STATEN ISLAND JOURNALISM. 115 



One of the habits of those days has not been forgotten, but is still 

 practiced. For instance, this in October: "The Whigs of Richmond 

 County meet on Monday night, at Richmond Village, to make the 

 nominations for the ensuing election. Gentlemen, who does your 

 printing? Sort o' crooked, this fashion of calling Richmond meetings 

 through the medium of New York. Can't understand it." 



In those days the two parties — Democrats and Whigs — were about 

 evenly balanced in this county. A majority of from twent} r to 

 twenty-five was considered very large. The Mirror gives the follow- 

 ing returns on November 11th, 1837 : "Israel B. Oakery, the Whig 

 Assemblyman, is elected by about ten majority. Andrew B. Decker, 

 the Van Buren candidate for Sheriff, is certainly elected. Walter 

 Betts, the Whig County Clerk, is re-elected — no opposition ; and it is 

 supposed that V. B. Connors are all in. So much for our higgledy- 

 piggeldy, mixed-up little county. Our citizens go for the best men, 

 and kick at everything like party discipline. We have not the official 

 returns, or they would have been given. We cannot depend on flying- 

 reports. 



The same number of the Mirror publishes this little paragraph : 

 "Another Patriot Gone. — Married, on the morning of the first instant, 

 by the Rev. Mr. La Fevre, Francis L. Hagadorn, E-s-q-u-i-r-e, editor 

 of the New Brighton Mirror, to Miss Eliza Lawson, daughter of the 

 late Peter Lawson, all of New York City." 



November 25th : "To-night the Whigs of Richmond County cele- 

 brate the result of the late election in this State, by a jollification at 

 Richmond Village. Grub, grog and ginger-bread at six." At a 

 meeting of the Board of Supervisors the following was adopted : 

 "Resolved, That the old Court House in the village of Richmond [the 

 building now occupied as the residence of Mr. Isaac M. Marsh,] and 

 lot on which it stands be offered at auction, at the Richmond County 

 Hall, in said village, on Saturday, 17th of December next, at 2 o'clock 

 p. m., if not previously disposed of at private sale." 



Editor Hagadorn issued annual addresses to his readers, in one of 

 which he stated that "gratitude is a keen sense of favor to come." 

 He continued to publish the Mirror for a number of years, and, I am 

 told, that at last it was merged into the Staten Islander, and that the 

 publication office was in the little wedge-shaped building standing 

 nearly opposite police headquarters at Stapleton. 



