George Peck's WYOMING, 1858 - Pennsylvania - Chapter 3 Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja jbanja@comcast.net USGENWEB ARCHIVES (tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities, when written permission is obtained from the contributor, so long as all notices and submitter information are included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ________________________________________________ HTML with illustrations: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/1pa/1picts/peckwyo/peck-wyo.htm WYOMING; ITS HISTORY, STIRRING INCIDENTS AND ROMANTIC ADVENTURES. By GEORGE PECK, D.D. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. NEW YORK: HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE, 1858 COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 99 III. COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. THE materials for the following sketch of one of the leading characters concerned in the stirring events of the history of Wyoming are derived partly from our own personal knowledge of the man, but principally from members of his family who are now living. To Mrs. H: D. ALEXANDER, Colonel Hollenback's stepdaughter, we are indebted for the greatest portion of the facts; and we owe many thanks to her grand-daughter, Miss E. P. Alexander, for a beautiful manuscript, in which these facts are neatly and comprehensively written down. We have found little occasion for alteration in the manuscript, excepting in cases in which the statements have to be somewhat modified in view of other information. We have also to acknowledge our obligations to Hon. G. M. Hollenback, only son of Colonel Hollenback. Mrs. Alexander's father was killed in the battle when she was but a few weeks old, and Colonel Hollenback subsequently married her mother. Her knowledge of the history and incidents in the life of Colonel Hollenback is more complete than that of any person now living, and her recollections of facts and conversations of ancient date are exceedingly clear and definite. She has stored away in her memory a vast mass of facts which she learned from her mother and her stepfather in relation to the days of Wyoming's troubles. A portion of them are here given to the public. Many more might have been incorporated in this sketch did our space permit. 100 WYOMING. What we give may be relied upon with the utmost confidence. Matthias Hollenback was born on the Swatara Creek, at Jonestown, Lebanon County, then Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on the 17th day of February, A.D. 1752. He was the second son of John Hollenback and Eleanor Jones, a lady of Welsh descent: his paternal grandfather came from Germany. Mr. Hollenback came to Wyoming in 1769, in a company of forty young men from that part of the country. They were Stuarts, Espys, Youngs, and others, and they came with the intention of settling and becoming citizens under Connecticut laws, and aiding the Yankees in keeping possession of the country. They became entitled to lands under Connecticut claims, which they drew after they had been a short time in the valley. When Mr. Hollenback came to Wyoming he was about seventeen years of age; for enterprise, foresight, and force of character he was, however, "a man, every inch of him." The company encamped where Mauch Chunk is now situated; and, after the coal interest had called into existence a thriving town there, Colonel Hollenback often humorously remarked that he ought to put in a claim to that place, for he was first in possession. The forty adventurers came into Wyoming through a notch of the mountain in what is now Hanover; and when the beautiful valley first broke upon their sight, young Hollenback, the youngest of the company, threw up his hat, and screamed out, "Hurrah! that's the place for me." His companions laughed, one of them remarking, "Never mind, Mat; he'll do well enough." The first land owned by Mr. Hollenback was the COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 101 tract now owned by the Lazarus family in Buttonwood, in Hanover Township. He immediately commenced business as a merchant, having brought a small stock of goods with him. His first store was at or near the Block house, at the mouth of Mill Creek. The stock comprised such articles as were then actually needed by the settlers, such as groceries, ammunition; etc. He did not continue long at Mill Creek, but came to Wilkesbarre; and, having purchased a lot on what is now the west side of the public square, built a large frame house for a store and dwelling, and considered himself permanently established, having brought on his younger brother John, and sister Mary Ann, to live with him; the one took charge of his business in his many absences, and the other managed his household. His goods were purchased in Philadelphia, taken in wagons to Middletown on the Susquehanna, and then transported by water. The first method of transportation was by Indian canoes; and he literally "paddled his own canoe" up the winding, rapid Susquehanna the whole distance, 150 miles, many times before he was able to procure a more capacious vessel and to employ men to manage it. Then he purchased a Durham boat, which he kept steadily employed. At this period, the present road leading through the swamp was but a single bridle-path. Mr. Hollenback, in his business enterprises, was prospered in a remarkable manner, and soon acquired distinction, and was promoted to positions of public trust and responsibility. His first military commission is now before us, and is dated "17th day of October; in the 15th year of the reign of our sovereign lord, GEORGE the Third, King 102 WYOMING. of Great Britain, &c., Annoque Domini 1775." It is an ensign's commission in the "trained band in the 24th regiment in his majesty's colony, of Connecticut. On the 26th of August, 1776, he was appointed by Congress to serve as ensign in Captain Durkee's company of "minute-men," a band raised for the protection of the people in the Valley; but when the Wyoming companies were ordered to join General Washington's army, he went with his companions in arms to the post of danger. Mr. Hollenback was with the army in New Jersey in 1776 and 1777, and fought in several battles. He was in the battles of Millstone, Trenton, Princeton, and Germantown. That he was a man of more than ordinary courage and tact is evident from the fact that he was more than once employed by Washington as a runner to visit the frontier settlements and outposts, and report their danger or safety. About the close of 1777, the face of things beginning to wear a terrifying appearance in Wyoming, many of the men who were with the army, came home, and among them was Mr. Hollenback. Those who remained were transferred to the command of Captain Simon Spaulding. After leaving the army, Mr. Hollenback not only addressed himself to his own affairs, but also kept a vigilant eye on events of public interest; and, with the natural sagacity for which he was remarkable, saw omens of the danger and trial which were in a brief space of time so fearfully realized, holding himself in readiness for action the moment that the war-cry should sound its dread call to the strife. About the last day of June or the first day of July, 1778, the people of the Valley, learning