noon on October 2
On the 30th his Excellency signed the death-warrant , and , all hope being at an end , I determined to make an effort to see the man to whom I believe I owed my life . When I represented the matter to Mr. Hamilton and to the Marquis de Lafayette , I put my request on the ground that Mr. Andre had here no one who could be called a friend , excepting only myself , and that to refuse me an interview were needlessly cruel . I wrote my application with care , the marquis , who was most kind throughout , charging himself with the business of placing it favourably before our chief . The execution had been ordered for October 1 , but , upon receipt of some communication from Sir Henry Clinton , it was postponed until noon on October 2 . On the 30th I rode out into the hills back of Tappan , and tried to compose myself by my usual and effective remedy of a hard ride . It was useless now . I came back to my friend 's quarters and tried to read , finding a stray volume of the `` Rambler '' on his table .