Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1858-04-28


tinent, by a line of military posts.
''At the time in question, powerful land
and naval armament. under the command of
the brothers Howe, were hourly expected off
Sandy Hook. Governor Tyron, who had
prudently taken counsel of his fears, was
then in safety On board the British armed
vessel, Duchess of Gordon, lying near Staten
Island; and Washington, who was in com
mand of quite strong force on York Island
occupied the mansion known as Richmond
/ Hill, afterward the country-seat of Colonel
Aaron Burr, situated near the iuterse ction of
the present Charlton and Varck streets.
] About the middle of j uue, the town and
the camp were filed with rumors of a foul
conspiracy. 1t was alleged that, on the arri-
val of the British feet, the Tories were to
rise, fail armed, to cooperate with the min
isterial forces; that Kingsbriige, at the up
per end of the island, was 30 be destroyed,
! SO Us TO cut of all communication with the
main laGd +; that the magazines were to be f.
/ red, and Washington and his staff to be mur
dered, or seized and given up to the enemy
!
idents of the city, and of Long and Staten Is
lands, as con spirators Among these were
the proprietCrs OF most Of the prominent
drinking houses in the city and the tavern
IF Corbie, situated Situated southeast of
General Washing gtons house, to the westward
of Bayard's woods, aud North of Lispcnard's
meadows,' (uear the intersection Of the pres
ent Spring aud Wooster. streets. } was design
ed as the general rendezvous of the conspir-
ators, where Gilbert Forbes, blacksmith,
gave them money. and swore them the
book to secrecy It vas also alleged that
from this house q correspondence was kept
up with Governor Tyron, on the Duchess Of
Gordon, through a mulatto-colored negro
dressed in blue clothes
These rumors were so generally believed
that the Provincial Congress of New York
appointed Philip Livingston, John jay and
Gouverneur Morris, committee of iEvcsti-
cation This committee traced the plot up
to Governor Tyron, who, from his secure re-
treat, was acting through agents on shore,
among the most prominent of whom was Da
vid Mathews, the mayor of the city, who, it
was alleged, had paid money to enlist men,
: purchase arms, and corrupt the continental
soldiery. 1t was stated before the committee
that Governor Tyron had offered five gum
cas- bounty to each man who should enter the
kings service, with promise of two hundred
acres of land for himself, one hundred for his
wife, and fifty for. each child. Some Of
Washngton's Life Guard wore charged with
; complicitv in the scheme for numbering him
> aud it was alleged that members ef the Guard
: had been tampered with at Corbie's country
tavern.
The investigating committee were salts
fed of the general truth ftheae statements
and they authorized and requested Genera
= Washington to cause the arrest Of Mayor
= Mathews, and the seizure Of his papers. Ih,
mayors residence at Flatbush, on Long
= IslaLd about a mile and half from the en-
canpment of General Greene, near Brooklyi
To that officer Washington intrusted the exc
cution Of the arrest; and at one o'clock IL
: the morning of the twenty second of June,
: detachment from Greene's brigade surroun
= ded Mathews house, and secured his person
but uo papers were found Many other ar
: rests were made on the same day, and grea
- alarm seized the tories who were engaged il
- the plot Many OF them on Long Island an
~ Staten Island concealed themselves in tn
woods or othel safe retreats.
..Forbes, the gunsmith whose place c
u business was on Broadway, near the Bowlin
+ba Il
y refused to make auy disclosures, aud was sen
to iall in irons. Early the next morning,
IN son Of Philip Livingston visited him +; tol
T. him he was gricved to find he had been cor
N cerned, and as his time was short. not havin
- above three days to live, advised him to pre-
P pare himself This had the desired effect
J, Forbes asked to be taken before the Congre:
IL aoain and there he made such disclosure
he that between twenty and thirty other person
OF in the city were muiediateiy arrested. An
wv opr them were Thomas Hickey, member
IL Washington's Life Guard. and johnson,
ge fer. aud Greene, a drummer, of the san
Is corps, who, it afterward appeared, had bee
NE corrupted by Hickey.
Zone Bowen, VINO was suspected, testiht
Lrd before the committee that he had heard
it company that several of the Life Guard h;
le- deserted and that others were uneasy al
nd weary of the service, and would go on boa
try trhe Duchess Of Gordon if they could. Foi b
be- confessed that the mayor had paid him Oh
ug hundred and forty pounds sterling, for wea
the ons by order of Governor Tyron and VI
the thews himself admitted the charge, bat So