Rewind: February 1, 2025 – “Love is in the Air – Winning Miss Parker”

David Waite has done some perfect research to share as Valentines Day is looming.

The prospect of love hung heavy in the air over Fort Edward for the young men vying for the favor of courting Miss Rebecca Jane Parker during the summer of 1885. That this young lady had caught their attention was not surprising, as the nineteen-year-old Rebecca was the belle of Dunham’s Basin, a school teacher with a pretty face and charming personality. Two of the most persistent suitors were Glens Falls sewing machine salesman William H. Bragg and Frederick McGraw, an industrious farmer from neighboring Kingsbury.

Throughout the summer this captivating maiden was besieged by her admirers, who at every opportunity would seek to escort her for walks, carriage rides, and excursions by boat on Lake George. It soon became apparent to Frederick McGraw that he needed something to push himself to the front of the pack. Being inexperienced and likely a bit muddled with love, Frederick brought Rebecca a gift that he thought would reveal his true feelings. The treasure he bestowed on this lovely young woman was a writing desk, and not to miss any chance at self-promotion, it was inscribed with “To Rebecca, from her best fellow.”

When his gift received an indifferent response, McGraw reconsidered his actions and soon realized that his only chance to win Rebecca’s heart was to lay all his cards on the table. By hoarding the meager profits gained through hours of backbreaking labor on the farm, he was finally able to afford a gift that could bring him the prize of this woman’s heart. For this, he chose a ring that he had inscribed with words similar to his first offering. This he presented to his beloved along with a proposal of marriage.

While it would be fitting that McGraw’s hard work and good intentions would be rewarded, they were not, as Rebecca again turned down his offer to be her “best fellow.” With this, Frederick, now perplexed and angry, returned again to be only one of several young men courting Miss Parker.

Later that summer, just as a fellow named Stevens was making progress in winning Miss Parker, letters began to be delivered to Frederick McGraw and other of her suitors. Some anonymous, some signed by men of prominence in the community, they all carried a common message, that Rebecca Parker was not who she seemed, but rather someone of disreputable, even immoral character.  Immediately, McGraw pointed the finger at one, then another of the young men seeking Rebecca’s affections. As at first, the most likely suspect was William Bragg, he was soon arrested and indicted for the crimes. Yet all was not as it seemed on the surface and the case took a not-so-surprising turn when McGraw himself was soon arrested and charged with the same crimes as Bragg.

The jury trial of Frederick McGraw and William Bragg was held during the June term of the Washington County Court, which was presided over by Judge Sylvester Alonzo Kellogg of Clinton County. As Bragg now was not the only focus of the trial, his attorney, Alexander Dallas Wait, immediately asked that his client’s indictment be dropped, a request that was denied by the court.

With the prosecution determined to prove that the letters were written by McGraw, they began by putting two men on the stand who testified that they felt the defendant McGraw was the author. One of these, a cashier at the First National Bank at Glens Falls, stated that the letters were all written by the same person. Next, a man named Russell, testified that he obtained a writing sample by fooling McGraw into responding to him in writing.

When it was Miss Parker’s turn to testify, all in attendance were captivated by this blushing maiden. As she shared the story of her many admirers, even the defense attorney for McGraw, Thomas Alexander Lillie of Whitehall, was so enraptured by her charms that he did not make any attempt to discredit her testimony. The prosecution ended their time by hearing from Miss Parker’s brother, who told of how eager Frederick McGraw was to find the writer of the letters, even offering up to one thousand dollars for the mystery to be solved.

The defense started with the defendant Frederick McGraw taking the stand. Denying the charge that he had written the offending letters, he made it clear that he had nothing to do with anything affecting the character of his beloved Rebecca. Next, an array of McGraw’s friends, family, and employees all had their turn testifying to the good character of the defendant and how he was not the author of the letters. To counter this, the prosecution asked to call on another witness, William Elijah Hagan, a chemical expert from Troy, New York. The attorneys for the accused objected, saying that the testimony would “reopen the case,” and the court sustained the objection, and refused to allow the witness to speak.

With all evidence having been given and counsel for both sides waiving their right to sum up, it was time for the case to go to the jury. As he could see no criminating evidence, Judge Kellogg advised the jury to render a verdict of not guilty and sent them out. When after only ten minutes the jury had not returned, the judge sent an officer of the court to bring them back. When they were again seated, the judge asked for their verdict. Their foreman stated that they couldn’t agree and so had not yet reached one. With this Judge Kellogg interrupted and told them that their verdict was not guilty, and had the clerk enter it into record. It was reported in the June 20, 1886, Albany Argus that as they dispersed, one of the jurors gave this opinion of the judge’s action:

What in thunder’s the use of sittin’ on a jury if that feller up there is to tell us what to do, and we can’t help ourselves, nuther.

In newspaper accounts of the trial, this verdict was referred to as nolle prosequi, meaning that the case was dropped by the prosecution, but could be brought back again in the future.

Neither William Bragg, Frederick McGraw, or any of the other young men courting Miss Parker that summer were successful and it would be another eight years before William Morse, a machine attendant from Fort Edward won her heart and her hand in marriage.

Illustration:

Glens Falls Times, June 18, 1886

Sources include the newspaper archives at fultonhistory.com & nyshistoricnewspapers.org