THE TOWN OH WESTCHESTER. 413 



these occasions. One night Robert Underhill, (the brother of Mrs. 

 Quimbv , James Underhill and Isaac Mekell, were stopping here when 

 Robert Underhill proposed defending the premises should the robbers 

 make their appearance during their stay — provided James, his cousin, 

 would only assist him. Singularly enough, the marauders came that 

 very night, demanding entrance ; but the heart of James failed him, and 

 he fled with the rest. Robert, however, provided himself with a large 

 club and arranged chairs along the entry, upon which he suddenly com- 

 menced a violent attack, striking furiously with his club, at the same 

 time stamping furiously on the floor and making all the noise possible, 

 as though there were others aiding him on the inside, then he would 

 strike the door and dare the robbers to come on saying, " we are ready 

 for you this time ! " adding occasionally the hoarse blast of a conck- 

 shell. The marauders somewhat bewildered, contented themselves with 

 firing a volley into the house, which fortunately missed its brave de- 

 fender, and retired. The defeated " Cowboys " afterwards reported that 

 they thought "the Devil was in the house."* 



Upon " Dormaris Island," (so called prior to 1704), in the north-east 

 corner of the town, the Eastchester creek bridge communicates with the 

 Westchester shore and Pelham neck. 



The adjoining estate, Annies Wood, is the property of John Hunter, 

 Esq., son of the late Elias Desbrosses Hunter, by his wife Anne Maria, 

 sixth daughter of Peter J. Munro, and grandson of the late John Hunter, 

 Esq , former owner of Hunter's Island, who for many years represented 

 this district in the State Senate ; and, in 1846, was chosen a member of 

 the convention for revising the State Constitution. 



The Hunter family is originally from the County of Ayrshire, Scot- 

 land; two houses of that name having existed in that country, for many 

 centuries. " The surname," says Robertson, " is obviously derived from 

 the chase, before the use of fixed family names, as at present. Thus 

 Johne le Hunter, de la Forester de Paisley; the Hunter of Stragrife, ap- 

 pears in the Scottish rolls." The great-grandfather of the present pro- 

 prietor was Robert Hunter, of Armagh County, Ireland, whose ancestor 

 emigrated thither from Scotland, circ, the beginning of the seventeenth 

 century. 



The estate of Rockfield, on the south, is the property of John M. 

 Furman. The views of the water from this place are of a beautiful des- 

 cription. In the immediate vicinity are located the residences of 

 Lawrence Waterbury and Lorillard Spencer. In close vicinity is Bay- 

 side, the Harlem River Railroad depot for this section of Westchester 

 o Memorandum of conversation 5 with Abraham I. Und .Thill, of Yorktown, 



