, 1884-08-27
BEECIlER'S HOME.
A Place Amid Nature in Its Host
Beautiful Aspect.
Tile surrounding scenery-EistorieaI
acknowledgements Beecher Coat
oF-Arrn.-How the "AIr Cas-
Iie's Was Built.

Interview in New York World.l
Al love to pass my summers here, amid
nature in It's most beautiful aspect, and every
hill pregnant with historical associations.
See, right across the river there Is Haver-
straw. There Mai. Andre and Benedict
Arnold mot to compleie. their t~roacherous
bargain Andre was brought up in the Nnl-
ttrr, which lay in midstTeam. 4 boatuian
brought HIM to the place Of rendezvous The
Americans, who did 70. like tho looks Of tho
British vessel, opened ire on her, and 70 avoid
any suspicion she sailed fmthH down the
river. The boRtman refused TO take Andre
back To the ship and land him at Verplunck's
Point. lie wert along the Compound road,
which skirts my place. Had lie continued on
that road he would havo reached the British
lines in rafety, but he turned OF in tho direc-
ton OF Tnrrytown aud was captured. In the
graveyard Of the old Episcopal church in
udi village stands a monument erected to the
memory Of Paulding, one of Maj. Andres
captors.7
This very hill, 1 suppose, Mr.. Beecher,
was occupied by ourtroops during the reyo-
lutionf
at was Gen. Putnam's headquarters. As
you drive alcng the road here and look to-
ward the northwest you will see a hill,
crowrel by a number of tall trees growing
inside a ruined fortiication. That L. called
'Gallows Hill There Gen. Putnam hung a
spy and wrote the following character
istic letter to Gen. Clinton, the commander
Of the British troops at New York, who
threatened dire vengeance on Gen. Putnam
II he would treat his prii oaer as a spy: The
prisoner was caught under circumstance
which tend to show that he was a spy; he
viii be tried as a spy and hung as a spy. N.
Bile has been hung
What name do you give your place, Mr..
Beecheri1
"Oh, its got u new name every year. What
Is its name this year, mar he called out to
Mrs. Beecher, who was In the library.
"Beecher's Farm" she replied.
II don't meal that; l mean it's English
name
@Boscobel."
Eyes, that's it, Boscobel,T continued Mr..
Beecher, addressing the reporter. Il don't
know exactly what it means, though perhaps,
it might mean beautiful bose or woods. But I'll
tell you how I came TO give it this name. You
remember that Charles II, after being de
feated In battle, concealed himself from the
enemy by hiding in the trunk OF a hollow
tree. That tree stood on an estate belonging
to an ancestor of mine on my mothers side
named Foote, who called his place BoscobeL
He assisted Charles II to escape, and tho lat
ter, on his restoration to the throne, gave my
ancestor the right TO wear a coat-of-arms. 1
hive, as you sec, adopted the name of the
ancestral home and have also adopted the
Foote coat-of-arms.r
Then you have u cOet-of-armsF
"Oh. l have two-the Beecher and the
Foote,r replied tho eminent divine. with u
smile; zone for winter and the other for sum
mer wear"
How long have you occupied Boscobellr
Its twenty-thrce years since 1 bought the
ground. God made that, but l put the hair
on it. I've planted between 5000 and 1000
ornamental and fruit trees, in all about $50
different varieties. About eight years ago l
built this house from the profits OF my lectur-
ing. Sometimes 1 call it my air castle, since
it is built from wind"