The Penn's Grove record., 1888-12-22
HOW WILLIAM ". ESCAPED.

HUN NlLLlAM ~. EOCAFED. s
The approaching centennial celeb-a-
ton Of the Inauguration OF The first
President has re-created interest in all
memories Of Washington connected
With New York. And prominent
among these was . plotin which WASH
ington was concernedAa scheme to
capture in this city and abduct . prom
inent Englishman then residing in this
town-in tact, q plot to carry Of as .
hostage the heir to the British crown,
Prince William, afterwards King VII
liam the Fourth.
During the British occupation Of
New York. Admiral DI9by. the SOM
mander Of the British navy, resided IN
a fine, large stone house Of double width
very solid and substantial, 1t the corr
ner Of what was called Slote's alley and
Hanover square. This Slote's alley
ran along the lines Of tie present Han
over street, ard then turning followed
the lines Of the present Beaver street,
till It ended in what IL now William
street. Admiral Digby was i brave
and skilful officer At sea, but on
he was social. e~asy-Goiug and Jolly. So.
although Prince William, then about
eighteen years Of age, was under his
care and lived as . member Of his FAM
NY, the admiral let the young fellow 60
about town just when, where and as he
~pleaseda liberty Of which the Prince
took every possible advantage In every
way. OF course this sort OF thing
pleased the s'loyal'' citizens Of New
York immensely. But when the few
patriotic Americans at that time IN
this town thought Of the cruelties prac-
ticed on the American prisoners in the
old Rhinelander sugar house and tie
Old Dutch Church, and contracted
their surerings with the tine times this
STRIPPING Of a Prince was having, they
frowned and got talking among them
selves.
And at last this talk resulted ina
young ~Jerseyman, called Ogden. leay-
ing New York secretly, obtaining IN
interview with General Washington
and laying before him the idea being to
seize the person Of the royalreveler and
bringing him to Washington, to keep
HIM captive till the American prlsoners
then In British prisons were released,
and forcing through the possession Of
the person Of the Prince the British
government to end tile war and throw
up the sponge. Washington liked Or
denis idea very much, Endorsed It high
ly and conferred with him long and
earnestlyabout the details. After consul
tatlon II was determined not TO attempt
the seizure Of the Prince in the public
streets, because OF the excitement that
would be created and the rescue that
would probably take place. but to walt
for some auspicioas occasion, when .
chance might be afforded TO seize tho
Prince and bear him of from the Digby
mansion at midnight or later.
Ogden then returned to New York
as secretly as he had lsfs it, and, In or
der to aid his scheme. pretended not to
be 80 ardently patriotic Is he had laeen.
announced himself as : loyalist, and
his conversion to their cause pleased the
King lovers greatly. Admiral Digby
was much gratiHed tliereat. and invited
the young convert to . dinner ct tho
DiQby house, where he met the Prince
and found out all about the domestic
arrangements OF the household-where
the Prince slept. what time he went 70
bed, and all that.
Young Ogden also, IN his role Of con.
vert, made the acquaintance Of . very
pretty girl who wa a red-hot loyalist,
a Miss Nellie Campbell, whose fathers
house adjotned the Digby house ON
Slote's alley.
The Campbell residence was only .
cottage compared to the Dlgby pile,
but it was very pretty, and. what was
more to Ogden's purpose. its upper rear
portieo or balcony was about the same
height as the room where the Prince
slert next door. A long stoop ran
along the rear Of each house, the roof
Of the stoops communicating WITH
rear fecond-story windows of 9
house. The second-story rear room
the Campbell house was unused. "a
as q sssparen room for an occasional a
night guest. and right next to 1t wi
the window Of the apartment occupie,
by the Prince. A man could east
step from one room into the other
this Ogden found out while
Miss Nellie Campbell.