|
a.
|
Note: NI1 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 - 1835., (Online database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006), (From material originally compiled by William A. D. Eardeley, now held by the Brooklyn Historical Society.)
Record of Wills C
pages 250-251
adm. of the estate of Benjamin Miles late of Schoharie, Co. Schoharie died intestate. Granted to David Miles of Schoharie, Co. Schoharie as adm. Seal 29 Dec 1826.
---------------------------------------------------------
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyschoha/newsgleanings1.html
Newburyport Herald (Newburyport, MA) - November 15, 1811
French Robbery and Impressments
In the month of June last, the newspapers mentioned that a Mr. Miles, a merchant of Schoharie who had come to this city on business, was missing; and as he was known to have a pretty large sum of money with him, apprehensions were entertained that he had been robbed, and murdered. Since that time, no tidings have been heard of him, until Friday, when he made his reappearance in this city. What has happened to him will more fully appear from the story told in the following affidavit; - Mr. Miles (we are informed) is a man of property, is of fair standing in society, and has a wife and five children living at Schoharie, in this State, to whom the information that he is living, will probably be first communicated by this paper - He took his passage for home in the Steam boat on Saturday afternoon.
Ibid.
City and County of New-York, ss.
I Benjamin Miles, of Schoharie, in the State of New-York, Merchant, being duly sworn, do depose and say, that being in the city of New-York in the month of June left, on or about the 21st of the same month, I, one evening, on my way from Corlaer's Hook to my place of lodging in Courtlandt Street, stopt at a porter house in Water-Street, it being very warm, to take a glass of porter; and while sitting there, I heard some person remark, that he had seen a black looking schooner a day or two before off Sandy Hook, which he suspected was one of the French privateers hovering on our coast for plunder; on which I observed, I wish they would make me Captain General, and I would fend off Com. Rodgers, or some other Commodore, to bring in every pirate, of whatever nation, that infest our coast. Soon afterwards, the company, consisting of ten or more, left the house; and I, as soon as I finished my porter, took my leave to go home. But I had not proceeded far, before I saw three men standing as if talking together; and, just after I had entered the market house, to go up through Maiden Lane, I received a blow on the head which knocked me down senseless, and the next thing I recollect was that I found myself lying in the bottom of a row boat or sail boat, making, as I perceived, towards the stream in the East River, and, as I then supposed, with the view of throwing me into it. On feeling for my pocket book, which contained upwards of $200 dollars in bank notes, I found it gone, and I then began to expostulate, and begged to be left ashore at any rate. My pocket book they denied all knowledge of, and as to setting me ashore, the only answer was to be still, and I should be well treated. In a few minutes afterwards, they appeared to consult together what to do; but as their conversation was in French, I could not understand it; but they bid me sit upright, and then tied my hands, and tied a handkerchief over my eyes. - After rowing and sailing about three hours, as appeared to me, they came along side of a vessel on which I was put, and confined in the forecastle, my hands being then released. Soon afterwards the vessel appeared to put to sea, but I was kept in the forecastle, where the heat was extreme, for about 20 hours, without meat or drink, at the end of which they gave me some sustenance, after which I was permitted to come on deck, and received tolerable usage. I was told by one who spoke good English, that some of the crew had overheard me in the Porter House when I called them a pack of pirates, and that now they meant to convince me by a short cruise that they were clever fellows. I found her to be a small, sharp built, very fast sailing schooner, mounting 6 guns, but able to mount 16; no name on her stern; but she was called 'La Vengeance,' and was commanded by a Capt. Desha, with 30 men including officers. One of her stanchions was much wounded, and her bottom nearly the color of copper, but not coppered. On board this vessel I was kept until the 15th or 16th of August, during which time she plundered several American vessels, but on her near approach to them I was always sent below and there confined until they parted from them. On the 15th or 16th of August I was sent up in her boat to New-Orleans, she lying several miles below; about 2 o'clock in the morning, I was put ashore totally destitute, and ordered to depart without delay. Being thus menaced, I made the best of my way from that place home by land, working for my living as I travelled, and on the 8th inst. I arrived in this city, after traversing nearly 2000 miles of country.
Benjamin Miles
Sworn this 9th of November, 1811, before me.