that the enemy were on their way down the river, and that there was COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 103 danger of being surprised by them, sent out scouting-parties to observe and report the movements of the Indians and Tories. The last scouts who went up were Hollenback, and a man whose name is not now known. They proceeded fifteen or sixteen miles directly up the river, and found the trail of the Indians, which led across the mountain; and also found the bodies of the two young Hardings, who had just been killed, being freshly scalped and much mutilated. They found a canoe, in which they embarked, bringing the murdered men with them, and returned down the river to Jenkins's Fort, where they were met by the survivors of the Harding family. The men who were killed had gone up for the purpose of hoeing corn, and had taken their arms with them, but were surprised by the Indians, some killed, and the rest taken prisoners, with the exception of a boy who hid himself in the river and escaped. The man who was with Mr. Hollenback was so overcome by the sight of his dead friends that he begged to be put on shore, declaring that he would die with fear if he staid in the canoe. Mr. Hollenback endeavored to prevail on him to stay, but at length landed him, and came in alone to the fort; and upon arriving there reported that it would be useless to send out more scouts, as the foe were so near at hand, and all the men they had were needed where they were; that the allied fiends were rapidly approaching the Valley, and in great strength compared with those who were to resist them. Forty Fort, on the west side of the river, was the place of rendezvous for the patriots, and they now began to collect in earnest, coming to the fort from Wilkesbarre and the country below, mustering all 104 WYOMING. who were able to take part in the fight, and some of them bringing their families. This was on Thursday, 2d of July. On Friday morning they marched from the fort in order to give battle to the foe, under the principal command of Colonel Zebulon Butler, an officer belonging to the standing army, who was here at the time on leave of absence, and had been requested to take the command by Colonel Nathan Denison, which he did, taking charge of the right wing, Denison taking the left. Upon issuing from the fort, they moved toward a high bank or rise of ground above Shoemaker's, where Colonel Butler proposed to halt, and form the army to better advantage for giving the enemy battle, thinking it a good position for them to take, and, if possible, maintain. But Captain Lazarus Stuart opposed the plan, declaring that if Butler did not move on and take a stand farther up, he would report him at headquarters as a coward. Butler replied that he did not fear to go, but that it was throwing away an advantageous position, and they would have cause to repent it; and so the event proved. Mrs. Alexander says: "In passing the house of Mr. Sutton, they were met by him, and requested to halt, he telling them that, as the day was very sultry, he had made some hasty preparation for their refreshment, by setting out a table in his house with pails of water and cups to drink from, and that all were in readiness for them. His kindness was very acceptable, and the men were formed into companies of twelve, and, by marching in order around _______ *what is here related must have taken place just before the little army left the fort, as Mrs. Bedford distinctly informs us that Mr. Sutton and his family were at the time in the fort. COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 105 the table, drank, many, of them, their last draught of fair water. There was one bottle of rum given, but it was hardly tasted. This was told me by Mrs. Sutton when we went to be present at the raising of the bones of the slain in 1832, and proposed to erect a monument to commemorate the massacre. So the infamous report, which has been current for some years past, and told for truth by men who had no interest in or regard for the good name of our fathers, that those martyrs who fell on the day of Wyoming's doom were under the influence of rum, is a base lie! and admits of no milder name. Those true men were driven to death and flight, not by force of liquor, but by fearful odds, and the combined force of four hundred Tories and five hundred Indian demons thirsting and eager for their blood. That devoted band of three hundred and fifty, who went out to battle for all that was dear to them, were of too strong a mould to be led into the satisfaction of an unholy thirst for rum, and their descendants should fight as valiantly to remove the foul stain from their names as they did upon that fatal day when all was lost but honor." As the little army marched up the plains, they were met by a white flag, the signal of a truce, which, instead of advancing, began to recede, and, strange as it may seem, the patriots followed it. Mr. Hollenback, who was at that time acting as one of Colonel Butler's lieutenants, opposed this measure, and proposed halting and considering the unmilitary action of the flag. But Colonel Butler had resolved upon his measures, influenced by the banters of the fighting party, and he thought it was too late to hesitate. The enemy gave way on the right as our men commenced the action. For a brief space the fortunes of the day seemed to be 106 WYOMING. on our side. "But Butler perceiving," says Mrs. Alexander, "the enemy to be pressing on Denison's wing, sent him the order to flank on the left wing, and be ready to receive their shock. Denison, mistaking the order for that of retreat, and unused to military tactics, gave the word to 'Retreat a little,' instead of 'Fall back and flank out.' It was necessary for them to fall back, as there was a swamp to be avoided. Rufus Bennet, who was near Denison at the time, told me this, and that it was the want of Denison using the proper military terms, more than his fright, that caused the order to be so construed, by which means our men were thrown into confusion, and totally unprepared for the terrible slaughter that awaited them, as they broke and turned to fly upon hearing the order. Colonel Butler endeavored to rally them, but they were so panic-stricken that the effort was without effect, and the enemy had possession of the field. "Our men took to flight, such of them as had escaped death on the field, and the Indians, in full chase, commenced their work of slaughter." The substance of the following account of Mr. Hollenback's escape has been furnished by his son, Hon. George M. Hollenback, of Wilkesbarre. Mr. Hollenback was fighting on the right wing, beside Captain Durkee. The firing having ceased on the left, Captain Durkee requested him to run around the smoke and learn the cause. He returned with the answer, "The left wing is all broken up; the men are flying, and the Indians are killing them in all directions;" adding, "Captain Durkee, we must look out, or we shall soon be surrounded." At this moment the captain was shot in the thigh, and fell, exclaiming, 'Hollenback, for God's sake save me!' His faithful COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 107 brother in arms seized the wounded hero and carried him some distance toward the river, the murderous