December 7, 2025 • 12 mins
While on a holiday break in December, I'm sharing this special episode featuring local news and gossip from the Rhinebeck Gazette of the 1800s, available through the Hudson River Valley Heritage Historical Newspapers Archive.
I'll be back to normal programming soon. In the meantime, be sure to stock up on your boots, shoes, and rubbers!
These news items are from the following issues:
- Rhinebeck Gazette: Dec. 1, 1857
- Rhinebeck Gazette, Dec. 8, 1857
- Rhinebeck Gazette, Dec. 22, 1857
- Rhinebeck Gazette, Dec. 21, 1858
- Rhinebeck Gazette, Dec. 27, 1859
- Rhinebeck Gazette: Dec. 5, 1865
To support my end of year fund drive and keep The Jiffy going into 2026, you can become a sustaining member, or (and??) make a one-time donation here:
"The Jiffy Audio Newsletter Podcast" is an audio documentary zine – the official podcast of The Jiffy – exploring the odd histories, cozy mysteries, and surprising characters of upstate New York. Each episode is a small adventure, told with curiosity, humor, and the occasional text message from a stranger.
New episodes drop every other week. Subscribe, share, and take the scenic route with us.
"The Jiffy Audio Newsletter Podcast" is an audio documentary zine – the official podcast of The Jiffy – exploring the odd histories, cozy mysteries, and surprising characters of upstate New York. Each episode is an adventure, and new episodes drop every other week.
Subscribe, share, and take the scenic route with us.
Follow James on Instagram: @jamescave
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hey, James here.
The podcast is taking a breakfor the holidays, but in keeping
with my tradition here of usingthis time to report the local
news from the past, I gotta keepthe podcast feed consistent.
That's very important.
I pulled up a few news clippingsfrom the Rhinebeck Gazette of
the 1800s.
The news you'll hear today ispresented as it was printed in
the newspaper, and this is allavailable online as part of the
(00:21):
Hudson River Valley HeritageHistorical Newspapers archive,
which is one of my favoriteplaces on the internet.
And they all come from theRhinebeck Gazette, the paper
devoted to, quote, literature,morality, science, agriculture,
and general intelligence, andits newspaper issues from the
December's of 1857 through 1860.
I've linked to each of theissues in the show notes, but
(00:43):
there's some interesting and funlocal news from this time.
So here we go.
It's literally news as it wasprinted, but presented here in
what I would think would be theRhinebeck Gazette's podcast if
they had a daily headline newsshow.
So let's get to it.
From the Jiffy, it's theheadlines from the 1800s.
(01:05):
I'm James Cave.
Here's what we're covering Inlocal news and gossip, we have a
new distance measured across theHudson River.
The distance between theresidents of Amos Briggs Esquire
(01:27):
and Kruger's station, taken by alion on the ice, 200 feet long,
is as follows.
From high water to high watermark, direct across from Mr.
Briggs' residence to a littleisland called Tunnel Island is
12,075 feet, making two milesand a quarter and one hundred
and ninety-five feet.
Something interesting fromStanfordville, a large factory
(01:49):
intended to be used forconsolidating milk has been
erected for a New York firm onthe farm of Mr.
Carpenter at Stanfordville inthis county.
Mr.
Borden is the inventor of thisprocess of condensing milk, has
established a condenser inLichfield County, Connecticut,
capable of reducing 5,000 quartsper day.
And a new development of rogueryhas lately come to light in New
(02:11):
York.
It is the practice certainthieves have got into of
examining the orders left on theslate of the express companies,
and then going to the platesmentioned with wagons in all
respects similar to expresswagons, and taking the goods
away.
The deception is not discovereduntil it is too late to catch
the rogues.
A quakaress named Betsy, jealousof her husband, watched his
(02:31):
movements and on one morningactually discovered the truant
kissing and hugging the servantgirl.
Broadbrim saw the face of hiswife as she peeped through the
half-open door and rising withall the coolness of a general,
thus addressed her.