Benj. Tucker, Public Notary.
Portland Gazette (Portland, ME) - November 25, 1811
Man Stealing
It appears, by an affidavit in the Evening Post of Saturday, that Mr. Benjamin Miles, merchant, of Schoharie, being in this city in June last, stopt in the evening at a porter house in Waterstreet, where were several men men making remarks about a French privateer on our coast. Mr. Miles remarked, "that if he was capt. general he would send off Commodore Rodgers, or some other Commodore, to bring in every pirate of whatever nation." Soon after Mr. Miles left the house for his lodgings in Courtland street, some of the company having previously gone out; but just after he entered the market, he saw three men talking, and having passed them, he was knocked down senseless - when he recovered, he found himself in a row boat, and expected to have been thrown into the river. On feeling for his pocket-book, containing upwards of 200 dollars in bank notes, found it was missing. The men denied any knowledge of it. He begged to be put on shore. They ordered him to be still, and he would be well treated.
They then consulted together in French. But soon bound his hands, and tied a handkerchief over his eyes. After rowing about three hours, they reached a vessel, and put him into the forecastle. They soon put to sea, and after 20 hours confinement released him, and was tolerably well used, some of the crew told him they heard his remarks about pirates in the porter house, and they were determined to convince him that they were clever fellows. About the 16th of Aug. Mr. Miles was landed near New-Orleans about 2 in the morning, and was ordered to leave the city immediately. He made the best of his way back by land, and reached this city on the 5th inst. having traveled nearly 2000 miles, working for his living on the road. She was a small sharp schooner, mounting 6 guns, called La Vengeance commanded by capt. Desha, and had 30 men. She plundered several vessels on the cruise, but Mr. Miles was always put below while they were robbing the vessels they fell in with.
It will be here proper to observe, that he is of the most unexceptionable character, and is possessed of a handsome property above his debts; so that there is not the shadow of doubt but the above facts are correct.
Centinel of Freedom (Newark, NJ) - December 10, 1811
Daring Villany
A gang of French privateersmen robbed Mr. Benjamin Miles, of Schoharie, in this state, in June last, of $2200, knocked him down in Fly-market, tied, and carried him on board the privateer La Vengeance, which put to sea immediately on a cruize. On the 15th or 16th of August they put him on shore at New-Orleans without money, from whence he travelled home a distance of 2000 miles on foot. The cause assigned by the villains for this atrocious conduct was that some of the crew had overheard him call them a pack of pirates in a porter house. Such is the substance of Mr. Miles' affidavit.
Who is there so callous to the feelings of humanity as not to sympathise in this man's suffering and feel indignant at the ruffians who caused them? None. What then should be our sympathies to the five thousand of our fellow citizens who have not only been robbed of their money but of their liberty; and who may sigh out many a year in bitter misery, ere they will be permitted the consolling pleasure of rencounting, in their native land, like Miles, the long and melancholy tale of their bondage, their perils and their sufferings.
Northern Whig (Hudson, NY) - December 23, 1811
Editor's Closet
Mr. Miles once more - The printer of DeWitt Clinton's Columbian, offers the editor of this paper $150 to produce evidence, other than that of Mr. Miles himself, that he (Miles) ever was kidnapped as he states, or that he has been at sea at all within twelve months past. To draw testimony of this fact from the privateer on board of which Mr. Miles was confined, (admitting even that he did not dispute miles' testimony) this printer to the Clintonian family, knows to be next to impossible: but we have little doubt but that Mr. Miles will himself satisfy editor Holt on this head, if he will have a little patience. His $150 he had better lay up against a wet day.
The disaster which attended the attempt of the democrats of the city of New-York, to meet the affidavit of Mr. Miles with another one, has not a little contributed to increase their spleen and malice against Mr. Miles. We will briefly recite the occurrence. Immediately after the appearance of Mr. Miles' affidavit, the democrats fearing that it would have some influence on the public mind, picked up on some of the wharves of that city, a common sailor of the name Aiken, who could neither read nor write, & induced him by money or promises, we are to suppose, to make affidavit before a magistrate, that he was on board of the Little Belt at the time of the action with the President, and to testify to a variety of particulars as taking place on board during and after the action, calculated in a particular manner to excite the indignation of our citizens. This affidavit was designed by the democrats as a off set to Mr. Miles'. the editor of the Evening Post suspecting the whole to be a fabrication, was at the trouble to sift the business; when he provided by the most respectable testimony, that this identical Aiken, whom the democrats had suborned to swear for them, was in England at the time of the action with the Little Belt. Upon this business being enquired into, the democrats to save themselves from being arraigned as criminals, for suborning a man to swear falsely, had their perjured seaman conveyed out of the way, and he has not since been seen or heard of.
