The Paymaster's Robbery

Watertown is the Couüty Seat of Jeffersoü couhty, Nfew York. It is situated on the ottth side of Black river, a large and rapid stream. This river rises, far up in the Adirondac mountains, and pursuing a westerly conree for more thaü á hundred miles, empties into Lake Ontario at its caitern extremity, not far from the out'.et of the Bt. Lawïeiice river. It is a valuable stream, not only watering a laïge proportion of the northern pa?t tf i the State, but aboundiiig mih lnany j ids and falle, ftnd thlls furnishiug i multitude pf privileges for manufacturing pürposes, which are being araply ooeupied. Watertown is located about ten miles up this stream from Sackett'e Harbor. This latter place, during the ïafet war with Great Britain, was the heftd" quarters of our noïth'wefetern armies, and the rendeKvoUS of the American warships on Lake Ontario. Even at as early a date as that struggle (commencinsr iü 1811) Watertown was a village Df ho inconsiderable ïnasrmtsttde iilid importance. And yet it hl! been comparatively imknown to the people of our country generally until of late years. But the building of the Rome, Watertown and Cape Vincent railroad, when the St. Lawrence I river and its Thousand Isles becnöle ö, I fashionable summer residence and j ing resort, Watertown rose rapidly into importance and celebrity, Visitors to the beautif ui regions of the St. Lawrence, when nearing them by railroad and crossing the Black river at Watertown, find themselves stiddenly in the midst of : a large and thriviug tbwa, fllled With maniifactories and rapidly advancing to the dimensions of a city to which point it has already attained. The settlement of this place commenced near the close of the last century, or about the year 1795. The people who originally located there ■were from the New England States, and were a much more than ordinarily intelligent, educated, industrious and enterprising class of citizens. During the war of 1812 Watertown was a great thoroughfare for United States troops, ïnilitia, sailors and sutlers, and all the motley crowd which follow an army. Being in the vicinity of Sackett's Har'bor, the headquarters of the northwestern armies, and in the vicinity of the Canada line, near which nearly all the hard battles of that war were fought, it was the scène of many bold deeds and daring adventures, and of exceptionally thrilling events. Passing my early days in this vicinity of encounters, battles by land and water, solcb'ers, sailors, marchingp, countermarching and encampments, my young mind became necessarily filled with the history of thousands of stories of slaughters, woundings and death, scalping and tortures by Indians, and the many wild scènes and transactions of which war is always the proliñc source. Among the many noted transactions which could be narrated, the most remarkable, in many particulars, was what came to be called " the Wliittlesey robbery. " Being a young and personal spectator of eome of its most tragic events, I will nárrate them as they were then deeply imprinted on my fresh reeollection. In this effort my memory is strengthenedandassisted byDr. Hough'a history of Jefterson county, and also by a jjamphlet lately placed in my possee.sion by a lady of Watertown (Mrs. Judge Strong, formerly Mrs. Norria M. Woodruff), an old friend of mine. This ramphletisentitled " The Life andCharxcter of Jason Fairbanks-' Samuel Whittlesey, Ssq. , a lawyer by profession, of fine abihties, settled in Watertown in 1807. He and his wife were members in good standing of tl ie Congregationalist (now Presbyterian) church of that town. The office of first Judge of this county, and other appointments of distinction were conferred upon him, the duties whereof he discharged creditably and honorably. At the close of the war of 1812, Gov. Tompkins conferred on Judge Whittlesey the appointment of Brigade Paymaster, for the purpose of paying off the militia belonging in that región of the State, who had served for longer or shorter periods during the then lato war with Great Britain. As sureties for the faithful and prompt discharge of his duties, and as indorsers for whatever amount oj moneys might come into his possessiou, Judge. Wliittlesey presented the names of Perley Keyes and Jason Fairbanks, böth residents of Watertown. These were men of New England birth, and of strongly developecl íi ew Jaigland characteristics. Perley Keyes was au intelligent, shrewd, long-headed man, and Jason {Fairbanks was possessed of more thau ordinary courage, vim and energy' and both had the confidence of the community as men of integrity and lionesty. In due time Judge Whittlesey repaired to New York city, and drew from the Mechanica' Bank $35,000 of Government funds in bilis