The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-04-05

1890 ~ 49, t'iNnu npst Nhu wan Wv
exposure Oi Benedict Arnold. and with
tho names OF tho three immortal militia
mon who captured Andre and saved tho
country. This much OF our revolutions
airy history Is forever ono und INSOFAR
RbIo with tho name OF this town. 1t Ia
therefore classic name in our history,
1t i, nlso place OF legendary fame,
made 80 by tho pens OF Washington
Irving and Fonnlmoro Cooper. what
name is better known than "Slcopy
Hollow" Well, "Sleopy Hollow" and
Its old Dutch church are horo to-day.
and the graves Of tho contemporaries Of
IchNbod Crane and "licadlcSs Horse.
man" lilo around nbout it. Tho old
manor house oil this region still stands,
whore Washington once paid court to
the heircss, and atill connects tho town
with tho Dutch nnvigators Of tho llud-
son. The old bell from Amsterdam
that has swung in It's tower Tor two
hundred years still wakes the echoes in
"Sleepy Hollow" as II did in the days
of tho first Van Ransolaers. So that
You acu from any point OF Wow. histor-
ical md legendary, ancient and modern.
Tarrytown ia IN interesting locality.
IN BENEDICT AnSoLD's TIME.
Just what Tarrytown was like In the
days when 1t lay between the two
armies, OF Washington, who occupied
tho country on both sides OF tho river
above here, and Clinton. who occupied
Manhattan leland and tho country nd
iacent, and who controlled tho sea
coast, have moro than once tried 10
imagine. Now York City did not then
have moro people than Wheeling has
to-day, and counting BROOKLYN and Jor-
scy City it did not have in Its suburbs
and within itself rs many people as live
in Bellaire, Bridgeport, Martins Ferry
and Wheeling to-day. Both Boston
aud Philadelphia were really mnre i'm
portunt cities than New York. Yet its
grand hurbor, its contiguity to tho sea
and its great rivers (the Hudson and
the East rivers) made it the sirategeii-
cal point OF all others in the colonies.
The effort OF the British was to got con-
troll OF tho Hudson aud thus cut of the
New England colonies from that OF New
York, New Jeraoy, Pennsylvania and
the south. Washington held Kings
Ferry above here, and our chief fortili.
cation, as Ialso our chief stores, NUM-
tons. &C., were Mt West Point. 1t was
vital to the colonies, therefore, to hold
the river above here, and to assist in
holding it massive chain, like huge
boom, was stretched between tho two
shores. 1t was all theac vital defenses
that Bcpedict Arnold proposed, in con-
sideration OF $4,000 and major-gen.
erals commission IN tho British army,
to surrender to Clinton. and in conse-
qucnce of his overtures 10 the latter
Andre. his acknowledgement, came with
In our lines, was arrested Us 4 spy ut
this point on the 23rd OF September,
1880, and on the End OF October hung ms
such OH the heights across the river
from here.
Tho monument that commentaries
tho arrest stands in the heart OF this
town. on street back near the hill
called Broadway, continuation oil
Broadway, New York-both being part
OF the old stage road between Battery
Place, New York. and Albany. /,
stands on the exact spot where Andre,
at the point OF the militia guns, was
"held up" Just north OF it a short
distance is a small brook that still
crosses tho road as it did in 1850. Over
this brook was wooden bridge, and il
was the sound OF the hoofs OF Andres
horse on this bridge that gave notice Of
his approach to the three lnilitiamen
who were playing cards in n cluster Of
bushes near tho roadside. They drop
ped their cards, came to tho monu.
mental spot, and there halted tho uu'
known acknowledgement Of the British
army, on whose person, unknown to all
the world save himself and Arnold
we're the priceless papers in his boots
that were on their mission OF death tc
the colonies. That was q supreme mo-
ment, the supremest moment OF the
long seven years struggle for American
Independence, whom he halted, and
when he missed his guess and declared
himself British officer.
/ could not understand exactly how
Andre came to make this mistake nnti
! talked with local historian here, who
has gone deep into the facts that relate
to this historic episode. 1t seemed ex
cessively stupid in Andre not to have
declared himself "patriop officer and
to nave exhibited Arnold's pass and
proceeded on his journey. If his cap
tors had been "loyalists," as the British
sympathizera were called, no would
have been in good hands aud would
have been carried just where he was
going and wanted TO 20, within Gin
toms lines. But my historical friend
here, the Rev. DR.. John A. Todd, tells
me that two circumstances conspired tc
throw Andre completely off his guard
that morning. Tho first was the advice
given him by tho "patriot" ferryman
who had brought him over from his
conference on the west side with Ar.
mold, which was to avoid this river road
and take tho road back in tho country
through White Plains, inasmuch rs this
ono was beset with loyaiis,s and British
foragers and therefore he would run
great risk OF capture il he came through
Tarrytown. This suggestion OF the fer.
ryman naturally determined him &c
como by this road instead OF the other,
and thus the first step in his swiftly
coming tate was takon. The next cir.
cumstance was the fact that John Pauld.
ing ono OF his captors. had inst returned
from captivity in Nav York. and had
on British coat, seeing which made
Andre feel safe in declaring himself Q
British officer. These arc the two cir.
cumstances that l am told explain his
fatal mistake. A good Presbyterian
would say that they were simply par,
OF the specially forcordained plan to
save the cause OF American independ.
ence. What victory was to us at n later
day at Gettysburg, victory was to us
here ut TarrytowI on that ovcntful day.
The colonies were then very despond-