savages being in hot pursuit. About to be overtaken, he was obliged to leave the unhappy man and run for his life. The Indians scalped Captain Durkee. Three or four pursued Hollenback, who had but a few moments the start. The fearful race was for a mile and a half down the river toward Monocasy Island. Hollenback intended to cross the rift at the head of the island. Seeing, however, that point full of his hunted comrades, and the Indians tomahawking them in the river, he changed his mind. The Indians close upon him, at a point some sixty rods above the point of the island, he suddenly sprang from the bank of the river among the willows into a bank of sand. He had thrown off his clothing in the chase, retaining, however, some Continental money and a bill of exchange. These he put in his hat, and a piece of gold in his mouth, and plunged into the river. The Indians immediately commenced firing at him. The balls struck the water on both sides of him. He dove and swam under water as long as he could hold his breath. Rising again to the surface, he swam for his life, dodging under the water at the flash of the gun. In one instance he was not quite quick enough. A ball grazed his skin, when he opened his mouth and lost his piece of gold. He, however, retained his hat, his Continental money, and bill of exchange. He reached the eastern shore, and, supposing himself to be shot, he felt for the ball-hole, but found none. Entirely destitute of clothing, he reached the top of the bank, and entered the woods at what was called Cooper's Swamp. He there met Solomon Bennet, who had come out of the battle ahead of him. Bennet had 108 WYOMING. his hunting-shirt and pantaloons, and Hollenback begged him to divide, which, with the characteristic generosity of a patriot and a soldier, he promptly, did, giving him the hunting-shirt, and retaining the pantaloons for himself. Remaining in the swamp about an hour to rest, our hero then made the best of his way through the woods, over the hills, avoiding all paths; exhausted by his prodigious efforts, and scratched with briers, he reached his home about one o'clock on the morning of the 4th of July. The noble citizen soldier sought no permanent repose or exemption from the common danger. He remained at his own house only long enough to put on some clothing, and walked directly to Fort Wyoming, the site of the present old court-house. He announced his name at the gate, heard it repeated within: "Hollenback has come!" was the joyful exclamation. " No, no," responded the familiar voice of Nathan Carey, you'll never see Hollenback again. He was on the right wing. I am sure he is killed." The gate was opened, however, and Hollenback stepped in. It being dark, and there being no candles, Nathan Carey, lit a pine knot to see if it was really Hollenback, and then, overwhelmed with joy, embraced him with a brother's affection. At four o'clock, this heroic man, without waiting to sleep a wink, pushed out on an Indian path, braving all dangers, to meet Spaulding with his seventy men, with a view of getting them into Wyoming Fort, to hold it against their savage foes. He met them at Bear Creek, but Captain Spaulding declined the hazard. Hollenback, however, so far prevailed as to induce fifteen or twenty of the men to accompany him, and on COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 109 reaching the slope of the mountain near "Prospect Rock," he discovered his own house on fire; and a greater calamity soon appeared. The savages were in possession of the fort. Seeing all lost, he promptly directed his energies to the relief of the sufferers. He had procured from Spaulding's commissary all the provisions he could pack on his horse, and, following the fugitives, mostly women and children, he overtook them and fed them through the wilderness. He. went to the Wind-Gap, and at Heller's and Easton followed grubbing a few weeks at twenty-five cents per day. He then returned to the Valley and set about repairing his loss. His credit at Philadelphia being good, he obtained a few goods, and began the world anew. We now return to a few circumstances narrated by Mrs. Alexander, which occurred upon his reaching his house on the night of the fatal 3d of July. When it was known that he had returned, every one was eager to question him concerning the fate of the day, and one Betsy Smith came in great haste to make inquiries after some of her friends, but was unable to speak with him, being met by his servant Jeanie, who demanded of her, "Could she na let the mon alane, gin his claithes were put on?" when Miss Smith tendered her apologies, not knowing the state of his entree into town. Jeanie was a lass from the land o' cakes, and was always spoken of as "Scotch Jeanie." Mr. Hollenback had paid her passage-money from the old country, as was quite customary in those days; and Jeanie not only worked out the amount, but remained in his family for some time, very much trusted, and was the last to leave his house, saying that she would stay and protect her master's property as long as she could. 110 WYOMING. After a little relaxation, Mr. Hollenback visited Spaulding's company to obtain, if possible, some men to return to Wyoming with him. Spaulding opposed his returning then, and ordered him into the ranks. He obliged him to stay there, near the Delaware, for nearly six weeks. At length he, with Lieutenant Jenkins, John Carey, and others, to the number of fifteen, came back to Pittston to learn what they could of the enemy's movements. In looking about, they observed a smoke issuing from the old block-house on the other side of the river, and a canoe moored near it, of which they concluded to possess themselves. Hollenback swam over, took the "dug-out," and was fired at, but not hit. They then started for Wilkesbarre, some in the canoe, the others on foot. Among the latter, Carey, Jenkins, and Hollenback. On the way down they came upon a party of Indians who were driving a yoke of oxen loaded with plunder. Jerkins, being the superior officer of the party, ordered to "Halt!" but Hollenback shouted, "Rush on!" and, with Carey at his heels, flew after the Indians, who fled, leaving their booty, which the party took, and came on to the fort in Wilkesbarre. Then, hearing of some disturbance in the lower part of Hanover, they asked Butler to let them have some more men, and they would go down and see about it. They wanted a company, but only got fifteen, making thirty in all. They proceeded down as far as Alden's, or Forge Creek, now Lee's, to Commer's Mill, where they found the Indians had been plundering, but had not got over the river. They were in a canoe. The party divided, and followed them on each side of the creek to its mouth, where they surprised and fired on them: one appeared to reel, as if to fall in the river, COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 111 but recovered himself, being only wounded. The Indians left the plunder which they had taken at the mill; it consisted of a bag of flour, a bag of cucumbers, a bag of meat, a pair of boots, and a hat, all of which the men brought up to town with them. The remains of the slain were collected and buried in a common grave, on the 22d of October. In relation to that event, Mrs. Alexander remarks: "I have conversed with