NO happier combination of interesting events could have been made than that which attended the unveiling of the monument in honor of the first European settlers of this part of the valley of the upper Delaware. The past and the present were exhibited in striking contrast, and yet in evitable and gratifying union---for the present springs from the past, and the development of the past of this nation, and of the colonies which preceded it, have from their small beginnings more than realized the most sanguine expectations of the enterprising men who lived at the commencement of the colonial era, and of those also who, under God, laid the foundations of our Republic. A monument to commemorate the enterprise and daring of the one, and liberty pole and a flag, displaying forty-two stars, bearing testimony to the success of the other, present “a union in partition,” as they stand related to the history of our country.

The growth of our government and institutions began on this continent, in the colonial period. The experiences of that rugged era were no doubt designed to prepare men to meet the period of the revolution, which was awaiting them, or their children, or both. In both these periods the men whom the monument commemorates took part, Thomas Quick, Sr., in the first; Tom Quick, his son, in both. The latter was born in the midst of the colonial period, and survived the revolution some thirteen years. The life of the one in this valley was marked with exposure, but generally until the end, with peace; the life of the other was for many years on of continual peril, averted only by perpetual vigilance. Many of the early settlers in the valley of the upper Delaware, especially the part of it extending from Milford to Cochecton and beyond, harassed by Indians, French British and Tories, abandoned their homes and returned to their friends in New England or elsewhere. But Thomas Quick, Sr., held on with steadiness till his death, and his son followed the father’s example, and lived until French and British and Tories and Indians, had all vanished from this theatre of their hostility, and had left behind them men, whom they were unable to conquer, and who were worth the freedom and the independence they had won.

It was under the inspiration of such historic and ennobling memories as these that the monument and the flag-staff were suggested, and have been reared.

A recital of what transpired on that memorable day, Wednesday, the 28^th of August 1889, seems hardly necessary in view of the full and admirable reports which were made in the newspapers, and which will be republished in this volume. Still it may not be amiss to take anew at least a general review of the occasion, and to mention some things that would be likely to escape the notice and perhaps the knowledge of the reporter.

It was a matter of universal and especial congratulation, that the day was pleasant. It was indeed one of the few most charming days of the summer. The Fourth of July had been preceded, attended, and followed; by powerful rains. All efforts to celebrate that day in the open air had proved vain. Picnic excursions had been marred or entirely prevented by rain. When, therefore, a fair day came, and at a time set apart for a celebration such as had been announced for Milford, people were glad on account of both the day and the occasion. They were, for these reasons, like children let out of school, and they eagerly and with great unanimity hastened to the scene of action.

It may be said that the liberty pole, liberty cap, and flag, had been provided largely by the voluntary labor and contributions of the people. The hole for the planting of the pole was dug by two men, one white, the other colored; the former Thomas Truax, a soldier under Scott in the Mexican war, the latter, Michael Scott, a soldier under Burnside in the war for the Union. The pole was prepared and erected by Nathan Fuller. The cap was carved by Henry Kane, a Belgian, and was painted, gilded and adorned with thirteen stars on a field of blue by an honored citizen, William Wood, and Englishman. Much of the work on the cap was without charge; but whatever charge was made on the cap, and whatever deficiency remained on the flag, was promptly and cheerfully met by parents who had reason to be proud of their son that day.

That the projectors of the enterprise had not forgotten the announcement make in the bills and circulars, was realized by the people, when, at six o’clock in the morning, the cannon was fired from the top of Foster’s hill. The report awoke all the echoes of all the hills. Its effect was grand. The reverberations penetrated the recesses of the mountains, and swept like thunder through the valleys. Pennsylvania saluted New Jersey and New York. The business of the day had begun.

Three colored men who had seen service as artillerymen in the late war had charge of the cannon. They did their work so admirably that they deserve to be remembered. Their names were William Adams, Samuel Hasbrouck and George Brodhead. Their faithful service contributed much towards the enthusiasm of the occasion. During the exercises on Centre Square thirteen guns were fired in rapid succession in honor of the Old Thirteen States, and of the new flag, then for the first time unfurled to the breeze. The exercises at the monument were punctuated by the cannon. Its frequent roar exhilarated the surging crowd. But it failed to penetrate the dull, cold ear of death, whether of the son, whose mortal remains, or such of them as the elements had spared, lay entombed beneath the monument, or of the father, who had nearly one hundred and fifty years before been laid away by loving hands, but amid tears and terror, in the bosom of the neighboring hill. And when the sun went down, a repeated salute was given, and with emphasis, to the departing day—a day which had brought pleasure to many hearts, which had witnessed an assembly such a Milford had never seen before, and which had been contemplated in prospect of the celebration.

The roar of the cannon, the music of the band, the splendid flag, the thronging multitude, the impressive monument, the delightful scenery, the magnificent day, all conspired to fill the soul of the thoughtful with the emotions of the patriot and the gratitude of the Christian.

But in addition to all this was the climax, which was found in poetry, oratory and song.

Poetry was laid under contribution in its facetious and in its exultant forms. At Centre Square we heard that inspiring piece, “The American Flag,” by Rodman Drake, read by Hon. W. H. Armstrong, with a clearness, emphasis and discrimination that showed the reader to be completely under the spell of the theme and of the occasion. And such was the feeling of the vast assembly, and it might well be so; for the reader was under a double inspiration, first from his theme, and then from the fact, that day itself was, by a pleasing coincidence, the sixty-third anniversary of his birth.

At the monument poetry lent its aid in “The Beautiful Rivers and Lakes of Maine,” a poem read by its venerable author, Dr. Geo. B. Wallis, with a readiness that was surprising, considering the wonderful names of Indian origin which he had woven, with marvelous skill, into his musical verse. Another read some farcical stanzas descriptive of the life and era of Tom Quick and the early settlers, all of which tended to give variety to the exercises, and helped to pack every moment with pleasure.

Oratory was not wanting. Seriousness combined with cheerfulness marked all that was said. The oration on the flag arrested and held the attention of every hearer. The speaker showed the full glow of his subject in his animated countenance, emphatic action and hearty, earnest utterance, and in voice musical and penetrating, so that all could hear. There was in the arrangements of the hour a happy combination of youth with age. And the sight awakened pleasing reflections; for it was apparent that the fathers had nothing to fear for the future of the country and the world, so long as their sons came forward with intelligence, virtue and manly courage, to take up the work which they themselves must, sooner or later, commit to their hands. The words spoken at the monument were words of “truth and soberness.” Youth and age united in eloquent utterances there. Judge Allerton recalled the narratives and stories of colonial and revolutionary times, and especially those relating to Tom Quick, and his remarks, and those of Amos Van Etten, Esq., and others, gave abundant proof that some of the critics of this celebrated character had heaped upon him obloquy, which was totally unmerited.

An address was given by Rev. A. S. Gardiner on the life and character of Tom Quick as an outgrowth of his times, and on Governor Bross, the honored donor of the memorial, himself a descendant of the fourth generation from Thomas Quick, Sr., the pioneer whose record is on the monument. It is a matter of special satisfaction to read from the “Tri-States Union,” whose report of the proceedings, with the reports of the “Gazette” and the “Dispatch,” will constitute an important part of this volume, the following words: “We wish to congratulate Rev. Mr. Gardiner on the grand success of an undertaking which at first seemed so unpopular, and so unpopular, and so impossible to accomplish. He has not only accomplished the erection of the monument to the memory of Tom Quick, but has removed the stigma of assassin, which had for many years clung to that memory.”

Song contributed its part to enliven the celebration. The familiar and soul-stirring pieces, “America,” “Rally round the Flag, Boys,” and “The Star-spangled Banner,” were rendered with a power rarely equaled. Mrs. St. John did splendid service. She had secured the aid of a chorus, which fully sustained her in the difficult part she was called to perform.

At the raising of the flag reference was made to the forty-two stars, which were upon it, and to the criticism that their appearance there was rather premature. In answer, attention was called to the physical law of refraction, whereby the stars and heavenly bodies appear to view some time before they are actually above the horizon.

The flag was raised to its destined height by one of Milford’s most noted and respected citizens. This distinguished honor was assigned to Miss Fanny Dimmick, who, richly attired, proceeded to the discharge of her trust amid universal plaudits and congratulations. As the splendid flag rose in air, the wind spread out its ample folds, and its brilliant colors of red, white and blue excited the admiration of every beholder. As it ascended, it swung towards the west. And this was regarded as an interesting circumstance, because the wind had come from the direction of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill, and because

“Westward the course of empire takes its way.”

When the flag reached the summit of the pole, Miss Fanny saluted it with the words, “Long may it wave!” and there went up a shout such as had never been heard in Milford before.

Then followed the “Star-spangled Banner,” sung by Mrs. St. John. This raised the multitude to the highest pitch of enthusiasm. Those who heard that song and that voice will never forget them. But when this was concluded, the patriotic enthusiasm would not subside, and “Rally round the Flag, Boys,” followed, sung with a spirit that carried one back to the times when those words had a meaning which the rising generation can but little understand.

And now we leave the reader to the reports and speeches, which are in the remainder of the volume. Would that we could embellish the pages with photographs of the objects and scenes described. Photographs of the monument, and of the old Flemish Bible, and of its venerable and now departed owner have indeed been taken, and all these are full of the deepest interest.

The chief thing that was wanting in the celebration, and which would have given it completeness, was the presence of Governor Bross himself. His telegram and letter brought him very near, but these fell short of the sound of his familiar and eloquent voice, and of the magnetism which attends his person as he comes into contact with his fellow men. Noting but physical disability prevented his attendance. Should a kind Providence give to him renewed vigor, so that he may once more revisit the scenes of his childhood, he will meet with a welcome such as the past has never accorded him. The bell will speak from the steeple, and greetings springing from hearts glowing with friendship will meet him on ever hand, and the author of “The Legend of the Delaware” will find the legend giving way to living facts, and himself hero of the story.

The following bill gave public notice of the celebration:

TOM QUICK!

THE ERA OF FRONTIER SETTLEMENT!

The Monument to Tom Quick and his Father will be un-

veiled with appropriate exercises at Milford, Pike Co., PA., on

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1889,

AT TWO O’CLOCK P.M.

“THE STARTS AND STRIPES”

will be raised on the new

CENTENNIAL LIBERTY POLE

On Centre Square, on which occasion

GIFFORD PINCHOT, ESQ.,

Will deliver and address, Hon. W. H. Armstrong will read Drake’s celebrated poem on the American Flag, and the “star-spangled Banner” will be sung by Mrs. Geo. St. John, accompanied by a suitable chorus.

The exercises at the Monument will be opened by Rev. Dr. Mills, of Port Jervis, N.Y., President of the Minisink Valley Historical society. Short addresses may be expected from Hon. D. M. Van Auken, J. H. Van Etten and John A. Kipp, Esqs., of Milford, Judge Allerton and Amos Van Etten, Esq., of Port Jervis, Rev. Jos. Millett, of Montague, N.J., and Rev. A. S. Gardiner, who will in the name of

HON. WILLIAM BROSS,

the generous donor of the Monument, present the same to the Borough of Milford, through the Chief Burgess and Common Council who, with the Commissioners of the County, are expected to be present. The Odd Fellows, of Lodge No. 828, have been invited to attend.