Betsy, he said, thee had betterquit peeping, or thee will cause
a disturbance in the family.
And Mr.
James B.
Rinsley of Poughkeepsieperformed the feat on Saturday
(02:53):
of picking up 100 potatoesplaced one yard apart on the ice
in 36 minutes.
It's reported that Rinsley hadon a pair of skates.
Now, to the question of, will wehave a hard winter?
Well, the knowing ones areprophesying a mild winter from
the fact that the corn husks areremarkably thin, which is said
to be a sure sign that thewinter will not be severe.
(03:14):
The best way to provide againstthe rigor of the approaching
winter is to try your luck inthe legalized lottery of S.
Swan and Company, which drawsevery Saturday at Augusta,
Georgia, by enclosing$10,$5, or$2.5 to their address.
The holder of a whole, half orquarter ticket, which will be
sent in return, will stand achance for the magnificent prize
of$60,000 or its proportion,which draws in December.
(03:37):
The giraffe belonging to themenagerie of Driesbeck and
Company died on Saturday.
The establishment had closed forthe winter, and the animal
stabled in Cincinnati.
The loss in the death of thegiraffe is a heavy one, it being
the only animal of its kind inAmerica and one of the finest of
its species.
And as we all know, we'reentering the Christmas time
(03:58):
season, and so here we have fromthe Philadelphia Bulletin a bit
of Christmas miscellaney.
The annual festival ofChristendom is approaching, and
throughout the world there willbe merry-making and festivity
among every Christian people.
In the United States, the modeof observing Christmas varies
somewhat from the modes of theold world, and varies also in
different sections of the Union.
(04:19):
In New England, for instance, itis scarcely observed, except by
the religious services of theProtestant, Episcopal, and Roman
Catholic churches.
The old Puritan antipathy tosuch observances has not yet
entirely died out, and theThanksgiving Day is more of a
festival and holiday thanChristmas.
In New York, the day is moregenerally observed, but it is
less of a holiday than NewYear's Day.
(04:42):
And the number of immigrantswhich arrived in New York during
the week ending December 20thwas 912, making the number since
last December 77,331.
In National News Now, it is saidthat the president has ordered
his subordinates to exclude thecorrespondence of the New York
Times from all official sourcesof information in consequence of
(05:02):
its vigorous attacks upon hispolicy.
And the Chicago Journal saysthat on Thursday evening, the
17th, the Underground Railroadarrived there with 30
passengers, five from thevicinity of Richmond, Virginia,
12 from Kentucky, 13 fromMissouri.
They are now all safe in Canada.
The 13 from Missouri were soldto go down the river the very
day they started.
A stalwart six-footer and asharps rifle were the only
(05:24):
guides.
A large portion of the swamps ofFlorida are said to be capable
of producing 500 bushels offrogs to the acre, with
alligators enough for fencing,and it is said that in Iowa
there are 30,000 more males thanfemales.
And now we're hearing thatKansas has become a formidable
rival to Illinois, a quote, landof refuge for the unhappily
(05:46):
mated.
The divorce law is a wide-opengate to single blessedness, and
one judge has recently granted25 petitions at one sitting.
It requires only 20 days'residence.
A gentleman living in Indianawas recently astonished to learn
that his wife, while visiting afriend in Kansas, had obtained a
divorce and was passing herselfoff as a blooming miss of sweet
(06:06):
16.
Cold feet are sufficient groundfor divorce.
Moving on to animal news now.
In Peakskill, the messenger saysthat Jay McCoy caught a wild cat
on Tuesday night in thehighlands only a short distance
from Peakskill.
Himself and neighbors had lostfowls, and supposing some animal
of the kind was prowling about,they set a box trap, baited it
(06:28):
with a chicken, and his cat shipon going in for supper, sprang
the trap and was caught.
It showed evidence of generousliving as it is fat as a seal.
And in Manchester, theManchester Guardian in England
contains an account of a latefeast on horse flesh got up by
Mr.
