Leaf the Twenty-Second
The Walker Street Tragedy
by John Williams
A few years ago there might be seen in Walker Street, in the City of New York, two old houses remarkable for their peculiar style of architecture. They were built entirely of red brick, and their pointed gables and Gothic windows immediately carried the mind of the observer back to the days of good queen Bess, when that peculiar style of building was in vogue. No one knew when they were built, but it must have been long, long time ago, before even Walker Street was in existence, and when the ground around them was a verdant meadow. In all probability they were originally the country residences of some staunch Dutch yeomen, who lived on their own land, a pleasant ride from town. Perhaps they were originally built by two brothers, for they were close together, a narrow alley-way only dividing them.
The strange history I have to relate in connection with one of these houses is, however, of a much more modern date. It was when every vestige of country was removed far away, and when, as I have before said, these dwellings attracted universal attention from their strange appearance in the midst of more modern buildings that the house nearest West Broadway became the theatre of a fearful tragedy, which caused it to become one of the lions of New York, until it was demolished some two years since.
In the year 1844, this dwelling was occupied by a Mr. Stephen Alford, a gentleman of means, who had purchased the property some years before. Mr. Alford was a widower without any family. His establishment was under the superintendence of a niece, who had lived with him ever since his wife’s death, and for whom he appeared to have the greatest affection. And she well deserved his love; for, according to all appearances, she returned his fatherly attachment with the devotion and obedience of a… Read More