several, besides Mr. Hollenback, who were present at the burial, and recognized many of the dead, though it was hard to identify them, as they had lain so long in the hot sun, and had been scalped and otherwise mutilated. Mr. Cooper, who afterward lived at the 'Plains,' told my mother, the late Mrs. Matthias Hollenback, that he saw my father, Cyprian Hebberd, her first husband, interred with the others. "My father had gone up with the others on the 2d of July from Hanover, where he resided, and had left my mother, with her parents and friends, in Stuart's block-house, in Buttonwood, giving her all the money he had at the time, between sixteen and seventeen pounds, a good horse and saddle for her to ride, and another to be led, as he was certain they would be obliged to flee. I was then an infant of about two weeks old, having been born on the 18th of June. "Father had an idea that he would not return, and accordingly made the best preparation he could for the welfare of his family in case he should not. He was in the Hanover company, who were stationed in the left wing, under command of Colonel Denison; and, after the fatal order of retreat had been given, seeing that it was useless to remain upon the field, he joined the others in the flight to the river. He was a very active man, and remarkably agile. Samuel Carey, who was 112 WYOMING. with him, has told me that he would certainly have made his escape, but that, in running through a field of tall-rye, instead of springing over it, he broke it down to make the way easier for his fugitive companions, and by so doing retarded his own flight, and was overtaken by the Indians and surrounded. Carey managed to reach the river and get into the water; but my father, exhausted with running and breaking down the grain, was just stepping in, when a stalwart Indian overtook him, and, plunging a spear into him, gave him his death-wound. He fell in the edge of the water, in sight of Carey, who told me the fact. Carey was taken prisoner by the Indians, and remained with them five years in captivity. "The night of the 3d of July, Halldron, a tenant of my father's, came to the block-house in Buttonwood, and told the party there that they must leave it, as the Indians would be upon them before morning. But my grandmother, Mrs. Burritt, said she did not think they would be along before the third day after; nor were they. However, the party set out immediately, and proceeded two miles, then halted, and waited the rising of the moon, the night being very dark; then set out on their journey again, and were three days and nights in getting to Fort Allen, now Allentown, on the Lehigh. The second night there was a child born in the camp, the son of Mrs. Morris, whose husband was in the battle, but escaped. "When they reached the Lehigh a man came over the river to meet them, riding a powerful horse, and bringing a bag of biscuit and two large jugs of milk, with which he fed them, and also helping such as had no horses of their own to cross the river, by taking two at a time on his own horse, and fording them over. COLONEL MATTHIAS. HOLLENBACK. 113 "The party had suffered much for want of water on the road, and when they got to the Lehigh both man and beast were eager to quench their thirst. The horse my mother rode put down its head so suddenly as to jerk the bridle from her hand, and I, whom she carried in her bridle-arm, was thrown from her grasp, and but for her catching my clothes quick as thought, I had closed a brief life by drowning in the Lehigh. "The route which was taken by the fugitive party was called the 'Warrior's Path,' and led from Wyoming to Fort Allen. Some vestiges of it still exist, and it is noted in the old surveys and maps. The party were three weeks on the road from Wyoming to Connecticut, the place of their destination." Mr. Hollenback was for a time so discouraged by the turn of affairs in Wyoming and the unsettled state of things there, that he left and went to Easton, where he lived with some of his acquaintances, but did not remain long. He was calculated for a life of activity and business, and was ill at ease while he was not actively and profitably employed. As his interests were all in Wyoming, he returned, built another house and store - still standing in Wilkesbarre - and once more embarked in mercantile pursuits, taking into partnership a Mr. Hagaman. As was the case before, the man was remarkably successful, extending his business, enlarging his influence, and increasing rapidly his pecuniary resources. The inhabitants of Wyoming had hardly become settled after the trouble with the Indians when the Pennamite feud again broke out, in which Mr. Hollenback took an active part on the Yankee side. He rendered the New England people good service, not so much in fighting as by giving those who did fight 114 WYOMING. the "aid and comfort" they needed - affording them at his establishment powder, lead, and provisions. A party of Yankees retired to the mountain for safety, and constructed under a hanging rock a rude fortification, calling it "Lillapie," or Fort Lillapie. To this hiding-place Mr. Hollenback frequently sent a stock of ammunition and eatables by trusty adherents to the cause, and assisted the party in various other ways. These civil wars very much retarded the progress of the country, and we now can hardly imagine the amount of trouble attendant on them. Much mischief was done by the Pennamites in the exercise of their authority, and many people were killed in the various skirmishes. Colonel Pickering came here, on the part of the Pennsylvanians, to adjust matters between them and the Yankees, but the affair was a tedious one, and a long time elapsed before its conclusion. The Yankees finally adopted Pennsylvania laws, and their lands were resurveyed and apportioned again under Pennsylvania warrants. After the establishment of peace between the United States and Great Britain, Mr. Hollenback made the experiment of going with a large drove of cattle to Niagara. On arriving there he was taken prisoner by the British and Indians, they not having been informed officially of peace being made between the two nations. They kept him six weeks, until the intelligence was received, after which his captors purchased his cattle, and he realized a large profit. He made considerable money by this trip, and was encouraged to keep up the trade. Determined to extend his business operations, he bought lands at Tioga Point - now Athens - and Newtown - now Elmira - where he established stores in or- COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 115 der to trade with the Indians, and laid in a stock, at both places, of such articles as would attract their custom, and for which they would exchange their furs and peltries. On one occasion he took a number of men with him, and went up to their town, on the Seneca Lake, to make arrangements with them and obtain their trade. But the Indians were suspicious that the party had come for the purpose of surveying and taking away their lands, and consequently made them all prisoners. All their baggage underwent a thorough search to see if there was a compass with the party, and Mr. Hollenback always thought that, had one been discovered, they would have paid the penalty with their lives. They