Rinzalt, the head director ofthe veterinary school at Alfort,
to which some eight or tendistinguished savants were
(06:49):
invited, among whom were Mr.
De La Tour, editor of the UnionMedical, Professors Boole,
Raynal, and Robinet of theMedical Academy, and Professor
Bernal, a chemist.
The object of the feast was totest by comparison with ordinary
beef the merits of the article.
At the first course, the horseflesh was pronounced superior to
the beef, but at the second itwas deemed inferior.
(07:10):
The banquet closed with a fine,fat, thick fillet of horse,
larded and dressed as they dresshere roe venison, vis-a-vis,
plunged for a few days into apreparation of salt, spices,
herbs, and onions, Madeira and adash of vinegar, and then
roasted, a most quote, delicatedevice, be it noticed, and one
which no real gourmand everforgets when he has once tried
(07:32):
it.
The fillet of horse wastriumphantly welcomed and voted
super excellent, tender, juicy,fat, high flavored, more
delicate than the stag, moremelting than the roe, more gamey
than the beef.
It was unanimously pronounced tobe a great discovery.
Now, in news about shoes thatyou can use, now's the time to
(07:55):
purchase your winter boots andrubbers.
Our neighbors, Mrs.
Barton and Renders, carry withthem an enviable name and are
classed among the best, mostgentlemanly and accommodating
merchants, nor can they beexcelled in cheapness these hard
times.
By giving them a call, you willconfer a favor of great
advantage to yourselves.
Well, the storm of last weekcreated quite a panic in our
village, so much so that animmense run was made on the shoe
(08:18):
and rubber bank of MistressBarton and Rinder's until it was
almost depleted, thereby causingthe sudden departure of the head
of this enterprising firm to thecity for a fresh supply.
Having procured this supply, hadthem put on board a vessel that
found it next to animpossibility to keep up steam
sufficient to enable her tocarry so large a freight and
arrive here under twenty-fourhours.
(08:38):
Such a demand for goods on theirline has not been heard of
before in this place.
Boots, shoes, and rubbers aresold so low as astonished the
natives.
And on the evening of Tuesdaylast, some scoundrel took from
Misters Barton and Rinder's onepair of calf skin and one pair
of rubber boots.
We are also informed that a fewnights previous, a pair of
(08:58):
ladies' rubbers were taken fromthe same store.
Ye shoplifters, remember ourstar detective is on the lookout
for you, and should he catch youlifting, you are a deaden and
make no mistake.
And now, in what appears to be asection of news just printed
just to take up space on thefront page, here's some random
(09:19):
facts, I guess.
Heroine is perhaps a peculiarword as any in our language.
The first two letters of it aremale, the three first female,
the four first a brave man, andthe whole word a brave woman.
(09:44):
Some round on their centers,others from place to place.
The cause of these motions isunknown.
There's a certain tree in India,the wood of which is held in
such veneration that everyBurman house has a beam of it.
Are you stepping on thethreshold of life?
Secure a good moral character.
Without virtue, you cannot berespected.
Without integrity, you cannotrise to any distinction or
(10:08):
honor.
And finally, in Popular Tales,it's Christmas for the Rich and
Poor by Annie Proust.
A Merry Christmas! It echoedthrough the wide streets in a
thousand different voices.
It rang out in the clear sleighbells, it was shouted through
(10:29):
the house by childish voices, itwas whispered in loving tones by
the invalid's couch.
It was sighed forth with bitteremphasis in the prison cells.
It was muttered in hard voicesin the dark, dirty alleys where
merriment was a mockery, or thedespairing mirth of overwrought
(10:52):
misery.
That was an excerpt from A MerryChristmas by Annie Proust.
Here's what else you need toknow today.
(11:17):
I'm completely independent andI'm fully reader and listener
supported.
I mean, you know what they say alot these days.
The problem withbillionaire-owned media means
that much of what we read,watch, and listen to is
controlled by a small group ofrich and powerful people.
