Murder or Misdemeanor
The prisoner pleaded not guilty. These were the first words I deciphered in the notes in the Archives, and I started my research with the Oyer and Terminer Minutes documenting the People vs. John Benner. Benner pleaded not guilty to murder, but he pleaded guilty to administering medicine to attain an abortion and for expecting it; on the 25th of September, 1801, he was imprisoned in the County Jail and fined for the misdemeanor.
Click here to view a reproduction of a pamphlet originally issued in 1907 by Halleck Welles.
Below, an excerpt from the Notes on the Oyer and Terminer Minutes

Death by Arsenic: Morse’s “Tap-Room Tales” in Historic Old Rhinebeck
“A female by the name of Catherine Berrenger, residing with her parents near Kirchehoek, in Rhinebeck Precinct, fell a victim to death on the 4th day of November, 1800, by swallowing a portion of Arsenic, supposedly administered to her by John Benner, to whom she was promised in marriage, and who is now confined in the gaol at Poughkeepsie for the same offense.”
Morse continues, “This extract is from an old paper. Benner was tried, but the jury disagreed. He afterwards became a useful, respected and prominent citizen of the town.”Morse then describes the image and references the tavern now known as the Beekman Arms, “The old-timers met at the Bogardus -Potter-Jacques’ tavern, now the “old hotel”, in the village, and talked over happenings and events of the moment. The picture shows the tavernkeeper of 1800, Bogardus, standing, his wife in the doorway. Martinus Schryver sitting, cane in hand, is telling the exciting story. A stranger who has just arrived, his trunk behind him, a Van Wagenen and the landlord’s son are listening in astonishment.”


John Benner is listed first on this ancient document dated September 22nd, 1801.
This research trail started when I became curious about the prisoner who pleaded not guilty. The handwritten notes on the Oyer and Terminer Minutes for the John Benner trial led me to Howard Morse’s Historic Old Rhinebeck and his reference to what is now known as the Beekman Arms, “Arsenic for the Complexion” an article in the June 3, 1883 Rhinebeck Gazette, a Dutchess County ancient document and back to the Rhinebeck Historical Society’s Archives for Catherine Barringer’s funeral dirge.
This has been one story from the history of Rhinebeck that originated in the Archives. Explore the Archives for more about the Benners and Barringers and other families who have inhabited Rhinebeck and the vicinity for centuries.
Happy Researching.
See you in February!
From the Archives,
Researcher Bonnie Wood
January 2025