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"Old Put," Born 220 Years Ago, Was First "Strenuous American" Israel Putnam, Bert Remembered as a New England General in the Revolution, Was a Man of Action Who Had an Adventurous Career in Many Places ? From Montreal, Canada, to Havana, Cjba, and as Far West as the Wilderness Outpost of Detroit. C Western Newspaper Union. By ELMO SCOTT WATSON K the average American nam?" and he will probably reply readily enough: "Why, he was one of our generals in the Revolu tion!" For the mention of that name stirs in him a rec ollection of more than one in cident in the saga of our fight for liberty. It may be a memory of a familiar picture he has seen often ? that of the Connecti cut farmer leaving his plow in the furrow and starting posthaste for Boston when the news of Concord and Lexington was brought to him. Or he may remember Trumbull's famous painting of "The Battle of Bunker Hill" which shows Putnam, clad in a splendid blue and scarlet uniform, defiantly waving his sword as the Brit ish charge up the slope with fixed bayonets. If Mr. Average American's recollection of Putnam isn't based on either of these pic tures, then it may be that he recalls another ? that of an officer on horseback, riding at breakneck speed down a long flight of stone steps while a group of soldiers look on, aghast at his daring. For that officer was also "Old Put" and the scene pictured was his escape from the Brit ish at Horseneck near Green wich, Conn. It will be noticed that all of these are "action pictures," for that was characteristic of this New Englander who was born 220 years ago this month. He was indeed a man of action ? probably our first "strenuous. American" and he won the right/ to that title long before Theodore 1 Roosevelt made it popular. J Moreover, his activities weref not confined to one small section of the country (New Englpifd) nor to one certain period In our history (the Revolution) >as, no doubt, most of his fellow-Amer icans believe. During the span of his very busy life he saw ac tion on many fronts ? from Mont real, Canada, in the north to Ha vana, Cuba, in the south; and >from Boston in the east to the frontier outpost of Detroit in the west. "Who was Israel Put Accolade of the Frontier There is significance, too, in the fact that many years before the Revolution, when he was barely forty, he had bean given the sobriquet of "Old Put." For that was the accolade which the American frontiersmen conferred upon a leader whose ability as a "first-class flghtin' man" or whose other rugged pioneer qual ities commanded their respect and affection. Putnam won it on the New York-Canadian frontier during the French and Indian war and when the backwoods men of that period called him "Old Put," they were saying it in the same spirit that later frontiersmen would refer to "Old Hickory" Jackson, "Old Tippe canoe" Harrison, "Old Abe" Lin coln and "Old Rough and Ready" Taylor. Putnam was born on January T, 1718, near Salem, Mass. He was the tenth of 11 children in the family of Joseph Putnam, one of the few men who was brave enough to defy the Rev. Samuel Parris when the fa mous witchcraft delusion held that village In its evil spell. In 1739 young Israel married Han nah Pope and the next year mi grated to Pomfret, Conn., where he had purchased a tract of land. There for the next 15 years he was busily engaged in farming and providing a living for his rapidly growing family. For Israel Putnam emulated his sire in assuring that there would be no "race suicide" in the Putnam family ? he became the father of four sons and six daughters. At the outbreak of the French and Indian war in 1755, he joined the Connecticut volunteers who accompanied Sir William John son and his Iroquois allies in the expedition against the French at Crown Point. Putnam had his baptism of fire at the bloody battle of Lake George and also won his first commission, that of lieutenant in the Connecticut Pro vincial troops. He evidently dem onstrated unusual ability as an Indian fighter for he became a member of that remarkable oorps of backwoods warriors who took their name from their com I GENERAL PUTNAM STARTING FOR BOSTON (From a drawing by Lossing in Coffin's "The Boys of '76," courtesy Harper and Brothers.) mander, Maj. Robert Rogers, and who have been immortalized in Kenneth Roberts' recent book, "Northwest Passage." One of Putnam's narrowest escapes from death occurred while he was serving with Rog ers' Rangers in the spring cf 1756. He was captured by the Indians who tied him to a tree and