but no sooner had it discharged that duty than it was
seized with a frenzy for striking. It i)ounded oif hfty and was
]nerrily hurrying along toward the hundred mark when the
good dominie, who had gradually raised his voice so as to l»e
heard above the whir and clatter of the presumptuous, not to
say irreligious timei)iece, ])eremptorily shouted in slu'er des-
peration :
•• Sto}) the clock ! "
And then appeal! ugly —
" Will some one stop the clock, ]^lease? '
For a moment no movement was made in compliance.
Then Tim Fagan si)rang up, overturning a stool in his haste,
and seizing tlie clock by weights, IkukIs aii.l piiululum, as if
to choke it to death, restore.l .piiet and the g.x .1 man resumed.
After the man at th(M-lock had kepi his grip on the olleuder
for what seemed to him almost an entire day, he gradually n-
leased his hold, back^'d carefully away and sat down— on tlie
Hoor where his stool luul been. The fall st:irtl.-d everybody.
20 BiTtlAL OK HARKY MILLIKIX.
iiid all but stopped the preacher. The shock was transmitted
to the wall, thence to the clock, which, with an ominous growl
i)cgau to announce the fiioht of time on the twenty-four hour
system, and finished the hundredth stroke just as the exaspei -
ited Tim wrenched it from its moorings and fiung it high out
)n the wood pile.
The prayer was followed Ijy some remarks, after which
he march to the log schoolhouse was taken up. The coffin lid
vhich had been standing against the wall, a horrid silhouette
igainst the whitewashed sheathing, was now fastened to its
dace by nails driven part way down so as to afford ea.sy Avith-
Irawal. Then the burden was raised to the shoulders of four
IS badly frightened boys as ever saw a corpse for the first time,
ind borne to a cart to which was attached a pair of oxen. 81ow-
y the procession wound over the irregular course to the log
)uilding where the master held school in wdnter. There the
■ofifin was deposited upon a table in the center of the room, the
new taking one side and the women the other. For two mor-
al hours the preacher dwelt upon the moral impossibility of
'oung Harry's attaining a home with the blest, and empha-
ized the discourse with such lurid w^ord-picturesof hissatanic
aajesty's domain that the two Collins boys ran out screaming
^d^en a dog crawled from an obscure corner. They believed
he evil one himself had come to verify the awful utterances
/hich had wrought up the entire congregation. Women sobbed,
hildren cried aloud, and men controlled their feelings by grim
ftbrts that were more painful than outright expression.
" You will never see your little Harry again," consolingly
houted the divine, " You will put away his boots, his cap, his
kates and his sled — "
The father groaned aloud.
" You will have a vacant place at the table, and you will
lUKIAI. ()!•
■ HAKKY M J I.LI KIN
e one that
is oone when you
wind and
snow — "
21
over tliink of the one that is jyont when vou assemble lor each
meal as the coh
The mother shriekeil.
'' His young companions will nnss him from the boyish
games, from skating, swinnning. fishing, hunting — "'
The dog howled.
" I say again you will never see him in your midst for he
will soon be laid away, food for worms and eventuate in dust. "
A shudder ])assed over his hearers, but em])oldened by
his success the heartless man sought to ])ind u]) their aching
wounds l)y a peroration on the docti'ine of election.
" If poor little Harry is among the elect let us rejoice; but
if he is not then are we again admonished of the awful fate in
store for most all of us. "
"Let the chorister line the hymn while 1 rest my throat
before proceeding to that 'narrow house, a house of clay' to
hold the final of these, to me, impressive services. "
A choir of six voices with tlute Jind bass viol accompania-
ment rendered Duke Street from nmsic ])rinted with •' buck-
wheat notes." The congregation was connnanded to " view
the corpse. " This done, each one felt in duty bound to re-
mark, " How natteral he looks ! " The procession was re-formed
and slowly wound its way back to the Millikin clearing where
a grave had been made. The coffin was lowered wdth ropes
which sawed and rasped painfully as they were withdrawn, all
but overturning it, so tenacious was tlie clay into which they
were imbedded. There was no outside box, but in this in-
stance a board was laid on the coffin to afford a sliglit protec-
tion from animals of the burrowing kind. Then each of the
bearers in turn seized a spade and threw in a clod of earth
which fell upon the coffin with an echoing thump that nearly
broke the remaining heartstrings of the now thoroughly pros*
22 nriMAL oi' iiAKnv milukin'.
trate ])arents. The moiiniers and friends shook hands with
the preacher, and as they turned away I'enuu'ked in a distinct-
ly audihle aside, "How well the elder done I'"
That worthy was heard to reniai-k, after the ordeal, that
he felt that he had "heen of great comfort to them, hecause they
we])t co[)iously throuohout the whole discourse. "
(Jreen grows the turf above Harry's gi-ave, with not so
much as a sod to mark his resting place, '{"lie field has been
alternated with the crops of the farm, lo, these many years,
and my informant, an old man, l)ent and gray, to( k me as
near the s[)ot as a memoiy faded by the cai'cs of si.xty and
more years would direct.
" It was about here, or mayha}) a leetle fnrder down, but
the woods are gone and the iields so big 1 may be far astray
from the spot. I was the ucxt youngest of tlu' bearers, and so
long was I afeered to come anigh the spot I may have mis-
calculated. "
Miscalculated ! Reader it may not be so long until one
may search in vain for your resting place and mine.
Perry's Victory.
Ye sons of ('olumhia ,uive ear to my story
Who fought with hnive Perry where cannons did roar
His valor lias gained you an immortal glory,
Whieh will last till Father Time shall he no more.
