from Cooperstown, Lieut. Marmaduke Cooper, died at
Fortress Monroe; a third, Lieut. Morris Foote, was taken prisoner, and
escaped, with thrilling experiences, from a detention camp in South
Carolina; while his brother, Lieut. Frank Foote, lost a leg in the
battle of the Wilderness, for three months was mourned as dead by his
family, and had the pleasure, on his return to Cooperstown, of reading
his own obituary.

Among the citizens who stayed at home during the war were some who did
much to stir up Union sentiment in Cooperstown, where the political
opinions of not a few had taken the form of opposition to the Northern
cause. Among these enthusiasts was John Worthington, who was cashier in
the bank established by his father, John R. Worthington, in a building
which stood on the north side of Main Street not far west of Fair
Street. There were then two divisions of the Democratic party, known as
"War Democrats" and "Peace Democrats." The motto of the latter, as
applied to the Southern States, was "Erring sisters, go in peace." This
was too much for Worthington, who caused a large banner to be stretched
across the entire front of the Worthington Bank, surmounted by the Stars
and Stripes, and the words, "Victory will bring Peace."

Worthington had a strong spirit of adventure in his composition, and,
just before the war, had astonished the village by one of his
characteristic exploits. In July a traveling aeronaut had appeared on
the Fair Grounds, which were then in the region of the village south of
Christ Church, proposing to make a series of flights for the
entertainment of the public. He had an enormous balloon which was
floated by being filled with heated air and smoke. The first ascension
was a great success, and the aeronaut landed safely beyond the top of
Mount Vision. When the next flight was to be made, just as the inflation
was completed, John Worthington stepped out of the crowd, and asked to
take the place of the aeronaut, who readily consented. There was a
southerly breeze, and the balloon, as it sailed over the village, barely
escaped the top of Christ Church spire. It then rose straight upward
and, as the air within it cooled, began rapidly to descend. By a strange
coincidence the balloon dropped in the main street, within a short
distance of the Worthington Bank, at the very moment when its
proprietor was descending the steps. The street was agog at the sudden
appearance of the balloon, but none was more