PAULDING COUNTY. 467 



Name. — This county received tiie name of Paulding in 

 honour of John Paulding, one of the captors of Andre. He 

 was born in the village of Peekskill, New- York, in 1759. Va- 

 rious accounts have been given of the capture of Andre, but 

 we think the most authentic is contained in the History of 

 Westchester County, New- York, by Robert Bolton ; a work 

 evincing, on the part of the author, much ability and research. 

 It appears that Williams, Van Wert, and Paulding, were on a 

 journey to see some relations. The three were seated beside 

 the road, in the bushes, amusing themselves at cards, when 

 their attention was arrested by the galloping of a horse. On 

 approaching the road they saw a gentleman riding towards 

 them, seated on a large brown horse, which was afterwards ob- 

 served to have marked on the near shoulder U. S. A. The rider 

 was a light, trim-built man, about five feet nine inches in height, 

 with a bold, military countenance, and dark eyes, and was 

 dressed in a round hat, blue surtout, crimson coat, with panta- 

 loons and vest of nankeen. As he neared them, the three 

 cocked their muskets and aimed at the rider, who immediately 

 checked his horse, and the following conversation ensued : 



Andre — " Gentlemen, I hope you are of our party " 



Paulding — " What party ?" 



Andre — " The lower party." 



Paulding — " I do." 



Andre — " I am a British officer ; I have been up in the 

 country on particular business, and would not be detained a 

 single moment." He thereupon pulled out a gold watch, and 

 exhibited it, as an evidence that he was a gentleman, and re- 

 turned it again to his fob. Paulding thereupon remarked, 

 " We are Americans." Andre — " God bless my soul ! A man 

 must do any thing to get along. I am a Continental officer 

 going down to Dobbs' Ferry to get information from below." 

 Andre then presented a pass from General Arnold, in which 

 was the assumed name of John Anderson. Seizing hold upon 

 the reins of the horse, they ordered him to dismount. Andre 

 exclaimed, " You will bring yourself into trouble." " We care 

 not for that," was the reply. They took him down ten or fif- 

 teen rods, beside a run of water, and Williams proceeded to 

 search the hat, coat, vest, shirt, and pantaloons, in which they 