The procession from Centre Square to the Monument will be led by the Col. John Nyce Post, G. A. R., and Rudolph’s Cornet Band. The Post will be under the command of Lieut. Alfred Dingman.

Letters may be expected to be read on the occasion from Hon. Wm. Bross and others.

A list of the contents of the iron box placed in the foundation of the monument will also be read.

The monument is cast from Passaic zinc, and is from the establishment of the Monumental Bronze Co., Bridgeport, Ct.

CITIZENS! This is a Historic occasion, which will not be repeated! Let us assemble and do honor to the Pioneers and First Settlers of this part of the valley of the Upper Delaware! Let us inaugurate the

SECOND CENTENNIAL OF THE REPUBLIC

By the erection of the lofty and substantial Liberty Pole in Milford, and the raising of the National Flag, with the thirteen stripes emblematic of the thirteen original States, and the forty two stars, the number of the States over which the Flag floats to-day!

ORDER OF EXERCISES AT THE CELEBRATION.

1. Music by band.

2. Prayer.

3. Music by band.

4. Reading of ode, “The American Flag,” by Hon. W.H. Armstrong.

5. Music by band.

6. Oration by Gifford Pinchot, Esq.

7. Music by band.

8. Rising of the flag, by Miss Fanny Dimmick.

9. “Star-spangled Banner,” sung by Mrs. Geo. St. John, of Port Jervis, accompanied by chorus and organ.

10. Music by band.

EXERCISES AT THE MONUMENT.

1. Music by band.

2. Reading of letter from Governor Bross.

3. Address, by Amos Van Etten, Esq.

4. Poem, by Dr. Geo. B. Wallis.

5. Short addresses by I. H. Van Etten, Esq., Hon. D. M. Van Auken, J. Kipp, Esq., Rev. Joseph Millett, Rev. Geo. Van Wyck, Judge Allerton and Rev. A. S. Gardiner.

6. Catalogue of contents of box at the base of the foundation of the monument.

7. Music by the band.

8. Dismissal of the assembly.

From “The Dispatch,” Milford, Pa., September 5, 1889

Shortly before the exercises began on Centre Square the following telegram was received and read from Governor Bross:

CHICAGO, ILL., August 28, 1:30 P.M.

To Rev. A. S. GARDINER, MILFORD, PA.:

Congratulate the people on their patriotic devotion to the history of their beautiful valley. WM. Bross.

In response to this the following telegram was sent:

MILFORD, PA., August 28, 2 P.M.

HON. WM. BROSS:

Congratulations from the Chief Burgess and Common Council of Milford, and from the immense audience now assembled.

A. S. GARDINER.

LETTER OF REGRET FROM REV. DR. S. W. MILLS.

PORT JERVIS, August 27, 1889.

REV. A. S. GARDINER:

Dear Brother,--- The probability is that I shall not be able to attend the gathering at Milford, to-morrow, as the funeral services of the late Mr. Cook, one of our most prominent business men, take place at the same hour. He was for many years one of my nearest neighbors and with whom I have been brought into frequent contact in various ways. I feel that I must honor his memory by attending his funeral. There will be enough others to honor the memory of Tom Quick without me, although I would greatly enjoy being present and listening to the addresses. I did not, however, expect any such position as that which you have assigned me, and if present, I should have no address to deliver. Therefore my absence will not be felt.

Trusting you may have an occasion of great interest, I remain Yours truly, S. W. MILLS.

From the “Tri-States Union,” Thursday, August 29, 1889.

IN MEMORIAM.

MILFORD’S GREAT DAY.

THE AFFAIR IN EVERY PARTICULAR A GRAND SUCCESS.

FULLY 1,500 PEOPLE PRESENT AT THE CENTER SQUARE EXER-

CISES AND AT THE UNVEILING OF THE MONUMENT ERRECTED

TO THE MEMORY OF THOMAS QUICK, SENIOR AND JUNIOR, ON

THE BANKS OF THE VAN DE MARK.---A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE

EXERCISES.

At 5 o’clock Wednesday morning the cannon on Foster’s hill announced to the good people of Milford that the day had arrived which hereafter would be memorable in the history of Pike county.

At an early hour the people came driving in from every direction, and by noontime the crowds in the streets of Milford outnumbered any previous gathering for may years past.

The faces of the people were a study; no one seemed to fully understand the exact purpose of the meeting, and every man was surprised at meeting his neighbor and laughingly inquired why he was there.

On Centre Square a novel platform for the speakers and singers had been prepared; it was a great lumber box wagon covered with boards, on which seats and an organ had been placed. The platform was edged with bunting tastily arranged, and presented a very handsome appearance.

As the hour for the beginning of the exercises drew near the people gathered at the square, and at 2 o’clock, when Rev. Mr. Gardiner, with a countenance shining with happiness, called the assembly to order, he was greeted by the cheers of a great multitude.

The exercises were opened with prayer by Rev. G. P. Van Wyck, of Washington, D. C., who served during the war as chaplain in the famous Tenth Legion, and who now is chaplain in the regular army.

Mr. Van Wyck was then chosen as chairman of the meeting, after which several patriotic airs were well rendered by the Rudolph Band, of Milford.

Rev. Mr. Gardiner then read a letter from Rev. S. W. Mills, D. D. of Port Jervis, President of the Minisink Valley Historical Society, expressing his great regret at being unable to attend. At that moment a telegram was handed Mr. Gardiner, which proved to be from Ex-Governor William Bross, of Chicago. The telegram was dated:

CHICAGO, August 28, 1:30 P.M.

I congratulate the people on their patriotic devotion to the history of their beautiful valley. WILLIAM BROSS.

The telegram was received with cheers, and the choir on the platform sang, with great spirit, the grand old hymn “America.”

The orator of the day, Gifford Pinchot, Esq., was then introduced but the spirit of the occasion had taken possession of the people, and it was some minutes before he could proceed, the cheers being so loud and prolonged.

This was the young man’s first appearance before the people of his native county and a great proportion of the assembly had, probably, never before seen his face, his whole life, so far, having been spent at school, in college and travel. His appearance, as he arose before the people, attracted instant attention. His modest demeanor, manly look and honest, clean-cut and intelligent face, pronounced him a man and, as such, the people received him.

The address, which will be found in full in another part of the issue, was a commemoration of the inauguration of our government and history of our flag.

Following the address Hon. W. H. Armstrong read Drake’s celebrated poem on the “American Flag,” and this was followed by the “star-spangled Banner” sung by Mrs. Geo. St. John, accompanied by a chorus of excellent singers and with Mrs. Mitchell, of Milford, presiding at the organ. Mrs. St. John was full of the spirit of the hour and her first notes trembled from patriotic emotion, but in a moment the tremor passed away and her strong, pure and sweet voice rang out over the multitude, giving them a rare pleasure and a desire for more, and at the conclusion the applause was so great and so continued that Mrs. St. John was obliged to gratify their wishes and responded with “Rally Round the Flag.” At the finish of the song the Stars and Stripes were flung to the breeze from the Centennial Liberty Pole, and the first part of the services of the day were ended.

A procession was then formed with the Rudolph band at the front followed by Col. John Nyce Post, G.A.R., commanded by Lieut. Alfred Dingman, next came prominent citizens, followed by the platform wagon with four horses attached, and this was followed by citizens in carriages. It made a handsome procession and was fully a half-mile in length.

The addresses on this occasion and the poems read were so many in number and of such length that it would be impossible to give a report of them. The speakers were: Rev. George P Van Wyck, Amos Van Etten, Jr., Esq., of Prot Jervis, Rev. A.S. Gardiner, Rev. Joseph Millett and J.M. Allerton, Esq.

Poems appropriate to the occasion were read by J. Hickson Van Etten and George Wallis, a member of the editorial staff of the N.Y. “Herald,” in the time of the elder Bennet.

At the conclusion of these exercises Rev. Mr. Gardiner read a letter from Governor Bross, giving reasons for the erection of the monument and expressing regret at his inability to be present. Mr. Gardiner then, in the name and behalf of Mrs. John T. Quick, a member of the Quick family, 92 years of age, and who had expected to be present and unveil the monument, delegated the authority to perform the ceremony to P. A. L. Quick, and J. Victor Quick, the most prominent members of the Quick family present.

The monument is 11 ½ feet high, of handsome design and is cast from Passaic zinc.

The inscriptions on the monument give a considerable history of the lives of Tom Quick and his father Thomas, to whose memory the monument is erected. The inscriptions also intimate the name of the donor, William Bross, and state that the work was done under the direction of Rev. A. S. Gardiner, pastor of the First Presbyterian church at Milford, Pa. It gives the age of Tom Quick, who was born in 1734 and died in 1796. Space will not permit us to give it in full, but those wishing a history of the Quick family and of Wm. Bross in brief should visit the monument when visiting Milford.

The few homes of Tom, found in the Rosetown cemetery, enclosed in a glass jar, are under the monument, together with an iron box containing copies of the newspapers of the nearby country and many other interesting documents too numerous to mention.

The location of the monument is on the right bank of the Van De Mark creek a few hundred feet from the bridge crossing that stream on the main street entering Milford from Port Jervis.

We wish to congratulate Rev. Mr. Gardiner on the grand success of the undertaking, which at first seemed so unpopular and so impossible to accomplish. He not only accomplished the erection of a monument to the memory of Tom Quick, but had removed the stigma of assassin that had for many years clung to that memory.

From “The Dispatch,” Milford, Pa., August 29, 1889.

THE DUAL CELEBRATION.

Yesterday was a patriotic occasion in Milford, a crowd estimated at from ten to twelve hundred pouring into town, not only from this county, but from Sussex, Orange and Wayne, to fittingly commemorate the second centennial of the Republic by planting a liberty pole, unfurling a handsome banner to the breeze and drawing inspiration from the event. And to further honor the memory of Tom Quick and his father, historic characters of border life, the son known as the “Indian Slayer” and the first white child born on the site of Milford----the father the pioneer Hollander who emigrated in 1733 to this, at the time, unbroken wilderness, infested with Indians, lived on friendly relations with them for years and at last fell a victim at their hands.

That it needs but a spark to fire the torch of patriotism was noticeable at the gathering on Centre Square in the afternoon when the ceremonies connected with the raising of the stars and stripes began. The audience, large, intelligent, appreciative, was in sympathy with the movement and when the handsome flag was run up to the apex and the national air sung, enthusiasm was manifest in every countenance. The Yankee nation is patriotic, and, as the young orator said, will ever “honor the flag in time of peace and defend it in time of war!”

The day resembled a Fourth of July celebration, business people and pleasure-seekers alike devoting the afternoon to enjoyment. At sunrise the people for miles around were awakened by the echoes of the old cannon which, planted on the highest point of Foster Hill, in plain sight of the village, and manned by three colored cannoneers from Port Jervis, ushered in the day. Throughout the exercises of the afternoon, and at sunset, too, salutes were fired and the people were called to assemble by the ringing of the Presbyterian Church bell, a gift also, of Hon. Wm. Bross, of Chicago.

