Name/Title
Article on Claudius Smith in Goshen Square Jan 22, 1799Entry/Object ID
000395Tags
Claudius SmithScope and Content
ORANGE COUNTY HISTORIAN
1841 COURT HOUSE
101 MAIN STREET
GOSHEN, NY 10924
(845) 291-2388
Wednesday, January 17, 1979 INDEPENDENT REPUBLICAN SPECIAL HISTORICAL SUPPLEMENT
CLAUDIUS SMITH
CLAUDIUS SMITH would be the name recorded in the musty, age-yellowed historical archives. It was he, who led the Tory band called Cow Boys, loyal to the King, who raided and pillaged throughout this area. It was Claudius Smith, Matthew Dolson, John Ryan, Thomas Delamar, John Gordon and Amy Angor who died 200 years ago that January 22 morning of 1779 at the Square in Goshen.
As we look back through old records, we are apprised that a courthouse, with jail attached, built of logs and stones, was the first public building in Goshen, at the present site of the Orange Inn. The dungeon, where prisoners were kept, was in the area of the flagged terrace at the rear of the present building... a two-story stone courthouse was built in 1775 on the ground now occupied by the 1887 County Building. When the 1841 Court House was built across the way, this was torn down.
The Order for executions is in the Hall of Records in New York City. The Court ordered Sheriff Nicoll to hang the men at Goshen on January 22, 1779, for three specific crimes of burglary and robbery. Some historical books note they were hung from a scaffold, while others say it was from a Balm of Gilead tree, which was cut down in 1921.
BRITISH TROOPS were at Hudson River Points and Indian Raiders had attacked Port Jervis. Claudius and his band of Cow Boys, loyal to the King of England, had raided many farms throughout the area, taking cattle, horses and other valuables. There were many locally who were sympathetic to the British cause, but the Cow Boys were actively engaged in disrupting supply and civilian support in Orange County.
His first brush with the law for stealing oxen, landed him in jail at Kingston, from which he was transferred to Goshen, where he escaped. His final capture came on Long Island, and he was returned to Goshen Jail, tried in Oyer and Terminer Court and found guilty of burglary and robbery.
WHILE ACTIVE, the band of Cow Boys, numbering about 20 used a cave in the mountains, now part of Harriman State Park, as their rendezvous point. The large cave, an overhang of a ledge of granite, is an ideal spot for such activities, since anyone approaching can be seen long before they get near the "cave". A Historical Marker, north of Tuxedo on Route 17M, notes the location of Claudius Cave. It is also noted in the records, that the band used a large rock, known as "Battleship Rock" because of its size, as a spot to leave and receive messages. The rock was destroyed when Route 17M was built, but it was near the present gates of Tuxedo Park.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Goshen