of his execution must, it would seem, have been as the bitterness of death.

*

The people who lived on Staten Island during the Revolution remembered with keen interest the cold winters of that period, and the stories they told were repeated by the generations that followed. The following statement is taken from the New York Gazette of December 26th, 1778:

"The intense cold weather has, within these two days, occasioned the quick-silver in the weather-glass to fall four degrees lower than has been observed for the last seven years; several ships. &c.. and

THE FACTORY POND, WEST NEW BRIGHTON, AS IT APPEARED IN 1893; NOW DRY LAND. many lives have been lost by the monstrous bodies of ice floating in our Bay."

There are frequent allusions in the records in the County Clerk's office relative to the gunboat which did service in the Staten Island waters during the war. For instance:

"Sept. 28th 1779 Richmond County. Received of John Bedel Esq. the sum of Fifty-one pound six shill for the use of the Gun boat as appears by the following receipt

"Richmond County Sept the 28, 1779

"Received of Mess" Richard Conner, Christian Jacobson, Henry Perine, Cornelis Corson supervisors for said County the sum of Eighty four Pound being in full for my selfe & Eight men belonging to the gun boat commencing the fourteent of august last and continued for one month

"by me JAS. STEWART Cap't." This gun boat was, beyond a doubt, the one used by Colonel Christo

pher Billopp, (whose position as commandant of the Staten Island militia made him practically the Provost Marshal), to prevent communication between New Jersey and Staten Island. It was a very unpopular affair with the people of both sections. It was an almost daily occurrence that those on board fired at any person within gunshot on the Jersey shore.

A party of several Jerseymen once attempted to get possession of the boat, but failed. It was lying at anchor one bright, moonlight night, near Billopp's ferry, (now the terminus of the Amboy road at Tottenville), and as no person was seen moving on board, they supposed their opportunity had come. Accordingly one of their number was sent in a small boat to row up some distance above the gunboat, and then drift silently down with the ebb tide, and, as he passed, to observe if there was any person on her deck. He succeeded in accomplishing his purpose, and discovered a man sitting flat upon the deck, apparently engaged in strapping a knife upon his boot. When he reached the shore he made his report, and the enterprise was abandoned for the time. Several attempts were made afterwards to capture the boat, but without success.

*

The "Neptune," a small sloop of war, commanded by Captain Palfray, did service as a guard boat at the point now known as the Bergen Point ferry. On the morning of October 15th, 1779, the boat became unmanageable and drifted within range of the American guns at the fort at Elizabethtown Point, where it grounded. Captain Coogle, the British commander at Decker's ferry (Port Richmond), soon discovered the "Neptune's" situation, and ordered Cornelius Hatfield, who had command of a small gun boat at that post, with twenty men to recover the sloop.

The latter was immediately joined by Job Hatfield in another boat, which was well manned, and they both set off for the relief of the "Neptune," which before their arrival, was boarded by about thirty Americans from the fort at Elizabethtown point. But the latter, seeing the superior number and strength of their assailants, abandoned the sloop and the Hatfield party went on board. The cannon in the American fort then opened on the sloop, and the fire was returned by the Hatfields.

For several hours the vessel remained aground, before the tide rose sufficiently to float her, and during that time firing continued with more or less activity. Though several men were killed and wounded, and considerable damage was done, the boat was able to escape to its station.

Rivington's Gazette, of February 7th, 1780, gives an interesting account of the condition of New York bay. It says that the ice became so solid that there was a bridge all the way from New York

to Staten Island, over which loaded sleighs and other heavy burdens were drawn. Eighty-six loaded sleighs were counted crossing in one day.

The most intense frost, accompanied by great falls of snow began about the middle of December, and shut up navigation to the port of New York from the sea for many weeks. The severity of the weather increased to such an extent that about the middle of January all communication with New York City by water was cut off, and new means opened by the ice. The passage to the North River from the Island was about the 19th of January practicable for the heaviest cannon, a circumstance previously unknown in the memory of man. Soon after provisions were transported in sleighs, and detachments of cavalry marched from New York to Staten Island upon the ice. It was not until the 20th of February that the frost abated so as to allow the waters surrounding New York to become navigable.

The social possibilities under a martial condition, such as that in which Staten Island then lay, may be judged from the following paragraphs, copied from Rivington's Gazette of November 12th, 1781:

"Last Saturday William Hatfield, an inhabitant of Elizabethtown, Rahway, came to Staten Island with a small quantity of flour to dispose of, that he might get some hard money which would enable him to pay the taxes imposed by the rebel Governor. On his return in the evening, he was met in the Sound by one Peter Terrat, a noted thief, who supports himself and a gang of such miscreants, by robbing and plundering; to him and his party Hatfield surrendered himself; but after he was a prisoner, Terrat thought Hatfield threw something overboard, on which the infernal fiend took a pistol out of his pocket and shot him dead, laid the body on the bank of the Sound, and went off exulting with the other prisoners he had taken.