Rev. A. S. Gardiner, in well chosen words, called the assembly to order on Centre Square at 2:30 o’clock, and after music by the Rudolph band, he read a letter from Rev. Dr. Mills, of Port Jervis, regretting that gentleman’s inability to appear. Rev. Geo. P. Van Wyck, of Washington, D. C., was chosen president of the day and, in prayer, invoked Divine blessings. A chorus of fifteen voices sang “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.” Hon. Wm. H. Armstrong read Drake’s noted poem on the American flag, and was followed by music by the band. A congratulatory telegram from Mr. Bross, the donor of the Tom Quick monument, was then read, when Gifford Pinchot, Esq., son of Mr. James W. Pinchot, of Gray Towers, was introduced. His address, short, perspicuous, and delivered in clear tones, was received with enthusiasm. The oration was a most commendable one and elicited general approbation.

After the conclusion of the address, Miss Fanny Dimmick hoisted the flag to its commanding position, and Mrs. Geo. St. John sang gloriously “ The Star Spangled Banner,” supported by the chorus of a dozen or more voices. “Rally Round the Flag” was sung by the audience and after remarks by Mr. Gardiner, the crowd wended its way to the Tom Quick monument, headed by the band and the Col. John Nyce Post, G. A. R., to continue the celebration.

AT THE MONUMENT.

Music by the band inaugurated the ceremonies at the monument. Rev. Mr. Gardiner exhibited a Flemish Bible brought from Holland over 140 years ago, and owned by the oldest representative of the Quick family, Mrs. John T. Quick, of Westfall Township, now 92 years of age. Mr. Gardiner also read a long, interesting letter from ex-Lieut. Governor Bross, through whose generosity the celebration was made possible. Addresses were delivered by Amos Van Etten, Esq., of Port Jervis; Rev. Joseph Millett, of Montague, and a poem entitled “The Lovely Rivers and Lakes of Maine,” was read with good effect by Geo. W. Wallis, Esq., of East Orange. Mrs. John T. Quick was expected to unveil the monument, but unable to be present on account of infirmities, the unveiling was performed in her behalf by Messrs. P. A. L. and J. V. Quick, descendants of the pioneer settler. The list of contents of the iron box placed under the monument was then read. It was long and included a glass jar containing the remains of Tom Quick, a Holy Bible, Hon.. Wm. Bross’ book entitled “Tom Quick; or the Legend of the Delaware,” stone from the Minisink battlefield, copies of the Port Jervis “Gazette” and “Union,” Milford “Dispatch.” Etc. The monument, of Passaic zinc, made to represent granite, is a very creditable piece of workmanship, eight feet high from the base, which rests upon a stone foundation four feet above ground.

The exercises closed with delivering into the custody of the Borough of Milford, through the Chief Burgess, A. D. Brown, Esq., the monument, and an address by Rev. Mr. Gardiner.

Cheers interspersed the meeting throughout. New Jersey was cheered for sending among its citizens the bright and witty Dominie Millett, of Montague, who has the knack of saying the right thing at the right time. New York was cheered because, beside the orators sent over to help along the celebration, Col. Pine and “Jim” Bennett were here, representing the editorial fraternity. And Gov. Bross was cheered for his generous gift.

Thus closed with enthusiasm throughout, a celebration rarely, if ever, equaled in size in Milford. And to the efforts of one man, principally, was the success due. Rev. A. S. Gardiner worked persistently and indefatigably, against public sentiment, it ma be said, to erect a monument to “Tom Quick, the Indian Slayer,” and he has succeeded. As a pioneer monument it possesses much interest independent of the diversity of public opinion whether the “Red Revenger” deserves to be immortalized in bronze, or zinc. An iron fence will soon enclose the monument.

From the “Prot Jervis Weekly Gazette, “Friday, August 30, 1889.

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE INAUGURATION OF OUR PRESENT CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT, AND A FINE ORATION BY GIFFORD PINCHOT, ESQ., AND THEN A GLORIFICATION OF TOME QUICK, THE RED REVENGER.

Wednesday, August 28, 1889, was a great day --- a gala day --- a red-letter day for Pike county’s proud capital and for the county itself, whose beauty and chivalry were very largely and very respectably represented, to witness or take part in the ceremonies incident to the raising of the American flag on the Centennial Liberty Pole to commemorate the organization of our Government under the Federal Constitution and, afterward, to the unveiling of the monument to commemorate Tom Quick, the alleged great Indian slyer and avenger of his persons were present. They came from the bush-clad hills of Pike, from old Sussex, from Sullivan and from Orange---for the Quick blood courses through the veins of many of the inhabitants of all these counties--- and they constituted a large and merry throng.

The beginning of the proceedings was proclaimed, not exactly by salvos of artillery, but by a single cannon, of good report, engineered by colored artillerymen from Prot Jervis---William Adams, captain, and Samuel Hasbrouck and Charles Brodhead, assistants; Jake Drivers acting as sort of general helper. This gun was fired thirty times or more during the ceremonies, punctuating the orations and waking the slumbering echoes of the valley and the hills.

About 1 o’clock P.M. the people began to gather about Frieh’s first-class Centre Square Hotel, but the indications at that hour were not highly encouraging. Yet at 2 o’clock Centre Square was crowded with people and vehicles, and soon the first and far most important business of the day was commenced.

Rev. G. P. Van Wyck, of Washington, D. C. (brother of our own Charley, the General, and late Senator from Nebraska), who married a Milford lady (Miss Burleigh), was chosen to preside, and he opened the proceedings wit a prayer. Then came singing by Mrs. St. John and others, accompanied by and organ. We should have said before that a large open wagon, decorated with flags, was used as a rostrum. On this the organ and a sufficient number of chairs were placed, and from it the speaking was done. Rev. A. S. Gardiner, of Milford, stated the object of the meeting. Hon. William H. Armstrong read Rodman Drake’s celebrated poem on our Flag, and then the orator of the occasion, Gifford Pinchot, Esq., was introduced. Mr. Pinchot made a most excellent and sensible address, which was the general theme of praise during the remainder of the day.

After the oration came the singing of the “Star-spangled Banner,” by Mrs. George St. John, of Port Jervis, who performed her part, as usual, in an excellent manner. Other patriotic songs followed, in the singing of which Mrs. St. John participated.

The ceremonies and proceedings attending this flag-raising were very interesting and were highly enjoyed by the large multitude present. They concluded about 3:30 o’clock, when the movable rostrum was hauled to Sarah street, (just over the stone bridge as we go into Milford from Port Jervis) and the crowd and many vehicles followed, to witness the unveiling of the Tom Quick monument. This monument is made of Passaic zinc, and was manufactured by the Monumental Bronze So., of Bridgeport, Conn. It rests upon a foundation of stone and cement three feet square and eight feet deep. Its height from the summit of the mound is eight feet, and from the general surface of the ground is eleven feet, six inches. On the east side of the shaft is placed a fragment of the original stone at eh grave of Tom Quick who died ninety-three years ago.

The monument stands in a street sixty feet wide, a street which is destined to be part of one of the leading pleasure drives of Milford.

From the monument can be seen a range of hills extending all around the village. Also in the distance the Shawangunk mountains in New Jersey. Near by is the Van de Mark, which comes from a distances among the hills towards the northwest, and flows southeastward until it empties at Milford eddy into the Delaware.

The inscriptions on the monument are as follows:

On the side looking east: Emblem on shaft, a wreath.

Inscription on die:

Tom Quick was the fist white child born within the limits of

The present Borough of Milford. This spot was his

Birth-place and home till the cruel

Death of his father by

The Indians,

1756.

On the base next to the die:

Tom Quick, the Indian Slayer;

The Avenger of the Delaware.

On side of monument looking south: Emblem on shaft, the following grouped together and united by a shield:

Tomahawk, canoe paddle, scalping knife, calumet, wampum.

Inscription on die:

Maddened by the death of his Father at the hands of the Sav-

ages, Tom Quick never abated his hostility to them

Till the day of his death, a period

Of over forty years.

On base next to the die:

Tome Quick died in 1796, at the house of James Rosecrantz, on

The banks of the Delaware, five miles northeast of his spot,

And was buried on the farm of his friend in what is

Now the Rose Cemetery, two miles south of

Matamoras. His remains were taken up

On the 110^th anniversary of the battle

And placed beneath this

Monument.

On north side: Emblem on shaft, plow. Inscription die:

Thomas Quick, Sr., Father of Tom Quick, his oldest child,

emigrated from Holland to America, and settled on this spot

in 1733. He was the first white settler in this part

of the upper Delaware, and his Log Cabin,

Saw Mill, and Grist Mill, built on this

Bank of the Van De Mark, were

The first structures ever

Erected by white men

In the settlement of this region.

On the base next the die:

After a peaceful residence here of twenty years, and of unbroken

friendship with the Indians, Thomas Quick, Sr., while cross-

ing the Delaware on the ice, carrying grist on his

shoulder, was shot and scalped by his supposed

friends, the Delawares, who were lying in

ambush along the bluff on the south

side of the mouth of the Van De

Mark, and half a mile east

Of his humble

Home.

On west side: Emblem on shaft, flag of the United States, on standard and partly furled. Inscription on die:

This monument was erected by a descendant of Thomas Quick,

Of the fourth generation; in youth a resident of Mil-

Ford, in age, one of the founders of the

“Chicago Tribune,” and from 1865

to 1869 Lieutenant Gov-

ernor of the State

of Illinois.

Inscription on base next to die:

Done under the direction of Rev. A. S. Gardiner, Pastor of

The First Presbyterian Church of Milford, 1889.

Rev. Mr. Gardiner fully explained everything necessary to give the audience a clear understanding of the character and construction of the monument and the purpose of its erection. Tom Quick’s father and William Bross ere glorified in the matter. Speeches were made by Amos Van Etten, Jr., Esq., of Port Jervis, J. Hixon Van Etten, Esq., of Milford, Rev. Joseph Millett, of Montague, and J. M. Allerton, Port Jervis. Mr. Georget W. Wallis, Emeritus editor of the New York “Herald,” recited a poem into which all the Indian names rhyme. Mr. Wallis read the poem very well and the people were highly pleased.

We have already devoted so much space to the monument that we shall not be able to give even synopses of the speeches made. Mr. Amos Van Etten glorified the departed hero and made some remarks that were understood to reflect unfavorably upon Mr. Britton A. Westbrook, the well known and usually accurate local historian of Sussex, and this fact may serve to draw from Brit, what he will term “The True Story of Tom Quick.” “Hix” Van Etten’s oration consisted in part of the poem in Gov. Bross’ “Life of Tom Quick,” recently published, devoted or dedicated, to Tom’s niece, whom he carried on his shoulder, the girl being ill, when threading the Pike county woods after having escaped from their Indian captors. * Our friend, Dominie Millett, made a rattling good address, of a semi-humorous sort, which was much applauded. The speaking at the monument was concluded by

*The poem was from the life of Tom Quick, complied by James Quinlan, of Monticello, N.Y., in 1852.

Judge Allerton, whose discourse was very interesting and instructive on the history of the Minisink and Delaware valleys and the doings of the Indians in the days that tried (white) men’s and women’s souls, and we regret that we are unable to do justice to it here.

Mr. Gardiner described in detail the articles deposited in a box under the monument; among which was a copy of the Port Jervis “Gazette,” containing the proceedings of the Minisink Valley Historical Society, at their meeting in July last. Then he made a formal transfer of the monument and the ground upon which it stands, to Chief Burgess A. D. Brown, of Milford.

