36
disguise the oldest structure, making it resemble a "modern antique." The
frame, and probably most of the floor, is as when Jameson there received the
prisoner whose real importance he so misunderstood. As the owner was absent,
with the key, we were unable to make a photograph of the interior, which is now
a carpentry workshop. As this building, like Robbins' house, is on | reservoir
land " it must soon be removed or destroyed, and by the time these lines reach
the reader both will probably be things of the past. My visit to the scenes just
described was during the same week in September as that in which Andre was
there in 1780. I passed over almost every foot of the road he traversed, and
realized that the landscape could not differ greatly from that which he saw.
The fence-corners were ablaze with purple asters, golden rod, tansy, and Virginia
creeper; cardinal flowers were blooming here and there, and the occasional call
of " Bob White" from an unseen bevy of quail, or the caw of a crow as he
winged his way across the valley of the Bronx—here a little brook—were
almost the only sounds which broke the rural quiet. Just such Andre must
have seen and heard, as he rode at the slow pace of his guard those six miles
from Robbins' Mills 1 to Mile Square.
Jameson at length found, and " Anderson | turned over to him, all but
Paulding, Van Wart and Williams returned to their several homes. If their
names were asked, neither Jameson nor anyone else mentioned them. Jameson's
decision to send "Anderson" at once to Arnold with a letter2 is familiar history,3
and has been severely criticised. But of the honesty of his purpose—and
possibly also of the military propriety of his action—there has never been any
question. In a subsequent letter4 to Washington, he acknowledged his unfor-
tunate mistake. Now once again Andre's star seemed emerging from the clouds
of danger surrounding him. Could he but reach Arnold once more, he was
safe—and he must have been eager to start. The guard sent with him oddly
enough did not include any of his captors. It was composed of four Connecticut
militia, undoubtedly of one of the three regiments of such, on the North Castle
lines, commanded by lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Wells, Nineteenth Connecticut.
The squad was commanded by I/ieutenant Solomon Allen of Northampton, Mass.,
of Colonel Seth Murray's three months' regiment of Hampshire County militia.6
(He was Adjutant at this time.)
1 Van Wart afterwards referred to his distress of mind, as shown by the great drops of sweat which kept falling
from his forehead.
2 Whether or no Andre1 asked him to do this is a disputed point (Lossing says he did). The letter is as follows :
North Castle, 23 Septr.
Sir,—I have sent Lieutenant Allen, with a certain John Anderson, taken going into New York. He
had a passport signed in your name. He had a parcel of papers taken from under his stockings, which I
think of a very dangerous tendency. The papers I have sent to General Washington. They contained
(see description, pages 16-18).
8 Van Wart afterwards testified that Jameson cautioned the captors to keep the matter secret, as there were
probably others concerned in the plot, who must not be frightened off before they could be seized. I
doubt this. An officer of his rank would not have been likely to thus take an unknown militiaman into
his confidence.
* See Chapter IV. 5 Solomon Allen was born, page 37.
