POLYDORE BROWN CORWIN

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, March 6, 1893.

Polydore Brown Corwin.

   The subject of this sketch, a notice of whose death and funeral has already appeared in these columns, was born March 30, 1801, at Aquebogue, L. I., and was a son of Ezra Corwin, whose ancestors came from the Highlands of Scotland whither the family with others had been driven by Jesuit persecution from Hungary, where one Matthias Corvinus (Corvinus being the Hungarian name for Corwin) was made a king and who reigned acceptably to the people upwards of thirty years, during which time the country was very prosperous. In their flight much property was left behind which was confiscated by the new government. He had a connected family history running back seven generations, and was a descendant of Matthias Corwin, who settled at Ipswich, Mass., in 1623 and removed to Long Island in 1640. This branch of the Corwin family have a large number of descendents scattered throughout the United States. In the time of the Revolutionary war they were loyal to the colonies and some of them were under arrest as rebels.

   At the time of coming to this part of the country, then known as Homer, Onondaga county, only one house stood where Cortland village now has been built, and that was a partly log and partly frame building standing near the site of the present National bank. Having settled at Blodgett Mills in 1808 with his father when this country was new, he had witnessed the dense forests give way to the fertile cultivated fields. Later in life he went to New York City, where he was engaged in the grocery trade till the death of his second wife in 1845. In 1847 he married Catherine Parmiter and settled on a farm.

   Upwards of forty years ago he united with the Presbyterian church of Cortland and was a member at the time of his death. Of late years deafness prevented his hearing satisfactorily and consequently he was less frequently in his accustomed pew. He was three times married. His last wife survives him, but is in poor health. She makes her home with her son, Mr. Dudley G. Corwin on Union-st.

   Mr. Corwin was the builder of and the last surviving member of the five original trustees of the Reformed Methodist church at Blodgett Mills, the semi-centennial of which was celebrated about two years since, an account of which appeared in the STANDARD at the time. During the past summer he was actively engaged in caring for a large garden and seemed in usual health until he fell on a glare of ice by which he was kept indoors for some time. He had, however, recovered to a good degree at the time of a stroke of paralysis on Feb. 3, which was the immediate cause of death. He was the father of nine children, six of whom survive him.

   Many are the interesting incidents told by this gentleman of the frontier life in this vicinity, one of which was the building by his father of a log house with so capacious a fireplace that a horse was used in drawing in the immense backlogs which supplied the place of the modern Howe Ventilators and anthracite coal. So plentiful and so tame were the deer that they would come and sleep close by the house, and venison was easily obtained. Just in front of the house was the spot where the Indians met occasionally to burn the "White Dog" to appease the Great Spirit of the Happy Hunting grounds. John Ross, chief of the Cherokee Nation, who recently died in Washington, D. C., was at one time a guest of Mr. Corwin for several weeks.

   Mr. Corwin held commissions of promotion from the rank of private of the 53rd New York state militia to that of captain under General Roswell Randall. The funeral was held Saturday afternoon at his late residence on Prospect St.

   [Cortland Rural Cemetery, Sect. G, Lot 32, age 91. Date of death, March 2, 1893.]

Cremation in This Country.

   It is not every day that there are five cases of cremation at Fresh Pond, but the bodies of four men and one woman were reduced to ashes in the furnace there on Tuesday. The revival of the ancient practice of cremation in our times is a curious thing. We have not yet seen the last year's reports of the several crematories in the country, but we believe that over 100 dead persons were consumed in them during the year.

   Nearly all of these persons, with the exception of the victims of cholera, who were cremated in our bay last autumn, had left orders or had expressed a desire that their bodies should be thus disposed of. The most of them had been agnostics or atheists, and a few of them Theosophists. It is not to be supposed that any of them, leaving out the cholera stricken, had been believers in the doctrine of the resurrection of the body at the day of judgment, though of course cremation could not interfere with any design of the Almighty.

   We know of two crematories in England, and there are others in several of the countries of continental Europe. Should the cholera break out in England this year it is probable that a number of the municipalities will, in accordance with advice given by their health authorities, follow the example set by the New York quarantine commission last autumn and cremate the victims of the dreaded and infectious disease.—New York Sun.

Newspaper Workers in Chicago.

   Some time ago we took occasion to warn newspaper writers against the folly of coming to Chicago in the hope of finding employment here. We regret that the warning has been neglected by very many. This city has been overrun for several months by reporters (both men and women) vainly seeking work. The Chicago newspapers have for two years been getting ready for The World's fair season, and their several departments are filled with competent men. Therefore others who come to Chicago now in the expectation of securing employment are bound to be disappointed; there are no places to be had; in every newspaper office at the present time applicants are standing about 12 deep in the outer chamber, with never so much as the prospect of a possibility to encourage them.

