Home / Bolton, Robert Jr. A History of the County of Westchester, from its First Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. I. New York: Alexander S. Gould, 1848. / Passage

A History of the County of Westchester, Vol. I

Bolton, Robert Jr. A History of the County of Westchester, from its First Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. I. New York: Alexander S. Gould, 1848. 386 words

Nicholas Cooper, Esq., high sheriff of the said county, having, by papers affixed to the church of Eastchester and other public places, given notice of the day and place of election, without mentioning any time of the day when it was to be done, which made the electors on the side of the late judge very suspicious that some fraud was intended -- to prevent which, about fifty of them kept watch upon and about the green at Eastchester (the place of election) from 12 o'clock the night before till the morning of that day. The other electors, beginning to move on Sun-» day afternoon and evening, so as to be at New Rochelle by midnight, their way lay through Harrison's Purchase, the inhabitants of which provided for their entertainment as they passed each house in their way, having a table plentifully covered for that purpose. About midnight they all met at the house of William Le Count, at New Rochelle, whose house, not being large enough to entertain so great a number, a large fire was made in the street, by which they sat till daylight, at which time they began to move. They were joined on the hill at the east end of the town by about seventy horse of the electors of the lower part of the county, and then proceeded towards the place of election in the following order, viz. : First rode two trumpeters and three violins ; next four of the principal freeholders, one of which carried a banner, on one side of which was affixed, in gold capitals, 'King George,' and on the other, in golden capitals, ' Liberty and Law ;' next followed the candidate, Lewis Morris, Esq., late chief justice of this province, then two colors, and at sun rising they entered upon the green of Eastchester, the place of election, followed by above three hundred horse of the principal freeholders of the county (a greater number than had ever appeared for one man since the settlement of that county.) After having rode three times round the green, they went to the houses of Joseph Fowler and Child, who were well prepared for their reception ; the late chief justice was met, on his alighting, by several gentlemen who came there to give their votes for him.