counciled, and came to the conclusion at least to kill him, as he led the party, and even sent some distance for a young brave to come and kill the "Shinnewany." Mr. Hollenback said he felt somewhat alarmed, but took care not to manifest the fact; and when the chief entered the wigwam, he returned his steady and fixed gaze with one equally as steady. He rose and extended his hand; the chief had his tomahawk raised for instant use, and had, without doubt, intended to dispatch him; but his coolness and friendly bearing had its effect, and the brave gave him to understand that he need not fear, and seemed willing to hear what he had to say. After having conferred with him, and finding that his was a peaceful errand, that he had no idea of getting their lands, but wished to trade with them, he set him and his party at liberty, and agreed to influence his tribe to bring their trade and furs to Newtown. The result vas their good-will and continued trade for many years after. He went many times to Niagara with cattle, and 116 WYOMING. once collected a large drove, which he intrusted to a young man to take there; the fellow sold the cattle, and ran off with the money, Mr. Hollenback losing the whole. In 1783, a treaty between the whites and Indians was held at Newtown. Mr. Hollenback had been employed by the government to furnish the Indians with all they required while they were there. In this operation he made about a thousand pounds. Colonel Pickering was the person who treated with them, and was so much of a favorite that they complimented him by giving him a name which, in English, means "the side of a mountain." The famous John Jacob Astor was at this time doing business in Philadelphia, where Mr. Hollenback made his acquaintance as a customer. In 1789, by arrangement, Astor accompanied his friend from Wilkesbarre, up the Susquehanna, and so on to Canada. On the way they crossed the outlet of the Seneca, which was much swollen by a heavy rain, in which act Astor came near losing his life. He was not then accustomed to fording streams on horseback, and in the middle of the stream his head became unsteady. Hollenback, seeing Astor reel in his saddle, by a glancing stroke with the butt of his whip dashed the water in his face, and, at the same time, struck him under his chin, and roared out, "Look up, Astor!" He recovered himself, and came out of the imminent peril without harm. It was this journey which made Astor's fortune. He saw the vast profits which could be made in the fur trade, and commenced his operations in that line. He made an effort to get his friend Hollenback to go to New York and engage in business with him; but COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 117 the latter had settled his plans for life, already having considerable real estate in the Susquehanna Valley, and was not to be diverted from his purpose. These veteran traders met in New York in 1824 for the first time after their separation in Canada, and talked over their early adventures to their mutual gratification. "Hollenback, have you any sons?" inquired Astor. "I have one," was the answer. "Send him to me, and I will take care of him." "I thank you, sir; he can take care of himself," replied Colonel Hollenback. The last trip which Mr. Hollenback made to Niagara was in 1792; and, after selling out his stock and concluding his business there, he made the discovery that the Indians were preparing to waylay and rob him on his return home. Such being the case, he laid his plans warily to elude them. His own horse being lame, he exchanged it with the landlord for another; had it taken into the woods at night and shod; and, all things being in readiness, he, with several others, started under cover of the night to pass through woods, and swamps, and over rivers, back to Pennsylvania. There was with them an aged Dunker minister, named Rothruck, who was ill and poorly clad, and on foot. He had taken out cattle to sell in order to pay for his farm, and succeeded in getting bills of exchange for them. Mr. Hollenback was very kind to him, and helped him on as far as Owego, telling him to wait there until some rafts came down the river, and then to go to his house, and his wife would "nurse him up again." He did so, and Mrs. Hollenback clothed him, and ministered to his wants. When the wagons went down to Philadelphia for goods, he was put in one of them, and safely transported to the city, where Mr. 118 WYOMING. Hollenback got his bills negotiated, and sent him home rejoicing. At one of the halting-places on the route the party found the vestiges of a man's clothes hanging on some bushes near a spring, and other indications of foul play with some one. They proved to be the clothes of a man - Mr. Street - who had left Niagara before them with about $2000, and had here been waylaid and murdered by a man whose name was Gale. Mr. Hollenback afterward found out the murderer, and succeeded in putting officers on his track; he was taken and hung. Before leaving Niagara, he found that part of a notorious band of highwaymen, well known at the time and much feared - "The Doanes and Tomblesons" - were there, and also watching him closely. He ascertained that it was their purpose to follow him, and wait until he had stopped at all his trading stations, returned home, and set out again to purchase goods in Philadelphia, then to attack and rob him, as he would then have a large sum of money, and be the kind of prey they sought. But he was too sagacious and brave to fall into their hands, though he came very near it. Soon after coming home he started for the city, and passed over the greater part of the distance before any thing occurred to alarm him. Upon riding along a sandy track in the woods one night, he heard some slight sound, and finally whispers in the bush, and his name was mentioned. Certain that he was dogged, he made all speed, and reached a sort of tavern, and disguising himself as much as possible, and also feigning drunkenness, he dismounted, and began to look about to see what kind of place it was. Seeing many strange- looking men COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 119 about, and not liking the appearance of things, he did not remain long; but, before he left, he noticed a party of odd-looking fellows arrive from the same direction which he had come, who were evidently the ones he had heard in the woods, and answered well to the description of the Doanes, etc. He reached that same night another house kept by a widow, where they were in great alarm for fear of a descent by the Doanes, who were then filling the country with dread. Having taken supper, he retired to his apartment, got out his pistols, and watched the night long instead of sleeping. He arrived at the city the next day, and deposited his funds safely in the hands of Mr. Dorsie, his banker, thus escaping the Doanes and Tomblesons, who found in him too much courage and tact for their purposes. Mr. Hollenback finally became more settled, and no longer went out on such toilsome and hazardous journeys, but remained more at home, still pursuing his business with energy and success. The mercantile business he kept up until the end of his life, and always prospered in it: his store was for many years the best in Wilkesbarre. He was made justice of the peace after the establishment of the jurisdiction of Pennsylvania in Wyoming, and, when the new Constitution was formed, was appointed associate judge of Luzerne County courts, in which capacity he served until the time of his death, which event occurred on the 18th day of February, 1829, the day after he was seventy-seven years old. His commission as associate judge is dated "in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety one," under the administration of Governor Mifflin. His first commission as lieutenant colonel is dated 1787, another is dated 1792, and still another 120 WYOMING. 