varying from $1 to $10 each. Evidently lie had an honorable and sincere intention to use these fttndé in a lawful manner for the payment of tlie militia. But unfortunately he allowed bis wife tj accompftny him on hi journey. Mrs. Whittlesey was quite ai extraordinary woman. She was well ed ucated, intelligent, thoroughly veraed in politics, and a great lover of controversy on that subject ; keen, artfnl, qniek-wil ted, able to hold an argument with th dÍBtinguÍBhel mèn oi' tliat day, exceed ingly proud anrl puflfed up with famil; rank and distinction, but, as it proved a last, she was thoroughly deeiiiiute o moral principie ! It was very generalij- believed tliat she was the jwihle and lo'e inhtigatoï bf íier well-ineaning lmsband in tiiose events which soon followed, and which fllled tliat región with excitement, and flnally resulted in a most fearful tragedy ! In the winter of 1815-16 Judge Whittlesey and wife made their jolirney to New York after the Government fonda They traveled by private con vey anee, in their own sleifrh, a very cönimon method of journeying in those days. On their way back to Watertown Mrs.'Whittlesey pretended to make the discovery wliile at Scheneetady that their tnmk containing the money had been broken open and robbed of $7,000. Bttt iii fact it afterward proVed that she-, herself, without the knowledge of her hiisband, h'ad bi-oken open the tftnk and abSlracted therefrom Xhe tniSsing money. And th fa wft's the commeneement of an artful scheme to get possession of the whole amount drawn from the bank. Judge Whittle'sey. was cbnfoulided and oVerwhelroed at this robbery a's he honestly felQ)posed. What should be doaeTn. View of this loss? He feared, yëa, èlearly foresaw, it woTild be attributed by the world to his own nnaooonntable carelessness, even if suspicion went no farther. Theiu it wae that his unprincipled wife commenced arti'ully to carry forward her plan'to reason her husband into tlie keeping of the whole surn drawn from the bank. Her purpose is thus described in the pamphlet above named. , , , "By degreeS sh3 Wgah tb hïht darldy that ie iilattered little what was done ; that thev were ruined without hope of escape ; that it would be utterly sible to satisfy a carping, tuioharitable 1 world tliey had not abstracted the mtthey themselves ; that it cernid seelh so reasonable and iinlikely anybody would ] tahe 'chai amoünt, and leaVe a large balance behind ; that tliey wotxld '. edly be charged -with embezzHng the money, and forthwith prosecuted for the : amount, and that this would sweep away ovovy dollar of their hard savings. In iiis distracüon and perplexity this ■ ing sounded so like logical deduction that Judge Whittlesey was obliged to assent to tlie terrible array of consequences, and thlls she BücceedSd in . ting him iiitö her toils, aiid then ! irtg hiift fco his destruotion." p i Wheh fche Whittleseys returned to ', Watertown, they forthwith declareu they had been robbed in Trenton, a small village through which they passed on ; their jotirney. And, to oonflrm this story, they exhibited a pair of saddlebags in whieh they said they carried the bank bilis, with several slits ent in the ide, through which they affirmed their belief the robbers had extracted the money. At first their story was qüite extensively believed. Their bail, Messrs. Fairbanks and Keyes, were amazed at the loss, and saw flnancial ruin staring them in the face - for at that period $35,000 was considered a large sum, the loss of which would swallow up the means of individuals in ordinary circumstances. These men had many private consultations together in ïegard to the story of the robbery - listened often to the WhittleBeySpiJ"" gAfuSinto mature consideration all the alleged circuni&tances of the case. Their doubts grew apace, and they soon commeneed a well-laid system of espionage. During dark nights they watched around the Whittlesey houBe and even, by tnrns, ascended the roof of the kitchen, where they could creep to the windows of the sleeping room, and listen to snatches of pri vate conversation, when the guilty pair upposed no ear was open to their confiential talk. In this manner both Fairbanks and Ceyes became thoroughly satisfied, beopd the slightest doubt, of the guilt of ;he Whittleseys. They heard abundanty enough to conyinee them that Judge Whittlesey and wif e had not been robbed t all, and that the money was in their jossession, concealed sömewhere about ;he premises. At the same time they jretended to believe with great sincerity ihe story of the robbery, and oiïered arge rewards for the detection of the .hieves. Thus several months elapsed. Judge Whittlesey flnally began to see that oublic sentiment was evidently tuming igainst him and his wife - that the