If Mr. Miles has sworn falsely, it is much easier to prove it, than it is, if he has not, to corroborate his testimony. In the latter case, recourse must be had to those who saw him on board of the privateer; in the other - if he has not been at sea, he must have been in the country some where; and the notoriety which the matter has obtained, must in that case render detection easy. Indeed the Columbian printer himself, a few weeks since, told his readers, that the editors of the Boston Gazette possessed the facts necessary to condemn Mr. Miles; and if they did not devulge them, that the editor of the Boston Chronicle, who possessed the means, would compell them to do it. Week after week has elapsed, and no exposure of these facts. The public therefore have a right to conclude, that the pretence of their existence, like the affidavit of Aiken, is also a fabrication, and of a piece with the story, which Charley told his readers about the same time of his publishing the preceeding, and that he had received a communication from a person who was a passenger in the steam-boat with Mr. Miles from New-York, when on his way home, giving the particulars of his extraordinary conduct on board; but which editor Charley, for particular reasons, declined publishing. here it is very evident, that editor Chearly relied more upon the credulity of his readers, to influence their minds by his insinuation, than he could upon the exhibition of any facts he possessed. It happens unfortunately, for Master Charley's communication, that there were several gentlemen from this place and neighborhood, who were passengers with Mr. Miles also; and who know Charles Holt as well as they do Mr. Miles, and one as well as the other; but who saw nothing extraordinary in the conduct of Mr. Miles. or any thing that could render him obnoxious in the eyes of democracy, except that he appeared the man of intelligence and a gentleman.
The only circumstance which has transpired, that in any way discredits the testimony of Mr. Miles, is that the vessel (La Vengeance) which he states to have been kidnapped on board, and to have landed him in August at New-Orleans, was then lying in the river below Savannah, where she was lately burnt. This however goes no length whatever, to destroy the credibility of Mr. Miles' story; for nothing easier is to be conceived, than for the privateersmen to conceal from Mr. Miles the true names of the vessel and captain; indeed, a moments reflection shows the absurdity of supposing, that they gave him any correct information whatever on this subject.
Should there however appear any clear and positive evidence, that Mr. Miles has practiced and imposition upon the community, we will be the last to screen him public execration and disgrace; but until that appears to be the fact, his fellow-citizens are bound to respect his testimony, in contempt of every insinuation to his prejudice, by the printers of papers in the influence of Bonaparte.
Since preparing the above article, the following letter from Mr. Miles to Charles Holt, printer of the Columbian, has come to hand, in reply to Holt's, enquiry of Mr. Miles, what route he traveled from New-Orleans home?
"TO CHARLES HOLT, &c.
"Sir - Our cause being now at issue, let us proceed to business as fast as possible. In your last communication you mention St. Lewis, Montreal, Passamaquaddy and Jacks Boots, all of them places and things with which I am unacquainted. As to Dismal Swamp, I was just going to apply to you for information concerning that place; for if the history of your life is written correct, you must have been there several times, and a Dollar to a Cent is bet that you will soon be there again. As to my rout from New-Orleans, you shall now be informed in part and the rest hereafter. I came by way of Baton-Rouge, Fort Adams, and so on to Natches, at the latter I turned considerably to the right and passed on to Washington, Sulters Town, Union Town, Byo Pear, Big [Indian] Town, Bear Creek Ferry, Tennessee River, and so on to Nashville in Tennessee; distant from New-Orleans about eight hundred miles. And now sir, as this place affords a very good Tavern, kept by a Mr. Childers, and as you have been pleased in your last epistle to allow me to possess plenty of cash, I shall remain with Mr. Childers until I hear from you again; the reason of which shall now be explained. From Nashville two routes may be taken to this place, the one leading through Kentucky, Ohio, and so on to Pittsburgh; the other traverses the State of Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, &c. the distance of each is supposed to be nearly the same. And I wait to have your opinion which road I ought to have taken, and should have happened to have been so fortunate as to have taken the road you would have made choice of, I hope your mind will be at ease on this subject. As to the strange occurrence you mention in New-York, "that business or inclination should induce me to pass from Water Street to Front Street, down Burling Slip, and arrive at the lower end of Fly market," it is to be sure strange; quite remarkable; but strange events are continually happening now a days. It is a strange thing that a republican editor of a newspaper should publicly advocate the cause of a gang of robbers because they happened to be Frenchmen; for in former days he would have been suspected of being one of the party of such conduct. It is a strange thing that a man of Charles Holt's transcendent abilities should fill the columns of his news-paper with such flimsy stuff as they generally contain; and what is more strange, is, that an enlightened community should swallow such matter for good sound republicanism. However, you must not sleep at your post, for since the late murders have been committed at Savannah, the cause of your French friends has suffered very much by means of your neglect.
