Newspapers / Polk County News and … / Feb. 20, 1902, edition 1 / Page 2
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THE BATTLE i (Washington,- with his staff, is seen near the sign post of the Trenton Tavern receiving the surrender of the Hessians. Colonel Rail, the Hessian commander, who was mortally wounded in the fight, is about to be carried into the tavern, which has been converted into a hospital- A white flag by the sign post indicates the use to which the house has been put.) g Washington's grossing and the I Battle of Trenton. THROUGH the early darkness of the winter's night I had found my way, with the help of sign boards, unseen wag oners, and chance wayfarers, across the hills, from Princeton to the Dela ware, writes a correspondent . of Harper's Weekly, And if one goes on ,a pilgrimage of devotion to the Father of his Country or of penance lor his ignorance of history, one would beet go in the dusk or darkness. The landscape is too modern by dar. It was disillusionizing to come out of this transforming, hallowing dark ness upon a conventional little rail way station, with its conveptional signal lights here where I had; ex pected to find a reverent solitude. Where McKonkey's Ferry once was there is a Covered bridge over the Delaware. The countersign is two copper coins stamped "United States of America," and it is appropriate. for the crossing of the Delaware on; that memorable Christmas night 125 years- ago made such a superscription possible. : By repeating a second time this countersign I persuaded tht ancient keeper of the bridge to leave the gate unlocked for the night, and when I had by faith and one or two dim lights made my way through this tunnel of J3 m . f wariness ana xounu irugai supper in the tavern on the Pennsylvania bank of the river, I exacted a promise from Its keeper, whose only guest I was, "til l!T mr n 4- linlf.noot in 1i return march were thus complete. My thoughts were all assembled on he other side of the river ready for the march, and I must lead them to heir destination. It .will help some future pilgrim to thiuk of those- sol idlers who, with bleeding feeW marched iiue ixiues over iue, nozeu roaus to Trenton after a sleepless night. The emotions with which I began tbla Christmas journey were painfully subjective. With eyes somewhat ac customed to the dark, I looked from f s THK OUIPE-POST: "WASHINGTON CBOBS 1X0 1 M." The oountry road in the background was that QTcr which Washington passed.) the portholes of the covered bridge - down upon the invisible, but noisy, ' torrent below, and ' with im a ginings that gave me an increased admiration . lor Colonel John Glover's amphibious ' men- of Marblehead, who ferried sol diers, horses, and cannon tover the Ice-filled Delaware without the loss of a single soldier, horse or cannon. From the lower portholes I could see -i iue giow or me lights in Trenton re i fleeted py the overhanging clouds, but .,iere was tle blackness . of despair. 5 OF T From Professor August Young's Famous Historical Only on the Jersey bank was there a light, and that, I could easily persuade myself, was the old ferry-house where one of Washington's staff was writing in his diary the record of the night: "Three a. m. . , . The troops are all over, and the boats have gone back for the artillery. We are three hours behind the set time. Glover's men have had a hard , time to force the boats through the floating Ice and the snow drifting in their faces. I never saw Washington so determined as he is now. He stands on the bank of the river wrapped in his cloak, superintending the landing of the troops. He is calm and collected, but determined The storm is changing to sleet, and cuts like a knife. The last cannon is being landed, and we are ready to mount our horses." It was as dark an hour in our his tory as the night itself was black; but it was the seemingly insuperable obstacles in the way, the very des perateness of the situation, that made the victory of the morning possible, so long, at least, as the light of this THE RIVER, CANAL AND RAILROAD CROSSING. patriot leader burned in ther all but universal gloom. There still .stands a small house a Yew rods above' the bridge where Washington is said to have refreshed himself with coffee before - starting upon the . march. ; Yes, Washington had entered that oor; he had drunk coffee made in that very fireplace; he had kissed the great-grandmother or the great-grcat-aunt of the present owner, forjier kindness, and with, his men had gone marching down the lane (through which I stumbled my self later) on his way to the main road. i :' The entire army marched to Bear Tavern, thence to Birmingham, and there the divisions separated: Gen eral Sullivan's division, with whom were St. Clair and Stark, taking the "River Road" to the right, and Gen eral Greene's the "Scotch Road" to the left, leading down through the woods and past the race-course to the Pennington Road. It was this latter division which Washington accompa nied, and it gave me a real sense of companionship with the great men of the . early days of the "republic to re member, as I - plowed through the mua ankle-deep, besoaked by rain, that not only Washington himself, but his first Secretary-of the Treas ury (then Captain Alexander Hamil ton), his first Secretary of War (then Colonel Henry! Knox, whose voice : coma oe neara tfiat night ut the Cross REN TON. Painting. ing, it Is