The venerable Mrs. John T. Quick, aged 92, who was to have unveiled the monument, was unable to be present, and Mr. Gardiner appointed Peter A. L. Quick, of Dingmans Ferry, and Victor Quick, of Montague Township, N.J., to lift the veil. Mrs. Quick’s ancient Flemish Bible and her photograph were exhibited to the audience.

The large crowd dispersed much pleased with the day’s proceedings.

It is proper to say that the Rudolph band, of Milford, furnished the instrumental music and played very well considering the fact that this band is new organization.

When the ceremonies were ended the happiest man in Milford, perhaps, was the Rev. A. S. Gardiner, to whose perseverance and popularity the success of the day was due. The beaming serenity of the good Dominie’s Kindly countenance was very pleasant to look upon. Everybody seemed glad because Mr. Gardiner was glad—because his efforts had been crowned with such signal success.

From the “New York Times,” Thursday, August 29, 1889.

IN HONOR OF TOM QUICK.

Middletown, N.Y., August 28, 1889

The unveiling of the newly completed monument to the memory of Tom Quick, The Indian slayer, whom tradition credits with unrivaled strategy and success in fighting the savage foe, took place at Milford, Pa., to-day, in the presence of a large crowd composed mainly of the descendants of the early settlers of the historic Minisink region.

Among those who took prominent parts in the ceremonies and addresses were the Rev. S. W. Mills, D. D., of Port Jervis, N.Y., President of the Minisink Historical Society; Judge J. M Allerton, of the same place; Amos Van Etten, also of Port Jervis; the Rev. A. S. Gardiner and ex-Congressman D. M. Van Auken, of Milford; the Rev. Joseph Millette, of Montague, N.J.; and others of note. Col. Nyce Post, G. A. R., also took part in the ceremonies.

The monument is a first to the borough of Milford by ex-Lieut. Gov. William Bross, f Illinois, himself a native of the Delaware Valley, and of kin to the Quick father and son, whose memory it perpetuates. Mr. Bross was unable to be present at the ceremonies to-day and the memorial was formally presented in his behalf to the Chief Burgess and Common Council of Milford by the Rev. A. S. Gardiner.

The monument itself is in the form of a cubical base and shaft of New Jersey zinc, standing on a pedestal of granite capped with bluestone. Each face has an appropriate device and inscription. These inscriptions tell briefly the story of the deeds and events which the monument is designed to commemorate.

From the “New York World,” Friday, August 30, 1889

INDIAN –SLAYER QUICK’S MONUMENT.

MANY VISITORS WERE PRESENT AT ITS UNVEILING IN MILFORD, PA., YESTERDAY

PORT JERVIS N.Y., August29.

Milford, the pretty little capital of Pike county, Pa., and the summer home of many New York and Philadelphia people, had a re-letter day yesterday, when the whole surrounding country celebrated the unveiling of ex-Gov. Bross’ monument to Tom Quick. Quick, it will be remembered, occupies a prominent place in the history of this valley. Maddened by the death of his father at the hands of the savages, Tom Quick never abated his hostility to them till the day of his death, a period of over forth years. He died in 1796, and was buried in what is now the Rose Cemetery, two miles south of Matamoras. His remains were taken up on the on hundred and tenth anniversary of the battle of Minnisink, July 22 1889, and placed beneath his monument.

The monument is made of zinc. It rests upon a foundation of stone and cement three feet square and eight feet deep. Its height from the summit of the mound is eight feet and from the surface of the ground eleven feet six inches. On the east side of the shaft is placed a fragment of stone from the original grave of Tom Quick.

The village wore a holiday appearance, and, although having but seven hundred inhabitants all told, entertained two thousand people at its celebration. The oration of the day was delivered by Gifford Pinchot, late of Yale College, and son of Mr. and Mrs. James Pinchot, owners of the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City. Rev. G. P. Van Wyck, brother of Gen Chas. Van Wyck, late Senator from Nebraska, opened the proceedings with prayer.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:----We are met to commemorate, by the raising of the flag----the loved and honored standard of our country--- the true beginning of our national life. The adoption of the Constitution in 1789 was the first definite and tangible link in the chain of our history as an organized, powerful and honorable national unit. Before that all-important step had been taken, the separate states, weakly bound together at best by the Declaration of Independence, had been loosed again by the Articles of Confederation. In the words of Washington, the Government of the United States was “little more than a shadow without the substance.” Congress had become a despised and neglected body of scarcely more than twenty members, without power to raise public funds or to maintain either army or navy. It was totally incompetent to deal with the great questions, which a national government is called upon to encounter and decide. It could advise and exhort the states to conform to its decrees, but was altogether without means of enforcing them, except by and appeal to arms. Under such a government it was only natural that the different states should act individually without reference, and often in direct antagonism, to the formal directions or engagements of Congress. So great was the general disorder, that a proposal, which might easily have become an attempt, was made to make Washington king. The United States was on the verge of losing forever their character as a nation.

That such was the situation none saw more clearly than Alexander Hamilton, and it was chiefly due to him that the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia 102 years ago. It was a crisis not merely in the history of our country. It was no mere provincial struggle or colonial emergency, which called together the patriotic statesmen who met under the Presidency of Washington to consider their country’s needs. The stake was even greater than the fate of this vast continent. The fate of liberty throughout the world was hanging on the decision of that convention. Perhaps no body of men ever met whose action was so fraught with the weightiest consequences to humanity as that which came together in the City of Brotherly Love 102 years ago. It is certain that they cannot have realized the vast importance of their action. It is equally certain that they could have done no better if they had. Their task was briefly this: to set a pattern of government of the people, for the people, and by the people, to the world. They were to make ready the great model of liberty for all the world to imitate. Your presence here to-day is part of the great proof that they did it with a success which had perhaps never before fallen to the lot of human legislators. It is far beyond my power to trace the vastly complicated threads of influence which have sprung from the Constitution which they formed. France, then on the first billow of that irresistible revolutionary tide which was to change the political character of all Europe and to make possible the vast and beneficent changes of modern times, was powerfully influenced and guided by the American standard of government under a freedom which France herself had aided us to win. Wherever the victorious armies of France penetrated, and there was little territory on the continent of Europe which they did not overrun, they overthrew the feudal system, lifted the unequal and iniquitous burden of taxation which forbade the moral or material welfare of the masses, and left in their place a freer government, better immensely for the people than that which had been destroyed; and so everywhere in Europe, for a time at least, the marvelous genius of Napoleon and the vast military power of France were spreading the doctrine which our forefathers stated once and forever in the constitution. And thus for a century and throughout the world the United States has been a vast object lesson in liberty---so vast and so important that it has compelled the attention and imitation of other nations until it is scarcely within the power of man to say what the extent of our influence in the world has been.

Such is a part of the record of our country, our constitution, and our flag in the past. And in view of it we have a right to look forward to a future of even greater influence and usefulness. The freest government on earth, a territory such as no other nation does or ever ca possess, a population of sixty-five millions of the most vigorous, industrious, inventive and resourceful people the world has ever seen, and a history of unexampled progress and prosperity, may fairly justify a great hope for the future. As has already been said, it is part of the manifest destiny of the human race that the balance of power in every sphere of human action will always rest with the English-speaking nations. England and the states which are yet to be formed from her colonies will unquestionably in the future be bound to the English-speaking people of America in such wise that in all matters of policy they will form a practical unit, and in war a single and overwhelming force. The dominion of the earth is reserved for the English-speaking peoples, at once the most powerful, the most enlightened, and the most Christian nation of the earth. We may fairly assume that men will hereafter speak of us as their forefathers who will then hold sway over the whole world, as we do now over the best and fairest part of it. What their flag will be we cannot say; but if it not the same as that which hangs above us, it will surely be as honorable and as beautiful, and will boast a history as proud as that of the stars and stripes which we glory in to-day. And let me here congratulate the town of Milford, and the county which it represents, on the acquisition of a flag and a liberty pole which are in every way worthy of them. As the emblem of our citizenship, as the sign of our freedom, let us honor them, holding ourselves ready and eager to protect them in peace, to defend them in war.

You will recall that it was not until many years after these United States had been established that our flag took its present form. The first flag which bore the thirteen stripes, the forerunner, and it is more than likely the progenitor, of our national emblem, was displayed in Pennsylvania. Abram Markoe, captain of the Light Horse Troop of Philadelphia, presented to his command, during the summer of 1775, a flag bearing the thirteen stripes symbolical of the thirteen colonies which were then struggling for liberty. But the war of American Independence was not fought under that, or indeed under any single flag. Our first war vessels carried the old “pine-tree flag” with the motto “Appeal to Heaven.” Washington unfurled to the army at Cambridge a flag with thirteen stripes, red and white, but with the red and white cross of the British flag for its union. Some of our troops even carried the British flag itself, asserting that they were still a part of the British nation. But on the 12^th of June, 1777, Congress voted “that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes alternately red and white, and the union be thirteen white stars on the blue field,” The famous Paul Jones first raised this flag over an American man of war, the Ranger; and later the Bon Homme Richard fought under it when she took the Serapis. But after the admission of Vermont and Kentucky into the Union a change was made, and two stars and two stripes were added for the new states. Such was the flag which floated over Fort McHenry on September 13, 1814, and inspired the famous song which we are soon to have the great pleasure of hearing. But the flag was not yet definitely chosen. In 1816 a committee was appointed by Congress to consider changing it, and in 1818 President Monroe signed the bill which gave us the flag as it is now; except that as great states have been added to this great republic, they have been represented by added stars in the banner of the Union. Such as it is, then, except for these additions, of which so notable a one is represented in the flag before us, our country’s standard has been since April 13, 1818, when it first looked abroad from the summit of the Hall of Representatives at Washington.

There is one of the patriots of that early time, Samuel Reid, the designer of the flag, to whom fate has been not a little unkind, and I should like to tell you a part of his story as in illustration of the kind of men who had their share in the affairs of this republic during the early years of the century. Reid was a naval officer, and during the war of 1812 he commanded the privateer General Armstrong. In September, 1814, he was attacked in the harbor of Fayal by three English vessels of war, the flag-ship Plantagenet of seventy-four guns, the frigate Rota of forty-four, and the brig Carnation of eighteen. These vessels, then, carried together one hundred and thirty-six guns and over two thousand men, as against the seven guns and ninety men of the General Armstrong. Yet in a series of encounters, including a night attack in boats by about five hundred men, Reid repeatedly defeated this force, and finally scuttled his vessel and went ashore, taking with him his two dead and seven wounded, and left to the British the rather empty satisfaction of burning his little vessel, as a meager compensation for repeated defeat, and a loss of three hundred in killed and wounded. There is no record of a more gallant naval action than this, and we should be prouder of it as a nation than we are, and remember Captain Reid more gratefully, for his gallant defense delayed the British squadron and gave Jackson time to reach New Orleans, and thus saved us not only that city, but the control of the Mississippi. Two years later, Reid’s suggestion for the flag was accepted, an honor which he certainly had deserved by his services, even if he had not earned it by the merit of his design.

