Not another house was plundered, not another family was alarmed, while Colonel Burr commanded in the Westchester lines. The mystery and swiftness of the detection, the rigor and fairness with which the marauders wrere treated, overawed the men whom three campaigns of lawless warfare had corrupted, and restored confidence to the people wrho had passed their lives in terror.'' It came to be believed among his soldiers that Colonel Burr possessed occult powers, and could tell a thief by simply looking in his face. He adopted the most thorough system of classification of all the inhabitants, keeping secret lists on which the character of everybody within his jurisdiction was indicated. He also familiarized himself with the country in its physical features, obtaining a minute knowledge of its hidden places. He enlisted the co-operation of the respectable young men, whom heorganized as a corps of horsemen, without pay, for the transmission of intelligence. One of these was the noted John Dean, who the next year was a member of the memorable expedition of eight volunteers which had for its result the capture of Andre. In his arrangements for the security of his lines against any posus

HISTORY

WESTCHESTER

COUNTY

sible attack by the enemy, he was equally tireless, efficient, and successful. Nightly, at unexpected hours and by unexpected routes, he rode from post to post, and if he observed anything not in order the responsible person was held to a strict accountability. In order ento keep the enemy's spies at a distance, lie issued and rigidly the forced an order that nobody from below should personally pass line of posts on any pretext, all who had business above being required to first communicate with headquarters by some well known resident of the immediate country, especially designated for that service. On the other hand, he always had the most perfect knowledge Only two attempts were made by of everything happening below. the enemy to surprise the American guards while he was in command, and both were total failures.