Letter to Captain Gustavus D. S. Trask, Governor of Sailors' Snug Harbor, from Charles W. Deshon, Inmate, Sailors’ Snug Harbor, January 25, 1890


Identifier
SC-0016-I-D-1-B-275
Abstract
Handwritten letter from Charles W. Deshon, inmate of Sailors' Snug Harbor, to Captain Gustavus D. Trask, explaining that he is in the house under Captain Russell. He states that he is a son of Captain William Deshon and his wife, F. M. Hanley and explains that he and his forefathers have been masters of American ships, proof of which can be found in Captain [Richard] Luce's office. He then describes his early life, while his father was the master of the ship Samuel Appleton, owned by D. G. and W. B. Bacon. He states that Mr. Daniel Bacon and his son owned the ship Gamecock, on which Deshon served as mate under captain W. W. Hardy, of Dover, New Hampshire. After working in the industry, Deshon left the last vessel due to disability and went to the Marine Hospital in Philadelphia, from which he walked to New York and entered the Harbor on June 13, 1887. He feels indebted to Captain Robert Richard Randall and believes in treating others with kindness. If he is put in charge of the Reading Room, he intends to spend his salary on additional materials for the room. He explains that he is sending the letter due to an incident that occurred as he was going to the post office in New Brighton, when Mrs. [Louisa] Hammond the matron, who called to him and claimed she had seen him coming out of a rum shop. Deshon explains that he has not been drinking but claims to have visited every rum shop and business in West Brighton, Stapleton, Tompkinsville, and New Brighton promoting the cause of equal rights, a meeting on which will be held in the Parabola Hall in New Brighton. He explains that he has interested both Reverend [Charles J.] Jones and Dr. [Henry Dewitt] Joy in the cause and states that Mr. Webb saw him come in from canvassing. He goes on to state that his experience with women "has been such, that the more I see of them, the greater is my love for a Newfoundland dog." He denies Mrs. Hammond's allegation that he was drinking and asks Trask to speak to her to clear up the situation. In a postscript he adds that "Mr. [Henry?] George's  works were approved by Chief Justice Beasley of the New Jersey Supreme Court November 19, 1889."
Name
Name: Deshon, Charles W., -1893
Role: Author
Institutional Affiliation: Sailors' Snug Harbor (Institution)

Name: Trask, Gustavus D. S. (Dunham Smith), 1837-1914
Role: Addressee
Institutional Affiliation: Sailors' Snug Harbor (Institution)
Type Of Resource
Texts
Note
The collection is on permanent loan at the Stephen B. Luce Library of SUNY Maritime College. The Sailors' Snug Harbor records are the Property of the Trustees of the Sailors’ Snug Harbor.
Origin Info
Date Created: January 25 1890
Place: New Brighton (New York, N.Y.)
Genre
letters (correspondence)
Physical Description
extent: 26.5 x 40.8 cm
Digital Origin: Reformatted digital
; extent: 26.5 x 20.4 cm
Digital Origin: Reformatted digital