It is scarcely necessary to rehearse the growth of our flag in power and influence abroad and in dignity at home from the time it was first displaced in Washington. It has passed safely and honorably through every crisis. The Mexican war added peradventure, and for all time, that these United States are one and indivisible, and removed the blot and curse of slavery from our midst. But it did much more. It proved the American citizen-soldier the best in the world. It ranked American generalship with that of any nation on the earth. It demonstrated that the “nation of shopkeepers,” as we had been contemptuously called, was at once the most peaceful and the most formidable of nations. That assassination of President Lincoln produced no new outbreak; that the vast army of a million volunteers was disbanded quietly and returned peacefully home, are facts which shed more luster on our country and our flag than the greatest battles of the greatest modern war. Such things are only possible for a people self-governing both in theory and in fact.

There are many of us here to-day----I scarcely know whether I am glad or sorry that I am one of them---who do not know, except in a general and theoretic way, what a magnificent power or flag is, and how much it means. We have not been through the war, and we can only catch what little we may of the pride, and love, and reverence, and service of the men who shed their blood in defense of the honor of the flag and the integrity of the Union. Our love has never been strengthened by sacrifice. We have heard the story of the war, and we know in our own experience something of the blessing of its results, but unless---which may God forbid---there should be another call for men to defend the flag which has protected them, we can only hold ourselves in readiness to answer the call if ever it does come. But courage and marvelous fidelity to principle characterized the men who founded and established our nation, and chose for its banner the flag which floats above us. Service of that flag is by no means confined to times of war, and that citizen whose vote is honest, whose voice is always raised on the side of the right, and who is a true man, is doing a work for his country whose power and magnitude it is not possible to estimate. We are citizens of a nation which is the head and front of the great world-movement toward liberty. We are presiding at the birth of a future which concerns, not merely this vast continent, but the whole round earth. We are trustees of a coming world. But we are first of all, and before we form a part of this vast whole, citizens of Pike County, Pennsylvania, and it is here that we are to realize, if at all, the blessing of the great birth-right which has descended to us from the courage, and perseverance, and energy of our forefathers. It is for these qualities that we honor them to-day. Let us then have here a public sentiment guarded by the purity of private life. Let us feel, every man of us, not only that we have a share in the commonwealth, but that the commonwealth has a share in us; a right to our service, to our thought and action. Let us honor and emulate the public spirit which has raised this flag, and cherish it as the most precious of possessions. The great questions of the day are as vital here as anywhere. In honoring great principles, we honor the flag which represents them and the opportunity for patriotism is here as truly as it is in Washington. It is then not only right, but profoundly necessary that everyone of us be patriots, earnest, honest, manly lovers of our country and our country’s flag.

From the “Dispatch,” Milford, Pa., September 5, 1889

CELEBRATION ECHOES.

The following letter from Hon. William Bross was read at the unveiling of the Quick Monument at Milford, August 28,1889:

HOTEL RIVERVIEW, KANKAKEE, ILL.,

August 20, 1889.

Rev. A. S. Gardiner:

Dear Friend,---Your letter of August 18, giving in detail the arrangements proposed for the dedication of the monument to Tom Quick, was to me a matter of absorbing interest. Many pages would be required were I to give you my reasons for that interest. In my early boyhood I saw many of those who had known Tom Quick, and heard from him and from others the thrilling incidents of his life. They were thus made to me a living reality. His life and that of his father are identified with the very earliest settlement of the Delaware valley. Think of the nerve employed by Thomas Quick, Sr., in leaving his home in Holland to cross the ocean, penetrate the wilderness a hundred miles from the sea-coast, to settle on the west side of the Delaware among the savages, on what is now the beautiful town plot of Milford! I am very glad that an association of very intelligent gentlemen has been formed in the neighboring town of Port Jervis, to preserve these and other facts regarding the settlement of the Delaware Valley, for the instruction of those who are to come after us. They will never hear from their own ancestors, as I have, of the hairbreadth escapes of themselves and their children from the tomahawk of the savage. The change of this beautiful valley from a dense wilderness inhabited by savages, to the homes of comfort and intelligence since Tom Quick, Sr., lost his life on the bans of the Delaware, seems well high miraculous. Having heard the tales of its early settlement almost from the lips of early settlers, and having myself witnessed them for nearly three quarters of a century, these wonderful scenes seem to be passing before me as a living reality. I dare not trust myself to write further on them. You may be assured of my deep interest in your success. Please to assure the assembly of my best wishes for their continued happiness and prosperity. I give you in conclusion the following sentiment:

The first settler of Milford, who lost his life by treacherous savage: May her people in the future ever enjoy all the peace, happiness and prosperity which the highest Christian culture can secure, and which have been rendered possible to them only by the enterprise and sacrifices of the pioneers and early settlers of this and other portions of our country.

Wm. Bross.

LETTER FROM REV. G.P. VAN WYCK.

1601 N. H. Ave., WASHINGTON, OCOTBER 1, 1889

DEAR BRO. GARDINER:---When your last note was received I supposed I would be able to comply with our request, but the next morning I was attacked with dizziness or vertigo, so that I called in the physician, who has daily prescribed for me; and this morning he called in a brother M.D. to consult with him. The case seems to be somewhat obstinate. It will be entirely impossible for me to prepare the articles you ask for your book, which I very much regret. I have not been out of the house since Friday last. I reached home the evening before.

Mrs. V. and self unite in the sending kind regards to all.

As ever yours,

GEO. P. VAN WYCK.

___________

AT THE MONUMENT.

ADDRESS OF AMOS VAN ETTEN, ESQ., OF PORT JERVIS, N.Y.

MR. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:---I am somewhat embarrassed at being called upon to make the opening remarks on this occasion, as it was expressly stipulated that I was not to make a speech, but only a few general statements suggested by some investigations in the ancestry of myself, to fill in time not otherwise occupied by the orators, who are prepared with speeches and will follow me. So you must not expect much from me, not one of the orators, and with very little to say.

Tracing an ancestry through four generations of settlers and residents in your county, and both of my parents having been born almost within the confines of Milford and spent their early lives here, it is but natural that I should be interested in the early history of the county and in this occasion which may be properly called your “pioneer day.” As Rev. Mr. Gardiner, however, never does things by halves, he has combined in the same day a celebration with a flag raising, calculated to inspire patriotism and fresh zeal among your people in the future of this glorious country—and the dedication of this monument, commemorative of the past, its deeds of bravery, and the hardships and perils of the first settlers of this region, who transformed the wilderness into this fertile and beautiful valley.

This, too, amid invasions of hostile Indians with destruction and bloodshed. Just north of us, in this Delaware valley, and at Goshen, in this Minisink region, are monuments commemorative of the battle of Minisink, and in honor of the heroes who there fell; below us, just outside of the valley, a monument erected to those whose lives were sacrificed in the Wyoming massacre, both in remembrance of deeds of valor on the battle field in warfare with savages.

How appropriate that here, almost midway between the two places, should be erected this simple shaft, the only monument in the valley, as I believe, to the hardships, bravery, and honest toil of the early pioneers, in feeling the forests, cultivating the soil and making the homes we now enjoy. Though not on battlefields, their work was as important, and I may safely say, we owe as much to their efforts as to the heroes so deservedly remembered.

Tom Quick, with more than local fame as the Indian Slayer, in his daring deeds of vengeance, called forth by the cruel murder of his father, is here remembered. From childhood we have heard of his daring and strategy in waging warfare upon the savage, and though in this age of enlightenment there may be much to criticize, we must believe him to have been actuated by a hearty reverence for his parent, and a conviction of duty he owed his memory.

Someone, probably a local historian, hungry for fame, a short time ago, wrote to the committee having in charge the proposed world’s fair in 1892, that Christopher Columbus never discovered America, that he was a myth, and that he though it proper the fair should not be held upon any false basis, and that it should be understood.

Strange as it may seem, we who have lived in the country all our lives, with pioneer ancestors, should, at this late day, be apprised of the fact that our country was never discovered.

Tom Quick’s life and deeds, familiar to us from boyhood, have been the subject of much discussion among our people recently, and dramatized. These, and kindred investigations have, to some degree, contributed to the formation of our local historical society at Port Jervis, and incited the erection of this monument.

And now just as we are about to dedicate a monument to his memory, the gift of one who traces a relationship to him, some equally enterprising local historian, whose scalp has never been endangered at the hands of savages, and has probably not received the required amount f stirring up it should have had, informs us that Tom Quick never killed by one Indian, and that he shot him in the back while stupid from drink.

Well, some moral may be drawn even from this historical discovery in the interest of temperance, for the Indian, by this version, owed his death to drink, and our prohibition friends may point to the monument as a fearful warning against the evil.

Local historians, however, are to always reliable, and in their zeal sometimes discover too much, as notoriety may require.

Of one thing we are assured, these forests here were felled and this valley, as beautiful and fertile as any in the whole country, is transformed into such by some one. To the memory of them, this shaft may well stand in your midst.

I congratulate you, people of Milford and Pike county, upon this occasion long to be remembered, of one thing, at least, we may rest assured, that future historians will have no occasion to question the magnificent benevolence bestowed upon this community by a former resident, who has done so much to add to the progress and enterprise of this beautiful village---to which I may add the debt you owe Rev. Mr. Gardiner, the active agent, in adding to the progress and welfare of your borough. Such men are a blessing to any community, and furnish a striking example to your men of means, as to how they may add to the enterprise and resources of themselves and of the community in which they live.

LIST OF ARTICLES

INCLOSED IN THE GALVANIZED IRON BOX PLACED IN THE

FOUNDATION OF THE QUICK MONUMENT,

MILFORD, PA., AUGUST, 1889

Glass jar, containing part of the remains of Tom Quick, taken from his grave in the Rose Cemetery, July 17, 1889.
Holy Bible.
“Tom Quick; or, The Legend of the Delaware,” by Hon. William Bross.
“Tome Quick; or The Era of Frontier Settlement,” by Rev. A.S. Gardiner.
Stone brought from the battleground of Minisink.
Proceedings of Decoration Day, of Colonel Nyce Post, G.A. R., Milford, May 30, 1889
Historical Discourse by Rev. A.S. Gardiner, delivered at Candebec Park, N.Y., before the Minisink Valley Historical Society, on July 22, 1889, the one hundred and tenth anniversary of the battle of Minisink.
“Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper” for August 3, 1889, containing the Pilgrim Monument.
“The Port Jervis Evening Gazette,” July 26, 1889, and “Port Jervis Daily Union,” containing an account of the Historical Picnic at Candebee Park, N.Y., July 23, 1889.
“New Jersey Herald,” July 31, 1889.
“East Hampton Star,” N.Y.
“Sag Harbor Express,” N.Y. “New York Herald.” London, July 22, 1889, given by Dr. Bidlack.
“Evening Star” Washington, D.C., July 31, 1889, presented by U.S. Chaplain Rev. Geo. Van Wyck.
“New York Tribune,” August 7, 1889.
“New York Times,” July 8, 1889.
“Boston Evening Traveler,” August 2, 1889.
“Boston Weekly Advertiser.” August 2, 1889.
“National Temperance Advocate” for August, 1889.
Monumental Bronze Co.’s Catalogue, received from F.B. Stoddard, Monticello, N.Y.
Centennial Medallion of white metal, representing the inauguration of Washington as first President of the United States, April 30, 1789-1889.
A metal badge representing the boy Washington cutting the cherry tree, and bearing the words: “I cannot tell a lie; I cut it with my hatchet.”
Copy of Ordinance No. 21, passed by the Common Council of the Borough of Milford, Pa., setting apart to the purpose of erection a monument to Tom Quick a certain portion of Sarah street within the limits of said borough, August 5, 1889, and the birthplace of Tom Quick.
A paper containing the names of the Chief Burgess and Common Council of the Borough of Milford; names of the Commissioners of the County of Pike; names and number of merchants, lawyers, physicians, ministers; number and names of manufactories; number of population and an outline of the present character and prospects of the borough.