I mean, just look at Netflix andWarner Brothers or Jeff Bezos in
the Washington Post.
I mean, there's no way aroundit.
(11:38):
I'm no billionaire.
I don't even know Jeff Bezos.
This is the Jiffy, not theJeffy, after all.
So if you enjoyed this podcastor the James Cape Instagram feed
or the newsletter and would liketo support, well, you can help
me reach my goal by becoming asustaining member or making a
one-time donation.
I've got links to these optionsin the show notes.
(11:58):
Your support continues, trulycontinues to fund my independent
project, and I just love sharingstories about the Hudson Valley.
So let's do it.
Let's keep it going into 2026.
And until then, that'll do itfor this episode of The Jiffy,
not Jeff Fee.
Until next time, I'll see youover on the Instagram feed.
Hey, James here.
The podcast is taking a breakfor the holidays, but in keeping
with my tradition here of usingthis time to report the local
news from the past, I gotta keepthe podcast feed consistent.
That's very important.
I pulled up a few news clippingsfrom the Rhinebeck Gazette of
the 1800s.
The news you'll hear today ispresented as it was printed in
the newspaper, and this is allavailable online as part of the
(00:21):
Hudson River Valley HeritageHistorical Newspapers archive,
which is one of my favoriteplaces on the internet.
And they all come from theRhinebeck Gazette, the paper
devoted to, quote, literature,morality, science, agriculture,
and general intelligence, andits newspaper issues from the
December's of 1857 through 1860.
I've linked to each of theissues in the show notes, but
(00:43):
there's some interesting and funlocal news from this time.
So here we go.
It's literally news as it wasprinted, but presented here in
what I would think would be theRhinebeck Gazette's podcast if
they had a daily headline newsshow.
So let's get to it.
From the Jiffy, it's theheadlines from the 1800s.
(01:05):
I'm James Cave.
Here's what we're covering Inlocal news and gossip, we have a
new distance measured across theHudson River.
The distance between theresidents of Amos Briggs Esquire
(01:27):
and Kruger's station, taken by alion on the ice, 200 feet long,
is as follows.
From high water to high watermark, direct across from Mr.
Briggs' residence to a littleisland called Tunnel Island is
12,075 feet, making two milesand a quarter and one hundred
and ninety-five feet.
Something interesting fromStanfordville, a large factory
(01:49):
intended to be used forconsolidating milk has been
erected for a New York firm onthe farm of Mr.
Carpenter at Stanfordville inthis county.
Mr.
Borden is the inventor of thisprocess of condensing milk, has
established a condenser inLichfield County, Connecticut,
capable of reducing 5,000 quartsper day.
And a new development of rogueryhas lately come to light in New
(02:11):
York.
It is the practice certainthieves have got into of
examining the orders left on theslate of the express companies,
and then going to the platesmentioned with wagons in all
respects similar to expresswagons, and taking the goods
away.
The deception is not discovereduntil it is too late to catch
the rogues.
A quakaress named Betsy, jealousof her husband, watched his
(02:31):
movements and on one morningactually discovered the truant
kissing and hugging the servantgirl.
Broadbrim saw the face of hiswife as she peeped through the
half-open door and rising withall the coolness of a general,
thus addressed her.
Betsy, he said, thee had betterquit peeping, or thee will cause
a disturbance in the family.
And Mr.
James B.
Rinsley of Poughkeepsieperformed the feat on Saturday
(02:53):
of picking up 100 potatoesplaced one yard apart on the ice
in 36 minutes.
It's reported that Rinsley hadon a pair of skates.
Now, to the question of, will wehave a hard winter?
Well, the knowing ones areprophesying a mild winter from
the fact that the corn husks areremarkably thin, which is said
to be a sure sign that thewinter will not be severe.
(03:14):
The best way to provide againstthe rigor of the approaching
winter is to try your luck inthe legalized lottery of S.
Swan and Company, which drawsevery Saturday at Augusta,
Georgia, by enclosing$10,$5, or$2.5 to their address.
