FEINBERG/WHITMAN NOTESandNOTEBOOKS NOTES -- Personal Feb 16, 1849 HempsTead Tragedy--marginalia Box 41 Folder 50195 1849 16 February Hempstead Tragedy: marginalia. A.MS. (1p. 31 x 24 cm.) Written in ink (material at top written at a different time with darker ink than material at side) on a large sheet of green paper, to which had been pasted a clipping of a newspaper piece entitled 'Something about the Hempstead Tragedy--A Long Island Romance of Fact', with paper and date ('[?] Brooklyn Eagle Feb. 16, '49. [?39]') in ink on clipping, 181: I went [to the ] as teacher of the country school in 1840 near Hempstead, soon after the following described affair, & saw the [*in 1840*] Miller family & knew them In Feb. '49 [?39], an hour or two before daylight, the house of Jonathan Miller, Trimming Square, about 2 1/2 miles west of Hempstead, was burnt down, and his wife and two or three children in it. Miller, about half an hour before the fire, had arisen, and started with his wagon and a load of hay for Brooklyn.-- ---- [over][*196*] By some, Miller was accused of the monstrous crime of himself firing the house.--The parties most bitter against him were his wife's parents and their family, between whom and Miller a very bad feeling had existed.--A sort of legal examination was held, but it seemed so utterly unsupportable to suppose Mr. M. guilty of a proceeding like the one intimated, that nothing was done against him--no proof being offered.--When he went away from his house he left a candle burning in the kitchen. His farm was soon after sold.--I went [to the] as teacher of the country school in 1840 near Hempstead soon after the in 1840 following described affair, & saw the Miller family & knew them In Feb. '49, an hour or two before daylight, the house of Jonathan Miller, Trimming Square, about 2 1/2 miles west of Hempstead, was burnt down, and his wife and two or three children in it. Miller, about half an hour before the fire, had arisen, and started with his wagon and a load of hay for Brooklyn. By some, Miller was accused of the monstrous crime of himself firing the house.--The parties most bitter against him were his wife's parents and their family, between whom and Miller a very bad feeling had existed.-- A sort of legal examination was held, but it seemed so utterly unsupportable to suppose Mr. M. guilty of a proceeding like the one intimated, that nothing was done against him--no proof being offered.-- When he went away from his house he left a candle burning in the kitchen. His farm was soon after sold.-- Brooklyn Eagle [739] Feb. 16, '49 "Something about the Hempstead Tra- gedy--A Long Island Romance of Fact. "That the truth of facts is often more thrilling than the elaborated plot of novelists, is pointedly illustrated in some points connected with Mr. Jona- than Miller, whose terrible misfortunes were briefly mentioned in this paper yesterday. "Mr. Miller was a farmer, residing at what is call- ed "Trimming Square," a small collection of houses two miles from Hempstead, on the Jamaica road.-- His house was abut three quarters of a mile from the turnpike, and some twenty or thirty rods from the public lane. It was an old, lonesome house and yet cheerful enough, too, in summer, for it was em- bowered amid shrubbery and trees. Miller owned it, and the farm connected with it. He is a man in the neighborhood of forty years old, and is well liked by his neighbors, bearing a good name for industry, honesty and other usual virtues of a Long Island farmer--than which no class of per- sons in the land or in any part of the world, possess a higher average of excellence. "It must have been in 1849, that the following oc- currences took place: "There was a negro man--a young giant of a fel- low--working from place to place, around Trim- ming Square; and he was sever times discovered in little larcenies. Mr. M, among others, had em- ployed the negro on his farm. He too had lost some articles by the thief. By and by, the depredations of the latter--or, at any rate, he was universally supposed to be the criminal--become so trouble- some, that the neighbors took him up; and, at a sort of patriarchal assemblage of them, it was de- cided to give the negro a round flogging. Mr. Mil- ler was one who seemed most willing to this punish- ment. At any rate, the negro was tied up and whipped; and then started off with a general warn- ing from all hands never to come in the neghbor- [sic] hood again. He went to "the North Side," somewhere along the shore of the Sound, and, from time to time, obtanied [sic] work there. "Either he was a most malignant and ferocious negro--which is most likely, from the facts as they came out at the time--or he was wrongfully charged with some of the thefts, and brooded over them and his ignominious punishment till he