The iron box at base of foundation is six inches deep by nine inches long in size. It is enclosed in a box of chestnut, three feet square and six inches deep, and this in turn contains a considerable amount of earth taken from the grave of Tom Quick, at Rose Town, and is placed in a space prepared for it, having a flagstone beneath and one above, and flagstones on the sides, and all sealed with cement, so as to be impervious to moisture.

The contents of the glass jar above named are: Fragments of Tom Quick’s coffin, several wrought-iron nails, much rusted, the phalanx bone of the hand, the tibia of the leg, and a piece of the skull overhanging the socket of the eye.

The boxes are at the foundation of the monument, five feet below the surface, and will be surrounded with solidified cement and stone, constituting virtually a solid rock.

TOM QUICK’S MONUMENT.

ADDRESS OF REV. A.S. GARDINER AT ITS UNVEILING AT

MILFORD, PIKE CO., PA., AUGUST 28, 1889.

MR. PRESIDENT AND FELLOW CITIZENS:----It is a matter of congratulation that we are assembled in such goodly numbers on this occasion. I have just given you a catalogue of the articles contained in the iron box placed at the bas of the foundation of this monument. They are all such as will interest posterity, should this foundation at some distant period be explored. But that which will awaken deepest interest will be the glass jar which contains all the remained of the body of Tom Quick, after a burial of ninety-three years. In that jar will be found the phalanx of the hand, a part of the fibula of the leg and a section of the skull overhanging the socket of the eye. In addition to these, there will be found fragments of the coffin, and also large rusty wrought iron nails, all of which lay at a depth of six feet beneath the surface in what was originally the burial ground of the family of James Rosecrantz, the friend of Tom Quick, and now the cemetery of the heirs of the late Frederick Rose of Rose Town. The iron box will be found enclosed within a much larger box of chestnut wood, which in turn contains a considerable amount of earth thrown up from the place where the fragments of the coffin were discovered. The whole will be found in a chamber at the base of the foundation, with a flag-stone at the bottom and flag-stones at the top and sides, and all laid in cement and hence perfectly dry. Thus the action of the elements the noted dead received no embalmment at their first burial, at their second they secured a perpetuity which will rival that of time itself.

Of this man I propose to speak. I need hardly say that it is the magic of his singular history that has drawn together this multitude to-day. This surging crowd, surpassing in numbers and respectability, any hitherto ever assembled in Milford, are now bending their gaze upon the monument which has just been unveiled. And this platform is not large enough as you see to accommodate the great number of the leading citizens of the region, who would gladly by their appearance on it have borne emphatic testimony to the importance and interest of this occasion.

Tom Quick was an outgrowth of the period in which he lived. He was born on this spot one hundred and fifty-five years ago. He was the first white child born, as his father was the first settler, in this part of the upper Delaware. The log cabin in which he was born was the first structure built here by any European. It was built near a stream that facilities for grinding and sawing might be secured. And here Tom Quick grew up, surrounded by the natives of the soil. Their children mingled with those of the Quick family, and the Indians in general enjoyed at Quick’s cabin through a period of over twenty years a generous hospitality. Tom Quick grew up amongst them. With Indian boys he explored the woods on the neighboring hills and plied the oar upon the waters of the inviting Delaware. He learned of the Indians how to hunt the deer, to trap the beaver, to snare the partridge, to wield the bow, and to handle the rifle. The warmest friendship existed on every hand until the fatal day of the father’s death. Tom Quick at that time had reached his twenty-third year. He had acquired by his outdoor life a physical vigor, which was brought into full service in his subsequent years. It is said he was six feet high and well proportioned. The bones found in his grave do according to the judgment of a surgeon, who examined them, fully sustain this tradition. He had paid but little, if any, attention to books or study. While his brothers were endeavoring to gather something from instruction received at a neighboring school, Tom Quick was studying the secrets of the forest, and still more, the peculiarities, customs, and may I not add, the cunning, of the Indian Character and life. But in process of time, the scene changed. The frauds practiced upon the Delawares by the whites at Philadelphia, awakened in the Indians, toward all Europeans, whether friend or foe, the most bitter hostility.

The knowledge of this state of things reached the settlers on the upper Delaware, and led Thomas Quick and his family to leave their home and to seek safety, at least for a time, at the stone fort which stood not far away across the Delaware on the Jersey shore. Not suspecting that hostile Indians were in the neighborhood, Thomas Quick and his sons ventured across the river on the ice to grind a grist at their gristmill on the Van De Mark. Supplies were needed at the fort, and this was a ready way to procure them. Returning with a grist on his shoulder, Thomas Quick, as the inscription on this monument tells you, was shot and scalped by Indians whose nearness and especially whose hostility he did not suspect, for they were the very Indians who, as boys, had grown up in free intercourse with his own children, had sat at his table, and had cheerfully consented to his settlement in the region, and had never received anything but confidence and kindness at his hands.

This tragedy, which was designed to include every member of the Quick family, and which actually came near the death of Tom Quick, the son, as well as of his father, changed the whole current in the feelings of the son, and Tom Quick from that time forward, made it the chief object of his life to avenge his father’s death.

Upon the subsequent portion of his life, I do not propose to enter further than to consider briefly the character of the period in which nearly the whole of Tom Quick’s life was passed.

The fraud of “The Walking Purchase” was perpetrated in 1737, just three years after Tom Quick was born.

The irritation which this justly excited among the Indians, was widespread, and continued to increase as the years passed by. The Indians sought redress by persistent efforts, but in vain. After the lapse of nearly twenty years, their rage found vent in active hostility toward the whites everywhere through the Delaware valley, and especially in the Minisink region, the loss of which by fraud was the special ground of their complaint, and friend and foe, stranger and acquaintance, among the whites became the objects of their vengeance. The death of Thomas Quick, Sr., was one of the sad incidents of this excited and bloody period.

But this state of warfare of which the Quick family had so bitter experience, took in 1756, the year of Quick’s death, a still wider range. About that time Great Britain declared war against France, and the French and Indians alike became the deadly foes of the Colonists. During the seven years which followed was carried on what is known as the French and Indian War. And it was not till the victory of Wolfe at Quebec, and Amherst at Montreal, by which the Dominion of France, extending from Nova Scotia to Lake Superior, and down the Mississippi to Florida and Louisiana, and which had continued during a hundred and fifty years, was in the year 1763, brought to an end, that the colonists were set free from the sufferings, perils, and apprehensions, that the war had produced. During this period the French used every means to win the Indians to their side, both before and after the declaration of war between France and Great Britain. “Braddock’s terrible defeat on the Monongahela near Pittsburgh in 1755, proved the direct means of encouraging the disaffected Indians to make indiscriminate war upon the whites, and to pursue it with savage zest for several years.” What is now Pike County, became the scene of frightful atrocities. “The Delawares came from Wyoming and the north branch of the Susquehanna and stole stealthily down upon the small exposed settlements, precisely as beasts creep at night from the covering darkness of the jungles, in other lands, to satiate their appetite for blood. Blow after blow fell upon the defenseless people. Camp-fires gleamed through the forest from the Delaware to the Susquehana, and the lurid flames which devoured frontiersman’s homes, lighted up scenes of savage carnage which almost affrighted nature itself: but they died anyway in the solitude of the covered valleys and hills, and left only dumb evidences of devastation and murder, in the charred timbers of the cabins and mutilated human remains, which often lay until torn asunder by the beasts and carrion birds, and dissolved by the elements. Of the greater number of murders which occurred in this desultory but demoniac frontier war, no records have been preserved. Isolated cases of barbarity were lost sight of in the common consternation.” It was at this time, 1756, that Thomas Quick met his cruel fate. And it was in this same year that Benjamin Franklin, who had received from Governor Robert Hunter Morris of Pennsylvania, a commission to raise and command troops and to establish a line of forts from the Susquehanna to the Delaware, wrote a letter, dated January 12, to Capt. John Van Etten, of Upper Smithfield, the region now included in Pike county, and embracing the site of Milford itself, commissioning him to raise a company of men in order to the protection of “the outside of the settlements.” Directions are given in numerical order, and the sixth direction is, “You are to acquaint the men, that if in their ranging they meet with, or are at any time attacked by the Enemy, and kill any of them, Fort Dollars will be allowed and paid by the Government for each Scalp of an Indian Enemy so killed, the same produced with proper attestation,” This was in 1756. The outbreak of the Indians in 1763 led John Penn, a grandson of William Penn, John being Lieut. Governor of the province, to offer, in 1764, a large bounty for Indian scalps. The bounties announced by Penn were “For every male above the age of ten years, captured, $150; scalped, being killed, $134; for ever female Indian Enemy and every male under the age of ten years, captured, $130; for every female above the age of ten years scalped, being killed, $30.” But before this announcement went to the public, peace came and continued till the opening of the War of the Revolution. Gut with the return of peace there did not return the many who had meantime perished. It was in such a school as this that Tom Quick spent his early manhood, and his deeds of blood, whatever they may bane been as related to the Indians, found for him their warrant in the death of his father, in the orders of Franklin, in the proposed announcements of Penn and in the horrible atrocities committed in “peace time” by the merciless savages upon the defenseless settlers, regardless of age or sex; atrocities “far exceeding those related of the most abandoned pirates” and justifying almost any method of retaliation and resistance. The spirit of all with regard to the savages was the same. If Tom Quick took the scalps of any Indian, we have no record that he applied for the bounty, thus setting an example which perhaps some of his modern critics would, through a greed of which he knew nothing, be slow to imitate.

Tom Quick’s spirit and actions are to be judged by the period in which he lived. That he was loved by his neighbors, is a matter of history. That they looked upon him as their defender, is equally clear. He found a welcome in their homes. When arrested as he once was, by officers of the government, to answer to the charge of killing Indian, his neighbors rallied and affected a rescue.

There are living witnesses to this statement. One is Mrs. John T. Quick, of Milford Township. Another is the son of Aaron Friedenberg, who, in the last century, lived in the town of Montague, N.J. His son Thomas is living on a farm of Henry Wells, in Dingman Township, Pa. He says that his father was, both boy and man, with Tom Quick; was his frequent companion and life-long friend, and was present at his death and burial. That disparaging reflections upon Tom Quick aroused his children, was always that Tom Quick was a brave, generous, upright man, and the story of his killing and Indian squaw and two children in a boat, and other stories of kindred character, were both slanderous and groundless.

