He was at this time supposed by every horseman to be a British spy and his capture and subsequent escape, were afterwards known to have been pre-concerted with the view of impressing the Royalists and the public at large with the opinion that the American authorities considered him as strongly attached to the King and as being in the habit of rendering the tories important services. After learhing leaving West Chester in 1780, he lived a free life and it was said sometimes
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plundered. Once he searched a house and found nothing, when it occurred to him there might be, a secret apartment. Accordingly, being a carpenter, and having a scale by him, he measured the house and rooms inside and then took, the, dimensions outside, and made discovery of a hiding place for valuables, partitioned from off the house. He and his party then ob- -tained a great quantity of clothes, money and dry goods, all of which they were in search of. When taken at Scars- -dale Kennicut was secured by a rope which he took off with him to show his friends when he got within the British lines. Once during the war, probably in , 6 or 7, Skinners was overtaken in Scarsdale near my father's house by a party of Delancey's who attacked
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them, refused to give them quarter, killed all but one, and left him for dead, he was cut to pieces and life barely remained in him, but he at length recovered. These men were hacked slashed and killed begging for quarter." [This probably occurred in 1781, and is the affair mentioned by Dr. Thatcher in his Military Journal.] "Another party of five or six Skin- -ners in , or thereabouts, came down, I think from the eastward. - That day my brother Gilbert was taking the wife of Isaac Webbers behind him, home to her residence when they met this party who compelled him and Mrs.