Having arrived within a few miles of Tarrytown, he was accosted by three individuals who appeared loitering on the road. One of them seized the reins of his bridle, while another in silence pointed a rifle to his breast. Andre exclaimed, “Gentlemen, do not detain me; I am a British officer on urgent business; there is my pass,” at the same time drawing from his breast a paper, which he handed to one of the three, while the other two, looking with anxious scrutiny over the shoulders of their comrades, read as follows:—
Head Quarters, Robinson’s House, Sept. 22d, 1780.
Permit Mr. John Anderson to pass the guards to the White Plains, or below, if he chooses. He being on public business by my direction.
B. Arnold, M. Gen’l.
Andre made a second effort to be dismissed; when one of the men requested to know, how a British officer came in possession of a pass from an American general. A notice appeared some time since, purporting to be from a person who had remembered the circumstance, and an actual acquaintance of Paulding, Van Wart and Williams, that Paulding wore a British uniform, which accounted for the fatal mistake made by Andre, in so quickly declaring himself to be a British officer. The three militia men insisted upon Andre’s dismounting, which he did. They then led him to the side of the road, and told him he must divest himself of his clothing, in order to give them an opportunity to search him. This was done with reluctance, after offering his splendid gold watch, his purse, nay thousands, to be permitted to pass; but no bribe could tempt, no persuasion could allure: they were Americans! Paulding, Van Wart and Williams had felt the hand of British wrong; they had been robbed, ill-treated, and trampled on, and would sooner suffer death than aid the enemy of Washington.
This, then, was the appalling moment. Andre knew that all must be divulged. He had but one hope, that their ignorance might prevent their being able to read the papers contained in his boot. In this he was mistaken, for Paulding first seizing the papers, read them aloud to his comrades in a bold voice. Nothing can picture the terrible treachery, which, to their uneducated minds, was planned in these papers.
Andre was speechless, and as pale as death. His fortitude seemed to forsake him; and laying his hands on Paulding’s arms, exclaimed, in tones of pity not to be described, “Take my watch, my horse, my purse, all! all I have—only let me go!” But no! the stern militia men could not be coaxed or bribed from their duty to their country. By a court martial ordered by General Washington, Andre was tried, found guilty, and agreeably to the law of nations, sentenced to suffer death.
Though he requested to die like a soldier, the ignominious sentence of being hung was executed upon him the 2d of October, 1780, at the early age of twenty-nine years.
Benedict Arnold effected his escape, remained in the British service during the war, then returned to London, where he died in 1801.
“By a vote of Congress, 3d of November, 1780, a silver medal or shield (See [Plate IV.]) was ordered to be struck and presented to John Paulding, David Williams, and Isaac Van Wart, who intercepted Major John Andre in the character of a spy, and notwithstanding the large bribes offered them for his release, nobly disdaining to sacrifice their country for the sake of gold, secured and conveyed him to the commanding officer of the district, whereby the conspiracy of Benedict Arnold was brought to light, the insidious designs of the enemy baffled, and the United States rescued from impending danger.”