Waterbury Democrat., 1901-01-14
The Patriot Powder
By T. c. Harbaush.

knows what a fierce battle ground waa the Mohawk valley. Lying open, as it did, to Indian and tory incursions, its patriot inhabitants were constantly in state of fear, and many who were true to the colonies were compelled tc smother their feelings 9n order to save both life and property.
 Among the American families who during the struggle occupied an hum ble house in the heart of the valley was one named Whitton. D.
 Some time before the opening of hos tiities the chi.dless couple had adopt ed an orphan boy, who, although Amer ican by birth, bore the name of Gottliet for a German grandfather.
 Gottlieb Whitton. as he was known, was smart boy of IS, short and stout, and the possessor of nature which was hard to rufae. Up with the lark and to bed with the sun, the boy wa. known everywhere in the neighbor. hood for his industry. and parents were won't to hold him up as an example to their less thrifty children. The Whittons were favorably disposed to the American cause, though they had succeeded in making no enemies o1 thelr tory nelghporS.
 The house in the valley stood on the trail to Fort Stanwix, an American out post, and the spies of both parties were almost constantly crossing the neutral ground.
 One night Gottlieb Whitton looked from the small window of his attic anG witnessed a very unusual proceeding The moon was 8 pale crescent in the sky, and the drifting clouds still fur. ther dimmed the little light it afforded He saw a man carrying something into the house from the garden that came almost up to the back door. II was not MT. Whitton, and the proceed ing was enough to arouse the boy. suspicion.
 Again and again the strange mar made little trips between house anc garden, each time bringing from the latter something bulky, which he car ried in his arms.
 At last the man disappeared in th' garden and did not return.
 The boy waited and watched long time for him, and at last crept bacl to his hard bed in the corner and fell asleep.
 The next day the; farmer told Gott' 1ieb that he and his wife intended tt visit some relatives at one end of tho valley, and concluded by saying that he would have to remain at home and keep house two or three days. Once it was on the boys tongue te mention the strange movements he had l witnessed the previous night, but fear l ing to let MT. Whitton know that h. had played the spy he Jet the oppor | tunitv pass.
 When noon came the boy found him. self alone with a dinner Of his owr getting and at sundown he had fed the cattle and shut up the house. His adopted parents at parting hae | cautioned him to admit nobody, anG | Mrs. Whitton had taken care to say | that she had placed all the food he | needed in the pantry. and that she haC locked the cellar till their return. The boy went up to his bed in the attic as the birds retired to their nests in the trees.
 Falling asleep almost directly, he l passed through the first sound slum Der, and then lay wide awake on the l cot.
 1 Suddenly there came up from below and into the loft through the open win dow, the hum of voices. Gottlieb crept to the window anc looked out. 4 large tree grew in from of the house, shading the long porcl during the day, and throwing it! branches over the sloping roof.
 There was figure under the tree which was not there when Gottiel crept up to bed. While he watched ii was joined by another which cam' from the porch, and then the low voice!
 were resumed.
 The next minute Gottlieb went down stairs in his bare feet. The boy knev l that the men outside contemplated
 mischief of some kind, and all at one, he thought of the mysterious proceed ings of the, night before, and coupled with them Mrs. Whitton's remark abou
 the cellar.
 Stea,thy footsteps came across th'
 porch, and found the patriot boy listen
 ing at the door.
 Are you sure the boy sleeps in tn
 garret?" asked a voice.
 That's his nest, as everybod,
 knows" was the answer. 'I knov 1 "1DSIc kuC Do1I IS, duu ueTc l AdFS lu' gimlet ready. It will not take us tel
 minutes to saw out hand-hole, an.
 then we're inside.'
 Do you think we'll find the Yanke
 powder in the cellar?''
 ''It is nowhere else. We've tracked i
 to Jonas Whitton's house, and it hasn'
 gone onto Fort Stanwix yet. A sly fo,
 is Jonas, but hereafter he can't b.oy
 hot and cold with the same breath, fo
 everybody will know how he hid Tan
 kee powder in his cellar
 Like a flash the whole truth dawne
 on the boy in the dark. The numerou
 trips between garden and house wer
 now explained. ,
 There was powder in the cellar, an
 it was patriot powder at that, intende,
 to be smuggled into Fort Stanwix a
 the first favorable opportunity.
 Gottlieb felt his heart leap with a dc
 sire to save the powder. He knew ho,
 sorely the little garrison of patriot | I..1 1,iE 1r{t hn "A