The New York herald., 1922-06-04
Goshen's Cowboy Tree.
One Reason Why the Gulf Of Mexico
Does Not Bound Canada.

To The NEW York HERALD: Your
notice of the passing of the historic
cottonwood tree at Goshen. N. Y. leaves
cut the most interesting fact in its
honorable career.
This old fellow was a cowboy tree
iE the Revolutionary days; a tree
under which the cowboys met and often
one upon which they were hanged.
But who and what were the cowboyse
Well. reliable old Jared Sparks sayss
'"rhe cowboys were a set OF people
mostly, II not wholly. refugees belong
ing to the British side and engaged in
plundering cattle ana driving them to
New York."
They did not consider that their calls
ing obliged them to plunder four footed
cattle exclusively. and they were
equally ready to tighten the burdens
Of any other travellers at short notice.
A genuine pest. they were terror to
all travellers and farmers throughout
the territory along the Hudson River
north Of the British lines above New
York city for some thirty miles to the
American outposts.
Well, now just stop and consider for
a moment how the history OF the
United States might have read to-day
If it had not been for these same cow
boys in the year 1880.
Major Andre after his interview with
Benedict Arnold on the night OF Septem-
ber FL at Joshua Smiths house crossed
the river the next morning to ver-
planck's Point to work his way back
to New York through the American
lines on Arnold's passport.
Being held up by an American pa
troll, he was forced to spend the night
Of September 20 at Andreas Miller's
house. as the officer commanding the
patrol had thoroughly frightened Smith.
Andres American guide, by telling him
that the cowboys were ON the, rampage
all along the countryside, especially ON
the lower or river read passing through
Tarrytown.
Leaving Millers at daybreak on Sep
tember 23 Smith rode with Andre nearly
as far rs Pines Bridge, where he left
him, and, believing him to be genuinely
attached to the cause of the Americans,
cautioned him to be sure to take the
upper road from Pines Bridge straight
to New York through White Plains,
and avoid by all means the lower road,
where he was certain to be held up
by the cowboys
At Pines Bridge Major Andre natur-
lily took the lower road as the cowboys
were British sympathizers, and he could
not get among the British again any
too quickly for his comfort And so
because of the cowboys he rode straight
into the hands Of those noble youths
Paulding, Williams and Van Wart.
American patriots to the core, aid his
tory tells US the rest
Now, supposing Andre had met tho
British cowboys, as ne had hoped, Just
about where would you draw the south
.ern boundary line of Canada to-day?
With the fall of West Point, the Hud-
son River in full possession of the Brit
ish, all communication from New Eng
land into New York State or New Jer-
sey cut Off. think we might put 1t
for a starter somewhere about the Gulf
of Mexico.
Talk about tongues In trees. Don'e
you wish that old Goshen cowboy tree
could have found some modern Jaoues
to translate for us his tales of a grand
father? Let US all take Off our hats
whenever we pass this historic church
park in Goshen. for 200 years the home
OF the old cowboy tree. o. s. II.
FALL RIVER, Mass. June 3.