old Bund and the confederate military commission took their way to Augsburg. Two days after, General Von Falkenstein encamped near the city of Frankfort with a large army, and dissolving the city senate and burger representatives, took command of the city, which he treated as conquered, levying a war contribution of six millions of gulden to be paid in twenty-four hours.. This was done and Falkenstein said that the citizens would now be no more molested and he left the city.

He had not been gone many hours, however, before General Manteuffel, to whom the main army had been transferred on the 20th of July, entered the city with twenty thousand troops, which he at once quartered upon the inhabitants, foreign and native, and then demanded a second war contribution of twentyfive million gulden, to be paid within three days, or the city would be bombarded and sacked. The citizens were in a state of dumb consternation, and knew not where to get the money. A number of senators and representatives assembled to discuss the state of affairs, and a deputation was sent to General Manteuffel to protest against these excessive measures, but with no result. The citizens themselves were subjected to continual insult, and required by the soldiers to provide for exorbitant wants. Some preferred to leave their houses altogether to the possession of the soldiers. Protests were vain, and General Manteuffel spread most fearful rumors of what he should do in case the money was not paid within the time specified.

citizens of the United States whose names were registered at the consulate, to call for their certificates of protection; and as a correspondent of the Berne Bund said at the time, "made the Prussian government answerable for all and every injury done to an American citizen." But though this secured American citizens from the quartering of troops, their property was of course in danger of the threatened general bombardment

About this time Consul-General William Walton Murphy appeared upon the scene. He was on business in Hamburg when he received the first news of the invasion of Frankfort, and at once endeavored to return to his post. But all the direct roads were interrupted; he procured a special passport and a vise from the Prussian minister at Hamburg, authorizing him to go through; then proceeded on the Minden road to Cologne; then by a Holland boat to Mayence; from thence he drove across the country, being challenged at every hundred yards, to Frankfort, where he found the condition of things already described. His first attention was to the troops already quartered upon American citizens. He at once informed Manteuffel that the soldiers must be withdrawn from the Americans; issued a notice to all

A deputation of citizens then had an interview with General Manteuffel at his hotel. He kept them waiting for three hours before he would see them, the meantime being used by some members of the deputation to drop into Consul-General Murphy's room in the hotel to ask his advice. Finally General Manteuffel ordered the deputation to appear, and replied to the complaints of the treatment of the city, that the money must be paid, if not the city would be sacked, and he should take the money wherever he could lay his hands on it. The deputation said, "Surely Prussian troops will not be allowed to plunder a German city." General Manteuffel replied: "For that job I have a regiment of Poles with me; I do not care if you do call me a second Duke of Alma." Affairs looked gloomy enough. General Manteuffel had arranged his cannon in position for firing upon the Zeil, the principal street of the city, and said as he pointed to them: "These are my arguments to bring the money, and if not paid within the time specified, I shall exact it."

Fortunately for Frankfort, General Manteuffel found in the American Consul-General Murphy a will prompt in action as his own. Mr. Murphy determined to exert what influence he possessed in favor of the city, and telegraphed to Governor Wright, then our minister in Berlin, the state of affairs and protested. against the second war levy of twenty-five million gulden. Even this was no easy task. The city telegraph stations were all in the hands of the military, and none would transmit the message; he must therefore proceed some miles into another territory and send the message by way of Heidelberg Fortunately, too, Manteuffel was shortly after called away by firing at Wurzburg, and sent a captain with a few regiments to enforce the demand. He was superseded in a day or so by General Roder, backed by a larger force, who, though not

quite so brutal as Manteuffel, demanded the immediate payment of the twenty-five million gulden. The despair of the citizens was complete; Burgomaster Feliner had hanged himself for grief, and no man knew how long his home would be secure from bombardment and pillage.

It was just at this time that our Consul-General Murphy's influence was efficient. On the 24th of July, he received a telegram from Governor Wright, in which he said he had called upon Von der Heydt, Prussian Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs, who said that Bismarck was absent, but that he had heard nothing at all about the second war levy at Frankfort, which was perfectly unjustifiable, and he would see that the order was not carried into execution; and in fact it was immediately revoked, and the citizens of Frankfort were released from all further apprehension. The popular joy at this unlooked for turn of affairs was, as might have been expected, exceedingly great, and Consul-General Murphy was thereafter regarded by the people as a true benefactor, for to him alone do they give the credit of saving their valuable property from destruc

tion.

The most prominent citizens of Frankfort determined to show their esteem and appreciation of Mr. Murphy's character and great services to their city by presenting him with magnificent silver goblets, valued at six hundred gulden, with numerous valuable testimonials, at the consulate rooms, where the presents were deposited. Professor Hamburger, attended by a large concourse of citizens, in a neat address presented them to Consul-General Murphy.

The removal of the Consul-General Murphy from Frankfort-on-the-Main elicited from the burgers of Frankfort strong and hearty expressions of their sympathy for our consular representative and regret at his departure. After his retirement from the consulship he remained in Germany as the trusted financial agent of several of the leading railway companies in the United States, in which he was instrumental in securing the investment of large amounts of foreign capital in American enterprises. It was through his influence that the first bonds of the United States were sold in Frankfort.