peoile were beginning to suspect that they night be guilty - that the family were nnoyed by these doubts, and that to egain their peace of mind and retain ;heir respectability it might soon be necessary for them to remove to some ïew locality in the Western States. Gradually this idea was developed by the Vhittleseys and circulated, until it beame familiarly talked of in the village, uul the family began to make open prejarations for removal. Indeed, the two laughters (innocent and estimable young ladies) were sent in advance to Sackett's Harbor, where they were to ;arry a day or two until joined by the whole family, to embark on Lake Unario for a new home in some Western State. Fairbanks and Kéyes had in vam endeavored to flnd the hiding place of the missing money. They saw clearly that a crisis had arrived, and that they must take some step ünmediately or the guilty ones would slip away and leave them to financial ruin. After much consultation, and many doubts as to the lawfulness of their proceedings, they formed a desperate plan to secure the stolen funds at all hazards, and proceeded to put it into execution at once. The day of departure had arrived. Judge Whittlesey dressed himself in a new and costly suit of clothes for his journey - entirely unconscious of the net about to spring upen him. Mr. Fairbanks called in the early part of the niorning, and invited him to walk over to the residence of Mr. Keyes, who lived on a farm on the then southern border of the village. He said he wantod to consult in regard to measures that could still be adopted to discover the robbers. Judge Whittlesey, who was a courteous gentleman, ïmmediately eonsented to make the cali. Of course he had not the slightest suspicion of the scène which was Boon to transpire, and iu which he was to bear 80 conspicuous a part. On arriving at the residence of Mr. Keyes they learnod that he was in a rear lot of his farm. ïhis lot was on the borders of a small f orcst, and had in it inclosure a largo and deep spring of wa ter. On tlieir meeting Mr. Keyes, a few moments were spent in talking the matter over. Judge Whittlesey was re minded of the liability of his bail tor tl) missing money, and that unless it couli be recovered they were ruined men They asserted that they feit justified a bondsmen in taking any measvires within their power limvevra extreme to obtain the missing íuuds and nave themseíve from btHikrnptf-y. Pinally they aid : "Judge Whittlesey, we are entirel confldent you were never robbed ; tha yon have the money now' iñ your posses sion, or on your premisee, and unies yoti immediatelj' , produce it, or lead us foi'tlnvith to the place of its concealnient, we have determined todrown youat once in this pool of water !" In great perturbation Judge Whittlese-y solemnly protested his innocence, and called God to witness the tratli of his assertion. But the hora of retribution had come - as it nlways will come, sooner pr later in tin world or the futtire. In a moment they seized him, bound his arms behind him with a cord they had provided for the purppae, aad plunged liim at once into the deep, cold pool of water. After allowing hini to strnggle there a few moments, they drew him forth nearly exliausted by strangulatioh. the then qliestiohed hiB aheV, asserted the'ir certninty thal he had tlie nioney, ühd if hc would restore it they would save his life. With a positiveness most unacconntable, Judge Whittlesey again in the strongest terms asserted liis entire innocence of the robbery. But Fairbanks and Keyes had become desperate, and oncè more assured him of their deterinined purpose to take his life on the spot unless he revealed the secret of the place of concealment of tlie funds. Again and immediately they ingitlfed him in the dark and muddy pool ; and, this time, they held him there so long tliat, to their great alarm, they thought him dead indeed ! However,. after long efforts, they succeeded in restoring hiin to life again. Bilt when the power of speech was restored the Judge, to the astonishment of his adversaries, still marvelously re-asserted his innocence of the crime, and positively affirmed that neither he nor his family knew anything at til öf tiie missing money. His bondsmen were in an extreinity, and knew nöt what to do. They really had ho design to take the life of Judge Whittlesey, butpurposedonlyto frigliten him, and tlms compel him to disgorge the stolen money. It is trae they were in danger of drowning him, in whioh case theirownliveswouldbe jeopardized; and, indeed, they had in their harsh and violent measures already gone so f ar that unless they succeeded in causing him to acknowledge the robbery they were exposed to the extreme penalty of the iw. And yet they feit entirely confident