"Hatfield has left a wife and several children to lament their loss. It is said the people of the county, [Essex, now Union], detesting such horrid violence, intend making enquiry into the murder, and punish the villain as he deserves.

"We since hear that a Jury has brought a verdict against him guilty of murder, on which he fled from justice." 3

3 The victim was the son of David Hatfield, (an elder of the Rahway church, who had been captured in June, and had now been restored to his home), and a cousin of J. Smith Hatfield, the desperado of Staten Island. The latter, having ventured to return openly to town in a flag-boat, was, together with one of

his comrades, Lewis Blanchard, (son of John Blanchard and nephew of Captain Cornelius Hatfield), seized by some of the Westfield [New Jersey] people, loaded with irons, and hurried off to Burlington, where he was kept in close confinement.-Hatfield's History of Elizabeth.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

INCIDENTS OF THE REVOLUTION-CONCLUDED.

VISIT from some of the "Cowboys" of Staten Island is thus described in the New Jersey Journal, of December 5th, 1781:

"Last Saturday night [1st] seven Refugees from Staten Island landed at Halstead's Point, with the expectation (as their leader told them) of meeting some of their quondam friends with fat cattle; but Captain Jonathan Dayton having notice of their intention collected a party of men, and knowing the route they were to take, laid in ambush for them, though unfortunately a muddy place in the road had turned them a

little out, and obliged his party to fire through two fences, otherwise, in all probability, they would have killed every one the first fire; however they killed one, mortally wounded another, and took three prisoners; the other two favoured by the shades of the night, and a good pair of heels, made their escape. Three of the party were left in the gunboat, but hearing a boat of ours coming out of the creek, pushed over to Staten Island shore, nevertheless she fell into the hands of Lieutenant Randall. It seems their leader, Swain Parsel, was a deserter from our army. On his information David Oliver, a villain who has long been the supporter of the illicit trade, and a dread to the inhabitants on the lines, was taken the same night concealed in a house at Rahway."

On the night of Friday, December 15th, 1781, Captain Baker Hendricks and Luther Baldwin, with a small party of men from Elizabethtown, came over in a whale-boat to Staten Island, where they "surprised and took a sloop armed with two three-pounders, two blunderbusses, and manned with five hands"; as the sloop was aground, they" stripped her of arms, sails, rigging, cable, anchor and long boat." Two other sloops they served in like manner. Even the

flagboats (truce) suffered from the depredations on the Sound. Rivington's Gazette says:

"Last Friday a vessel with a Flag of truce sailed from this garrison [New York] for Elizabeth Town Point, in which went a Hessian Paymaster with a large sum of money for the use of the Hessian prisoners in Pennsylvania. Same night, about 12 o'clock a rebel whale-boat boarded the flag vessel at said Point, the crew of which seized the cash which the Hessian gentleman had in charge for the before mentioned purpose. Several other gentlemen on board the flag vessel were also robbed of what cash they had with them."

The American account presents quite a different aspect of this affair. From the New Jersey Journal:

"Thursday night a flag of truce, on her way to this shore, was boarded, near Shuter's Island, by some men in disguise, and robbed of upwards of two thousand guineas, being a part of a sum of money for the use of Cornwallis' army. They also plundered several individuals that were on board. The party that committed the above robbery, were supposed to be refugees from New York or Staten Island."

The amount, as afterwards appeared, was nine hundred guineas, the losers having, as usual, magnified their loss.

In June, 1781, an expedition was fitted out from Elizabethtown, the account of which we copy from Gaines' Mercury:

"Intelligence being received at Elizabeth Town of two whale boats, fitted for a two-months' cruise in the Delaware bay, lying at a wharf the north side of Staten Island, a plan was concerted to surprise and bring them off, which was put in practice last Thursday night [20th], and the boats, with all their appurtenances, were safely moored at Elizabeth Town bridge next morning together with eighteen prisoners that were on board, six of whom were valuable Negroes. The party, continentals and volunteers, consisted of upwards of thirty, commanded by Major [William] Crane. There was a sentinel in each boat, who hailed and attempted to fire on the party, but their pieces providentially flashing in the pan, the party, regardless of danger, rushed on them with such impetuosity, that they had not time to prime again, and a few moments put them in complete possession of their object, without any further alarm."

Next to the disreputable Hatfields, Nathaniel Robbins was the most despised man on Staten Island. In his depredations he scarcely recognized friend or foe. He resided near Long Neck (now New Springville). The house which he occupied was demolished many years ago. It stood near the corner of the roads leading to Richmond and Port Richmond, fronting on the former.

Robbins was an Englishman by birth, extremely dissolute in his