eral Sir Guy Carlton, to make the final arrangements for
peace; here the papers were signed which permitted of the disbanding
of the American Army, and in which the British gave up all claim upon
the allegiance and control of the country.

So far back as 1698 a Dob was located here. On account of the ferry
the place was an important one during the Revolution and many
interesting incidents happened in the neighborhood. It was here that
Arnold and Andre planned to hold their first meeting, but accident
prevented their coming together; and it was here that Sir Henry
Clinton's representative met General Greene, October, 1780, in an
unsuccessful attempt to prevent the execution of Andre. In July, 1781,
the American and French armies were encamped on the hills round about
while preparations were being pushed as though for an attack on New
York, pioneers being sent forward to clear the roads toward King's
Bridge. Even the American army was wholly unaware of Washington's
intention to strike Cornwallis, and the British were so completely
deceived that the American troops reached the Delaware before Clinton
awoke to the situation.

Those patriotic Democrats who mourn the extravagance of the government
in granting pensions may be interested to know that the first pension
ever granted by the United States was to a Dobbs Ferry boy named
Vincent, who was crippled for life by a gang of Tory cowboys. The boys
had been making remarks of a somewhat personal character which annoyed
the gentle cowboy who, catching three of them, killed two and
permanently injured the third.

Of this class of freebooters Irving writes: "In a little while the
debatable ground became infested by roving bands, claiming from either
side, and all pretending to redress wrongs and punish political
offenses; but all prone, in the exercise of their high functions, to
sack hen roosts, drive off cattle and lay farm houses under
contributions; such was the origin of two great orders of border
chivalry, the Skinners and the Cowboys, famous in Revolutionary story.
The former fought, or rather marauded, under the American, the latter
under the British banner. In the zeal of service, both were apt to
make blunders, and confound the property of friend and foe. Neither of
them in the heat and hurry of a foray had time to ascertain the
politics of a horse or cow which they were driving off into captivity;
nor when they wrung the neck of a rooster did they trouble their hea