of his guilt ; and in their ütter extremity, determined on another attempt to make him eönfess, even if his and their lives were lost in conseqüeñce öf the effbrt. Fairbanks was at that time a bachelor, and turning to Keyes, said, "Come, Keyes, help me put him in once more, then give me whatever money you have about your person and take care of yourself for your family's sake. I have no one dependent upon me and want no witness present to see the conclusión of this tragedy. I shall drown him ! and then flee to Canada, and will address you f rom Kingston, and inf orm you where to write to me !" The two friends solemnly shook hands and took final leave of one another, and Keyes, turning, made a pretense of withdrawing from the scène of the apparent tragedy. Then facing Whitüesey again, who stood trembling with fear of immediate deftth, Faiïbanks ! approachedandexclaimed, "Now, Judge, this is your final hotir, and death is at' hand. If I put you in again and you j still pel'sist in denying the robbery, you will assuredly die." He geized him abruptly again, and plunged him headlong into the deep pool before him. Judge Whittlesey finally becoming convinced, as he entered once more the cold waters of the spring, that these men were in right down earnest to take his life in their desperation, and that lis last moments were gathering their arkness around him, struggled his mouth to the surface of the pool, and ried out voeiferously : " 111 own it ! I'll wn it !" Whereupon Keyes returned nd aided Fairbanks in dragging the udge from what appeared to be his watery grave - fainting, struggling and xhausted. He owned up the whole robery at once, and said the money was hen undoubtedly in his wif e's possession n her person, or under a tile of the ïearth in a certain chamber. After his confession it was agreed that Keyes shonld reinaiii with the Judge near the spring, while Fairbanks should immediately repair to Mr. Whittlesey's mansion to obtain corroborative proof of the truth of Judge Wldttlesey's acknowledgment. Kapidly, and without turning to the right or left, Fairbanks passed through the streets of the village with coat off, pantaloons rolled above his boots, covered with mud and dripping with wet, and his eyes wild with excitement, the people gazing and wondering on what errand he could thus be hurrying in such a strange plight. Bapidly entering the house, he inquired for Mrs. Wliittlesey, and was inf ormed she was in her chamber. He flew to the door and demanded admittance. Mrs. W. replied that she was dressing and he could not enter. Without a moment's hesitation Fairbanks placed his heavy foot against the door, and it flew with rapidity from its hinges. Mrs. Whittlesey, on seeing him enter in that violent and unaccustomed mamier, was instantly filled with alarm and threw herself violently on the bed. Without ceremony, Fairbauks dragged her to the floor, and, throwing the bedding apart, there discovered the longlost and long-searched-f or money. Mrs. Whittlesey, filled with alarm, cried out: " You've f ound it ! You've got it ! My God, have I come to this !" The bank bilis liad been deftly and slyly quilted in a pair of drawers, to be worn undoubtedly by Mrs. Whittlesey on their expected journey, for safety. Fairbanks seized the drawers, rolled them up, and speedily returned to the spring where Keyes and the Judge were impatiently awaiting him. All three then in company started for the village and the Whittlesey residence. And truly a strango spectacle they presented to the citizens. Fairbanks and Keyes, dripping with wet and covered with mud and slime, and WhittloHey walking between tliem, liis new black suit saturated and ruined with the dirty water of the spring, and his fine, glossy liat crumpled and wrinkled, ;uid drawn down in shame over his face, the most mortified, miserable, mined wreteh in all the world. On arriving at the stately residenee, they were met by Mrs. Whittlesey, pale and wild with rage, who exclaimed, "Whittlesey! you eoward, yoa idiot ! Why dia you disclose our secret and disgraee us liefore theworld?" "Icould only thus save my life," exclaimet' the mortified Judge. '"Save y our life, you fooi! I would have died a thousimd deaths bef ore I would wiknowledge one iotii of the deed !" And uo doubt, from wliat immediately took place, she woukl have suft'ered drowning again and iigain rathcr than have revealed a word of lier guilt. In the ïnt'antinie the tidings oï the w-ene wliidi took place at the pool oï water, and the recorery "f the wtoloi nioney flow like wildfire throughout the village, nnd the entire populatioa - lawyers, doctors, merchante, mechamos, borermeiijWomen mid children- poured like a flood into tbc streets and mado their way hastily to tlie Whittlosey