Thursday, Dec 13, 1951 Tories, Indians Attacked Early Ballston Settlers, Writer Relates Submitted by Irena Wooten
(Richard M. Carter's first article on early days in the Town
of Ballston carried the narrative to the year 1816, when he described the burning of
the Court House. Mr. Carter, who resided in Galway until his death at 85 in 1938,
left the manuscript with Louis Sears, former Ballston Lake postmaster, who now makes his
home with George W. DeRidder, the local Ballston historian.)
The present Town of Ballston was first called Ball-Town, then Balls-Town, and later
Ballston. It was named in honor of Eilphalet Ball. Stephen Ball was a
son of Eliphalet Ball, and it is said of him that he once assisted his father at a
marriage service in a peculiar way. Having inquired of the bride-groom if he
had ever seen anyone married, and finding that he had not, Stephen told him what to do.
He said, "Father will expect you to kiss the bride several times through the
ceremony, but he won't like to tell you, I will sit near you and touch your heel at
the right time." The ceremony commenced and Stephen touched the heel and a
hearty smack followed. The minister frowned, but said nothing, but when it was
done two or tree times more, Mr. Ball told them, if they did not stop their nonsense
he would not marry them. The poor bridegroom said, "Stephen told me to."
The greatest disaster which befell the Ballston District during the Revolutionary
War was one of the tragic events of the Indian and Tory raids, known in history as the
Northern Invasion of 1780. That the notorious Tory Spay, Joe Bettys, was the
instigator of the raid upon the Ballston Settlement there can be little doubt; that he
acted as guide for Captain Munro is conclusive evidence in the narration of the meeting
of Bettys and Hezekiah Middlebrook on the day preceding the night in October when the
descent was made upon the settlement.
Joe Bettys came with his parents among the first settlers in Ballston Center, and
his parents, like most all the people who settled there, were good people, but Joe was
a bad egg. In all the injuries inflicted on the Settlement, his hand could be
traced. His father and himself had settled in the District shortly after Mr.
Ball came, on a site next south of the Merchant place on the Middle Line Road. Here
the family kept an Inn, disbursing the usual entertainment for man and beast, Joe was
very fond of excitement, bold and reckless.
War afforded him a field of activity too inviting to be avoided. Accordingly
John Ball enlisted him as body sergeant in Captain Van Vechten's Co. with him.
He went to the relief of Fort Stanwix. One day he struck his superior officer
and for this offense was reduced to the ranks.
In the Northern Campaign of 1776 he was appointed to a sergeancy on one of the
fleets composing the fleet commanded by Arnold on Lake Champlain. He fought
bravely and with distinction in this affray. Better far had it been for Bettys
could he have perished in that bloody battle. After this action he went to
Canada, received an Ensign's Commission in the British Army and devoted himself to
the cause of the Crown.
His deadly hatred seemed to be against the Ballston Community. As long as
he was there they never were safe. He would bring a company of Tories and when
night would fall they would capture people, steal property, and sometimes burn buildings
and return to Canada with their prey.
In one of his expeditions in the Highlands of lower Hudson he was captured and
condemned to the gibbet, but, by the entreaties of his aged parents, and leading Whigs
of Ballston, he was released by Washington and returned to his home. Probably
maddened by the taunts of his neighbors, and the disgrace of his treason, he soon
entered again with more ferocity against every prominent patriot in the District.
The first attempt was against Major Mitchell who lived on the place afterward
owned by Edward Delavan. The Major had been down to Schenectady one day and
toward evening was returning along and horseback through the woods, when he was
suddenly met by Bettys. Suspecting a plan to entrap him he put spurs to his
horse and turned him suddenly into the woods. As he did so he heard the
clicking of gun locks from the bushes and the shout of Bettys calling him to stop.
Wary Scot
- "Hout, Tout my man, its no time for honest folk to be stopping here"
replied the wary Scot, and springing from his horse, he plunged deeper into the woods
to escape. The Major returned to the Settlement and alarmed the people.
During the following night, however, they succeeded in capturing Judge Epenetus White
and Capt David Rumsey, two old residents on the east side of the lake, and after
pillaging their houses, bore them off to Canada.
The next year Bettys again returned from the North with a large force but his
capture was unsuccessful. Capt. Hugh Munro sent 100 men through the Ball-Town
Settlement to plunder, burn and take prisoners but not to kill unless attacked.
These orders were given in order to prevent the bloody atrocities that had occurred at
Cherry Valley. Many of these men were Tories and Indians. They followed
the stream down to West Milton.
It was on this day that Hezekiah Middlebrook, who lived on what is now the Feeney
Farm, next to the Delavan Farm, was driving some cattle up to Milton when he met Joe
Bettys, who had not been heard from since the year before. Before the war,
Mr. Middlebrook had shown Joe some little favor and had helped Joe's parents.
Bettys said, "You had better go home." Something in the tone of his voice
told him of danger, so he retraced his steps, Bettys going with him a short distance
then plunged off into the woods and he did not see him again. That night,
Munro's command commenced their march upon the settlement.
This was a terrible attack. Nearly all the settlers who lived on the
Middle Line Road, and what was east and west of it became victims, that is many of
the buildings were burned, and the men taken prisoners to Canada. The women
and children were left to care for themselves.
