Sandy Flash Sandy Flash ( died 1778 ) was the name by which James Fitzpatrick , a late 18th - century highwayman , was better known . Sandy Flash operated in the areas west of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ( now parts of Chester and Delaware counties ) in the late 18th century . Biography . James Fitzpatrick was born in Chester County , the son of an Irish emigrant . As a young man , he was apprenticed to a nearby blacksmith , and upon the completion of his apprenticeship , he worked as a journeyman blacksmith in various locations in Pennsylvania . Upon the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War Fitzpatrick enlisted in the Continental army . During that service , he was flogged as a punishment for some infraction , and he subsequently deserted . He was arrested and imprisoned in Philadelphia , then released upon condition to re - enter the army , whereupon he deserted a second time . After General Howe captured Philadelphia in 1777 , Fitzpatrick joined the British army and , on a number of occasions , engaged in raids into the area now known as Chester County and Delaware County . After the British army evacuated Philadelphia in 1778 , Fitzpatrick remained in the area and continued to engage in raids against the Continental Army and its supporters in the area . Fitzpatrick particularly preyed on tax collectors — after robbing them , he would frequently strip them , tie them to trees and flog them . On another occasion , he captured a Continental officer who prided himself on wearing his hair in a neat queue — after robbing him and beating him , Fitzpatrick cut the officer ' s hair as an additional indignity . Fitzpatrick became well known for acts of reckless bravado . He frequently taunted local officials and law officers who attempted to arrest them , often by ambushing and robbing them . On one occasion , he reportedly attended , in disguise , a meeting called by a local assembly to devise plans for his own capture . After one militia captain present at the meeting repeatedly announced that he intended to see Fitzpatrick and then bring him to justice , Fitzpatrick asked the captain to meet with him alone in another room , whereupon Fitzpatrick revealed his true identity , robbed him , tied his victim ' s hands behind him with his own handkercheif , and told him " Now sir , you may go back to your friends and tell them that you wanted to see Captain Fritz and you have seen him . " Despite his crimes , Fitzpatrick was reputed to have a gallant side — like Robin Hood , he is reputed to have given gifts to the poor — particularly poor women on a few occasions , and he was never known to steal from the poor or to mistreat a woman . In 1778 , Fitzpatrick was finally captured and , after a number of escape attempts from prison , he was hanged on September 26 of that year . Reportedly , the rope used to hang him was too long , such that when he fell from the gallows , his feet touched the ground . The hangman then climbed onto Fitzpatrick ' s shoulders to force him down , so he was actually strangled . Legendary treasure . According to local legend , Fitzpatrick buried a substantial treasure in the Castle Rock area ( a rocky hill in the eastern part of Edgmont Township , Pennsylvania , near Crum Creek . No such treasure has ever been found . Legacy . Despite his violent crimes and the relatively short span of his criminal career , Sandy Flash has become a figure of folklore in the areas of Chester County and Delaware County . Several streets in the area are named for him , including a road within Ridley Creek State Park and a street in Kennett Square , Pennsylvania .