mansión - a large, fino, whito house - at that time the most elegant in the town or vieinity. Exulting vocif erations and loud lmzzas filled the air. Rejoicing to the fullest extent was evérywhere exliibited thronghotit the entire coftimunity. Cannon ivere rapidíy dravii froni the arsenal, near at hand, loaded to the muzzle and dragged to the street in front of the house,' to be diseharged as an indication of the general gladness that the villainy had boen diseovered and the money found and restored. The relatives and friends of the giiilty family, wMoh stood high aliiong the iJioBt Wealthy and fashionabie people of the place, crowded the premises, and in and around the dwelling. The residence stood on one of the main streets, about 200 rods from the Black river. To approach the river from that point, one would be compelled to cross the street - pass tlirough the village burying grotind - descend a bank or hill, about 100 feet, and then approach a perpendicular precipice of lime-stone rock, of aboüt thirty feet, to reach the surface of the stream. At that place, the river ran deep, dark and rapid, it being about a quarter of a mile below two falls of some forty feet each in height. Pandemonium seeiñed to reign aroúnd the Whittlese abode. The streets in front and rear of the house were filled vrith excited people, just ready to fire the cannon, and make all other manifestations in their power of exultation at the turn which affair3 had taken. Withm, the dwelling was pervaded with weeping, aud agony and cries of distress from friends were heard in nearly every room. Suddenly Mrs. Whittlesey _ disappeared ! On every tongue the inquiry was, Where is she, and whither lias she gonc ? In vain tlio house was searched throughout; nothing oould be seen or found of her. In a few momcnts a woman living npon the opposite side of the street suddenly appeared in great alarm with the tidings that a moment before Mrs. W. crossed her door-step on a full run, her eyes wild with rage, and her face pale as death. With swiftness she flew through the burying-ground, down the first bank and disappeared. " To the river ! to the river !" was the shoiit from the general multitude. " Mrs. Whittlesey has run to throw herself into the stream !" I, a little boy then of some 10 years of age, was mingling in the crowd full of wonder at the marvelous event then being transacted. And when the vast multitude rushed through the buryingground, down the steep bank, and to the abrupt ptecipice at the river's brink, I was bome along with the crowd. Then, at a place which has always since borne the name of "Whittlesey point," commenced a rapid and sharp search to discover the missing and distracted woman. Passing along the stream by the bank to a turn in the river by which the eye oould look some distance down the current, a voice was heard calling aloud, " Th ere she is ! see her fioating in the j middle of the stream." A boat put out, and with ft"hook her body was drawn to the shore, just above a bridge which then crossed the river into the village of Pamelia. And, indeed, it proved to be the body of Mrs. Whittlesey. Although she could not have been in the water fifteen minutes, yet when drawn to the shore and taken from the stream she appeared to be dead beyond the reach of reeovery. Physicians were sent for and every effort made to resuscitate her, but all in vain. She was stone dead! A butcher named Israel Whitney was returning from the country with a load of lambs. Beholding a multitude on the bank of the stream, a few feet lower than the bridge, he called out, "What has happened? What are you all deing down there ?" Some one replied, "Mrs. Whittlesey has drowned herself, and we are endeavoring to restore her to life." "Endeavoring to restore her!" replied Whitney. "Hold on, hold on, I say; in with her again; I am afraid she is not quite dead .yet. Make sure work of it !" But she was gone beyond all reeovery. And such was the earthly end of Mrs. Whittlesey and of her wicked attempt at robbery. Mobal.- Sixty-one years have passed away since the events transpired which are above narrated. In connection with many others of a similar nature in later years, it has led me to see still more clearly the truthfulness of the scripture declarations, which I long since embraced and proclaimed, that " God judgeth in üie earth," as well as hereafter, and that "though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished." However artfully they may devise evil, and form plans of escape from penalty, they cannot avoid divine retribution. Jehovah rules in all worlds, and in every state of being. Either in the earth, or the life to come, or in some state of existence, he will overtake thern and inflict certain and just punishment upon