Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-11-05


the Arnold plot ran and of those impli-
Gated, one who would even dare kidnap
the traitor in the very enjoyment of his
safety. The man who so dared must APP
pear to desert from Tappan This was
asking much--my he among my
comrades and the risk OF a spy's death
from the British, and yet, young fool of
23 that / was, / accepted.
can see that low room now in the
De Witt house in Tappan, the general S
aL.,ious face, Major Harry's bold eyes.
turned my mare through the picket
line and gave her free head when the
patrol challenged, dashing over the
moist roads, for, as bad luck would have
it, the rain blotted out the ruts, leaving
the mares footprints patent to pursu-
ers, for the farrier put the same mark
ON the left forward shoe of all Major
Lee S horses.
For a moment, believe, they hest
tated dumfounded that so faithful a
soldier as 1 should suddenly initiate
Arnold. In all the disaffection there
never had been a desertion from that
corps. Who can be trusted? l could fan
cy them muttering. / knew that Major
Lee would delay them all he could But
he, too, must carry out the play. He,
too must appear astounded that l, who
always had proved faithful, should all
at once become among the most faith
less thDu ght all this while the mare
bore me over the road toward Bergen,
for I designed to hail the kings patrols
at Paulus Hook.
But with all the delay had but lit
tie the start. Soon heard them after
me and the mare almost spent. The sky
lightened. The mare seemed to be 60
ing even slower, and l knew as came
to the forks ON the hill, which is by the
Three Pigeons inn, above Bergen, that
they probably would catch me before l
could make the stone bridge below.
Nay, turning in my saddle, 1 could see
in the darkish dawn Cornet Middleton
heading the pursuers and hear his loud
hello.
At the forks, within a stones throw
of the Three Pigeons, for moment /
deliberated. Should l have my reputa-
ton all lost for nothing? They probably
would shoot me as it was, nor could
they ever believe me an honest man.
Only for a moment did l hesitate,
you may believe, before turning direct
ly down the slope by Elizabeth Point to
Gle river, and there, as luck would
have it, was a patrol. l sprang from the
mare and waded through the marsh in
to the river, hallooing. Just then the
pursuers perceived my detour, and a
bullet came singing around my ears l
pushed out beyond my depth, and the
men i'll the boat, comprehending the
situation, pulled me in, firing and
shouting derisively to my old comrades,
whose curses reached me.
was taken to Sir Henry Clinton,
who, examining me closely, ended by
believing in my sincerity, as in faith
the desertion was plain enough, and
that one from Major Lees corps
AS we had thought would be the
case, he recommended me as an honest
fellow to General Arnold, who, too,
had run to the kings side. l could de-
tect a certain detestation in Sir Henry S
tone when he spoke of Arnold, who had
received his e10, 600 and his brigadier-
ship as the price of his service, who vet
was sincerely disliked, more because the
affair had cost the army Major Andre,
l believe, than for any other reason.
reported that morning to the new
British brevet brigadier at 3 Broadway,
in the old bathrooms, over Burns Arms.
do not know what l had expected
of the man, / had heard so much TO his
discredit ] saw simply an agreeably
hammered gentleman, who questioned
me closely and in the end believed that
! had been persuaded by his example
Strangely, too, he rented of a widow,
Mistress Warren, whose daughter, Pris-
ella Warren, l once had made furious
love to in Virginia A plump, fair hair
ed, gray eyed girl, Mistress Priscilla S
greeting, her congratulations TO me at
having come over from rebellion to 10y
atty, made me for a moment sicken
again of the false part.
/ must explain this to show how that
which followed came about Nor did
Benedict Arnold fail to treat me with
further consideration. He promised to
obtain me a commission in legion of
American loyalists in time to Join the
expedition Lord Howe was then prepar-
ing to send to the Virginia capes In
the meantime, other decent lodging be-
ing hard to find, he had permitted me
10 take a room at the Widow Warren s.
In fact, all had gone exactly as the
plan had been laid. l had communicate
ed, as have said, with General Wash
ington, showing him, as had it from
Arnold himself, who appeared to trust
me implicitly, the full extent of the
treachery and the names of the few
persons in any way implicated have
been told that this information first
gave the general in chief heart to be-
lieve there remained those he could
trust, and that the major general he
suspected was, after all, not in the af-
fair.
And now the rest was all plain. Ar
mold would stroll in the garden to quiet
his nerves before bed. My desperate fell
low would hide behind the loosed pal
ing, could be sure, at the appointed
hour. was now equally sure of Mas
ter Roland having the boat in readiness
at the foot of the lane. Yet, as thought
of it all, felt dismayed. looked up
to the ruined tower of Trinity, almost
praying to keep my courag, waru. ]
decided to take tankard of beer at the
tavern. The night was dark enough,