tio Shumway, Dr. William Shelton, Lewis F. Allen, George R. Babcock, John C. Lord, and many others too numerous to mention, and with all I believe he not only lived on amicable terms, but was regarded as a good whole-souled fellow and delightful companion. But on the 1st day of February, 1830, he married Maria T. Rathbun, daughter of Samuel Rathbun, Esq., a wholesale dry-goods merchant of New York, and soon after commenced housekeeping in his new house where he continued to reside till his death. His house was always distinguished for a liberal hospitality, which was dispensed with equal grace and munificence by himself and his accomplished lady, as many now living here can testify. He But in 1836 an unexpected occurrence took place that not only cast a shadow over his business prospects and happy days, but probably laid the foundation of that disease that afterwards proved fatal. I allude to the failure of Benjamin Rathbun in that year. Rathbun had exhibited a Napoleonic grasp of mind in business affairs, and he had managed to engross and control most of the business operations of Buffalo, and under the belief that he was advancing the material prosperity of our infant city, he had induced several of our most wealthy men, of whom Mr. Clary was one, to endorse his notes to the amount of $15,000. failed in August and made an assignment of all of his property for the benefit of his creditors and he appointed Mr. Clary one of his assignees, and it was discovered that he had committed forgeries to a large amount by multiplying indefinitely the notes thus endorsed. The endorsements were so skilfully forged that it was difficult to distinguish the bad from the good, and this put in jeopardy the whole wealth of all the endorsers, and consequently was a subject of great anxiety to them all. In addition to this, Mr. Clary took upon himself the whole burden of the assignment, and became the chief, if not the sole acting assignee. And in addition to all this, Mr. Rathbun had in his employ at the time of his failure some 2500 workmen of all nations and tongues, and they were among the preferred creditors, but fearing that they were to be cheated out of their pay they threatened to plunder Rathbun's stores, and the assignees supposing that there were assets sufficient to pay the preferred class, paid off the workmen to prevent a riot: but it turned out that there was only enough to pay about fifty cents on the dollar to the preferred creditors, and then an effort was made to charge the assignees with what they had paid the workmen. Mr. Clary had a herculean task in the mere labor which he had to perform for six years to close up this business, and this, with the great anxiety of mind. growing out of the circumstances weighed heavily upon him. His strong, vigorous constitution began to give way under the pressure, but still he persevered in the performance of his duty till the whole thing was closed and a decree of exoneration and discharge entered by the chancellor.1 But as the excitement passed off he sank immediately. He went from Saratoga, where the decree was entered, to 1. There is no more striking figure in all the earlier history of Buffalo than Benjamin Rathbun, whose enterprises, forgeries, failure and conviction make a unique chapter in the annals of the town. He was born in Otsego County, New York, about 1789, but came to Buffalo from Sandusky, O., in 1821. He was proprietor of the Eagle Tavern till about 1830. His enterprises were many; he became a large employer of labor and projected buildings and other improvements on a bold scale. His most ambitious project was the proposed City Exchange, construction of which was begun on Main street, between North and South Division streets. It was to be a vast colonnaded building, with a tower 220 feet high. (A picture of it is preserved by the Buffalo Historical Society.) On August 3, 1836, he was arrested on a charge of forgery, as was also his brother Lyman. It was said that, though instigating and directing the perpetration of immense frauds, Benjamin Rathbun himself never forged the name of a single endorser. This was the work, it was stated, of his brother Lyman and two nephews, Rathbun Allen and Lyman Rathbun Hulett. The names that were forged were all of prominent men of BuffaloLewis F. Allen, Noyes Darrow, Thomas C. Love, Joseph Clary, Hiram Pratt, Ira A. Blossom, John W. Clark, Joseph Dart, Jr., Charles Townsend, Ebenezer Johnson and Sheldon Thompson. On the first trial of Benjamin Rathbun, begun at Batavia March 29, 1837, the jury failed to agree. On the second trial, September, 1838, he was sentenced to five years at hard labor in Auburn prison. He served the full term, refusing to ask for a pardon. On his release he returned to Buffalo, but soon went to New York, where he opened Rathbun's Hotel on Broadway, which he conducted with fair success for many years. At his death, which occurred at Ft. Washington, July 20, 1873, he was said to have a property worth $75,000 or upwards. Some note of Mr. Fillmore's connection with the Rathbun failure, as an assignee, will be found in the