1793. These commissions are all preserved, and are upon our table. The first of them was given by the executive council of Pennsylvania, and contains the autograph of Dr. Franklin. When Jackson was running for President, he determined to vote for him, considering him the man most eligible for that high and honorable office. Being quite ill, he went to the polls in his carriage, and the judges came out and received his vote, the last one he ever gave. This was in November, 1828. Colonel Hollenback always took great interest in religious affairs and the welfare of the Church. He gave largely toward building the first church built in Wilkesbarre, and was generally punctual in his attendance upon the services, never absenting himself when it was convenient to attend. His house was the home of ministers, and his hand always open to them. He was, in many respects, an extraordinary man. There was no such word as failure in his vocabulary. He had courage and sagacity both equal to any thing in his line. In all his business relations he was a pattern of punctuality and fidelity to public trusts and private confidence. Mrs. Alexander says: "My mother was a few months his senior. She was, in all respects, a suitable helpmeet for him, and during his long absences took the entire charge of his affairs. His confidence in her was great, he never doubting her ability. Her benevolence was remarkable, and evinced itself in more than one instance. She was the friend of the poor and needy, and, until the close of her long life, practiced that kindness and sympathy toward her fellow-creatures which her enlarged means admitted of, and her memory is held in grateful remembrance by many who are now COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 121 living; and very many more, who, like her, have long since gone to 'that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns,' and can not now speak save through their descendants, were once the objects of her kind consideration. Both Judge Hollenback and his wife took an active interest in all that related to the settlement of this valley, and the stirring events of its history. They lived to see it in prosperity, and entirely recovered from the terrible blow which so nearly blotted its white settlers from existence, when they departed peacefully at the Master's summons. My mother lived some years after Father Hollenback's death. She was born the 19th of November, 1750, in Huntington, Connecticut, and died July 21st, 1833, in her eighty-third year." Judge Hollenback was a character; he was emphatically a man for the times. He never knew fear; and that he was not reckless may be inferred from the fact that, amid the perils of his eventful life, he was never wrecked. He was brave, but not headlong. He calculated upon consequences with great precision. He was sometimes accused of obstinacy; he certainly had great firmness. Fierce and unprincipled opposition would wake up in him the old soldier, and he was a terrible foe. His perseverance and his power of endurance were almost beyond precedent. He took all his journeys on horseback, and his range of business was from Niagara to Philadelphia. Between Wyoming and the New York state line he owned immense quantities of wild land. He often visited his lands personally and alone, traveling for days, and even weeks, through the wilds of Northern Pennsylvania, and being as much at home in the wilderness, without a path, as in his counting-room. When night over- 122 WYOMING. took him, he turned into the nearest human habitation be it ever so humble, and made himself at home. He said to the man of the house, "Give my horse a peck of oats, or four quarts of corn;" and, entering the dwelling, perhaps a small log cabin, his language would be, "Good woman, I want a dish of mush and milk." Taking his seat while his supper was being made ready, quite likely he would fall asleep in his chair. His "mush and milk" disposed of, he perhaps asked for a blanket, and flung himself down on the floor, with his head upon his saddle- bags, and slept sweetly until daylight, when he was off. In his travels he often lay out in the woods upon the ground, covered only by the rose blanket upon which he rode. In 1824-5, when traveling an extensive district, embracing a portion of Northern Pennsylvania and Southern New York, we often fell in with the veteran pioneer. He rode a large sorrel horse - a low-carriaged animal, but a fine racker. He would ride that animal from forty to sixty miles in a day. He often took refreshing naps on horseback, during which his horse would move quietly along, but, when he awoke to consciousness, his sagacious animal soon understood that an increase of speed was expected. Judge Hollenback was full of life, humorous, even jocose; and fond of repartee. He was good company, full of anecdote, and was a considerable wit. He liked a good joke even when it was against himself. When free from the cares of business, he, would unbend himself, and, waging back and forth across the floor, would amuse his friends, young and old, by telling stories. "Once," said he, on such an occasion, "when a lad, I crossed a grave-yard in the night, and thought I was not afraid until I made a false step and tumbled down COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 123 [illustration] among the graves. I was then so frightened that I bawled like a calf. I jumped up, and ran for life, thinking the ghosts were close at my heels." On one occasion, having been overtaken on the mountains by an awful thunder-storm, he said he paused under a great tree, and the thunder and the lightning were so terrible that he feared and quaked; and feeling that he ought to pray, he could think of nothing to say, but "Now I lay me down to sleep," etc. As for pride of equipage, Judge Hollenback had none. His dress was neat, but plain. He lived in a plain, old-fashioned, low frame house, planned for the purposes both of a dwelling and a store. He owned no splendid carriage and plated harness, but traveled either on foot or upon horseback, with his saddle at- 124 WYOMING. tired with a blanket, or a sheepskin tanned with the wool on. Colonel Hollenback was as true-hearted a patriot as ever breathed. When the Revolutionary struggle commenced he held a military commission under the government of King George the Third, and every motive which could be presented to an aspiring and a mercenary mind was urged as a reason for his espousing the royal cause. His patriotic feelings spurned the whole. He "threw up" his royal commission, and, as soon as his services were called for, he accepted one from the Continental Congress, in the most gloomy period of the Revolutionary