Post, Jacob Kirby. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

Title

Post, Jacob Kirby. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

Creator

Post, Jacob Kirby

Contributor

Post, Amy Kirby, 1802-1889

Date

1858-04-25

Description

Handwritten letter from Jacob Kirby Post to Amy Kirby Post, April 25, 1858.

Is Part Of

Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Rights

The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Identifier

1201

Location

Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Transcription

(Page 1)

                           Rochester Sunday April 25 1858
Dear Mother
                        Guess that thee would like to hear
from thirty six[i] (perhaps thee can read it the children
are making some noise besides giving me a goggle once in a
while) Davenport and his oldest son have just come
in to talk with Father the old gent introduced
the son as John King or Jonny King they may
be all right but I can hardly believe that they
are all that they profess
Joseph and I went around to the Fitzhugh street
house[ii] to day [sic] heard Old Isaac Eweur [splurge?] to but
very little advantage to us or him either all about
the narow [sic] faith and how few are allowed to walk
theirin [sic]
We are getting enough milk as Edmund and
William have let us have their old cow to keep till
or while ours is out to grass every one that sees our
Daisy say that she will do to go to the fair I think
that Uncle John’s one hundred dollar cows don’t
look any better and as for horses tis’ a pity
that thee did not ride after Betty before going
down tell Uncle Willet that I think she can
Keep up to his Jeery and if he does not believe
it just come up here and I will soon show him
that we have the proudes [sic] if not the fasted [sic] horse in
Rochester guess that she can show off in three min-
                                                                  utes

(Page 2)

tell him if he des [sic] not believe it that she
has already gone a mile in less than three
minutes before a buggy Uncle Willet thought
that Alise was the best horse that I ever had
but this one looks something like her
We have at last sent Mary ann off in to the
county the way it happened was somthing [sic] like this
Old Pitkin got a place for Harriet in Parma and
told Mary Ann that if she would go with her he would
pay her fare it seems that the folks or others close
by wisked [sic] Mary Ann too she made a bargin [sic] for six
shillings a week and agreed to go on Saturday well
the day came and she had been to see some of her
sable friends who all advised not to go she would be
so lonesome in the country Mary Ann told Jennie[iii] that
she had concluded to try and find a place in the
and go into the country as per agreement Jennie s and
that that as her friends had advised her not to go that
they must board her as she could not stay here to
look up any more places the result was that her frie-
ends [sic] concluded that they could not board her and she
went I believe the place is a mile from Spencerport[iv] my
prophecy is that it will be a wonder if she does get back be-
fore thee does
I do not see but what Willets nose is as straight as
ever it does not seem to bother him much if at all
he is on hand if any thing [sic] is said about Fathers going
down after thee without taking him along

(Page 3)

I do not see that Father is subject to grieveing [sic]
much if he does we do not notice it so it cannot
be very deep although he has not been away from the house to
day I do not see why he should as the thermometer stands
at forty two we had a bout [sic] a dozen snow falls yeter-
day and had one this morning snow fell just enough
to make the ground muddy
The great excitement of and interest in the tryal [sic] of
Ira Stout for Killing littles[v] [sic] is at last over they spent
three days or more in trying to empanel a jury and
examined more than one hundred and fifty talesmen[vi]
before twelve could be found that had no minds of
their own one of William Hallocks[vii] twins (William) was
down but would not pass Andrew Clarkner told them
to save time that he had consiencious scruples aga-
inst bringing a man in guilty of murder course
they would not have him each of these talesman
wer [sic] paid by the county one dollar and three cents
per mile traveling expences [sic] charged to the county
almost all had made up ther [sic] minds till at last
tuelve [sic] men wer [sic] found who had not read the papers
the sentence was to be hung on the eighteenth day
of June rather a short time it seems to me Mrs Littles[viii]
who I think is much more to blame than Ira was asked
what plea she would put in the judge said that he would
except [sic] of manslaughter in the first degree which is imprisonment
(can see the live) for life she said that she would rather stand
a tryal [sic] which certainly can be no worse for her and she may

