The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-10-16
How Arnold Escaped Capture.

II
TN THE summer of 1884 the writer
i spent several days at the village of
Owensville, in Kentucky near the Lick
ing River. While there he engaged In
conversation with an old gentleman who
had lived more than fifty years in that
region, touching the romantic incidents
of Kentucky's early history, and partic-
ularly the thrilling scenes once enacted
along the valley of the Licking River.
In the course of conversation the gen
tleman stated that when young man
he had frequently seen the grave of Ser
geant Champe, the hero of the romantic
attempt to capture Arnold after his trea-
son, which he said was in cultivated
field, near the pike, about midway be-
tween Owensville and Carlisle. A solita-
ry tree then marked the spot, but subse-
quently the tree disappeared, whether
by decay or the woodman's AK, he did
not know, and the spot where the gall
liant soldier sleeps can no longer be iden-
titled. For forty years, said our infor-
mant, the plow has passed to and fro
over his grave, and for forty summers
has the reaper gathered the harvest
above it, until now the fact that such o
grave exists is hardly known to the hon
est farmer who owns the soil, and drives
his shining share above the neglected
dust.
The story of Sergeant Champe's ro-
In min t. ,n -
interest. His name was John Champe,
native of Louden county, Virginia,
and a member of Henry Lees cavalry,
known as the "Lee Legion" Lee in
his Memoirs of the Revolution de
scribes him as twenty-four years old,
rather above the common size, full of
bone and muscle, of tried courage, and
infexible perseverance.
In 1880 the treason of Arnold created
the utmost CONSERVATION throughout
the colonies. This feeling was soon sue
ceeded by an intense desire to obtain
possession of the person of the traitor,
that he might be made to suffer the pen
atty of his perfidy. An offer to exchange
by Sir Henry Clinton, Washington set
about devising some means whereby the
great criminal could be captured and
properly punished. He had learned that
Arnold was stopping at private house
in New York, that he was seemingly
apprehensive Of no danger, and passed
to and fro without guard or attendance
Hence he conceived the idea of intro
ducing spy into the service, to seize
and bring him within the American
lines.
Having formed his plan, he sent for
Major Henry Lee, the commander of the
Lee Legion, the most brilliant cavalry
force of the army, and laid it before
him. Arnold had just issued his proc
lamation inviting desertion from the
patriot army, advising the deserters to
come to New York and join the Ameri-
can Legion, which he had been commits
stoned to organize. Wasbington's sug-
custom was that one of Lees most reli-
able men should feign desertion, join
Arnold, and with the aid of the patriots
in New York city, seize and gag him,
and bring him into the American lines
before he could give the alarm. After
explaining the plan to Major Lee, WASH
ington asked if he knew any man in his
regiment whom he could implicitly
trust with the delicate mission. Lee in
| stantly suggested Champe. He was
sent for, and the matter laid before him.
After some hesitation he consented, and
the instructions which were to be his
general guide, and which had already
been prepared by Washington, were read
over to him several times, until he had
committed to memory their general i'm
port. He was furnished with letters to
two persons in New York, who had pre-
viously been acting In the confidence of
Washington. One of these was to Mr..
Baldwin, who was promised one hun
dred guineas, five hundred acres of land,
and three negroes, if the plan was sue
cessfully carried out.
1t was important that the desertion
should have all the appearance of being
genuine, and Champe had to assume all
the hazards a real deserter would have
experienced; the only indulgence he
could expect was that when his depart
ure should be discovered Major Lee
would delay as much as possible. When
we consider the great alarm that existed
in the American lines by reason of the
recent treachery of a once trusted COM
mander, and how carefully every ave-