Introduction of the preceding volume. New York, but finding himself so unwell he hastened home and on reaching his own house he was perfectly exhausted, and never left his bed till he died on the 11th of August, 1842. His disease was said to be liver complaint, but whatever it was it doubtless had its origin in the facts which I have related. He had no children but left a bereaved widow and numerous friends to mourn his loss. His remains were buried in the cemetery on High Street, but have since been removed to Forest Lawn. When I last visited his tomb, a stone monument marked his resting-place, which was inscribed "Joseph Clary" and nothing more, and this I understand was his own request, as he had a great aversion to all ostentatious display and especially upon a tombstone. But he left a name that his friends will never blush to hear, for I can truly say with the poet, "Green be the turf above thee, Friend of my better days; None named thee but to praise." In stature he was about five feet, nine inches, of dark complexion, straight black hair and large black eyes, of a commanding and dignified aspect, and he strongly resembled some portraits which I have seen, taken of Daniel Webster before he became corpulent. ON THE DEATH OF LINCOLN At a meeting of the Buffalo Historical Society, May 9, 1865, President Fillmore in the chair, the Hon. Lewis F. Allen spoke at length on the recent assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He referred to Mr. Fillmore as being peculiarly sensible of the nation's loss, and offered the following: Resolved, That in the great bereavement which our nation has suffered in the death of its late Chief Magistrate, we devoutly acknowledge, and patiently submit to the judgments of an overruling Providence; we trust that all political animosities may cease until our country shall be restored to peace and quietude; and that the only strife of each and every one may be in a loyal restoration of the Government upon the basis of equity and justice to every citizen, and liberty to all who may dwell within our borders. Before putting the resolution to vote Mr. Fillmore said: As this resolution offered by Mr. Allen, is entertained by the society, and as he has been pleased to refer to me in his remarks, I trust that I shall be pardoned for saying a few words before the question is taken on its adoption. Perhaps no member of this society appreciates more fully than I do, the difficult task which President Lincoln had to perform, and I am sure none can deplore his death more sincerely than I do. It is well known that I have not approved of all acts which have been done in his name during his Administration, but I am happy to say that his recent course met my approbation, and I had looked forward with confident expectation that he would soon be able to end the war, and by his kind, conciliatory manner win back our erring and repentant brethren and restore the Union. His assassination has sent a thrill of horror through every heart, depriving the Chief Magistrate of his life at a moment when party hostility was subsiding, and his life was doubly dear to his countrymen, and it has plunged a nation into mourning. The chief assassin has already been summoned to the bar of a just God to answer for his crime, and I hope and trust that every one who participated in this awful tragedy will be legally tried, before the constitutional courts of the country, and if found guilty, will meet the punishment which the law prescribes for his offence; and that no innocent person will suffer from prejudice or passion. I need hardly add that I cordially concur in this resolution as a just tribute of respect to the memory of the deceased. But while I express my sense of the great loss which this country has sustained in the death of President Lincoln at this particular juncture, I would not be understood as implying a want of confidence in his successor. I can sympathize with him in the embarrassments with which he is surrounded, and the difficulties which he has to encounter in being thus suddenly called to the helm of state amid the perilous storm of an unparalleled rebellion. It appears to me that the storm has nearly spent its fury, and the angry waves are gradually subsiding, and gleams of sunshine already illumine many a dark spot. This fact greatly adds to the labors and responsibilities of the Government. Statesmanship must now take the place of arms. But yet I have hope. From all that I know of President Johnson I think he has talent and integrity; and if he will hear and then follow the dictates of his own good sense and calm judgment, without prejudice or passion, he will succeed. But I must say that I am pained to see so little consideration manifested even by well-intentioned friends, as to rush upon him at this time with addresses, requiring a response from him, thus engrossing his valuable time and distracting his mind, when every consideration of friendship, patriotism and propriety should forbid it. The first caution he has to observe is to steer clear of the factions that are trying to get possession of him for their |