The tenth of Septemher, i pray let's i-ememher,
As long as the globe on it's axis rolls round,
Our tars and marine upon Lake Erie were seen
To make the proud tlag of Great Britain eome down
The van of our fleet the bold British did meet —
Commanded by Perry the Lawrenci^borc down.
Our guns they did roar with such terrific power
The savage Britons did tremble at the great sound.
The Lawrence sustained a most terrible fire ;
She fought three to one for two glasses or more.
(Gallant Perry, undaunted, firmly stood by her
While the proud foe heavy broadsides did pour.
Her masts are all shattered, lier rigging all tattered,
Her yards and her booms being all shot away ;
But few left on the deck to manage the wreck.
Our hero on board her no longer could stay.
24 PEltRv's Vlf'TOKY.
Says Perry, " Those villains, they mean for to drown u>
Push on my l)ravc> boys, you need never have fear. "
Then he off with Iiis coat and i)lu,tiL!;ed up the l)oat
And away through liri' and smoke he did steer.
The famous Niagai'a, now proud of hci- Perry,
Displayed all lier ])anners in valiant arr;iy.
Twenty-five ^uns on her deeks she did earry
Which soon ])Ut an end to this bloody r.U'ray.
Pi'ave I*]Iliott, whose vadoi- must now be recounted,,
On l)oard the Niagara he well played his j)ait.
His oallant assistance to Perry aiforded
Well placed him the second on Lake Erie's chart.
Hurrah for our Hag! (ieneral Harrison, tool
For Perry's bold fleet loud })raised by all powers.
Hurrah for his message, may it ever prove true:
" We have met tb.e enemv — and thev are ours. "
^
The Dance at Johnny Beaver's.
'• My iianu', liits .lolm I)a])tisto Ilivver. Ahm cum otl'
Montrahall on raff, ino. Ahni cum hi re for fcesh wid yous.
( Jot for me one job ? "
Yes, Collins would give him a hand-share.
" What dat you call handsheer? "
It was explained.
"Well, I get mebbe nothing, mebbe four tousand, me.
Ahm lucky Bivver. Cum on go pullem seine rat off for make
good cotch ([uite ]»Iain. " (Easy.)
He was told it was too windy to cast out the nets.
" Yaas? Bimeby she blow some m(jre. Wdiat-a-matter
now ? Me no 'fraid watter, Ahm eum off Montraliall, me.
Ahm no pecsoup Frencher. Ahm trappe vurry gross feesh 1)V
Montrahall. "
" My fambly on (h)ck. You got some shanty I live in
for while?"
One end of the cooper .shop was j>rovided for him, and in
the foregoing scraps of conversation he was foi'iiially installed
factotum on the Collins fishing grounds.
Beaver was short, broad-shoul(lere(l and heavx-chested,
active, and had a happy temperament. His cheek Ijom-^werc
high, eyes black, beard thin and in patches, arms short, ("or-
26 DAXCK AT .lUHNNY l!KAVKi;"s.
(lui'oys, moccasins, a pea jacket, a velvet tocjiie on one side
of his head, and a sash that once was red, gave him a rather
jaunty appearance. His wife was a full-blooded white girl,
superior to the life she must lead with him. She had mar-
ried for better but could hardly liave done worse had she
looked beyond a bare living and the rearing of a large family.
La Famine made much of Johnny Beaver, while in turn
he found much to almost reach the superlative in Montreal,
the city to which he likened all events, all nature and all su-
perstitions in the comparative degree.
Beaver dearly loved music and dancing. Hearing a hd-
dle in the hands of a lisherman he was stMzed with a desire to
give a ])all, and forthwith set aV)out inviting all whom he met
to come to his dance. A pack-peddler, a fish-peddler, who
counted out tish as " forty-six, fifty-seven, " thus gaining ten,
and (he new handsharers were alike bidden to come in his
quaint vocabulary :
" Ahm goin' mek one donee on my house. Vous all
cum. 'Twon't be le grande bal masque like I mek on Mon-
trahall, but all mans and womans round cum on. I tek de
bed down, turn stove 'roun' ! Den yampytampy, yampy-
tampy, " and Johnny, a full grown man, Imrsting with exuber-
ance, improvises a partner out of a broomstick, and executes
the French four with more vigor than grace.
The stove, one of the elevated oven pattern, had been
" turned around, " and heated red. At the farther end of the
sliop a potash kettle was filled with live coals and set upon
bricks. The remainder of the scant furniture was tossed out
doors to makemore room.
Johnny's guests began to arrive early, but many that
were invited remained away. The host was in no wise grieved
at the apparent slight for the reason that the absentees were
• THE FIDDLER AVAS SEATED ON A SHAVING HORSE.
DANCK AT .lOIIXXY ISKA V i:i{"s. 27
fully r('])laco(I l)y tlio arrival of an cMnial nuinltci- who caiiu'
without invitation. Anion^- tlie latter wore sonic younu" men
who canic just fo see the fun, hut forgot their jturpose and
joined merrily in the festive danee.
The fiddler was seated upon a shavin«;-horse. and that in
turn was i-aised iii)on a eouple of fish liarrels. Three sets
'' foruKnl on'' and after alternately sawing- the strings and
twisting the pegs, the fiddler settled haek and ])Oured hody,
soul and arms into "The Laneers, " the while thumping with
the sole of his right l)oot to the time of liis inusic.
" Jine hands and circle I "
Men in heavy hoots, red shirts, and coatless, made the
plaidv iloor trenil)le at tlie word, and the human ring made a
complete turn three l)ars ahea