said, above the crash of Ice), and one of his successors in the Presi dency (then Lieutenant James Mon roe) had passed over that same road. General Greene's men were ill-clad, ill-shod, ill-fed, and they had had no Christmas vacation. There was an other division of like number, equally ill-clad, ill-shod. Ill-fed, and uncom plaining, marching, silently and with onlyjl remote Christmas memories, down the lower road near the river. Upon these two fragments of an army, the hope of Washington and thcN cause of liberty depended. Congress, frightened, had fled to Baltimore! and thousands in Penn sylvania and New Jersey were ac cepting General Howe's proclamation of protection and swearing allegiance to the British crown. The small army was dwindling; nianenllstments ex pired New Year's Day, which was only a week distant, and Jn the pres ent dreary , prospects re-enlistments were not Jlkely to be numerous. Washington had Just written a letter to his brother, in which he said: "If NEAR WASHINGTON'S every nerve isnot strained to recruit a new army I think the game i3 up. cannot entertain the idea that our cause will finally sink, though it may Temain for some time under a cloud." It was more than a coincidence that the password that night was "Victory or Deaths v . 1 ' .Below Birmingham, after the: divis ions had separated, a courier clatter ing across fields reported to Washing ton that the muskets of many of the men were rendered useless by the OID HOUSE WHEIHS WASHIXGTON TOOK BREAKFAST, DECEMBER 26, 1776 sleet, in spite of their efforts to keen ynuinig coverea with their hand Kercniels or coats. And the answer tnat was spoken through the dark ness with determined voice was snr gestive of the 'temper that dictated tnat password: "Then tell the gen eral (Sullivan) to use the bayonet and penetrate into the town; for the town must be ;takeu, . and I iiin resolved to It was difficult and uncomfortable enough making one's way even when unencumbered through the wind and rain and mud, but how much more painful the march must have been up and "down "those same; hills glazed with ice, for those men j with muskets and? in tatters. J - Washington and armies did not reach his two. little the Hessian out- posts till eight o'clock, v He , had planned to make the I attack under the cover of the night, but there had been a delay at the Crossing, and clouds could not longer keep back the light. There was no choice, however; re treat would have meant certain disas ter. I had made a ! quicker journey, but as I came out qf the woods the dawn was upon the road. It was no longer possible to keep up the illusion of the night, and, through the yet hazy morning I could seej the tall battle monument 'from .whose height, the figure of Washington cuards the town. Itellcs Made Into Cuff fctittons, A pair of pearl and gold cuff but jtons which in the form of waistcoat buttons were owned by George Wash ington and worn by him upon the occasion of his inauguration as Presl-y dent and also at j his marriage to Martha Dandridge Custis, are the valued possession of Professor Leoni- das Polk Wheat, of Virginia, now liv ing in Washington. but greatly cherished These modest relics of Wash- ington are among the few personal belongings of General Washington that have not been purchased or other wise obtained ,by the Government. Professor . Wheat is a member of one of the oldest families in Clark County, Virginia, where resides ; a colony of descendants of the Wash ington family.' The jbuttons were pre sented to Professor jWheat by Henry Lcwellyn -Daugerfleld Lewis, great-great-nephew of ' General Washing ton. .. J-.,' ;- Mr. Lewis was Professor Wheat' closest friend and neighbor from 1S7S until the time of thej former's death, several years ago. It was when Mr. Lewis Was arranging to the United States for the transfer Government of something like $40,000 worth of Washington relics, which had been purchased by a special act" of Con gress, that Professor Wheat came into possession. of the buttons. During the process of packing Mr. Lewis, with characteristic generosity, invited his neighbor to select from the coll ection some souvenir. Professor Wheat : selected two! buttons" from Washington's waistcoat and had them made into cuff buttons. r Professor Wheat obtained from Mr. Lewis and big wife a jwritten guaran tee that the buttonsj had been the property of George Washington and had been worn by him on several oc- casions, notably at h1 s inauguration of tthe United wedding. ' unique design. as the first President! States, and also at his The buttons are of and in, diameter about the size of a silver half-dollar. . Evidence of their authenticity is engraved on .the re verse side of the buttons, and reads as follows: "Leo. P. jw. from II. L. D. L. Property of George Washington." New , i ork Herald. Famous Say inj of Washington. To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means peace. of preserving r clear of per- Tis our policy to steer clear of per manent alliances with the foreign world. The pure and benign any portion of light of revela- tion has a meliorating influence on mankind. . ' ; ' , : : ' : influence on st easily estab- Arbitrary power is most easily estab lished on the ruins of to licentiousness. liberty abused there is; an indissoluble union be tween a magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity. ' :- j, . . . ' -- Of all dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity