Woodside, the North End of Newark, N.J.: Its History, Legends and Ghost Stories Gathered from the Records and the Older Inhabitants Now LivingHine, C. G. (Charles Gilbert)
History
Woodside, the North End of Newark, N.J.: Its History, Legends and Ghost Stories Gathered from the Records and the Older Inhabitants Now Living
Hine, C. G. (Charles Gilbert)
Hine, C. C. (Charles Cole), 1825-1897; Woodside (Newark, N.J.) -- History
Beyond the Johns house stood the dwelling of William T.
Wauters—Wauterse, as his Dutch forefathers spelled it. The house is
shown on the map of 1849, but could not have been erected a great while
before that date.
POLLY VAN WINKLE AGAIN.
It seems that Polly Van Winkle, mentioned in connection with the River
road, was an inhabitant of Bloomfield and used Murphy’s lane as one of
her routes to and from the water side. She left the same general memory
here that she did elsewhere—a little, old woman, bent nearly double with
years and the weight of an enormous pack, which was her constant
companion.
MURPHYTOWN.
Not much has been learned of the Murphys, who appear to have been
brought over to work in the calico mills, and who settled so thickly
about midway of the lane that the spot became known as “Murphytown”.
[Illustration: A Bit Of Murphy’s Lane. As it was twenty years ago.]
THE GYPSIES DO BUSINESS.
Some time before the Civil War a small band of gypsies, headed by one
James Trail, who had been in the habit of camping in the woods on the
south side of the lane, purchased some of the Murphy property for the
purpose of establishing a winter home. In those days this was an out of
the way spot and quite suitable for the nomads.
During the warm months these gypsies wandered over the country and at
one time, while in Tennesee, they came upon a gullible person named
Ferris. Him they induced to bury a pot of gold, or at least to allow
them to bury it, at an auspicious moment when the moon and stars favored
increase, on the theory that if left a certain length of time, long
enough to allow them to get well out of the country, it would multiply
the dollars to a marvellous extent.
At the proper time Mr. Ferris dug up the pot and found it heavily laden
with—lead, and was sorely vexed. So far the plans of the gypsies had
worked as they wished, but what they had not counted on was the
persistence of their victim, who managed to trail them to their winter
lair. He then sought out ’Squire Sandford of Belleville, and offered him
a reward if he would capture the thieves and get the money back, which
the ’Squire did in short order.
All who knew ’Squire Sandford in his active days know how useless it was
to attempt to bluff him, and it is hardly necessary to state that the
gypsies promptly came to terms. This resulted in their giving up the
property on Murphy’s lane in order to avoid further trouble, and the
’Squire received half of the land in lieu of a money reward.
THE BENNETT PROPERTY.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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