(Page 4)

be acquted [sic] perhapse [sic] after Ira has suffered the extreme
penelty [sic] of all law people may think that justice is satis-
fyed [sic] I have heard quite a number speak that they are sor-
ry that he is to be hung and hope that the governer [sic] will in
terfere and comute [sic] the centance [sic] to imprisonment for
life the Court House was full every day all through the
time of tryal [sic] and the day that the judge was to sum up
the evidence the Hall as full and locked at that the
the [sic] stairs wer [sic] crowded (so full that the plastering on the
under side cracked) all the way down to the street by the
Hark stand and the street from Fitzhugh street Ridge Bridge wall
full all around the Court House all trying to get a sight
of Ira Stout
Alise[ix] has been practising [sic] medicine in the chemical line
by making Josephs hair Oil and Mary Jane’s[x] [Jam?] and Matil-
das sulphur all on the carpet in Mary Ann Shutes rooms
   Father Curtises[xi] folks have concluded not to move I cant tell what
the old gent is going to do perhaps he may go up south if the canal
enlargement goes on
Aunt Sarah[xii] has been quite ill had some thoughts of sending
for a physician but she was out yesterday and to day feels
much better
Father thinks that it is time to here [sic] from thee perhapse [sic]
ther [sic] is visiting so hard and and [sic] getting along so comfort-
ably that thee has no time to waste in writing to us
All well as far as appeares [sic] and send kind remem
berances we have an alarm of almost every night supposed to
the work of incendiaries the last fire was a house not quite
finished                                  Affectionately thy son Jacob

[i] Reference to 36 North Sophia Street, the address of Isaac and Amy Post in Rochester, NY.

[ii] Original Quaker Meeting House established on North Fitzhugh Street in Rochester, NY in 1822. The split between Orthodox and Hicksite in 1829 left the Hicksite faction in charge of the Fitzhugh Meeting House where they remained, their numbers continuing to dwindle, until 1870 when they moved into smaller facilities on the north side of Hubbell Park. The congregation was finally disbanded around 1896.

[iii] Jacob’s wife Jennie (Curtis) Post (1840?-1871).

[iv] Village in Monroe County, NY. Longtime port on the Erie Canal.

[v] This is a reference to the infamous High Falls Murder at the eponymous site in Rochester, NY which garnered national attention in 1858. One Ira Stout, late of the Pennsylvania State Penitentiary where he served a 4½ year term for assisting in the passing of counterfeit money with his father Orange Stout, moved to Rochester to be close to his mother Margaret Stout and sister Sarah Littles. Sarah was married to Charles Littles and together with Mrs. Stout and Ira’s elder brother Eli and his wife Jane they resided at 75 Monroe Street (now Monroe Avenue). Widely read, fluent in Latin and French, and eminently likable, Ira made many friends, especially when he enrolled in a local mercantile college. However, Ira did not get along very well with his brother-in-law Charles Littles. Twenty-five years old, Charles Littles was a lawyer dealing in insurance claims. According to many, he was thought rather a disagreeable fellow known for his philandering and frequent brandishing of a dirk knife, especially when he suspected someone of flirting with his wife. As for Sarah, she too was widely suspected of being less than faithful to her husband.

Resentful of his brother-in-law’s treatment of his sister, and fearful that he might reveal his prison record, Ira decided to eliminate Charles. Possibly playing into to his motivations, was the rumor that Ira’s resentment of Charles had even deeper and darker motivations. Ira and his sister Sarah were reported to have often shared the same bed and to have possessed an unnatural affection for each other, implying that they were guilty of an incestuous relationship, and during the subsequent trial it was revealed that Charles had discovered them in bed together several days before the murder.

Hearing of a man who had slipped and fallen to his death near High Falls, Ira settled on a plan to lure Charles to High Falls late at night. Playing into Charles’ jealous nature, he told him that Sarah had an appointment there. The plan was that, once Charles arrived, Ira would deliver several blows to his head with a hammer and throw him into the gorge below the Falls in hopes that the current would sweep Charles’ body and all evidence of the crime downstream and into Lake Ontario. Even though it seemed an airtight plan, all would not go as intended.