amused themselves by hurl ing tomahawks at his head to see how near they could come to him and yet miss him. Next they started a fire e% his feet to tor ture him but a sudden rainstorm came up and put it out. Again the fire was kindled and Putnam was prepared to die when Col onel Marin, a French officer, dashed in and rescued him. Putnam was sent first to Ti conderoga and then to Montreal where he was held as a prisoner of war until autumn when an ex change of prisoners permitted his return to his home. The next year, however, he was back in the service as a lieutenant col onel in the British and Colonial I Wi't v' > * c/ u/rCa+fts army which General Amherst led against Ticonderoga, Crown Point and Montreal. Off to Cuba. After the fall of Montreal, which meant the end of the French rule in Canada, England prepared to make war on France's ally, Spain, and in 1762 sent a naval expedition against Havana, Cuba. Ainong the Colon ial reinforcements was a Connec ticut contingent of 1,000 men led by Lieutenant-Colonel Putnam. The ship on which he sailed was wrecked off the coast of Cuba but, by making rafts, his men succeeded in reaching the shore. Then they marched overland and reached Havana in time to join the main British force. And, as usual, when they stormed Morro Castle, the Spanish strong hold at the entrance to the har bor, "Old Put" was in the thick of the fight. He had hardly returned to his home from the Cuban expedi tion when Pontiac's war broke out in 1763 and it wasn't long before "Old Put" was in the field again. This time he was major of a Connecticut battalion of 250 men who accompanied Colonel Bradstreet on his expedition to Detroit, then besieged by Pon tiac's warriors. Bradstreet raised the siege. Then he led his force back to the place on the Sandusky river where the present city at Fremont, Ohio, now stands, to receive the pris oners which the Indians had agreed to turn over to him. While there Putnam helped for tify the encampment, which in cluded the present county fair grounds, now called the Israel Putnam Agricultural park. After the successful conclusion of this campaign, Putnam re turned home once more. In the spring of 1765 his life was sad dened by the death of his wife and one of his daughters but he was soon in the midst of a new kind of activity to divert his mind from his troubles. The passage of the Stamp Act resulted in the organization of the Sons of Lib erty and, of course, "Old Put" was one of their leaders. In 1766 he was elected representa tive to the Connecticut assembly and the following year he mar ried Mrs. Deborah Lothrop Gardiner, a widow. In 1772 Putnam was made a member of the Company of Military Adventurers, organized by Gen. Phineas Lyman, who vis ited the Lower Mississippi and West Florida to look over the lands promised by the British government to provincial sol diers who had served in the French and Indian war. How ever, nothing came of this prom ise jand four months after Put nam's return home occurred the Boston Tea Party and the pas sage of the Boston Port Bill. Boston's Benefactor. When the Connecticut patriots decided to send food to their dis tressed brethren in Boston, Put nam was the man chosen to de liver it ? on the hoof! So he set out on horseback, driving before him 120 sheep and successfully delivered his flock after a tedi ous trip of nearly 100 miles. The newspapers, in announcing his arrival, spoke of his as "one of the greatest military characters of the age" and a person whose "bravery and character need no description." Although he did not live up to the first part of that description during the Revolution, there was no question of the truth of the second part. After the Battle of Bunker Hill, Putnam, now a ma jor-general, took part in the fighting around New York and Long Island. In May, 1777, he was placed in charge of the de fense of the Highlands of the Hudson but was removed from command because of the loss of Forts Montgomery and Clinton. However, a court martial exon erated him of blame for these disasters, restored him to his command and he was later sent to Connecticut to superintend recruiting activities. But "Old Put" was growing old and, after a few more skir mishes, including his famous escape from the British at Horse neck, he asked for a leave of ab sence. In December, 1779, as he set out on horseback once more to join the army he suffered a slight stroke of paralysis which ended his military career for all time. He retired to his farm where he followed with keen in terest the march of events ? the Anal triumph of the patriot