Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/295

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DELAWARE COUNTY. 271 of disguised men are frequently collected, and as the roads are exceedingly bad, some anxiety has been felt to-day as to the success of the expedition. The party has just entered the village with twelve Indians whom they have taken prisoners, disguised and armed. The particulars of the skirmish, which showed skill and intrepidity on the part of the officers and men, I cannot at present fully relate. After they had last evening arrested Pres- ton on a bench-warrant, the blowing of horns, and other move- ments in the neighborhood, announced great preparations for an attempt to rescue the prisoner, who was strictly guarded during the night. ^'In the morning, after some reconnoitring, a party of about one hundred and thirty Indians, well armed, were discovered, and immediately charged upon by Steele and Edgerton, and about forty of the mounted men, and they fled to the woods. During the skirmish, there was some firing by the Indians, one of whose shots narrowly missed E. S. Edgerton, who grappled the Indian, and disarmed him of his pistols, which were found loaded with balls. Officer Steele also closed in with another Indian, who was armed to the teeth, and on stripping off his sheepskin mask, found he had captured a con- stable and collector of Roxbury. The eight Indians, with the prisoner apprehended on the bench-warrant in Roxbury, and four others taken at Bloomville, on their return, are now lodged in jail. The sheriff is now at the court house, detaching men to guard the jail and the village during the night. At the same time horns are blowing, and guns are firing on the moun- tain opposite the village, informing us of what we may expect, if the insurgents can muster in sufficient force to put their threats in execution.^' Among the prisoners were Messrs. Burrill, Tompkins, Oster- hout and Knapp, who were severally convicted and sentenced to Sing Sing for two years. Gov. Wright, however, restored