He was a brother-in-law of the Hon. Witter J. Baxter, of Jonesville, Professor I. B. Sill, of Detroit, and Professor A. S. Welch, of the Iowa Agricultural College.

WILLIAM H. BOYD

Was born in Hartwick, Otsego county, New York, October 6, 1811. His father, William A. Boyd, was born November 10, 1785, in Richmond, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, the son of John Boyd, who was born in Irene, Scotland, in 1739, and emigrated to this country in 1770. He was a descendant of the Earl of Richmond, educated in the University of Edinburgh, a lawyer by profession, and made a notary in 1761. On coming to this country was licensed by William Tryon, governor of the province of New York, in 1774. Married Christina Vandusen, of Kinderhook, and related to the Van Buren family. He removed from Berkshire county to Philadelphia, where he died September 18, 1798.

He left four sons, Robert, William A., John and James. John had a large family, whose "descendants are scattered in Wisconsin, Virginia, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylnia. John E. Boyd, one of the descendants, is connected with the Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian church in New York City.

William A. Boyd, father of William H., received his early education in Philadelphia and Albany, and entered a wholesale dry goods store in Albany, where he was thoroughly 'trained in the business. He afterwards settled in Otsego county, and married Miss Rutha Seymour, who was born in Berlin, Connecticut, August 28, 1789. Her father and mother (the latter's maiden name was Hart) were of Puritan stock, and among the first settlers and honored names of Connecticut They possessed sterling Christian characters, and trained a family of noble Christian men and women, numbering among their descendants six who have been or now are ministers of the Gospel. William A. Boyd had three children, William H., Erasmus J. and Mariet.

Erasmus was educated at Hamilton College, New York, and at the theological seminary at New York. He entered the ministry, and was for years pastor of a church in Brooklyn, Michigan. He was principal of the Young

Ladies' Seminary of Monroe from its origin for twenty-nine years. He married Sarah Clark, of Troy, New York; had two daughters, who married and settled in the West.

Mariet married Charles P. Woodruff, of Detroit; has three sons and three daughters.

William H. Boyd was educated at Ovid Academy, New York, where he pursued a course in the languages and mathematics preparatory for college, but not desiring a profession he turned his attention to natural history and the sciences. He entered the Rensselaer Institute, then under the charge of the distinguished Professor Amos Eaton, at Troy, New York, where he graduated in 1835. His class contained such scholars as Professor James Hall, of Albany, and Hon. S. Wells Williams, of Yale College, late of China, the last being his roommate for two years. At this institute students were required to lecture in the studies in the presence of the whole class and the professors. This exercise proved of great value to the students in after life.

From this institute Mr. Boyd returned to his home in Ovid, New York, and spent some. two years with his father in the mercantile business, during which time he accumulated a valuable library of literary, historic and scientific works, which he diligently studied in his leisure hours. He entered heartily into Sunday school work and the cause of temperance. In 1834 he was chosen superintendent of the Presbyterian church Sunday school, which office he held while he remained in Ovid, also acted as superintendent of a Sabbath school three miles outside of the village.

In the spring of 1836 he made choice of Monroe as his future residence and engaged a store building, returned to Ovid, from thence to New York, and purchased a stock of dry goods. With a capital of $200 purchased $3,000 on a credit of six months, and returned to Monroe in June and opened his stock in trade. About the 1st of December he added a stock of groceries. His business increased and was continued in the stand, in the building now occupied by H. Duvall, on First street, for ten years, during which time he built a store at Hillsdale, and one at Jackson, continuing the three stores for twelve years. He changed into the hardware trade, which he continued seventeen years, and then took in

two partners, George W. Bruckner and Robert Powell, and after seven years sold out to them. From that time he devoted his time to other branches of trade,produce, wool, clover seed, etc. In 1868 his hardware store was burned, when he went to New York City and spent two years in the oil trade, opening an important business in native lubricating oils in Russia, Germany, France and England, which business has been carried on most successfully by his son and his associates to the present time. associates to the present time. Returning from

New York at the close of 1869, he entered into the produce trade, in which he has continued to the present time, making in June, 1886, over fifty years of continued business.

When he commenced business in 1836, he wrote a pledge which he first signed and required all his clerks for the first ten years to sign, pledging total abstinence from intoxicating drinks and saloons, and of the large number connected with him in business, all with one exception of those now living have kept their pledge, and all with two exceptions have proved in after life to be men of sterling character, and most of them leading business men in society where they resided.

In the summer of 1836 he united with the First Presbyterian church of Monroe by letter from Ovid, and joining the Sabbath school as teacher, was at once made assistant superintendent, and continued assistant superintendent until January, 1843, when he was elected superintendent and held the office until July, 1878, some thirty-five years as superintendent, excepting two years when absent in New York-forty years superintendent and assistant superintendent of the same school. In the Sabbath school work he was active both at home and throughout the State, having aided in the formation of the State Sunday school Association, acted as one of its executive committee, and twice elected president of the State convention, once at Grand Rapids and once at Flint; was a delegate to the national convention in Indianapolis in 1872, and to the international convention in Baltimore in 1875; was a member of the first State temperance convention at Marshall in the winter of 1838; has been a member of the Synod of Michigan repeatedly, and of the General Assembly in Buffalo, New York and Cincinnati, and a life member of the American Sunday School Union, and its vice-president in 1876. He deliv