cause and the founding of the new na tion which he had served so well ? until death wrote "Finis" to his busy life on May 19, 1790. In a cemetery in Brooklyn. Conn., stands a tomb upon which is engraved this epitaph: Sacred be this monument To the memory of Israel Putnam, Esquire, Senior Major General in the Armies of The United States of America Who ? Was born at Salem In the Province of Massachusetts On the seventh day of January A. D., 1718; and died On the nineteenth day of May A. D., 1799. Passenger, If thou art a Soldier, Drop a toar over the dust of a Hero Who Ever attentive To the lives and happiness of his Men Dared to lead Where any Dared to follow: If a Patriot, Remember the distinguished and gallant services rendered thy Country By the Patriot who sleeps beneath this Marble; If thou art Honest, generous and worthy Render a cheerful tribute of respect To a Man Whose generosity was singular Whose honesty was proverbial; Who Raised himself to universal esteem And offices of Eminent distinction By personal worth And a Useful Life. Despite the somewhat flamboy ant phraseology of this typical Eighteenth century epitaph, it is essentially a truthful summary of Putnam's character. And un like many of his contemporaries, the passing of time and the la bors of the "debunking" school of historians have not dimmed his fame. As might have been expected from a man who led a life of such extraordinary activity and vari ety, even for the stirring times in which he lived, he became the hero of a number of folk tales. But, unlike so many legends which clustered around our early day notables, all of these tales seem to have had a basis of solid fact. Becomes "Old ifolf Put." One of the most familiar is the story of his wolf hunt. During his early career as a farmer near Pomfret a she-wolf began prey ing upon his flock of sheep. He and his neighbors tracked her to her lair, a small cave, from which they were unable to dis lodge her. Finally, Putnam threw off his coat and waistcoat, tied a rope around his legs and, teU ing the other men to pull him out when he gave the signal, he took a torch and entered the cave. It was so small that he had to crawl on his hands and knees but far back in it he saw the glowing eyes of the wolf. When he gave the signal, his helpers pulled him out so fast that his shirt was torn off and he was severely scratched and bruised. Undaunted by this ex perience, he took his gun and crawled into the cave again. The discharge of the gun in the nar row passage stunned him and he was pulled out half-choked by the .gunpowder smoke. But he insisted upon going back into the cave and this time he emerged triumphantly, bringing with him his shirt and the dead wolf! Because of this feat he became known locally as "Old Wolf Put" and, as his fame as a fighter grew during the French and In dian war, the "wolf" part was dropped and he was known as "Old Put." During that war he became the hero of another fa miliar tale. While serving with the Connecticut troops near Ti conderoga he learned that for several nights in succession the sentinel at one of the posts around the British camp had mysteriously disappeared. Gen eral Lyman gave orders for the sentinel to call out "Who goes there?" three times, if he heard any noise, and then if no answer came to open fire. In spite of this precaution, the sentinels continued to disappear. The Mystery Solved. Thereupon Putnam volunteered to try to solve the mystery. Soon after taking his post, he heard a rustling noise in the leaves as though some animal were scuf fling about on the ground for food. Peering through the dark ness, he saw a huge creature which he recognized as a bear. As the animal shambled toward him, something in its gait aroused his suspicion. He im mediately called out "Who goes there?", as ordered, repeated the challenge twice, then fired. Rushing forward, he found the bear in its death agonies but when he turned the animal over, he found enclosed in its shaggy skin a painted Indian warrior with a tomahawk clenched in his hand. The mystery was solved at last. The other sentinels had believed it was a real bear and had al lowed the daring warrior to get near enough to them to use his tomahawk before they learned of their mistake. After Putnam's turn of duty at that post no more sentinels disappeared. [OOSIER CAPITAL, ? Filling Insulin Vials. Books, Chemicals and Other Products of Indianapolis Prepared by National Geographic Society. Washington, D. C. ? WNU Service. ROM atop a high build ing you see glittering Indi anapolis spread over the