The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-04-17
THE EARLIER FUNsToNs.
Former Notable Captures in Our Ma
tional History
New York S

~ y - ~ n sui
General Funston's achievement in
capturing ,Aguinaldos recalls earlier at
.empts made by officers of other armies
to make prisoners of the leaders of hos
tile forces. The first attempt at Selling
7 a general was never carried out It in
vOlved too many persons, and the plot
tiers engaged in it worked from the in
side, not from without, as Funston did,
and their plans We're overheard. This
was the attempt in June, 1777, to se-ze
Washington in Rev York; the plan was
changed later TO an attempt to poison
him. The plans of the conspii ators
were overheard by a woman, VINO dis
closed them to the American authoIi-
ties, and as result the men implicated
were captured and punished. one of
them. Private Thomas Hickey. OF
Washington's bodyguard, being
After Arnold's treason and his fight
to the British. the Americans made an
attempt to seize him. This undertake
ing was like General Funston's exploit.
Sergeant Champe of Lees legion was
the principal actor in the scheme. His
plan was known only TO the chief in
command; SO, when he deserted to the
British his late comrades fired upon
him, and he. reached the enerny's lines
under a shower of bullets, narrowly es-
Gaping with his life. This was an excel
lent introduction to the British, and
Champe was received with open arms.
But he was unsuccessful: Arnold moved
his Headquarters the day on which
Champe had arranged to capture him.
and Champe had finally to desert from
the English and return. again under
fire, TO dIr lines. When Washington
wished soon after 10 promotes him for
his gallantry, ne, found that Champs
had died of disease f7s
The capture of the British general,
Prescott, in July, 1z77, was, perhaps,
the first successful attempt of the
kind.
Generals Prescott commanded the
British forces in Newport. r. L. and
Went for the summer to a fine house
some five miles out of the city. Colonel
william Barton, knowing this, decided
TO capture him, if possible: and on July
10, lf17 with forty-one comrades rosTed
across from Warwick point on the. We 81
snore or Narragansett bay. and rYached
me me house undiscovered. The door OF
his house was burst in by q negro. who
used his head as Il battering ram: Pres
colt was asleep. and awoke to find
himself q prisoness He was not al
lowed to dress, but in his cloak. with a
captor carrying his clothes, was forced
TO the boat and taken wftl1ifl 3tF1e
American lines and then to Washir g
ton headquarters in New Jersey He
was exchanged later
q &. @
80 ~ cBAuttl- VI -NEf,
stoughton by Mosby and his rane6is
IN March, 1862, was the result Of a, care :
fully laid plan. AHosby, with tSxe5fvz
nine men, entered Fairfax court hoi5ss
passing themselves off as belonginss tx
the Fifth New York cavalry, and While
some of the band atteuBpeed to eaot4Ira
Golonel Wyndharn, the leader went 10
the mouse where the general was sound
asleep. At the name OF. Mostly = ~
eral stoushton sat UP in bed. wide
awake in an instant. Have ycl sot
him z? he asked. He's got you re-
pied Mostly, The prisoner was taken
70 General Fitzhugh Lees heaaarar-
ters, from the very midst of a camp Il,
Whlch lay several thousand troops. THE
attempt to capture Sitting Bun was . q
made by strategy or trick; our INDIAN
scouts went openly to the chiefs tent.
and when they tried to arrest the "a, :.
nous Sioux We're met with bullets: they
returned the IRE and Killed him, losing
some OF their own number Funston. 2
capture Of Aguinaldo was marked br g.
Vel oSvlsed Plan, involving more dan
ger than that of any other MOI
except Sergeant Champe's and reouir~
ing lil!s, lo i. time and more careful work.
WITH the same execution