History of Westchester County, New York, Vol. I

" In a day when American pulse beats high for " Liberty ; when it is the subject of almost every " public [laper, as well as topic of discourse, it might "justly have been expected that no American would " be so hardy as to violate the rights of his fellow- " subjects ; and if any such monster should ai)pear " in this land of Liberty, that there would not be " wanting advocates for so glorious and important a "cause, as to expose those of its members who are " trampling on the sacred rights of the people.

" I have waited with great impatience, exjiecting " that some able hand would have undertaken the " benevolent task to warn you to beware of the con- " duct of some of the basest villains that ever dis- " graced any society, and draw the attention of the " inhabitants to its danger ; but finding that although "now some months are elapsed since the commence- "ment of the measures of these traitors, &c., yet none " has appeared to sound the friendly alarm to the " very indolent inhabitants, I have attemjjted what " I so ardently wished might have been done by some "more able hand. While we are straining every " nerve to baffle foreign attempts to enslave us, surely "it must be very criminal in the descendants of " Britons, who ought t ) love life and liberty alike, to " be so assiduous in exerting themselves to enslave "their fellow-subjects.