I am Sir, yours, &c.
Benjamin Miles.
Schoharie, December 6, 1811.
Orange County Patriot (Goshen, NY) - December 24, 1811
Savannah, Nov. 23,
In our last we published a statement from a New-York paper, of the 12th inst accompanied by an affidavit, respecting the kidnapping and robbery of Mr. Miles, a native of Schoharie (N. Y.) It appears that La Vengeance arrived here on the 6th of July last, and has remained in this place ever since; therefore, La Vengeance could not have been the privateer that kidnapped and robbed Mr. Miles; for he states, in his affidavit, that he was detained on board of her until the 15th or 16th of August, and sent up to New-Orleans, whilst the privateer was lying several miles below. Furthermore, at the period above alluded to (15th or 16th of August) she was not commanded by Capt. Desha, but by Capt. Lomine, who brought her in here.
New York Herald (New York, NY) - January 8, 1812
From the Schoharie True American
Worse and Worse
To Solomon Southwick, Printer to the State.
Sir,
Our Schoharie Frenchmen were only for bringing Libel Suits against me for "slandering" French Pirates; but you seem to be for sending me to the State-prison for perjury. I much approve of your plan, as that would dispatch the business at once. You also, state that I called on the Governor of this state to request his interference in my behalf with the Governor of Georgia, and demand the surrender of these men mentioned in my affidavit, if there; and that the governor had cominated me as his agent to go to Savannah and receive them, and that I refused. In this you are correct: I did refuse, and my excuse was this; that I had been absent from my business for five months, which had suffered much by that means, and what was still worse, was, that my health was so far destroyed by fatigue and hardship, that I felt very incompetent to the task of undertaking a journey of more than 1,200 miles in winter, which in all probability would have put a period to my existence; I of course was excused. As to your statement that I had invited a friend to attend me on an excursion down the Ohio River (unless in a jocular way) is palpably false - and I believe a lie of your own fabrication. If not I offer you Fifty Dollars to produce a person or respectability that will testify to that circumstance; for I certainly had as little inclination to visit the Ohio River as you have to tell the truth. I hope if your perjury suit succeeds, the libel suit will be dropped, as my accusations against Frenchmen do not sound so harsh in their language as it does in English. Murder would only be called by them de honorable de satisfaction, theft would only be called de sequestration, and Piracy and Robbery de plucking de Goose.
With due respect I am sir, yours,
Benjamin Miles.
Schoharie, 27th December 1811
Public Advertiser (New York, NY) - February 8, 1812
Schoharie - A few individuals in the county of Schoharie have met at Hager's Tavern, and declared that De Witt Clinton is the regular candidate for the Presidency - that, "Like the immortal Washington, the eye of anxious solicitude is fixed upon him for a deliverance from that state of degradation to which we must either submit [French influence] or emancipate ourselves by the valor which prompted our ancestors, of right ought, and we trust will, receive the warm and decided support of the next presidential electors."
-[What wretched stuff! It is the ground and patch-work of miserable bunglers, who will, and "of right ought," to be execrated by De Witt Clinton himself! The bare faced flattery of his parasites will be his ruin in the end, which has now assumed " a form and pressure."]
|