determined on vengeance. The most of his bitterness was toward Mr. Miller. His threats were made so violently, that some of Mr. M's friends sent him word from "the North Side," and advised him to be on his guard against violence. Miller accordingly kept arms in his bedroom at night, and adopted other precautions. "The negro appeared at the village of Jamaica one night about 10 o'clock. It was a fine, clear, moonlight night. He seized on a wagon, attached to which was a fine horse, tied at a post in front of one of the public houses in Jamaica. He drove on alon? the Hemstead [sic] road to Trimming Square, down th? lane--stopping at a lone place occupied by two poor, superannuated, old women, whom he frightened liter- ally half to death--and then, somewhere about one o'clock at night, tied the horse at the head of Mr. Miller's own lane, and went down to the house. "As is customary in very many Long Island farm- houses, the ordinary doors of Mr. Miller's residence, particularly the door of the kitchen, which was ad- joining his bed room, were usually left unlocked, even during the night. This particular night, how- ever it happened by a pure accident, to have the bolt up. It was afterwards supposed that the negro intended to have entered the kitchen door--being fa- miliar with the way--and accomplish his murder- ous purposes. "In the dead hour of the night, the moon shining with great briliancy [sic], MiIler and his wife were awa- kened by their little girl, who, in spasms of terror told them that there was a man at the window!-- Miller jumped up immediately and sprang for his gun. There, sure enough, at the window, stood that stalwart creature, and in his hand a heavy club. He was looking steadily into the room. The start- led family within could see him, with his club very clearly. "Mr. Miller called to the negro, and asked him what he wanted there, at that time. The negro made no reply. Mr. Miller than told him to be off --that he had a loaded gun, and would shoot him unless he went off forthwith. The negro, however, neither moved nor spoke, but stood, with his club by his side, looking fiercely into the room. Mr. Miller then told him that he would give him two minutes to go--and, if he didn't go in that time, he would shoot him down. Still the fellow neither moved, in offence or away. The two minutes elapsed--and a little more beside--and then Mr. Miller fired. "The terrified family had a few moments of awful suspense, then; for if the fire had missed its object, or only wounded him partially, their situation was like to be a critical one. The negro would have dashed in the window and beaten them down with his club. "When the smoke cleared away, there stood that dusky form still. He had not stirred, and made no show of being hurt. In a few moments, however, he sunk down heavily upon the ground beneath the window. "Several minutes more passed away. Mr. Miller walked to the window, and saw, to all appearance, the lifeless body. Unknowing what to do, and with the solemn and terrifying circumstances of the case around him, he told his wife that their nearest neigh- bors must be roused--and either he or she must go and call them. The nearest house was some ninety or a hundred rods. Mrs. Miller said that she couldn't stay there, if her husband went; and that she would go herself. So she started. When she got to the lane she was alarmed by seeing the horse and wag- on and the dread of some confederates. She had also to go through the woods, to reach the house; and one can imagine what a journey she had, short as it was. "The people came, and on examining the body of the negro, which lay where it had fallen, it was found that he was dead. "Mr. Miller invited the investigation of the au- thorities; but, by the prompt and perfectly unani- mous voice of all and every one, he was fully justi- fied--as every human being will justify him yet. "He and his family still continued to live in the house--and the associations of the fearful which it doubtless had, must have become deadened by time. "The little girl, mentioned previously, was affected worst by the event of the night visit. Her nerves were completely unstrung, for many seasons after. She was pale and pining--and the sudden rustling of a piece of paper, or any equally trifling matter would completely unnerve her. "In this last most heart-wringing calamity, words were but mockery as expressions of sympathy to the friends of the dead woman and her children; and we forbear the utterance of them. The full particu- lars of the fire, and the death of the wife and family, have not yet reached us. Should it be proved or approach to probability, that the premises were criminally set on fire, it is not unlikely that suspicion will lean toward the near connections of the negro whose freaks we have narrated."