prairie. Nebuchadnezzar, who viewed Babylon from his flat roofed palace, would enjoy the picture here, with all its tem ples, shrines, monuments, and tree-lined avenues. Here are restful parks and floral dis plays, quite as satisfying to many as were the hanging gar dens by the Euphrates; and here is a war memorial as im pressive as any temple raised by Babylonians. No one great city, however, dom inates Indiana; Chicago pulls at it on the north, Cincinnati and Louis ville on the south. Yet Indianapolis, its capital and nearly its geographic center, is the seat of Hoosier power. In 1820 a small spot was cleared of forest here, and the capital later 'moved from Corydon, in the south. One wagon, two weeks on the wil derness trails, hauled all the young state's papers, furniture, books, and money. From the streams men seined fish in such quantities that wagonloads were fed to hogs. Settlers increased; the national road came through from the East, driving west toward the Missouri. West-bound "movers" multiplied. Some days saw hundreds pass in covered wagons, freighters, stage coaches, often with women or girls driving the teams while men and boys herded other animals after the wagons. Crossroads for Highways. Today Indianapolis stands, a typi cal, well-balanced midwestern city, intersected by four national high ways used by three-fourths of all transcontinental motorists. High above the city rises Ameri ca's largest neon aviation beacon, usually visible from 75 miles away. About the city runs the first belt line railway built in America, and the seven-acre Union station with elevated tracks accommodates 40 trains at once. Every 24 hours, 82 mails ? by air, rail, and truck ? reach the city; and it averages a convention a day ? five days out of every week the year round. One auditorium seats 10,000. What a change since Henry Ward Beecher preached here in his small church, and edited his farm paper! Get up early, any morning, and you see some 5()0 trucks coming into town from all directions, hauling hogs, cattle, calves, and sheep to the largest stockyards east of Chi cago. Among world grain markets the one here ranks sixth, and as a cash mart it leads in the United States. ? Some 840 factories make many things, from insulin and inner tubes, automobiles and canned food, to birdcages and popcorn machines. One shop can make 5,500 bicycle tires every day. Another makes chains ? chains that went with Ad miral Byrd to the Antarctic; chains for the first Wright plane; for the dirigibles Macon and Shenandoah; for battleship hoists and elevators; chains for 40 foreign countries. Doorbell ringers all over the na tion sell silk hosiery made here, while another product is advertised by a singing barber who fills the air with saponaceous rhapsody. Armored cars for the shah of Iran; trucks to haul pipes that car ry oil from Mosul to the Mediter ranean; hams and bacon for the world's breakfast ? they originate here. Center for Literature. If wastebaskets gave up their dead, what a place a great publish ing house in Indianapolis would be to trace Indiana's literary career! It has bought and published many a manuscript which brought fame to a hitherto unknown writer. Not only Hoosiers, but writers from all over the Union have been launched by this house. Long ago it started Ma^y Roberts Rinehart, whose first work, "The Circular Staircase," other houses had ignored. Lately it pub lished "Oil for the Lamps of China," which brought fame to Alice Tis dale Hobart. Look over its lists, old and new, and you are astonished at the mil lions of books issued from this mid western plant. Charles Major's "When Knighthood Waa in Flower" sold more copies than did "Uncle Tom's Cabin." This firm, putting on what James Whitcomb Riley called "its literary overalls," published ev ery book the famous Hoosier poet ever wrote, and all without ever a written contract! It introduced Har old MacGrath to the world with "The Puppet Crown," and Meredith Nicholson with "The Main Chance" and "The House of a Thousand Can dles." Other titles are remindful of days gone by. Here Brand Whitlock brought "The Thirteenth District"; Emerson Hough his "Mississippi Bubble"; Anna Katharine Green, "The Filigree Ball"; George Ran dolph Chester, "Young Walling ford"; Zona Gale, "Romance Is land" ; George Ade, "The Slim Prin cess"; Earl Derr Biggers, "Seven Keys to Baldpate"; Ring Lardner, "Gullible's Travels"; and Irving Bacheller, "The Light in the Clear ing." Because of its early conspicuous success with fiction, fiction especial ly is associated in many minds with the