THE TOWN OF LEWISBORO. 455 



The rain fell in torrents, and the night was dark and dismal. Mr. 

 Bronson says, that, on taking leave, he expressed a deep sense of the 

 obligations he was under, for the delicate and courteous treatment he 

 had received from the officers of the regiment with whom he had be- 

 come acquainted; and declared that, whatever might be his future 

 destiny, he could never meet them as enemies. The guard marched all 

 night, and in the morning of the next day, September 26th, Andre ar- 

 rived at Robinson's house, in the custody of Major Tallmadge."^ From 

 whence he was taken the same evening to West Point. 



" Early on the morrow," says Sargent, " Andre was sent over to South 

 or Lower Salem, to the head quarters of Sheldon's regiment. 



About eight a.m.„ then, on September 24th, Andre was brought to 

 the Gilbert farm-house, and committed to the custody of Lieut. King, 

 of the Dragoons, who has left us this account of what ensued : 



" He looked somewhat like a reduced gentleman. His small-clothes 

 were nankeen, with handsome white-top boots — in fact, his undress 

 military clothes. His coat, purple, with gold lace, worn somewhat 

 threadbare, with a small trimmed tarnished beaver on his head. He 

 wore his hair in a queue, with long black beard, and his clothes some- 

 what dirty. In this garb, I took charge of him. After breakfast my 

 barber came into dress me, after which I requested him to go through 

 the same operation, which he did. When the ribbon was taken from 

 his hair, I observed it full of powder ; this circumstance, with others that 

 occurred, induced me to believe I had no ordinary person in charge. 

 He requested permission to take to the bed, whilst his shirt and small 

 clothes could be washed. I told him that was needless ; for a shirt was 

 at his service, which he accepted. We were close pent up in a bed- 

 room, with a vidette at the door and window. There was a spacious 

 yard before the door, which he desired he might be permitted to walk 

 in with me. I accordingly disposed of my guard in such a manner as 

 to prevent an escape. While walking together he observed he must 

 make a confidant of somebody, and knew not a more proper person 

 than myself, as I had appeared to befriend a stranger in distress. After 

 settling the point between ourselves, he told me who he was and gave 

 me a short account of himself, from tke time he was taken in St. Johns 

 in 1775 to that time. Returning to the house, writing materials were 

 supplied him ; and he was informed that his papers were • sent to 

 Washington, whose orders, and not Arnold's, should decide his condi- 

 tion, he immediately wrote to our commander." 



The letter we have already given in the foregoing pages. 



" This letter written, a load was lifted from Andre's . mind. He 

 was no longer compelled to associate with gentlemen under a false 

 name and guise. Despite Tallmadge's previous suspicions, its con- 



a Spark's Life of Arnold, p. 253-4. 