In 1781, Bettys made another raid, but not so large, although causing a great
deal of suffering.
Washington's Pardon
- In 1777, shortly after the Tory had been pardoned by
Washington, he attempted to capture General Schuyler who was in Albany.
Bettys had several Tories with him and they surrounded the house but were discovered,
so they fled. About half a mile west of Jonesville, there lived a man who
had four children, two sons and two daughters. His eldest son was captured
in the last Tory foray and carried to Canada.
One day in March, the son, 15 years of age, was staying at home to care for the
stock. The father and daughters were in the woods attending to a sap bush,
when a suspicious looking man with a pack on his back, armed and carrying snow
shoes, passed near the bush. The father sent the girls for the son as he
believed the man to be a Tory emissary. The son went to a neighbor's and
got three men to go with him. His father described the stranger and they
followed the snow tracks which led to the house of a notorious Tory. They
decided to capture him. They made a rush and opened the door and found him
eating with his gun resting on the floor. Being delayed by removing the
deer skin from his gun lock, they fell on him and tied his arms. They took
him over to their house where the mother recognized him as Joe Bettys. Also
a neighbor woman said she had seen him in Schenectady.
He was found to have a small piece of lead doubled very thin containing a paper on
which were twenty-four figures and an order on the Mayor of New York for 30 pounds
sterling, payable on delivery of note enclosed in lead. They could not
decipher the figures, but Bettys offered them 100 guineas to burn it. This
they refused. Bettys exclaimed that "that paper will cost me my life."
During the day many of the Tory neighbors came to visit Bettys and they
were fearful a rescue might be attempted. About three o'clock in the
afternoon they decided to take the prisoner to Schenectady. They pinioned
his arms to his back, then tied another rope to him and started off leading him
toward Albany, their destination. A party from Albany came out to meet them,
having learned of the brave capture of Joe Bettys.
Secret Dispatch
- Forming around them they entered the Capitol together. He
was confined in the Jail of the City and a few days later was tried and condemned
as a spy. The paper in cipher found on him proved to be a dispatch from the
British commander in Canada to Henry Clinton, then holding New York.
On the first day of April 1782, this bold and accomplished villain paid the penalty
of his perfidy and treason, and was hung that day on the Capitol Hill. These
young men who captured Bettys never received one cent from the Government, although
they had offered a large reward for his capture. In the Spring of 1782, about
one half mile west of where the West Charlton Church now stands, lived Joseph
Gonzales and his family, composed of his wife and four sons and one daughter.
Mr. Gonzales was one of the first settlers, so I imagine he had gotten his farm up
in good shape as he must have lived there at least 10 years. It was afterwards
said to be the best farm in Charlton. One morning he took his son Emanuel
and son John and a hired man out on the farm to build a fence. While at work
they were surprised by a party of Tories and Indians, as he was known as an ardent
Whig. He thought they were a party of friendly Indians known to be in the
neighborhood and he extended his hand in welcome.
A powerful Indian, the leader, seized it with one hand while with the other he
raised his tomahawk, which he had concealed behind his back and cleaved the old
man's skull in twain. Several of the party grasped the elder son but he
escaped and ran toward the house. To get there he had to climb two fences.
As he jumped over the first one his pursuers fired at him and one ball went
through his hand. At the second fence a ball pierced his heart, killing him
instantly. Young John and the hired man were captured and taken to Canada.
Flee to Woods
- At the house were two other sons, David and Joseph, who hearing the
fray and seeing the brutal murder of their father and brother, fled with their
mother and sister to the woods, and by lonely paths sought the residence of Captain
Swart, on the Mohawk, reaching the friendly home of Swart, and rehearsing their
tale of woe to him he hastily summoned his neighbors to pursue and execute
vengeance.
Fearful of surprise on their own home that night, they refused to proceed until
morning. Nothing daunted, the brave Swart, accompanied by David Gonzales
set forth for the scene of the tragedy, wending their way through the swamp and
gloomy forest of what is now known as Wolf's Hollow. Suspecting that the
Indians were still at the house, Swart left David some distance behind and crept
cautiously toward the clearing. Hearing a noise he raised his gun and
was about to fire when he found it was a horse that had escaped the notice of the
enemy. Finding that the Indians had retired, he summoned David and they
surveyed the premises and found the scalped bodies of the father and son, and the
house had been plundered.
The next morning, accompanied by the militiamen, they started in pursuit to
recapture the youngest son and the hired man whom they had evidently carried off.
For two days they followed the trail when heavy rain came and they lost
the trail so had to return unsuccessful. The enemy, after scalping the dead,
securely pinioned the hired man and son had marched to St. John's, where a squaw
gave them some dirty Indian bread. On entering the Fort, John was compelled
to bear aloft the scalps of his father and brother, and here the British paid the
bounty to the Indians.
The sergeant to whom John was consigned, in entering his name, spelled it Consalus.
Being young at this time and after long confinement, and being separated
from his family, he never took up the old spelling again. He was held
captive till the end of the war. He then returned to his former home only
to find it deserted and his relatives scattered he knew not where. Finally
he settled on the place and his son, Emanuel Consalus, lived with him. He
lived there until he died, Oct 17, 1823. The Consalus tragedy was the last
of the treacherous murders of the Tories and Indians in this section.
Please place in the Subject Line: WEBPAGE-HISTORY 
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