The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-06-25
THE ABDUCTION OF PRINCE
WILLIAM HENRY.

whom we tonight, and George ",
the first gentleman of Europe, and
now in my old age. his present ma
jesty. Watching him in his coach
with the bewigged, putting postillions,
and the Windsor folk bending right
and left. / was reminded of how in
1882, after Lord Corvallis defeat,
! he was. Il boy Of sixteen, a midship
man with Admiral Digby, sent over
among us because the king, his father.
fondly hoped that the presence of a
prince Of the royaT blood might regain
him some Of the Americans lost 10y
atty. Everybody knows what really
happened; and how Col Matthias
Ogden, Of the Jersey line. proposed
at Morristown, March %, 1872. the
| plan, to cross the river in whale boats
on some darkish, rainy night and to
take his royal highness and the adj
mIral, who We're lodged together in a
| house on Hanover square. The plan
pleased our commander in chief, then
flushed with his great success at York
| town and the certainty of complete
| victory. His eXcellency warned Col
| Ogden of the necessity of the utmost
| discretion. and of due respect for the
neutral ground from Newark to Rah
way and four miles back. [ have be
fore me now the letter Of introduction
to Ogden. The spirit Of enterprise
50 CONSPICUOUS in your plan for sur
prising in their quarters and bringing
off Prince William Henry and Ad
miral Digby merits applause"
Never was attempt more daring
| than Ogden's, with his captain. subal-
terms, three sergeants and thirty six
men. The hazard of it appeared to
our general, who himself had dared
and won SO much against the greatest
odds. In my memory | contrast him
with those Hanoverian princes, who
are not English at all-the Nirginian
gentleman, this first commander in
chief Of the American armies the
greatest Anglo Saxon. For we. after
| all, British ana American, are at this
| date still Anglo-SaXOns, and it seems
to me, the three greatest Englishmen
that ever lived were Harry V, who
won Crecy. and Cromwell, who, too,
made English arms feared through
ont Cnristendom and Washington, of
Mount Vernon, who did a greater
! thing than the others in that he made
English arms feared by Englishmen
| themselves.
But this attempt on the little Eng
| lish prince failed, The historians say
the matter was noised The real cir
cumstances are left to me to relate
now for the first time
About April rs, as | remember, the
general wlote Col Ogden he had been
informed that Sir Henry had doubled
| the guards about the house in Hano
yer square, "a circumstance | thOnght
1t proper for you to be appriZed Of"
The third night after about 10
O'Clock the general was seated before
his fire, for it was goldfish still. in the
house at Newbmgh 1t was the end
| of a long and tiresOmo days work fill
ed with perplexities, for he never had
more than during these days Of the
beginning of peace. The last visitor
had gone he thought and he was still
at his desk looking up some private
papers relating to a boundary line OF
one of his Nirginian properties, when
an orderly entered apologetically.
"A visitor, your eXcellency."
AT tlis hour" said he wearily Il
told you"
But you left instructions that any
one from Col. Ogden should lie al
mitted."
Sol. Ogden?" he questioned, turn
ing about.
This is very peculiar, your excel
lency, young woman-'
What kind of a young woman"
g a country girl"
From Col. Ogden Are you snre 2"
She has the password, and says
| she is from him.,
He hesitated before ordering the
messenger admitted
A girl. perhaps of nineteen, roughly
! dressed, undeniably pretty, entered
courtesying, as if abashpd. Her blue
eyes avoided his.
"If l might see you a.one, your ex-
cellency."
Go outside and close the door,
Judson."
The man obeyed.
Well"
From Col. Ogden, yonr excellency."
And who are youE,
Tom Sullivan's daughter. of the
| Black Horse on the Southern road"
He tore ii open.
Your Excellency; l must see you
tonight at the Black Horse | do not
dare to come to Newburgh, because
/ spies might watch me there As you
say they have word Of the matter
| Yet | have hopes of carrying it out.
| wish 70 make my trial just before
dawn, day after tomorrow, when all is
stillest, should the weather be favor
able First | must see your excel
lency personally It's necessary. |
do not wish any one 10 know | am not
IN Jersey. Hence the request for you
to ride over to the Black Horse |
think | can carry it out yet. but |
must talk with your eNcellency about
that which can't be written about.
The girl is the only messenger | can
find here"
Strange" said the general, Il can't
make 1t Odt."
He turned to the girl who still
stood, her eyes cast down. as if shame
! faced It's Col. Ogden's hand"
i saw him write it, your honor"
But your fathers tavern Is no more
than ten miles from Newhurgh. II
| Col Ogden is so near why doesn't he
come here himself?"
Col. Ogden had implied the reason
+ but still the general wished to see the
effect of the question.
She looked at him without moving
a muscle
Il don't know sir. He gave my
father % shillings to carry the mes
sage"
But your fathers'
.. IL