The holder of a whole, half orquarter ticket, which will be
sent in return, will stand achance for the magnificent prize
of$60,000 or its proportion,which draws in December.
(03:37):
The giraffe belonging to themenagerie of Driesbeck and
Company died on Saturday.
The establishment had closed forthe winter, and the animal
stabled in Cincinnati.
The loss in the death of thegiraffe is a heavy one, it being
the only animal of its kind inAmerica and one of the finest of
its species.
And as we all know, we'reentering the Christmas time
(03:58):
season, and so here we have fromthe Philadelphia Bulletin a bit
of Christmas miscellaney.
The annual festival ofChristendom is approaching, and
throughout the world there willbe merry-making and festivity
among every Christian people.
In the United States, the modeof observing Christmas varies
somewhat from the modes of theold world, and varies also in
different sections of the Union.
(04:19):
In New England, for instance, itis scarcely observed, except by
the religious services of theProtestant, Episcopal, and Roman
Catholic churches.
The old Puritan antipathy tosuch observances has not yet
entirely died out, and theThanksgiving Day is more of a
festival and holiday thanChristmas.
In New York, the day is moregenerally observed, but it is
less of a holiday than NewYear's Day.
(04:42):
And the number of immigrantswhich arrived in New York during
the week ending December 20thwas 912, making the number since
last December 77,331.
In National News Now, it is saidthat the president has ordered
his subordinates to exclude thecorrespondence of the New York
Times from all official sourcesof information in consequence of
(05:02):
its vigorous attacks upon hispolicy.
And the Chicago Journal saysthat on Thursday evening, the
17th, the Underground Railroadarrived there with 30
passengers, five from thevicinity of Richmond, Virginia,
12 from Kentucky, 13 fromMissouri.
They are now all safe in Canada.
The 13 from Missouri were soldto go down the river the very
day they started.
A stalwart six-footer and asharps rifle were the only
(05:24):
guides.
A large portion of the swamps ofFlorida are said to be capable
of producing 500 bushels offrogs to the acre, with
alligators enough for fencing,and it is said that in Iowa
there are 30,000 more males thanfemales.
And now we're hearing thatKansas has become a formidable
rival to Illinois, a quote, landof refuge for the unhappily
(05:46):
mated.
The divorce law is a wide-opengate to single blessedness, and
one judge has recently granted25 petitions at one sitting.
It requires only 20 days'residence.
A gentleman living in Indianawas recently astonished to learn
that his wife, while visiting afriend in Kansas, had obtained a
divorce and was passing herselfoff as a blooming miss of sweet
(06:06):
16.
Cold feet are sufficient groundfor divorce.
Moving on to animal news now.
In Peakskill, the messenger saysthat Jay McCoy caught a wild cat
on Tuesday night in thehighlands only a short distance
from Peakskill.
Himself and neighbors had lostfowls, and supposing some animal
of the kind was prowling about,they set a box trap, baited it
(06:28):
with a chicken, and his cat shipon going in for supper, sprang
the trap and was caught.
It showed evidence of generousliving as it is fat as a seal.
And in Manchester, theManchester Guardian in England
contains an account of a latefeast on horse flesh got up by
Mr.
Rinzalt, the head director ofthe veterinary school at Alfort,
to which some eight or tendistinguished savants were
(06:49):
invited, among whom were Mr.
De La Tour, editor of the UnionMedical, Professors Boole,
Raynal, and Robinet of theMedical Academy, and Professor
Bernal, a chemist.
The object of the feast was totest by comparison with ordinary
beef the merits of the article.
At the first course, the horseflesh was pronounced superior to
the beef, but at the second itwas deemed inferior.
(07:10):
The banquet closed with a fine,fat, thick fillet of horse,
larded and dressed as they dresshere roe venison, vis-a-vis,
plunged for a few days into apreparation of salt, spices,
herbs, and onions, Madeira and adash of vinegar, and then
roasted, a most quote, delicatedevice, be it noticed, and one
which no real gourmand everforgets when he has once tried
(07:32):
it.
