The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-07-04
K1zree Aged Ladies' Rtng the Ma
lions First Fourth Of July Up to
present--The Stores Of Mrs.
Phoebe Palimeter, Mrs. Esther
shepardson and Mrs. Lydia
Henry.

BRooKFIELD, N. Y. July A.
Three really genuine daughters of
che American revolution are hav-
ing about the safest and sanest
Fourth today that one could mag
me. They are Mrs. Phoebe Wooley
Palimeter OF Brookfield and RMS.
Esther Ann Shepardson and Mrs.
Lydia Melissa Henry of Poolville.
both little upstate villages of
central New York. Though inten-
sely patriotic. for their fathers
fought in the long war that made
us free and Independent, they de-
plore the tendency of the present
generation to make the Fourth a
day of noise and sport. forgetting
almost entirely the patriotic side of
4hc celebration.
Mrs. Palimeter. now aged and
too feeble to leave her bed, takes
the greatest possible pleasure in
telling over and over again on the
Fourth the events of that terrible
war as told her by her father.
My father always believed that
God, himself. helped the Ameri-
cans because he wanted, in some
corner OF this earth, place where
freedom might exist.
II believe it. too" she added.
"They must have suffered up in
those northern woods near Ticon-
deroga. MY father was wounded
terribly, in the side, ct the battle
of Bemis Heights, Oct. z. 1777.
Il have heard my father tell
about how pay day after pay day
went by without any pay for the
soldiers. Their shoes wore out
and there were no shoes to replace
them; their clothing became tat
tered but there was no new cloth
ing in sight. The blood from their
torn and frozen feet stained the
snow in winter. The sun. in sum-
mer, beat down on hatless heads. I"
Mrs. PaImeter is So years old;
her father died SO years ago.
The other two daughters" are
celebrating the Fourth in a way
that helps person see what Inde-
pendence day means to those who
can look back to father who
fought under Washington. At
their home, were lemonade and
ginger snaps for everybody, and
everybody for miles makes it 4
point to visit the patriotic sisters
Mrs. Shepardson, the Older
daughter of Jeremiah Purdy. rev.
olutionary war hero and protege
Of Washington. delights in telling
how her father, then lad of 15,
Joined the army and went to the
front.
AT first they didn't want father
to go. The colonel said he was toe
young. and that there were enough
men to do the fighting.
All right he says to the col
onei. If you won't 10 tine enlist
I'll so long with my brother any
how. You can't drive me away
from him.
THAT was in Westchester coun
ay, New York, one August day ii
HIT. When Gen. Washington
heard about him sticking to hi
brother, he put his brother In tn
artificers instead of among thu
shooting men. Then Washington
kept my father about his tent. HI
used to tell him to write a pag
from some book every day, RICH
there In camp. Father used t
say that Washington was hardl
ever too busy to say 70 him, We'll
how are your writing lessons get
ting on today?'
Father used to 10y the paper
he had writteR on Gen. Washing
toms desk. I suppose they use {
bother the general lot fathe
used to say In after years.
but, after a while my fathe
could write SO well that Ger
Washington made him an assistar
clerk and he used to write to tn
generals dIctation."
Young Purdy was close to ii
father Of his country during tn
famous battle of Brandywine an
took part in the fight. He ha
grown to be young man at ii
battle Of Yorktown and was in {
the surrender of CornWalIis.