Having lured Charles to the edge of the cliff, Ira gave him the deadly blow with his hammer and then threw the body over the edge of the gorge. But, even in death Charles proved an annoyance for Ira. Instead of falling directly into the river, Charles’ body landed on a small ledge some ways down the gorge. Fearing something had gone wrong, Ira headed down a narrow path that led along the side. Stumbling in the darkness, he fell headlong and broke his left arm and landed beside the corpse. Mustering what remained of his strength, he managed to give the corpse a final push into the water below as he sank in a dead faint. When he had recovered, he called to his sister who had been waiting above watching the crime unfold. She made her way down to attempt and help Ira, but she too stumbled and fell, breaking her wrist and landing beside her brother in the spot where her husband’s dead body had lain. Still, they had to make it back up from the cliffs, and, after a fruitless search for Ira’s lost spectacles, they made it back to Monroe Street.

The mangled body of Charles Littles was discovered on Sunday morning, December 20, 1857 by a group of young boys, and all members of the Stout family were immediately arrested and held in jail for questioning. The coroner's inquest began on Monday, December 21. In spite of the fact that Ira had confessed the murder to his family members before the arrest, all of them denied any involvement in the crime.

Ira's trial began in April and lasted only a week. On April 24, the jury rendered a unanimous verdict of guilty and sentenced him to hang on June 18. John Pomeroy, Ira's lawyer, felt Ira had not been given a fair trial. It had been leaked to the press that some of the jurors on the case had formed an opinion as to Stout's guilt before the trial had even begun. As a result, the judge granted a stay of execution. A motion for a new trial was scheduled to be argued in September. Temporarily relieved, Ira spent the next few months in jail maintaining his celebrity status. Daily, he entertained a multitude of visitors, many of them fawning women. They considered him an unjustly imprisoned hero who was a victim of his parent's bad influence. Charmed with his manner and dazzled by his intelligence, they felt Ira would be a valuable member of society if he were only given the chance.

The publishing of Ira’s letters in newspapers caused a public outcry to change his sentence from death by hanging to life imprisonment. Rochester's most prominent citizens, including Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, petitioned Governor King to spare Ira's life. In October, Anthony and Douglass brought the nationally known foe of capital punishment, Aaron Powell, to Rochester to speak. Each of the three nights that he was to speak, however, ended in a mob scene. Other unsuccessful efforts were made by Margaret Stout. She was released from prison in July and made the journey to Albany to plead with the governor for clemency.

Still, Stout was not prepared to accept his fate. Relying on the sympathy of his female visitors, he twice tried to obtain lethal poisons from them and take his own life. The first time a woman smuggled poison into his cell. Somehow, she managed to take the fatal potion herself and was for several days at death's door. The second attempt was slightly more successful. Ira slashed his wrists with a lancet secretly passed to him by another sympathizer. A guard spotted him as he was bleeding and his wrists were soon bandaged. From then on, the prisoner was closely watched, as the guards were determined that it would be the gallows and not Ira that ended that took his life. He was hung at 2 pm on October 22, 1858.

[vi] Term given to a man summoned by a “Tales” or writ to appear for jury service. Often, a large pool of talesmen were sent for and from among them the final men of the jury would be selected.

[vii] William Hallock (1825-1886), wife Louisa (Root) Hallock. Quaker, and farmer who held anti-slavery views from Rush, Monroe County, NY. Friend of Frederick Douglass who frequently visited his residence.

[viii] Sarah Littles, wife of Charles Littles and sister to Ira Stout. See note v.

[ix] Most likely reference to Jacob’s niece Alice (1855-1948), the daughter of his brother Joseph Post and his wife Mary Jane. Married 1877 and name changed to Tabor.

[x] Jacob’s sister-in-law Mary Jane (Ashley) Post (. Wife to his brother Joseph Post (1832-1915).

[xi] Daniel Curtis, the father of Jacob’s wife Jennie.

[xii] Sarah Kirby Hallowell Willis (1818-1914). Sister to Amy (Kirby) Post. Married first to Jeffries Hallowell (1810-1844) in 1838, married Edmund P. Willis (1817-1882) in 1853. Along with her sister, she was active in the anti-slavery movement and was a member of the Western New York Anti-Slavery Society. Close friend of Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) and worked with her various women’s campaigns.

Tags

Domestic Servants; Family

Collection

D.93 Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Citation

Post, Jacob Kirby, “Post, Jacob Kirby. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.,” RBSCP Exhibits, accessed November 24, 2024, https://rclomeka2.lib.rochester.edu/items/show/3491.

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