The fillet of horse wastriumphantly welcomed and voted
super excellent, tender, juicy,fat, high flavored, more
delicate than the stag, moremelting than the roe, more gamey
than the beef.
It was unanimously pronounced tobe a great discovery.
Now, in news about shoes thatyou can use, now's the time to
(07:55):
purchase your winter boots andrubbers.
Our neighbors, Mrs.
Barton and Renders, carry withthem an enviable name and are
classed among the best, mostgentlemanly and accommodating
merchants, nor can they beexcelled in cheapness these hard
times.
By giving them a call, you willconfer a favor of great
advantage to yourselves.
Well, the storm of last weekcreated quite a panic in our
village, so much so that animmense run was made on the shoe
(08:18):
and rubber bank of MistressBarton and Rinder's until it was
almost depleted, thereby causingthe sudden departure of the head
of this enterprising firm to thecity for a fresh supply.
Having procured this supply, hadthem put on board a vessel that
found it next to animpossibility to keep up steam
sufficient to enable her tocarry so large a freight and
arrive here under twenty-fourhours.
(08:38):
Such a demand for goods on theirline has not been heard of
before in this place.
Boots, shoes, and rubbers aresold so low as astonished the
natives.
And on the evening of Tuesdaylast, some scoundrel took from
Misters Barton and Rinder's onepair of calf skin and one pair
of rubber boots.
We are also informed that a fewnights previous, a pair of
(08:58):
ladies' rubbers were taken fromthe same store.
Ye shoplifters, remember ourstar detective is on the lookout
for you, and should he catch youlifting, you are a deaden and
make no mistake.
And now, in what appears to be asection of news just printed
just to take up space on thefront page, here's some random
(09:19):
facts, I guess.
Heroine is perhaps a peculiarword as any in our language.
The first two letters of it aremale, the three first female,
the four first a brave man, andthe whole word a brave woman.
(09:44):
Some round on their centers,others from place to place.
The cause of these motions isunknown.
There's a certain tree in India,the wood of which is held in
such veneration that everyBurman house has a beam of it.
Are you stepping on thethreshold of life?
Secure a good moral character.
Without virtue, you cannot berespected.
Without integrity, you cannotrise to any distinction or
(10:08):
honor.
And finally, in Popular Tales,it's Christmas for the Rich and
Poor by Annie Proust.
A Merry Christmas! It echoedthrough the wide streets in a
thousand different voices.
It rang out in the clear sleighbells, it was shouted through
(10:29):
the house by childish voices, itwas whispered in loving tones by
the invalid's couch.
It was sighed forth with bitteremphasis in the prison cells.
It was muttered in hard voicesin the dark, dirty alleys where
merriment was a mockery, or thedespairing mirth of overwrought
(10:52):
misery.
That was an excerpt from A MerryChristmas by Annie Proust.
Here's what else you need toknow today.
(11:17):
I'm completely independent andI'm fully reader and listener
supported.
I mean, you know what they say alot these days.
The problem withbillionaire-owned media means
that much of what we read,watch, and listen to is
controlled by a small group ofrich and powerful people.
I mean, just look at Netflix andWarner Brothers or Jeff Bezos in
the Washington Post.
I mean, there's no way aroundit.
(11:38):
I'm no billionaire.
I don't even know Jeff Bezos.
This is the Jiffy, not theJeffy, after all.
So if you enjoyed this podcastor the James Cape Instagram feed
or the newsletter and would liketo support, well, you can help
me reach my goal by becoming asustaining member or making a
one-time donation.
I've got links to these optionsin the show notes.
(11:58):
Your support continues, trulycontinues to fund my independent
project, and I just love sharingstories about the Hudson Valley.
So let's do it.
Let's keep it going into 2026.
And until then, that'll do itfor this episode of The Jiffy,
not Jeff Fee.
Until next time, I'll see youover on the Instagram feed.
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