struggle. His sympathy for the sufferers, and his energy in supplying their wants upon the occasion of that melancholy exodus of the settlers of the 4th of July, 1778, have been referred to. We have often heard the survivors of that terrible flight dwell with enthusiasm upon Hollenback's services and manner on that occasion. His horse was loaded with bread and biscuits. He flung a loaf to one group and then to another, with his usual salutation, "God bless you! Keep up good courage; you will reach the settlement in safety," and words of like import. His timely supplies, his courage, his genial, earnest spirit, were largely instrumental in the deliverance of scores of the fugitives from death in the wilderness. An anecdote was related to Mr. G. M. Hollenback by the late Judge Scott which furnishes a good illustration of the character of our subject. After the war was over, and Colonel John Butler was reposing upon his honors in Canada, he made application to the British government to be admitted to the honor of knighthood. His reputation had suffered in England, as COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 125 well as in America, from the accounts which had been published of his cruelties in Wyoming. It was judged by his friends that if he could obtain a certificate from one of the officers who was present on the American side in that unequal conflict, to the effect that Colonel Butler's conduct was humane and soldier- like on the occasion, his application would succeed. Accordingly, a suitable messenger - a bland English gentleman - was dispatched to Wyoming. Colonel Hollenback was the man to be addressed. The agent of Butler called upon the old soldier at his office and opened the matter, taking from his pocket a parchment beautifully executed, only wanting the signature. Colonel Hollenback read it carefully; then, looking the gentleman in the eye, asked, "Do you expect me to sign this?" "Yes, sir, if you please," was the answer. "I shall not do it, for it is not true." Butler's agent urged the matter respectfully but earnestly, but the reply, was reiterated, "It is not a word of it true, sir - I say, sir, it is a big lie." The dernier resort was finally, reached, and that was to "a purse of gold." This was a match flung into the magazine. The fiery soul of the old patriot could no longer keep itself within due bounds. "Gold! gold!" he thundered out, with voice enough to reach the outskirts of his regiment, if he had been upon the battle-field, "your king has not got gold enough to buy me, sir." Then, loading the poor, disappointed agent with a volley of epithets, he pointed to the door, and said, "There, sir, is the door; let me never see you again upon this business." The gentleman was almost petrified, but made out to steer his course between the door-posts, and so disappeared, considering himself rather fortunate, as well he might, that he was permitted to make 126 WYOMING. [illustration] his exit without help. A man whom gold could not buy was probably to him a strange spectacle. The stirring enterprise, the untiring energy, and the thorough business habits of Judge Hollenback exerted a vast influence upon the progress and elevation of the country. He found business for many poor laborres; he furnished supplies to multitudes of new settlers; he took an active part in the early public improvements; he kept in circulation a large capital; and he was a living - almost ever-present - example of industry and economy. Not Wyoming alone, but the whole country between Wilkesbarre and Elmira, owes much of its early development and present prosperity to the business arrangements and the indomitable perseverance of Matthias Hollenback. Colonel Hollenback was employed by Robert Morris, the agent of Louis the Sixteenth, to provide a place of retreat for the royal household at some secluded spot on the Susquehanna. This was in 1793. He accordingly purchased twelve hundred acres of land lying in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, and embracing the locality where Frenchtown was subsequently built. The unfortunate monarch, however, never occupied this asylum in the wilds of Pennsylvania, albeit many of his subjects did. Louis Philippe, the late "King of the French," in 1795 came through "the Wind-Gap" on horseback, and lodged in Wilkesbarre in "the old red tavern," on the river bank, then kept by James Morgan, and subsequently known as "the old Arndt Hotel," and then made his way up to Frenchtown. All this is true; but our soil is none the bet- COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 127 ter for having been owned by falling monarchs, or even trod by the feet of royal fugitives. Louis Philippe, like Colonel Hollenback, learned in America to sleep on "the soft side of a board," a practice which he never wholly abandoned. Resolutions passed by the Officers of the Court and Members of the Bar: "At a meeting of the officers of the court and members of the bar of the County of Luzerne, held in. the borough of Wilkesbarre, on Thursday, the 19th inst., the following resolutions were submitted, and unanimously adopted: "Resolved, That we have heard with regret the death of the venerable Matthias Hollenback, one of the associate judges of the courts of this county, and that in testimony of his memory we will wear crape upon the left arm for thirty days. "Resolved, That we will attend the funeral of the deceased on Saturday next, from his late residence in this borough. "Resolved, That we deeply sympathize with the widow and family of the deceased in their late bereavement, and that a committee be appointed to present them with a copy of these proceedings, and to make arrangements for the funeral. "February 19, 1829." The following communication, copied from the Susquehanna Democrat, was written by the Hon. David Scott. "Friday, February 27th, 1829. "The Hon. Matthias Hollenback, whose death was announced in your paper of last week, was born of 128 WYOMING. German parentage, in Hanover, upon the Swatara, then Lancaster, now Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. Here he was inured to all the sufferings and privations incidental to a frontier settlement at that early day. Possessed of a firm and vigorous constitution, and endued by nature with a strong,. active, and enterprising mind, at the age of seventeen he joined the first adventurous party who came to make a permanent settlement, under the authority of Connecticut, in the Valley of Wyoming. This was in the autumn of 1769. From this period the history of his long and eventful life is identified with the history of this part of the country. "In the controversy between Pennsylvania and Connecticut he actively and firmly adhered to the latter, under whose auspices he had embarked his youthful fortunes, and whose claims he regarded as paramount to every other, until the right of soil and the right of jurisdiction to the country were decreed, by a competent tribunal, to be in the former. From that moment he yielded obedience to the Constitution and laws of Pennsylvania, and contributed all in his power to quiet the turbulent, and to reconcile the disaffected to the legitimate authorities. "This dispute between Pennsylvania and Connecticut had assumed all the characteristics of a civil