Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/130

106 HISTORY OF become^ in tliis respect^ that it was universally known as the " tory house/' which name it retained for many years after the cessation of the war, and even up to the time it was de- molished. The residence of Cloughston lay directly on the road from the camp to Schoharie; and Harper, when he arrived near the house, and to the place where the ancient trail took a sort of circuit, and came back something like an ox-how, in order to avoid observation, as well as to shorten the dis- tance, determined to go straight across, and while in the act of stooping to adjust his snow-shoes. Brant, and two other Indians, came upon him unawares, and took him prisoner. Harper did not discover their approach until they were too near to allow even the slightest possible chance of escape by flight, and he consequently submitted peacefully. As Brant approached Harper, he swung his tomahawk, as if in the act of finishing his victim at a single blow, and when the instru- ment of death was suspended by his stalwart arm high in the air, Brant exclaimed, as he recognized in the person of his prisoner an old acquaintance : "Ah ! Col. Harper, is it thee? I am sorry to find thee here!" "Why," said Harper, "are you sorry, Captain Brant?" "Because," he replied, "I must kill you, although we were schoolmates in youth." Harper replied, that "There was no use in killing those who submitted peacefully." He was accordingly bound, and taken to Cloughs- ton' s house, where he found the rest of Brant's forces, amount- ing in all to forty-three Indians, and seven tories. This was about 8 o'clock in the morning. In order to make the surprise more complete, and to allow none an opportunity to escape, the enemy were distributed so as to fall upon all parties at once; and so well was the plan of attack concerted, and so silently did they approach, that not even a signal of alarm was given. A company approached the hut where Stevens was engaged, which was on laud owned at present by A. B. Wilcox, Esq. Stevens had been up the