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Steuben Republican,
March 15, 1876
Old Sile Doty
Old Sile Doty is dead. He died at the residence of his son, William Doty, in Reading, Michigan last Sunday evening, the 12th aged 77 years.
Who does not remember Old Sile Doty? The widely known, inveterate and persistent old thief that ever infested this part of the world, so peculiarly constituted that he would steal for the fun of it, steal from wealthy or well-to-do and give generously to his poor or destitute neighbor - for he was kind and generous.
Old Sile Doty has been for the last thirty-five years, in his line, the most notable character we have ever had in our midst. His career in this county and in the counties of Hillsdale and Branch has been so well known that the announcement that it has now come to an end will revive in memory the old time of his many peccadillos. More than half his life has been spent within the walls of prison, but he hardly took his incarcerations as punishments. He regarded the penitentiary as his home and was ill at ease outside it's walls. But his body has now reached its last great earthly prison, and will not be released until the lapse of time shall usher the resurrection day and the last sentence pronounced to a court far above that of human wisdom or mercy.
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His parents were David and Martha (Wilson) Doty.∼Sile was the son of (_) Doty and his wife Martha (_).
2 DOTY siblings: Perhaps John and James.
Sile married Sophia Adams in the Spring of 1825. There is a Sophia Doty buried in this same cemetery.
DOTY children (1 known):
William Doty of Reading, Hillsdale, MI.
J. G. W. Colburn compiled a book, "The Life of Sile Doty, the Most Noted Thief and Daring Burglar of His Time", Toledo, OH: Blade Printing and Paper Company, 1880. Reprinted with a forward by Randolph G. Adams, Detroit: Alved of Detroit, Inc., 1948.
His (Sile's) family bought as many books as they could find and destroyed them.
__________
Sile may have been a descendant of Edward Doty, who came with the Pilgrims in the Mayflower, landing at Plymouth, MA, in 1620. Edward is described as a London youth, and came in the service of Stephen Hopkins. But little further is known of his origin or of his early history.
__________
"Silas Doty was a man, in many respects, of more than ordinary ability and might have made a record in a legitimate line of business that would have been a source of pride to his relatives and friends. His children seem to have inherited their mother's traits of character rather than his and were all highly respected citizens."
Source: Homer H. Brown
"Steuben Republican", January 5, 1938
__________
"Sile Doty appears as a character, played by Robert Wilke, in the 1956 film Raw Edge.
"A small cave in Hillsdale County, Michigan in the Lost National Game Area is named for him, and it is said to be where he held stolen horses."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sile_Doty#Home.2C_prison_and_old_age.
__________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steuben Republican,
March 15, 1876
Old Sile Doty
Old Sile Doty is dead. He died at the residence of his son, William Doty, in Reading, Michigan last Sunday evening, the 12th aged 77 years.
Who does not remember Old Sile Doty? The widely known, inveterate and persistent old thief that ever infested this part of the world, so peculiarly constituted that he would steal for the fun of it, steal from wealthy or well-to-do and give generously to his poor or destitute neighbor - for he was kind and generous.
Old Sile Doty has been for the last thirty-five years, in his line, the most notable character we have ever had in our midst. His career in this county and in the counties of Hillsdale and Branch has been so well known that the announcement that it has now come to an end will revive in memory the old time of his many peccadillos. More than half his life has been spent within the walls of prison, but he hardly took his incarcerations as punishments. He regarded the penitentiary as his home and was ill at ease outside it's walls. But his body has now reached its last great earthly prison, and will not be released until the lapse of time shall usher the resurrection day and the last sentence pronounced to a court far above that of human wisdom or mercy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His parents were David and Martha (Wilson) Doty.∼Sile was the son of (_) Doty and his wife Martha (_).
2 DOTY siblings: Perhaps John and James.
Sile married Sophia Adams in the Spring of 1825. There is a Sophia Doty buried in this same cemetery.
DOTY children (1 known):
William Doty of Reading, Hillsdale, MI.
J. G. W. Colburn compiled a book, "The Life of Sile Doty, the Most Noted Thief and Daring Burglar of His Time", Toledo, OH: Blade Printing and Paper Company, 1880. Reprinted with a forward by Randolph G. Adams, Detroit: Alved of Detroit, Inc., 1948.
His (Sile's) family bought as many books as they could find and destroyed them.
__________
Sile may have been a descendant of Edward Doty, who came with the Pilgrims in the Mayflower, landing at Plymouth, MA, in 1620. Edward is described as a London youth, and came in the service of Stephen Hopkins. But little further is known of his origin or of his early history.
__________
"Silas Doty was a man, in many respects, of more than ordinary ability and might have made a record in a legitimate line of business that would have been a source of pride to his relatives and friends. His children seem to have inherited their mother's traits of character rather than his and were all highly respected citizens."
Source: Homer H. Brown
"Steuben Republican", January 5, 1938
__________
"Sile Doty appears as a character, played by Robert Wilke, in the 1956 film Raw Edge.
"A small cave in Hillsdale County, Michigan in the Lost National Game Area is named for him, and it is said to be where he held stolen horses."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sile_Doty#Home.2C_prison_and_old_age.
__________
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