The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-04-11
The Home Onthe
Hackensack
A Story of General WASH
ingtOn's Secret Service
BY wILLrAra I. HANCOCK

river. in New Jersey, after weithering
the political and atmospheric storms Of
nearly two centuries, a line specimen
of the homesteads built by the early
Dutch settlers in America. 1t wns for
/ ty years old when the Revolutionary
war opened, and its original owner had
then long passed away;
When il was built the country round
about 1t was infested by Indians. They
stole son OF the owner, and so long
as he lived there he and his family
were In terror of other depredu.ions
q recent Investigation of a historical
society has revealed an ingenious con-
trivance whereby If besleged by saw
ages those who lived in the house
might make their escape.
When Washington was called to the
chief command of the American armies
his first duties were at Boston. then
New York city, then New Jersey.
While operating In the latter field the
old Dutch house on the Haekensack
lay between him and Manhattan Is
land ON ground belonging to neither
British nor Americans. The homestead
was at the time occupied by. John Old
ershaw. an aristocratc Englishman
who had turned what means be had
into cash and emlgrated to America.
| His family consisted Of a wife and
two children. the latter having been
born in America. The mother was III
suited to the rude life of new coun-
try and lived in the hope Of some day
returning to England. Both she and
her husband were bitter Tories, but
their children, who had never been in
the mother country, sympathlzed Sc
cretly with the patriot cause. They
were youny man, Edgar, aged twen-
ty-two, and daughter, Anne, aged
nineteen.
One evening General Howe, com.
handing at New York. with certain
members OF his staff, rode out over the
Jersey fats between the city and the
rising ground beyond on tour of re-
connoissance and at nightfa1l stopped
at the 0ldershaw mansion. Too late
in the day to return to his headquar-
ters. he suffered himself to be persuad.
ed to remain all night, with his attend.
ants. and was entertained by Mr.. Old.
ershaw.
During the evening he and his host
SIT over bottle of port wine, and the
general. warmed by the juice of the
grape, became -cenfdential as to his
plans for gaining an advantage over
General Washington. Above the apart
lhent in which they sat was Anne Old
ershaw's bedroom. Though the timber
with which houses were built in those
days was far more durable than now,
it was rough hewn and not SO carefully
selected. In the floor of Anne's room
was knothole, and in the wooden
ceiling OF the room below was a crack.
Anne, who had gone to bed, but not to
sleep, hearing voices below, was de.
sirous of learning what the general
might have to say to her father. So
she arose from her bed and, slipping on
Il warm wrapper, put her ear to the
hole in the floor She. was enabled to
hear plan the general was stating 10
her fathersfor capturing large Ameri-
can force then located near Trenton
Indeed, the Bridshers reconnaissance
was on business connected with the
projected exploit.
The next morning Anne related what
she had heard to her brother. He took
n very different view of the matter
from that of his sister. He was desir.
GUS that General Washington should
be warned, but was deferred from be-
traying his fathers guest by giving the
Information. Love of country, howey-
er, triumphed over other considerations
and he determined to carry it to Gen.
eral Washington. whose headquarters
at the time were in the FORD mansion
at Morristown. Letting his sister into
the secret of his intended move and
telling his parents that he was going
to New York to see a friend, he set out
on foot, On reaching the town he as.
cended the incline west of it and arriy-
ed at a tavern in Orange, which was
then a stopping place for postboys
travelling between Morristown and 10.
token. There he secured horse, pass.
ed over the heights lying west Of the
town and in couple Of hours rode uni
to Washington's headquarters He was
received by Colonel Alexander Hamil.
ton of the staff and Immediately intro.
duced to the commander in chief.
Upon receipt of the information he
brought Washington gave orders which
would block his enemy's game and
asked Edgar oldershaw what he could
do to reciprocate the favor he had re
ceived at his hands. The young man.
feeling loath to return to his fathers
roof, begged the. general to secure him
a commission in the army. and, his re-
quest having been granted. he openly
took sides with the patriots.
It was not long after this that Wash.
tngton. being DESTROYS of information
as to the enemy's forces in New York,
sent a young man, Lieutenant Harold
Travers, who had done some secret
work for him, to obtain 1t. Travers (
was to proceed in citizens dress to |
New York, learn what he could and re- !,
turn. Before he departed the general
called upon Lieutenant oldershaw to