The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-10-10

with the am the intended Intelligence
| = oh etter would pass tnrOug II the hands
| nf he enemy unsusp cted, and even IL the
agent shOu d be unfaithful or negligent nU
| discovery would be made to his prejudice,
; a. these people are not to know that there
! Is Concealed writing in the letter, and the
| intelligence part OF il would be an evidence
in his favor
Washington must have destroyed the
letters thus prepared, as none were ever
found among his manifold cOrreSpOn-
! dence. he invisible INK once made
! visible by the application of the cheml-
Cal reagent wnIcn developed It, the
manuscript remained as legible as if
written with ordinary writing fluid, and
! these communications were too precious
| to be left for the possible gaze OF even
his military aIdS.
! 1t is very evident that the services of
these secret agents were worth retaining,
as they were retained until the close OF
| the war. Every reference to them by
| Washington or Tallmadge supports the
suppOSiiOn that they were meu or good
social standing and earnest patriots,
/ who undertook their task from love OF
country, and not from meIcenary
motive. 1t is very noticeable that the
communications made to them by the
COmmanGer-in-Gh Chief through the ma or
of dragons. are mo In the nature Of
suggestions than of orders, Even when
they IaIleI to obtain some specific
information that he desired he never
ventured to rebuke them or !numa
that they were in any way remiss or
tardy. His invariably cUnsideraIe tone
toward theaI leads to the belief that
Tallmadge had made him understand
that the lar est discretion must be
permitted them, and that their meth
DDS of operations must not be ques-
toned. L his Difference from the
auUoCrauC Washington and the wide
scope OF the work they were ", re asked
to perform is sufficient to demo strate
that they were no ordinary men. Thus,
early, III 1861, he requested them to
discover and set down for him the full
British mIlitsry position in and around
New York-the number and strength III
men and guns OF their transports and
war ships and their protection from fire
RATS; all the Qualifications between the
North and East rivers, with the posi-
ton of each command and the number
OF cannon mounted; now much proSi
slons, forage. fuel and ammunition were
contained in the stOrehouses and
magazines, and the health and spirits of
the troops, the fees and the people
spies, unless IL were to penetrate the
secrets OF the enemy's headquarters,
and Z Jr., was occasionally very
close TO the sanctum of Lord Howe.
The operations of this man were par
ticularly sureWd and fruitful. FALL
madge wrote that he was "a gentleman
of business, OF education and honor"
These words, measured by their appli
cation q hundred years ago meant that
he was engaged in some commercial
pursuit and that his social rank was
such as to give him the entree among
the British officers and the wealthy
Tory families. That he was person of
some consequence Is also established by
the fact that by his own word he was on
good terms with some of the staff
officers of the British headquarters.
Without any excessive play of fancy
we may imagine him a guest at the
dinners and stately balls
when the Tory plutocrsts provided for
the entertainment of the British and
Hessian Wearers of epaulettes, and |
picking up many BIZ of news when |
military caution gave way 10 the free
dom of social intercourse. We may |
think of him IS jolly companion of |
the young Tory and British bloc who |
painted the town red at night until the |
adumbIatiOn of American victory |
sObered their bOisterOus spirits, and as |
just what he wanted to know |
when the LIQUOR had unlOsSed their /
tongue. So long as the King S troops |
and the recreant Americs rs conld afford |
10 laugh at Washington ragged patri-
ITS New YORK was for them a scene of /
license and reVel. History contains |
many instances in which the unres-
RANT of life in a captured city has
iapped the strength of an invading
army, and the British in New York
,nly followed long line of presidents.
Subtitle and daring, the spy was not
wen interrupted or revealed by
ArnOld's treac0ery, which threw all the
American informers into alarm, lest
he traitor might ferret them out.
Nallmadge, indeed, was able TO quiet
Vashington's fears on this point by
writing TO hin that Arnold did not have
be slightest cleT by which to identify
be C-s, and that every link in his
hahn of communication was safe. One
set going to show how thoroughly
Washington trusted them is that he
ept them supplied With large sums of
loney. c., Jr., must have needed
onstant pocketful of ready cash to
1stain himself in New York society
nd among the young bloods. It had.
20, to be hard British gold, and
Though this was so scarce with the
Chief there are fully q
oxen references In the Taiimsdge
tiers of sums rams ing from fifty to a
1ndred pounds being forwarded 10 the
,cret agent. ts- III
The final traces that we have of his
bors are located in the closing months
1882. His intimacy with officers of
le British headquarters staff, through
HON information ! aked out to him,
d to Washington's first knowledge
at the enemy were preparing to evac
Bte. His original letter 10 Washington
nveying this news is extant, and is
tied September 10th. He had not
erely discovered (througn one Garlic
MS aides. as he saysl that the British
IRE about to leave New York, but he
rther found that part of the forces
IRE ordered to Halifax and the remain
r to the West Indies. The latter is q
Ear and succicnt statement of the
illtary situation on Manhattan Island, =
d its predictions were soon verified by
e departure Of King Georges feet and
pops.
Surely these heroes, if we but knew
o;r pomos ond storios uyOuld m orit q |