GENERAL MARTIN MILLER. 125 



and died in the summer of 1882. The General married a 

 sister of my friend, Garrett M. Van Olinda, who is now 

 in business at 18 Harrison street, New York, and one 

 son survives him. 



For a few days during the time of the Mexican war 

 the sleepy little village of Greenbush was disturbed over 

 a very small word and argument ran high. Abram 

 Van Olinda, brother to the General's wife, had raised a 

 company of volunteers for the war, and the citizens of 

 Greenbush purchased a sword to be presented to the 

 Captain; but it must have an inscription of some kind to 

 tell who presented it and also who it was presented to. 

 A few had agreed that the blade should be inscribed: 

 "Presented by the citizens of Greenbush to Captain 

 Abram Van Olinda, and never to be sheathed but with 

 honor." This was the sentiment of Volkert P. Douw, 

 Squire Hogeboom and John L. Van Valkenburgh. 

 Isaac Fryer moved to strike out the word "but" and in- 

 sert "except," and Thomas Miles and others backed him. 

 The inscription hung fire, and the women of the village 

 took it up and hot arguments were held as to which of 

 the two words was the best to use in the inscription. A 

 meeting of all who had subscribed for the sword was 

 called at Fryer's tavern, and after much argument from 

 each side "Mat" Miller was asked to give his view of 

 how the inscription should read. He rose and said: 

 : ' 'Never to be sheathed but with honor' is good; we all 

 know what it means. We also know what it means if 

 we say, 'Never to be sheathed except with honor/ and it's 

 only a choice of words, and 'but' is Dutch." That settled 

 it. The Douws, Van Valkenburghs and Hogebooms 

 were defeated by this thrust. Captain Van Olinda was 

 killed while leading his men at the charge on the heights 

 of Chapultepec, on September 13, 1847. The result of 



