, 1879-02-27

tfthiNlcu ny afnj ..Gen. Irf1n, Tho Tory Npvcfn' ;
l,5OO men, conposed of i,ritltll md Iesstal,s,
with One regiment Of 1'orlcs. At New Rochelle
t!lcy wcrc met by Ainnll body 0f ConttHfMtnl
skfrmishcrs, commanded by Capt Titus Vat
soil. The company Mt onco rcircntcl, but at
attacked. a portion Of t1lr company concealed
tlctnaelYeb IN tlse kwnInpt, nn1 tlla remainder
nndc ttser cscalm along tl'c highway to Tic rly-
CT. Over The hills at ftll Raliop rode Capt. VAT
6otl hnl hls co.npanlois to give warning To tic
few troops then III Greenwich. Col. }fuldrNlgc,
Of Hartford County, wns III rnnuland Of tlc
OUTPOST. Putnam han on,Y nrrvu'l til tit vilfage
few tla5a before. Tl,c sn!all bot1y OF ,Anerl.
ncuce south Of the Congregational Church.
1hcy lfal tlircn small cannon without ll6rscs or
nraG.ropes. in the van ot 1rvuM'a forces rods
DclatecF'h r1rps, cotalnosed Of Tories from
md tlu Anurealis withdrew from tic Neki.
l,ntnatn started Oh his llOrsc for Stamford To
obtain rcsnf0rcenc,ils, purhned by thu ctcnlr's
uragosns. Nearer Ad nearer IT, the old hero
they canlc, eycry 0na ambitious of t1lc glory Vi
In tho rebrl serylcc Tllurnaa Merritt, OF West-
chester County, wns nearcst to pn.nnn, wtlo, on
rcaslllstg, thc top of tts bteak-neck aecIsi.y,
spurrcd Ills horse down tho terrible descent,
amid ynlley of bullets from the enraacst
enemy, Tic precise point at Which Putnam
AMI hh charger went domn fl1e prec1ptco IL In
doubt. one tradition ptacos It 10 tho northeast
q ttte old church. auol1icr about 10o feet aovc
tto St!!reil: Wa'cl! ever @ srSe !, wa' t,e
IT. The British scattered through tho town,
pMndcr!ng ani carousng.
Thce poem, by 8. D. Sumner, Of Bridgeport,
was thtrtf.two htAnzas III length, occupied TWEEN
ty tn[nutcs IN delivery, nfll WIS again nil again
interrupted BY storms 0f cheers trum tic entire
nudtcncc. One stanza rnn:
On In tho nush OF victory dash forwatd Tryons
YAH.
With aflsen A.! , huadsed .toat drog0on. to capture
Tho hero wheels; ono thought, QUO p!rngc. sheer
..oodS e na', the yalr n ,b bensath; .,,un,o
uto H' ais dca{}h ca{ ~ '''0'''ea 'oe' eep'
Now THICK md inst rs lcadcn rain the murdcrous
They ,ys5nly @ RerSs tne old cooked hat but spuro
tes q i;tsyd brsee"Fed man, together
Well dome, tremendous decd thank uoat the
-, crlea hour y past! ,.,
Ias o,atton 9. b '.;as G!oon I3!ls'er Ess M Of
character OF Void Put"
III the parlors of tlic Tracy House, In wlcl,
Putnam lay Wien he was nrpusetl iust In tine
to escape from The British, wcrc 1atlicred bcvy
Miss A.intc Warner. 1llcy were charged will,
the duty OF exhibiting old .timo relics to sight
secrs. n nInt-lock n.usket hal belonged to
IHt1lNs ~ BaDEE. HiLll III GHEc 8 liEHu III lftf-
man silver On tic hilt, h0rc tho nuno OF Gui,.
Aleade. Tlurc wcrn 1lnf dozen wnrimtns.tans
.]ntl1g hack to 171G. lllc tnsgcst belonged to
Prof. William g. Peck lhrro was n venerable
cllatr In which Charles IL. fs saf1 to uyr sat md
n venerable su,ukcd-becf md coltl-slaw cutter
boro the immortal name OF "WashIilgton!"
The Indies readily acknowledged that tic
ChaiE had been resented ftncc the Merry Afo,-
arch occupied II, but adhered ,tnswcsvlngiy to
the identity VI The c0iti.slnw cutter.
Tires hundred gucstssnt down to tho banquet
at the J.ennox llouec.
The luca! descendants Of "Otd Put ~ sat op-
postte ttio lnenI descendant OF the Tory Tint
chuscd lin. There was rniuce-plc bctwcun
them. When eact, Ind enten Ills way fU the
middle, the Chairman, niitd tremendous clrcrs,
called On them for speeches.
Mr. Putnam an!a:
"Mr. Chairmnn-l mn not n speaker, cnme
here to sec ur.l b. aecn." (l.oul laughter
Tllcn Mr.. Merritt was called on. lie rost. nnl
said That he did not understand exactly how IL
Was that Ills venerable ancestor got 90 near the
General. and yet didn't eate} lim [laughtcrI.
Flo had heard Ills grandfather nscribe It to soma
pcsky deacon who got wind Of The thing Il qlar-
ter Of nn.!iour beforehand, ainl went and gave
Putnam warning. All lsonnr to tho deacon.
huweyor, TINT is great grandfather, fl1 speaking
of jnn. Putnam. In after life, had always said
lhnt he waa bravo soldier, m honest man, md
that although ho {Atcrrltt'e grandfatlscr) then
felt it to be his tuty to Ills King to fight ngninst
Putnam, ind talfc ll1n II possbte, yet lle alw0ys
llon0rcd and respected tho old l1pro, mud never
regretted to his tlyn, day TINT he didn't cntcl
lin after MI. Nj. Merritt sat ssn,gn amid pro
lonHed cheers md hearty laughter.