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Show Story of Hamilton's Widow. How, Standing Before the Memorial Tablet in Trinity Church Unrecognized, Unrecog-nized, She Heard a Tribute to Her Husband's Greatness. Some seventy years ago some of those who held in high esteem the services and memory of Alexander Hamilton caused a suitable tablet to his memory to be set into one of the panels of Trinity church, New York city. The grave of Hamilton, and the modest tombstone which surmounted sur-mounted it, which even to this- day draws many visitors to the world-famous world-famous churchyard at the head of Wall street, had in the late forties displayed some signs of the ravages of time, and the admirers of Hamilton of that day reasoned that if a modest tablet to Hamilton's memory were placed In a position upon the-interior wall of Trinity, there it would remain, and his memory be preserved and kept green in the hearts of his countrymen, coun-trymen, as long as the church building build-ing itself stood. And ever since the tablet has been in place a day never passes without Its silent group before tjie memorial. One of the great admirers of Hamilton Ham-ilton at the period of the erection of the tablet was Henry R. Mygatt, from about 1830 until 1870 one of the great lawyers of New York state, and, in fact, of the nation. He was associated associat-ed either as joint counsel or as opposing oppos-ing counsel at one time or another with nearly all of the lawyers who in the mid-years of the past century maintained the high reputation which the bar of New York had gained in the days of Alexander Hamilton Mr. Mygatt was associated with United States Senator Daniel S. Dickinson of New York, who was so nearly nominated nomi-nated for vice-president upon the ticket with Lincoln in 1864. and who was one of the great orators of his day. Mr. Mygatt's home wan up-state, in Chenango county. Whenever business tailed him to New York city he always al-ways made it a point to find time to go to Trinity churchyard and stand for a moment or two before the tomb of Alexander Hamilton. But when he heard that a tablet bad been erected erect-ed In the church to the memory of hie political idol, he made a special trip to the city to view the memorial. As he stood reading the inscription on the tablet, which recalls the services serv-ices of Hamilton to the nation. Mr. Mygatt. observed that he was not alone before the memorial. One of the persons standing near him was a woman, apparently of venerable years, who was with a companion. She looked earnestly at the tablet for a few moments, and then, turning to her companion, said: "It is too high, I think" meaning by that that. In her opinion, the tablet tab-let had been placed at too great an elevation from the floor of the church. . "Madam," said Mr. Mygatt, earnestly, earnest-ly, turning to her on the spur of the moment, "you will pardon me, I am sure, but I cannot refrain from saying say-ing to you that nothing can be . too high or too remote for the memory of Alexander Hamilton." The little old woman lifted her veil and looked up into Mr. Mygatt's face, her own suffused with evidences of intense pleasure. "I thank you, sir," she said sweetly; sweet-ly; "I have a right to thank you, for I am Alexander Hamilton's widow." It was, Indeed, Elizabeth Schuyler, who had married Alexander Hamilton in 17S0. who was widowed by his .death in 1804, and who lived until after aft-er the mid-year mark of the nineteenth nine-teenth century. (Copyright. 1911, by E. J. Edwards. All Rights Reserved.) |