Indian warfare prevailed through many years of Tom Quick’s life. From 1755 to 1763, and from 1775 to 1783 there was war, first with Indians; then with Indians and French; then with the Indians. British and tories. And, although peace between the contending parties was declared at the periods named, yet there was not a prompt and complete subsidence of hostile feeling. The ocean, wrought into fury by the spirit of the storm, continues to roll and roar long after the winds have retired, and the sun reappeared in cloudless sky. We are not to forget the feelings of undying hatred which the ravages of war engender. We see it in our own times, and in our own land. And when Tom Quick is brought to the bar of public judgment, we are to put ourselves in his place, and then to judge. Who can say that he did not exhibit surprising forbearance towards the savage who had taken the scalp and life of his father? That merciless savage had been familiar with the cabin and hospitality of the elder Quick’s children, and yet, with rifle and scalping knife he slew him. Not only so. He rifled his aged and unarmed victim of the articles of value which were upon him, and then withdrew to his merciless companions. Tom Quick knew the murderer. It was Mushwink, with whom he, at his father’s cabin door, had played in childhood, and with whom in friendship he had treaded the forest and slept beneath the stars. But the son of the dead father, a father whom that the son loved with a passionate affection, did not, immediately upon the murderer, avenge his death. Many years passed by before the fatal shot was fired. And it was not until the guilty and insulting Indian met with a refusal from Tom Quick to drink with him, that his final hour arrived. To express his anger, and to aggravate his former friend, the Indian drew from his pocket the silver sleeve buttons and the shoe buckles which Tom Quick’s father had on when he was shot, and showed them as the trophies of that bloody hour; and then with grimaces and writhings, such as only an Indian of that day could make, he shoed Tom Quick how his father looked and writhed, and groaned, under the keen edge of the scalping knife wielded by the hand of the very Indian, whom he had often welcomed to his cabin, whom he had never injured, and who now, with matchless malignity, was torturing his son with the recital of the crime. Tom Quick seized a loaded rifle hanging on the wall of the inn, and told Mushwink to march. The Indian, cowering under the glace of the Avenger, obeyed. A short walk, and Tom Quick shouted, “You will never kill another white man!” The words were followed with the crack of the rifle, and the faithless Indian, springing high in the air, fell dead upon the spot. I put it to you, my hearers, is there a jury in this country, is there a jury anywhere that would convict Tom Quick of the crime of murder? Is there a jury in this country, is there a jury anywhere, but that would say, had Tom Quick done less, he would have been ingrate and a coward?

The death of Mushwink, though long delayed, was a signal retribution. It falls into line with the experience of Adoni Bezek, the Canaanitish king, whose thumbs and great toes were cut off by his conquerors. “For he said, three score and ten kings having their thumbs and great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table---as I have done, so God hath requited me.” And the same is illustrated in the case of Agag, king of the Amalekites, whom Samuel hewed to pieces before the Lord, saying, “As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women.”

But one man has said on our streets t0-day, “Better set up a monument to Tom Paine, than to Tom Quick.” But why make the comparison? Barring Tom Paine’s infidelity and his abuse of Washington, he deserves a monument. His “common Sense” and “Rights of Man” dealt heavy blows against the British power, and in behalf of freedom. And could we regard him in this light alone, I would give my contribution for a monument to his memory. Others say that monuments might as worthily rise to the memory of other pioneers in the valley of the Upper Delaware. Be it so. I should, for my own part, be glad to see monuments rising here and there through this valley, bearing the names of enterprising men of an early day. The Wellses, the Biddises, the Broadheads, the Cuddebacks, the Bohannons, the Brinks, the Rosecrantzes, the Van Aukens, the Westbrooks, the Weatfalls, the Newmans, and the way is quite clear for their posterity to do what on of the descendants of Thomas Quick, Sr., is doing for him and his son to-day.

I have but little more to add upon this branch of my subject. It has been alleged that Tom Quick was a wholesale destroyer of the Indians by means foul or fair, and that he deserves the title of “Red Revenger.” On the other hand, in order to convict him of cowardice, it is said, that he never killed but one Indian, and that as an offset to his murdered father, he cannot be justly hounded as a blood-thirsty cannibal, a “Red Revenger,” a Guiteau or a Wilkes Booth. If he killed many Indians, it shows him to have been their match in courage and skill and cunning, able to take care of his own life which they were continually seeking to destroy, and fearless as a defender of his friends, when the war-whoop resounded among scattered and defenseless homes, and the blaze of burning dwellings illumined the midnight sky. The stories of the battle of Minisink, and the massacres at Cherry Valley and Wyoming, as well as the death of his father, give us the secret of the life of Tom Quick, the “Avenger of the Delaware.” And had you and I been subjected to the same experience and especially the same provocation, and had we possessed the strength and courage and skill which distinguished him, it is highly probable that we should have adopted the course which he pursued as the one best fitted to serve the cause of the early settlers, and to secure speedy peace and ultimate prosperity to the valley of the upper Delaware.

The exercises of this occasion, fellow citizens, would be quite incomplete, did I not call to your attention the distinguished man whose munificence had rendered this delightful and now historic gathering possible. The telegram received from him this afternoon, dated at Chicago, long the place of his residence, had told you how deep an interest he has in the transactions of this hour. And the letter from him just read, almost under the shadow of this monument, but amplifies the sentiments contained in that telegram. The Hon, William Bross, of whom I speak, is well known to many of you. He was born in this region, in Montague township, Sussex county, N.J., on the western slope of the Sussex mountains; and east bank of the Delaware. IN company with Judge Cole, Governor Bross’ companion in childhood, and at school, I recently visited, under his guidance, the birth-place and scenes of his friend’s earliest years; it was a place truly picturesque, and yet noticeable for the rocks and stones everywhere to be seen. The woods stood dense around us, and through them flowed the stream which had been a source of profit and enjoyment to Moses Bross in the rearing of his numerous family. The site of the old school-house was not far away, and the spring, cool and clear, from which the school children in those days, drank refreshment and health, still reflected the brightness of the summer’s sky in its silent, motionless depths. In 1822 Moses Bross moved to Milford and here his son William, then nine years old, passed his early years. His history, you know. But it will bear repeating. Industrious in boyhood, he was ready to take up any honorable work. He was employed to carry the village weekly paper to its subscribers. When his father lived upon the banks of the Delaware, at the mouth of the Van De Mark, now flowing before us, the son carried supplies to the rafts-men, and thus contributed his part toward the maintenance of the home. Under the inspiration of his parents, whose praise is frequently on his lips, he availed himself of every means of knowledge, and pressed on amid obstacles in its pursuit. At the age of twenty, he left Milford, all his worldly goods wrapped in a bandanna handkerchief, slung on a stick over his shoulder, in his pocket one single dollar, the gift of a now venerable woman, Mrs. Judge Eldred, still living in Milford, at the advanced age of ninety-two, a suit of clothes which he had obtained on credit, and for which he afterward paid, and upon his head and heart the benedictions of pious parents, he crossed the Delaware to Montague, and thence across the Sussex mountains on foot to Libertyville, that he might there continue, under Re. Edward Allen, the course of study, which he had pursued under that divine when Mr. Allen was pastor of the Presbyterian church in Milford. Here, working for Mr. Allen in summer, that he might have instruction in winter, young Bross pushed on, until he entered Williams College in Massachusetts. A course of study during four years, set him free to go out into the world, and plan and act for himself. You know his history. The great west drew him thither. His habits of life led him first to act the part of a teacher, and then of an editor, until at last the Chicago “Tribune” was established, a journal which leading papers of New York and London. Of this great paper he was one of the founder; he is at present one of its principal owners, and of the Tribune Association, he is the president.

The honors conferred upon him by his fellow citizens, have been numerous and great. In 1865-69, he was lieutenant governor of Illinois, and he had the distinction of being the first state official to give the endorsement of the state to the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

His travels in his own and foreign lands, have been extensive, and thus wide contact with men and society has imparted to him a breadth of view that has led to a noble private and public generosity.

During the present summer he has given to Lake Forest University, of whose trustees he is president, the munificent sum of fifty thousands dollars for the founding of the professorship of biblical literature, and in addition to this the sum of fifteen thousand dollars for the building of a residence to be occupied by the professor in that department. It is an interesting fact to state that the present occupant of that professorship is Rev. Moses Bross Thomas, a son of one of the sisters of Governor Bross, and a descendant of the fifth generation from Thomas Quick, Sr., in whose honor in part, this monument has been erected. Prof. Thomas is named for his two grandfathers, Judge Moses Thomas, a leading Baptist of Demascus, Pa., and Deacon Moses Bross, of Milford, Pa.

It is, and must be to all ingenuous minds, a matter of congratulation that the planting of this once unbroken wilderness should be followed by such results. But might they not have been expected? The pioneers of this valley were men of God. You may see before you the symbol of their piety and the secret of their success. I hold it up that you may see it. It is an old Flemish Bible. It was brought to this country and into this region about 1741, the year of its date, by Daniel Van Gorden, the great-grandfather of that venerable woman, Mrs. John Tyson Quick, the present owner of the Bible, now in her ninety-second year. We had hoped that she would be here to-day to unveil this monument. In her absence, I have shown you her picture, taken at ninety. She was baptized by Dominie Van Schoten and sat in childhood under the preaching of Rev. Mr. Elting, in Montague, and joined the Presbyterian church in Milford under Rev. Mr. Greer, more than sixty years ago. She presents a type of the early settlers of the valley of the Upper Delaware. This Bible is hers. It has been handed down from generation to generation, until now none but Mrs. Quick herself can read or understand the language in which it is written. It is venerable relic of past age. The influence of that age is with us to-day. That influence led young Bross to strike for liberal learning, and the same influence has led him to do liberal things in the interests of education and religion. The clock and bell which have sounded out from yonder steeple to-day, were gifts from him.* This monument speaks to us all of the deep interest he feels in the memory and deeds of an honored and honorable ancestry. The telegram and letter we have read to-day, show how interested he is in the proceedings of this now historic occasion. And that while debility of body keeps him from us, sympathy and cooperation bring him near, and make him one with us. The hearty cheers, which, in response to the suggestion of our honored president, an old friend of Governor Bross, you gave at the reading of his letter, will give joy to his heart. The history of his life shows what is possible under our free institutions, and will be inspiration to the youth of America through coming generations.

Fellow citizens, the hours are rapidly flying. We regret their departure. It is good to be here. It was good to be yonder. In the distance we can see the flag of our country waving in the breeze. We have had our thoughts directed in eloquent words to the origin and to the significance of that flag. We have inaugurated to-day, for this community and region, the second centenary of the republic. We have gone back t the sources of our history. The distant years of pioneer enterprise, and the present have met. Ancestors and posterity have to-day clasped hands. The west greets the east, and the east, the wet. Poetry and oratory and music have combined to render this occasion illustrious. Representatives of different portions of our own and adjoining states are here to swell the numbers, and to share in the duties and pleasures of the hour. Welcome! Welcome! And when another centenary rolls around, may others, our children and our children’s children, gather to this spot to recount the daring, the privations, the piety of their ancestors; and may the “gorgeous ensign of the republic still full high advanced,” continue to be in its stripes the symbol of the Old Thirteen, and in its field of blue display increasing brightness, till it shall outnumber and outshine the Northern Bear, and the Southern Cross, and with a hundred stars salute the world.

THE CHIEF SINGER

AND THE CHORUS, AT THE CELEBRATION.

Mrs. George St. John,

Assisted by

Mrs. Hannah Williamson,

Mrs. Joseph Bensall,

Miss Lizzie Bull,

Mrs. Geo. Mitchell,

*The clock and the bell were presented to the Presbyterian Church as memorials to his mother and father, who were among the first members of the church, his father being one of the first elders.