war, and, notwithstanding the conciliatory recommendations and remonstrances of the Continental Congress, it was continued during the Revolutionary struggle: While the poor and destitute settlers were suffering on the one side from the common enemies of the country-the British, the savage Indians, and the worse than savage Tories-they were attacked on the other, and endured equal distress, by military parties under the authority of Pennsylvania. COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 129 "Thus surrounded with difficulties and dangers calculated to appall the stoutest heart - at a period, too, when many good but timid men doubted, hesitated, and feared, young Hollenback, in want of every thing but personal courage and patriotic feeling, was approached by one of those agents. of the mother-country whose bland and fascinating manners, and duplicity of heart, marked him out as a fit emissary for 'treason, stratagem, and spoil.' On the one hand, the efforts making to free the country from British domination was represented as entirely hopeless, and that, upon failure, poverty, shame, and death every where awaited the active partisan; on the other, by espousing the cause of the British king, money, office, and honor would be immediately conferred, and a life of ease and independence secured. The youth stood firm. He was not to be allured from the path of duty. He had taken his resolution, staked his all upon the issue, and was willing to abide the result. "In 1776 - perhaps the following year - two companies were raised in Wyoming, in one of which young Hollenback was appointed a lieutenant. He was active and successful in filling up and preparing his company for active service, and shortly after joined the army, under General Washington, in the State of New Jersey. His merits were soon discovered and properly appreciated by the general, who frequently consulted him in relation to the frontier settlements, and the means of defending them against the incursions of the enemy: He participated in all the sufferings -of our half-fed and half-clothed troops. during a winter campaign in the State of New Jersey, and was on several occasions employed by the general in the execution of confidential agencies. 130 WYOMING. "Such was the patriotism and spirit of the Wyoming settlers, that, during a short period, when they were not immediately threatened with attacks from the enemy, almost every efficient man among them joined the regular army, and left their families without protection. This calm portended a storm. The defenseless state of the frontier invited aggression. The Valley again began to suffer from the tomahawk, scalping-knife, and firebrand, and early in 1778 it was discovered that a horde of British, Indians, and Tories were collecting upon the Susquehanna frontier, and preparing to pour down upon the Valley of Wyoming, and exterminate the defenseless settlers. The officers from Wyoming urged the general to send a force for its protection, or to permit the two companies drawn from this settlement to return, for the purpose of defending their aged and helpless parents, wives, and children; but such was the situation of the army that no adequate force could be spared. An intense anxiety was felt among the officers: some obtained furloughs, and some resigned and returned to the Valley. Every preparation was made in their power to repel their invaders. About 350 men marched out to meet the enemy: they were drawn into an ambuscade. The result is known; Wyoming was reduced to widowhood and orphanage. About fifty only escaped that disastrous battle, of whom the subject of this notice was one. "Articles of capitulation, in which security and protection of life were stipulated, were no sooner signed than they were violated on the part of the faithless and bloodthirsty enemy. What property could not be carried away was burned and destroyed, and the remnant of the settlers were driven, naked and houseless, to the surrounding mountains. Lieutenant Hollen COLONEL MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK. 131 back, whose property was all destroyed, still clung to the Valley, and participated in all its sufferings till the conclusion of the war. "Upon the settlement of the controversy between Pennsylvania and Connecticut, and upon the promulgation of the laws of Pennsylvania in the disputed territory in 1786, Mr. Hollenback was chosen and appointed one of the justices of the courts of Luzerne County; and upon the adoption of the new Constitution he was reappointed an associate judge, which office he sustained with reputation till the time of his decease. He was honored with the command of a regiment by his fellow-citizens-a military office, being almost the only one in Pennsylvania compatible with that of a judge. "In all the great political struggles which have agitated the country, Judge Hollenback was always actively and firmly attached to the cause of the people. In the recent conflict, although most of those around him with whom he had been accustomed to act entertained different views, and although he was exceedingly enfeebled by disease, he procured himself to be carried to the poll, and there, for the last time, exercised the right of suffrage in favor of the distinguished individual who has succeeded to the presidency. He was firmly persuaded that the interests of the country demanded this preference, and he acted accordingly.* _______ *Colonel Hollenback's preference for General Jackson as a candidate for the presidency was natural, there being many strong points of character which the two men possessed in common. They were both old soldiers and men of the right grit, the true successors and representatives of the brave old knights of the days of chivalry. When Colonel Hollenback's carriage arrived before the court- house a scene occurred. The late General Isaac Bowman, standing upon the steps, with a full tone of voice said, "Colonel Hollenback, the old soldier, who helped fight the battles of the Revolution, has left his bed to come and vote for General Jackson - the last vote which he will ever cast." The board of judges came out and took the vote. The feelings of the people were excited to a high pitch. "Hurrah for the old soldier!" "Hurrah for Jackson!" burst forth from the spectators in all directions. It is said that some who had already voted for the opposing candidate joined in the cheering, and others who came to do the same stepped up and cast their votes for "the hero of New Orleans." 132 WYOMING. "It is believed that he was not a member of any Christian Church, but it is known that he reverenced the religion of the Cross. Throughout his life he contributed liberally to the support of that communion and its pastors, to which he was conscientiously attached, and it is feared it will long feel the want of his supporting hand. "His life was a life of temperance, industry, and attention to his business, the full fruits of which he enjoyed, in almost uninterrupted health, until his last illness, and in an ample fortune. From the incidents of his life the young may draw useful lessons for the regulation of their conduct, and from his death all may learn that man is mortal: that neither riches, nor honors, nor virtue, nor age, can form any shield against the fell destroyer."