publishers. But its contribution in other lines, aside from its law and educational publications, shows scores of titles on subjects from "Backward Children" to "The Chi nese" ? too many to list here. Great Chemical Laboratory. Carved on the stone front of a great laboratory at Indianapolis are the same chemical symbols used by ancient alchemists ? who took them from the Chaldean ? who thought the earth's metals were re lated to the planets! Hence such old planetary names for drugs as lunar caustic and saturnine poison. Yet look into this plant and see what incredible strides chemists have made since the dim, distant age of alchemy, quackery, and philosophers' stones! In this temple of scientific re search and in the giant production plant attached to it, where machines roll 500,000 pills a day and grind tons of strange things, from dande lions to bovine stomachs and liv ers, you meet a thinking brigade of chemists, pharmacists, bacteri ologists, and medical investigators representing the best scientific brains of many lands, from Eng land to China. How to turn new ideas, theories, and discoveries about medicine into practical use is the business of this vast industry. It worked with the Toronto Insulin committee and with the Harvard Pernicious Anemia committee to put their drugs quick ly into doctors' hands. Here is not only ?pure research in many things, from toad poisons to Chinese herbs, but such mass-pro duction problems as packing mil lions of doses of ground liver in cap sules instead of vials. In plain English, here in Indiana is an astonishing example of how highly organized, efficient business takes up where science leaves off. Jenner learned long ago how to vaccinate against smallpox, but it takes huge capital and infinite skill to make enough vaccine and supply it fresh to the whole world, when and where needed. You can think of many such ex amples, from common disinfectants to diphtheria antitoxin. But for such mass production of drugs, chemicals, and medicines, we could not check or control in fectious disease and epidemics, de spite the great discoveries of Koch, Pasteur, Lister, Sir Ronald Ross, Schaudinn, Von Wassermann, and Ehrlich. f Nor could mankind benefit from the findings of a Hopkins, a Mendel, or an Osborne as to vitamins, nu trition, and the prevention of nutri tional disease, nor dare to hope in face of tetanus, diabetes, and ane mia. Look at all the live animals on which tests are made; look at all the strange weeds, plants, roots, that come to this busy place ? and look at the endless barrels, boxes. Jars, and bottles of mysterious mix tures that issue from it, and are shipped to drugstores, hospitals, armies, navies, and to doctors all over the world, and you walk out with this thought: What good is any discovery in medicine ? no matter how great its potential value ? unless some indus try exists like this one, able to make the new serum, vaccine, drug or tissue product in big lots, and then send it to places where people need Gather Yarn Scraps for Flower Afghan Rows and rows of flowers in all colors of the rainbow ? that's the feature of this striking afghan which is the gayest, easiest thing out! You simply crochet it in strips that are 7 inches wide, and Pattern 1623 do the flowers in scraps of yarn or in three shades of one color for a lovely jeweled effect. Ideal in four-fold Germantown. Pattern 1623 contains complete directions for making the afghan; illustra tions of it and of all stitches used; a photograph of section of af ghan ; material requirements ; color suggestions. Send 15 cents in stamps or coins (coins preferred) for this pattern to The Sewing Circle, Needlecraft Dept., 82 Eighth Ave., New York, N. Y. Please write your name, ad dress and pattern number plainly. More Jobs; Less Cost In 1906 the infant automobile industry provided jobs, directly or indirectly for about 80,000 peo ple and what today would be con sidered inferior cars, sold for $5,000 and up. Advertising created a demand that today provides jobs for approximately 5,000,000 peo ple, has resulted in radically im proved cars and has reduced the price to where one out of each five people in the nation can, and does, own a car. Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription Is a tonic which has been helping women of all ages for nearly 70 years. Adv. 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The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.)
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Jan. 13, 1938, edition 1
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