Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-06-24

the american tteVolutlOn, Is the COih-
position OF Miss Sadie Eason, who. on
Friday last, was awarded the prize
medal for the best essay on this sub
ject
Miss Ea~son is the daughter of Mrs.
- Eason. Of Brambleton. and is
bright. interesting young girl of four
teen years Of age. She Is u pupil of
Miss Mary c. Tebault, of the Bran
bleton Grammar School No. l, seventh
grade. and is studious and bright pu-
Pill. Her remarkably clever essay mas
won Tor her many words of praise.
One OF the most notorious traitors of
the Continental wars. The French Off
GERS had been In, the country more than
Two months before they had u personal
interview with Washington. Much cor
respondence had passed between the
chief commander of the allies: and. fin
afly. at the suggestion OF Rochambeau,
an arrangement was made for them TO
meet at Hartford, in Connecticut OH
the tw'erty-frst of September to con-
fer upon the subject of the future op-
erWtlons of the combined armies.
washington set out upon his journey
on the eighteenth OF September leav-
ing General Greene in command of the
army curing his absence; and at Kings
terTy where he crossed the Hudson he
was met and saauted by General Ar
hotu' theh IN command at West Point,
and graduated at the country mansion
OF Colonel Beverly Robinson. opposite.
Little did the commander-in-ch chief sus-
pect that uhe brave officer before him
VINO had served his country with so
much zeal and gallantly. and who at
mat interview handed him Il written OBJ
1mon concerning the proprlety of an ait
TACK upon New York based upon state
snents he had received from his chief.
OF the condition and prospects OF the
american army, was about to betray
that army and his country and to
make use of that very statement as one
of the Instruments of his treason.
The very paper containing this state
ment which Warrington had sent to Ar
mold Gas to others of his general Off
cers) was one of those afterward taken
from Andres boot
Some men seldom act without some
impelling motive. That which carried
Arnold into the vortex of dishonor was
composed Of three powerful moral mo-
tors-revenge, avarice and debt AS n
soldier and leader he was the bravest
OF the brave. skillful and gh-souled:
but In his social relations, he was Il
moral coward. deceptive, mean-spirited.
and debased. Washington admired his
military genius. but despsed his avar-
Ice selfishness, and pronigacy. He was
dlslked by the beading men Of his army
FOR. ambitious and imperious. he quar-
rolled with all his equals and was re-
extremely avarlclous. Money is this
mans God. and to get enough of 1t, he
would sacrifice his country" said Col
onel Brown, In n handful, almost four
years before Arnolds detection. Yet
Arnold was sinned against Many OFF,
Gers were enVlous OF his deserved rcpu-
tation as soldier. He had been made
10 feel the shafts OF their envy in many
ways The very men who conspired
against Washington in 1777 and 1873.
were most prominent In opposition to
ARNOLD: and the same faction in the
Congress withheld deserved honors
from him. With contracted vision he
saw in the conduct of these individuals
the ingratitude of his country, and the
resentment which he felt toward them
he extended to the cause and all engag-
ed In 1t. This feeling and the hope OF
large pecuhlary reward by which he
might relieve himself of heavy and in
creasng embarrassments, seemed to
have eNtinguished every spark of pa
triotism. and bechoned him to the bad
pre-eminence of NJ mcrcenary orator.
Arnold was appointed military COVER
nor of Philadelphia when the British
army evacuated that city IN June, ITS.
Proud of his honore and his position.
and fond OF show. he lived In n style
entirely Incompatible with his income,
and the character of a republican gen
eral. His quarters Were at the fine old
mansion of William Penn. and there he
gave costly dinners and splendid SOL
recS. which charmed the gnyer portion
OF Philadelphia society. a daughter of
Edward Shipper. leading Loyalist,
became enamored OF the general. She
was young, beautiful and highly ac-
complished. and Arnold. a widower, of
40. was equally captivated. They were
married. Loyalists were graitlled and
Wings shook their heads in dStr,ist.-
Arnold's extravagencies soon brought
importunate creditors to his door, and
he prostituted his official power so as
to gain for himself n monopoly OF GER
tain trade by which he put money in
his purse. With the authority of
military governor, welding martial
law, he forbade shopkeepers selling
certain necessary articles and then,
through agents. he traiiicked in those
very articles, and sold them at enor-
nous profits. The inhabitants; were in
censed. and dcputation went before
the President and Council of Pennsyi-
Arnold. The Council laid the whole
matter before the Congress, and that
body referred 1t to Washington. to be
adjudicated by military tribunal.
For more than year Arnold'ss trial
was delayed. The court-martial found
him guilty of two of four charges, and
passed upon him the exceedingly mild
sentence of "rcprimand by the com
mandcri in chief" This unpleasant
duty was performed by Washington in
the most tender and delicate manner.
"Our profession" he said, lis th,,
chastest of all. Even the shadow of
a fault furnishes the lustre OF our fin
est achievements. The last inadvert-
ence may rob us of the public favor.
so hard to be acquired I reprmand
you for having forgotten that. in pro-
portion as you had rendered yourself
formidable to your enemies, you should
have been guarded and temperate in
your department toward your fellow