702 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



danger ; for some of the boys were in bed with the officers, and in the 

 confusion it is scarcely possible that all would have escaped injury. I 

 had often thought of making the house musket-proof by casing the out- 

 side with logs. 



" l he British army had possession of New York; their northern lines 

 being at King's Bridge, while the American lines were at Croton River, 

 about 25 miles north of the British The distance between being occa- 

 sionally occupied first by one party and then the other Thiefts and 

 murders were of constant occurance, so that few of the former inhabi- 

 tants of this portion of Westchester county chose to remain at home. 

 There being no cattle left to eat the pasture, the grass grew to a great 

 height, so that it fell down and rotted on the ground from year to year. 

 In 1777, we being just above the American lines, the Cow Boys, stole 

 from us 14 head of cattle and drove. them off to Morrisania. Mother, 

 on horseback, traced them to the British lines and determined to recover 

 them by an appeal to the British General, then quartered on Harlem 

 heights. Upon her arrival at King's Bridge, she discovered that the 

 sentinel stationed there, was the same light horseman that had once stood 

 guard before her own house at Yorktown, on occasion of the roof being 

 blown off. It was a mutual recognition, and the soldier kindly led her 

 across the bridge, for which she bestowed upon him a pistareen. Arrived 

 at headquarters she quickly proved to the guard's satisfaction that her son 

 was one of the harmless people called Quakers, who took no part in the 

 war; whereupon he gave her an order directed to the Cow-Boys, 

 either to return the stolen property or pay its full value. Thus officially 

 armed she went to Morrisania and presented the order to the robbers 

 who, in a great rage, threatened not only to kill her but her family ; a 

 few words, however, sufficed to quiet them down, and they paid her the 

 full value for the cattle, in gold. Upon reflection, she deemed it hardly 

 safe to return home through the Neutral Ground with so much money 

 on her person; so she deposited it with Israel Underhill, who then resid- 

 ed on the estate now owned by Lorillard Spencer, Esq., who concealed 

 it under a stone wall on his farm. The whole was returned safely after 

 the war. The Skinner's somehow became aware of her errand, and 

 tried in every way, except by force, to get possession of the money ; but 

 she quietly informed them it had been left at Westchester. On another 

 occasion, some Cow-Boys having stolen three horses, she followed 

 them on horseback and recovered them from the commanding officer 

 at Morrisania." 



Mr. Joshua Carpenter. the present occupant of the house, still points 

 out the spot where the bed of Colonel Green stood, and the window 

 from which Major Flagg fired his pistols, while the old fashioned wains- 

 coting and doors are pierced with numerous bullet holes. A large ad- 

 dition has been since made to the house, on the east. The wonderfully 

 extensive views which this elevated spot commands, will amply repay the 

 visitor, besides the interest attached to the above associations, 

 a Mr. Carpenter is a grand-son of Richard Davenport, who held the property in 17S0. 