   Many of these people are suffering from want of money. They left employment elsewhere to rush to this city of the World's fair, where they fancied their services would be snapped at. Most of these unfortunates will have to walk out of town or take to driving street cars for a means of subsistence.

   With a view to averting further trouble we ask our newspaper friends elsewhere to disseminate assiduously the information that newspaper work is not to be had in Chicago; that every place is filled here; that already we have with us an army of unemployed reporters, and that every newspaper writer who comes to Chicago with a view to getting work is pretty sure to have nothing but his trouble for his pains.—Chicago News-Record.

Cornstarch For Chilblains.

   The unusual cold weather of the winter has made chilblains quite a common complaint. A woman who has suffered from the most annoying torture which this particular infliction entails reports to have found relief from a new remedy, or at least from something which is not one of the usual remedies.

   "After trying hot salt and water, witch hazel, cold cream and the rest of the list," says this woman," the idea came to me that to bury my feet in the creamy coolness of cornstarch might assuage the intolerable burning. I tried it, with instant success. Don't use a little from a powder puff. Take a bowl or dish and plunge the foot in quite to the instep and keep it thus buried for some minutes. Then dust off most of the cornstarch, and the stocking and shoe can be resumed with comfort."

   This simple, inexpensive suggestion ought to be circulated. Car drivers and others whose occupation forces them to stand almost continuously are likely to be the greatest sufferers in cold weather from frost bitten feet and following chilblains.—Her Point of View, New York Times.

  

Fought for Blood.

   A little "scrap" took place about noon to-day on Squires-st. which resulted in some blood being spilled but not much harm done. Thomas Sparrow, who boards at Dell Hudson's at 92 Squires-st., had a few words with his landlord which resulted in several blows being struck. Both men were so intoxicated that only flesh wounds were made. Mrs. Hudson in endeavoring to separate the combatants was struck and immediately rushed to Chief Sager's residence, where the chief was just enjoying his noonday lunch. He arose from the table and followed the woman to the scene of the battle and the two men were soon parted. Mrs. Hudson induced her husband to go into the house, where he was safely tucked in bed, and the chief induced Sparrow to visit the "cooler" where he was served in a like manner.

   Sparrow refused this afternoon to tell a STANDARD reporter the cause of the fight, but stated that he was employed by Holden & Seager. When he is sobered up and brought before Judge Bull he may be in a more communicative mood.

BREVITIES.

   —Regular meeting of the board of trustees to-night.

   —Regular meeting of Vesta lodge in their rooms to-night.

   —The C. L. S. C. will meet with Mrs. M. E. Cummings this evening,

   —Mr. Alex Mahan sold a Decker Bros, cabinet grand upright piano in Brooklyn last Saturday.

   —Mr. Alex. Mahan has secured large additions to his former territory for the sale of the Haines Bros. and Chickering pianos.

   —Revival meetings will be held at the Free Methodist church every evening this week except Saturday. All are cordially invited to attend.

   —One of the disgusting sights on Main-st. Saturday evening was a young man with a girl on each arm and all three smoking cigarettes.

   —A horse belonging to Mr. H. E. Andrews made a lively run on Groton-ave. this morning, but was stopped by Dr. F. W. Higgins, who escaped with a few bruises.

   —Mrs. John Nix, 28 Park-st., last Friday slipped on the ice at her back door and fell breaking the bone just above the wrist of her left arm. Dr. F. W. Higgins attends her.

   —Teachers' examinations for the first, second and third grades in the first commissioner district will be held at the Normal building from 9 A. M. till 4 P. M. Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

   —The many friends of Dr. J. W. Hughes will learn with regret that this morning he filed in the clerk's office assignment papers. The statement of assets and liabilities has not yet been filed.

   —The Tonawanda high school has just started a newsy little sheet devoted to the interests of the school. The first number of it has been received, and among the list of teachers in the school, as published in the Record, appears the name of Miss Mary E. Crofoot of the Normal class of June, 1892. She has charge of the third grade in Grammar school No. 1.

   —At Owego Saturday Judge Parker sustained all the injunctions against the Cortland Top & Rail Co. except those of the Chemung Valley bank and of Charles Kinley, which were vacated. Messrs. W. H. Newton, Buck & Lane and Cooper Bros., have made an application for receivership enjoining the Chemung Valley bank and Charles Kinley from selling the property. The hearing will be before Justice Vann at Syracuse on March 8. There it now no immediate prospect of a sale.