religion ad morality are indispensable supports. Whatever may be conceded to the in fluence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and ex perience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in ex clusion of religious principle. - c . Born in aland of liberty, my anxious recollections, my sympathetic feelings and my best wishes are Irresistibly ex cited whensoever in any j country I see an oppressed nation unfurl the banners of freedom. ; ;: ; -The preservation of the sacred, fire of liberty and the destiny! of the repub lican model of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as final-: ly, staked on the experiment intrusted to the hands of the. American people. i f 7 HP THOUGHT HE KMFu I knew a man who thought he knew it , He knew the source and secretin11 V life. . : i - . ec H He ako knew how Adam came to fall He knew the causes of the glacial a And what it was that .made the rage. 2 He ltBew in ; fact, he knew most tnmg. Ois knowledge . was of such stupen(0 girth, It took in everything upon the earth s And in the heavens: but mo?V. tt.. ! He didn't knbw a thing of real worth. r He knew where people go Avhen they ar J dead. 1 .... , 6f : He knew all wonders ever sung or said He knew the past and future; b:itV0Va'i r He didn't know enough to earn his breacj k He was a marvel of omniscience. He knew the secret of the hence ari "whence. - " Tic was a bundle of great theorie?. The only thing he lacked was c sense. " T." A. Edgerton, in Denver (Col.) X Little Elmer "Papa, what is ic .tha makes a statesman great?" Profossur BroadheadwDeath, my son." f . per's Bazaar. ' I . 'Tis not because her ways are chill, Nor that she's illy bred; ' It's just because she's dressed to kill -She tries to cut mc dead. $ - Philadelphia Record. '' Visitor "Well, Joy, I am glad to see that', you are not at all jsby." "Oh, no, I am not shy now, thank you' But I was very when I was borIl,.,, Puuch. ; ;SIrs. Crawfordr-'I suppose you suf-r fer a great deal from your dyspepsia r Mrs. Crabshaw 4Not half as much u, I did when my husband had it." Judge. - When men do foolish things we say: I . "That is, indeed, their natural way." j And if they're wise, we're not content ' We murmur: " Twas anaccldent," ' . . -Washington Star. Lndv Vi?itnf "A nil wnc rnnv bna. i band good and kind to you during ybut t long - illness?" - Parishioner "Oh! yw. j miss, 'c just was kind; 'e wasmore like a friend than a 'usband.' London Tattler. - Miss Anfnlnr -"'Hft rnn f h?nL- mix 1 . " J vr J Wl Ul 14 V. Is beginning to tell on me." Mis.- Plumpleigh "Yes, dear, but then yon have no. cause for worry. It doesn't begin to tell the whole truth. " Chl: ' cago News. "De Graftf is one of the most remark- ably successful financiers this city ha- ' produced in a decade " "I thought he s was broke." "Broke? Why, that man can write his debts in six figures!" . Indianapolis News. - : Mrs. O'Flinn "I'm writin' to', the schule tacher, darlin', an I want ut to ) be foine. How many capitals do you put into a sentence?'' Jennie "Och,. be ginerous with them. Put in half & iozen." Boston Courier. f rr,, tif Via oTiffcf "That N herve does not reach up so far as you say. It is not a foot long at all. That's all in your inind" "Um-m-m-inr f groaned the writhing man, "it surely : feels as if it were nearly all there!"- 1 Atlanta Constitution. J nenry, now is iue piox ui.uiui bch r novel running' "Well, just at this chapter there is a -terrible storm and the-passengers are afraid the boat will go to the top." TTou mean to the bot tom." "No; this is a submarine boat." Philadelphia Record.' "And now that you .are through col- lege, what are you going tojdo?" asked L a friend of the youthful candidate. "I ; shall study medicine," was the grave reply of the yoiing man. "But isn't that profession already over-crowded?" asked the friend. "Possibly it is," 'an- swered the knowing youth, "but I pro- pose to study medicine just the same. J and those who are already in the pro- !ession will have to take their chances. Tit-Bits. 1 - I Breastworks of Sno-vr as a Defense. I Recent experiments made in Norway j have proved that snow is a substance which ' offers a surprising resistance i lo penetration by a-rifle bullet. Its tt- sistance has been : found , to be far j greater than wood, though not, of I course, so great as earth. It was shown chat a wall of snow7 four feet thick. is absoliitly proof againat the Norwei- j gan army rifle, which is an arm of I great penetrative force. Volleys were fired at the snow breastworks, first at f a distance of half a mile, and then gradually at decreasing distances, until j the range was only fifty yards, aud the -white walls were not once penetrated. . r This suggests a new means of fielit J defense in winter campaigning, sno vt being much moi'e easily handled than i earth or sand bags. Troops intr.eiicfl ing themselves in snow banks would be a noVel and picturesque sight. is disputed whether or , not; Andrevr Jackson made nso of cotton bales i Orleans, ""though he cot the credit fr l having done so. Whether he aia -j not, he will have to give place m matter of novel : breastworks to tbe general who shalV first use field forti fications of snow- ; ' i r r.
Polk County News and The Tryon Bee (Tryon, N.C.)
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Feb. 20, 1902, edition 1
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