700 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



" In the Revolution robberies and murders were very frequent in this 

 part of the country. One night there were two strangers putting up at 

 our house, from New England ; in the dead of night a man knocked at 

 the door — father asked who was there? the reply was "a friend." Father 

 mistook the voice for that of a particular friend of his, but mother 

 thought they were robbers beyond any doubt ; father got up and opened 

 the upper half of the door, and« soon found they were come to pillage 

 the house. Mother, while father was parleying with the gang outside, 

 armed all her children — seven sons and four daughters — (all as large as 

 men), put men's coats and pants on the girls, in the space of a few min- 

 utes, and marched them into the room where father was; so large a 

 company struck such a damper upon the robbers, that they immediately 

 retreated. We then looked for the strangers who were stopping with us, 

 and after a considerable search, found them hidden away under the back 

 part of the bed. They appeared to be very much frightened, having 

 about their persons $1,500 in Continental money, (which was then 

 good). This was about 1776; they felt very thankful for their deliver- 

 ance. 



" On another occasion, being detained at work in the field after dark, 

 on my return to the house, and when very near it, I suddenly found my- 

 self stepping on some men, and was much frightened. These men 

 (about 100), were lying flat on the ground, their quarters being at the 

 house then occupied by Joshua Carpenter ; an officer stepped up to me, 

 and enquired who I was and where I was going? I replied that my 

 home was close by, and I had been detained later than usual by work. 

 He made me promise to say nothing about what I had seen, and then 

 let me go. Their object was apparently to prevent surprise, or to inter- 

 cept some passing enemy. 



" Joshua Huson was a notorious character in the Revolution, being con- 

 nected with the British army, although a native of Yorktown. He fre- 

 quently passed through the American army acting as a spy, and carrying 

 his information to Canada. Rochambeau's army lay encamped in York- 

 town about six weeks, but it had scarcely been there one week before 

 Huson passed through it. He frequently lay in ambush and shot down 

 American officers, or others that he disliked. All efforts to secure him 

 were unsuccessful, though large rewards were offered for his apprehen- 

 sion. At length, aided by some confederates, he broke into the house 

 of Seth Whitney, (now Barney Montross's), abusing and beating him 

 badly and carrying off any thing they wanted. Huson told Whitney 

 that he would come again and kill him. The old man (Whitney) fixed 

 a bayonet on a rake handle, determined to dispatch the robber, should 

 he ever try it again. Whitney's wife warned Huson to keep away, but 

 paying no attention to the warning, he soon after tried to break in ; when 

 about half way through the window, Whitney, true to his threat, stabbed 

 him just below the breast-bone, making a wound about one and 

 a half inches deep. Huson, notwithstanding, made good his entrance 

 and beat Whitney until he thought him dead. Huson and his assistants 

 then mounted and rode away. At first the family believed Whitney 

 dead, but after a while they were successful in restoring him and he soon 