Mrs. Ring, of N.Y.,

Mrs. Butler,

John C. Wallace,

Jas. Bull.

Organ loaned by Mr. Geo. Dauman.

PERSONS ON THE PLATFORM,

OR WHO WERE INVITED AND WOULD HAVE OCCUPIED IT HAD

THERE BEEN ROOM FOR THEM.

Rev. Geo. Van Wyck,

Hon. W. H. Armstrong,

Gifford Pinchot,

Miss Fanny Dimmick,

Henry Gamage,

David M. Slossen,

Rosencrantz Bull,

Sovereign Vannoy,

Jacob Westbrook,

James Hutchinson,

Col. C. N. Pine,

M. D. Mott,

Dr. Bidlack,

Geo. Dauman,

P. A. L. Quick,

Victor Quick,

Rev. A. S. Gardiner,

Mrs. George St. John,

The Choir, and others.

From “The Dispatch,” Milford, Pa., September 5, 1889.

The inscriptions on the Tom Quick monument were made under the direction of Hon. Wm. Bross, of Chicago, and that gentleman particularly requested that Rev. A. S. Gardiner’s name should appear thereon. This notice is given to silence any criticism that may be made regarding the prominence given to the name of the reverend gentleman. But Mr. Gardiner is one of the chief pioneers of enterprise in Milford, and deserves to be immortalized on the pioneer monument, independent of his zeal in behalf of the memory of the “Indian Slayer.”

From the “Port Jervis Weekly Gazette,” Friday, September 20, 1889.

We are indebted to Rev. A. S. Gardiner, of Milford, Pa., for a photograph of Mrs. John T. Quick’s Flemish Bible, printed in 1741, and also for a photographic picture of the monument to Tom Quick recently unveiled at Milford. The Photographs are excellent. The Bible is open at the title page of the “Apocrypha.” The Quick family record being on the opposite page, all of which we could read, if we understood Dutch, so well has Mr. J. S. Myer, the Milford Photographer, done his work.

From “The Dispatch,” Milford, Pa., August 29, 1889.

The Liberty Pole was planted on Thursday of last week to be in readiness for the ceremonies of yesterday. It is in three pieces, towers eighty-four feet above ground, and is crowned with a suitable “liberty cap,” the handiwork of H. L. Canne. Nathan Fuller prepared the pole, and with the assistance of Thomas Armstrong, the New York contractor, it was placed in position. It is a handsome ornament to Centre Square.

From “The Dispatch,” Milford, Pa., September 27, 1889.

THE LATE MRS. JOHN T. QUICK.

The funeral of Mrs. John Tyson Quick, who died on the 10^th, took place at the Presbyterian Church, Milford, on Friday, 13^th inst. The day of her burial marked exactly ninety-one years and six months from the day of her birth. She had lived on the John T. Quick farm, on the way from Milford to Port Jervis, for seventy years. For sixty years she was a member of the Milford Presbyterian Church. She was born in Montague, N.J. Her father’s name was Levi Middaugh. Her grandfather on her mother’s side, Daniel Van Gorden. IN childhood she lived with her grandfather Van Gorden, and from him she heard many interesting incidents respecting colonial and revolutionary times. Her memory was retentive, and her intellect clear to the last. Her general health was uniformly good until within a few months of her death. Her age ran back to 1798; her grandfather Van Gorden’s to 1730. He came with his father in 1742 from Holland to America. His father, Daniel Van Gorden, Sr., was born about 1710, eight years after the death of William III., Prince of Orange and King of England.

The father and son were a part of the early emigration from Holland which settled in the region of the Minisink. This region, in the widest limits, extended from Kingston to the Water Gap, and from the Water Gap to Cochecton.

The funeral was attended by many of our oldest citizens. The address was made by the pastor of the church, and the prayer was offered by Rev. Jos. Millett, of Montague. Mrs. Quick was buried beside her husband in the upper cemetery. G.

From the “Wilkes-Barre Record.”

A MONUMENT TO TOM QUICK.

The “Record” has been shown a large poster issued from the “Dispatch” office, Milford, Pike county, which reads as follows: “Tom Quick, or the era of frontier settlement. The monument to Tom Quick and his father will be unveiled with appropriate ceremonies at Milford, Pike County, Pa., on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 28, 1889. The centennial liberty pole and national flag will be raised on Centre Square, where Gifford Pinchot, Esq., will deliver on address, Hon. W. H. Armstrong will read Drake’s noted poem, and Mrs. George St. John will sing ‘The Star-spangled Banner.’ Col. J. Nyce Post G. A. R. and the Rudolph Band will lead the procession to the monument, where the exercises will be opened by Rev. Dr. Mills, of Port Jervis, president of the Minisink Valley Historical Society, and addresses will be delivered by Judge Allerton and Amos Van Etten, Esq., Rev. Joseph Millett, J. H. Van Etten, Esq., Hon. John D. Van Auken, Rev. A. S. Gardiner, and a letter will be read from Hon. William Bross, of Chicago, who gives the monument.”

Hon. Wm. Bross, above mentioned, is ex-Lieut. Governor of Illinois, and now president of the Chicago Tribune Company. Mr. Bross, as a boy, served his first apprenticeship in a printing office at Milford under our former townsman, Hon. Benjamin Alden Bidlack, who died at his post of duty as U.S. Minister at Bogota, many years ago. He lived in the house on North Main Street, in this city, now the property of G.B. Nicholson’s heirs. Governor Bross is a descendant from the Quicks, whose monument is to be unveiled on the 28^th. The governor has always maintained a deep interest in the early history of this northeastern portion of Pennsylvania, and was a prominent visitor at Wyoming’s 100^th year memorial services, July 3, 1878.

Copy from the Original

CERTIFICATES AS TO THE LOCALITY OF TOM QUICK’S GRAVE.

FROM WM. H. ROSE AND JACOB P. DEWITT.

I hereby certify that the grave where Tom Quick was buried is in the Rose Cemetery, Rose Town Pa. It is well known to me as the grave of Tom Quick from information received from my grandfather, Fredk. A. Rose, and from my father, Benjamin Rose, and others. It was from this grave that such of the remains of Tom Quick as could be found, were dug up and removed under the direction of Rev. A. S. Gardiner, July, 1889, that they might be placed beneath the monument recently erected to Tom Quick’s memory in the Borough of Milford, Pa.

(Signed) William H. Rose.

ROSE TOWN, PA., SEPT. 26, 1889.

I hereby certify that I received the information in the foregoing certificate given by Wm. H. rose relating to the brave of Tom Quick, from my father Lodowick De Witt, and from James Rosecratz, Garrett Van Auken, all of Pennsylvania, Aaron Friedenberg and Everett Van Auken, both of New Jersey, all of whom were present at the burial of Tom Quick, and with whom I went when a little boy, to visit, as they said, Tom Quick’s grave. It was the grave from which the remains of Tom Quick have been recently removed (that is, what of them could be found) that they might be placed under the monument erected to the memory of Tom Quick at Milford, Pa.

(Signed) Jacob P. DeWitt.

MATAMORAS, Sept. 26, 1889.

THE LOVELY RIVERS AND LAKES OF MAINE.

BY DR. GEORGE B. WALLIS.

Oh! The lovely rivers and lakes of Maine!

I am charmed with their names, as my song will explain

Aboriginal muses inspire my strain,

While I sing the bright rivers and lakes of Maine ----

From Cupsuptac to Cheputmaticook;

From Sagadahock to Pohenegamook,----

----‘gamook, ‘gamook,----

Pohenegamook,

From Sagadahock to Pohenegamook.

For light serenading the “blue Moselle,”

“Bonnie Doon” and “Sweet Avon” will do very well;

But the rivers of Maine, in their wild solitudes,

Bring a thunderous sound from the depth of the woods,----

The Aristook and the Chimmenticook;

The chimpasaock and Chinquassabamtook,----

----‘bamtook, ‘bamtook.

The Chinquassabamtook,

The chimpasaock and Chinquassabamtook.

Behold! How they sparkle and flash in the sun,

The Mattewamkeag and the Mussungun,

The kingly Penobscot and wild Woolastook,

Kennebec, Kennebago and Sebasticook,

The pretty Presumpscut and gay Tulanbic,

The Essaquilsagook and the little Schoodic,---

Schoodic, Schoodic,

The little Schoodic,----

The Essaquilsagook and the little Schoodic!

Away down South, the Cherokee

Has named his river the Tennessee,

The Chattahoochee and the Ocmulgee,

The Congaree and the Ohoopee;

But what are they, or the Frenchy Detroit,

To the Passadumkeag or the Wassatoquoit?----

----‘toquoit, ‘toquoit,

The Wassatoquoit,----

The Pasadumkeag or the Wassatoquoit?

Yes, yes, I prefer the bright rivers of Maine,

To the Rhine, or the Rhone, or the Soane, or the Seine.

These may do for the cockney, but give me some nook,

On the Ammonoosuc, or the Wytopadlook;

On the wild and winding Piscataquis,

Or the Umsaskis or the Ripogenis,----

----‘genis, ‘genis,

The Ripogenis,----

The Umasaskis or the Ripogenis.

Then turn to the beautiful lakes of Maine.

To the sage of Auburn * be given this strain,

The statesman whose genial and bright fancy makes

The earth’s highest glories to shine in its lakes.

What lakes, out of Maine, can we place in the book

With Matagomon or the Pangokomook?

----‘omook, ‘omook,

The Pangokomook,----

The Matagomon or the Pangokomook.

Lake Leman, or Como, what care I for them,

When Maine has the Moosehead and Pongokwahem?

And sweet as the dews in the violet’s kiss,

The Wallagosquegamook and the Telasamis;

And when I can share in the fisherman’s bunk,

On the Moosetuckmaguntic or Molitunkamunk,----

----‘amunk, ‘amunk,----

The Molitunkamunk,----

The Moosetuckmaguntic or Molitunkamunk.

And Maine has the Eagle lakes, Cheeappawgan;

And the little Sepic, and the little Seapan;

The spreading Sebago, the Cangomgomoc;

The Milikonet and Montesenioc;

Caribou and the fair Apmonjenegamook,

Oquassac and rare Weetokenebacook,

----‘acook, ‘acook,

Weetokenebacook,----

Oquassac and rare Weetokenebacook.

And there are the Pokeshine, and Patquongomis,

And there is the pretty Coscomogonosis;

Romantic Umbagog and Pemadumook,----

The Pemadumook and the old Chesuncook;

Seposis and Moosetuck; and take care not to miss

The Umbazookscus and the Sysladobsis;----

----‘dobsis, ‘dobsis,----

The sysladobsis,----

The Umbazookscus and the Sysladobsis.

Oh! Give me the rivers and lakes of Maine,

In her mountains, or forests, or fields of grain;

In the depth of the shade, or the blaze of the sun,

The lakes of Schoodic and the Basconegun;

And the dear Waubasoos, and the clear Aquessuc;

And the Cosbosecontic and Millenikikuk,----

----‘kikuk, ‘kikuk,

The Millenikikuk,----

The Cosbosecontic and Millenikikuk!

*Dedicated to Hon. W. H. Seward, of Auburn, N.Y., after his retrun home from his trip around the world, 1871.

PIONEER ENTERPRISE

A MONUMENT

“THE AVENGER OF THE DELAWARE,”