Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-02-01
The Argus Daily Story
The Home on the Hackensack-By William T. Hancock
Copyrighted, 1sla. Associated

saw that it bore an introduction from
her brother and beckoned Travers to
follow her.
The meal for the traveller had been
prepared and Mr.. Oldershaw was open
ing a bottle of wine with which 70
regale his guest when Il clatter OF
horses hOofS was heard without. and
a dozen British troopers rode up to the
house An officer diSmouuted. came
in and asked Mr.. OlderShaw if citi-
zen. describing Travers. had stopped
ut the house. OldeUShaw said that he
had and thought he had gone to make
toilet; he was expecting him to come
in at any moment. The officer asked
if Oldershaw was loyal subject 81
the king or rebel and when assured
that he was the former told him that
lie was harboring spy of General
WaShinGtou's who had been to New
York and was carrying information of
the British forces.
The house was Mt once surrounded,
that the spy might not escape, and
Oldershaw went through the interior
looking for him. Neither TraverS nor
Anne could for some time be found.
but presently O|derShaw met the lat
ter coming through a hall on the
ground floor.
where is The Stranger" he asked.
The stranger: Why. isn't he with
you?"
NO. We must find him. He's a
spy Of the rebel. Washington"
1t was with difficulty that Anne was
able to maintain her equanimity. but
her father was so eager to catch
TraverS that he was not as ohservant
as he would have been otherwise. Dt-
reCting her to help hunt for the spy,
he ran back to report to the officer
that the young man had disappeared.
Anne OldShaw had at times wonder
ed at certain part Of the flooring in
the basement or cellar. the wood of
which seemed to have taken on a diff
ferent color from the rest. She had
spoken to her brother of It. and one
day they had examined it together
Edgar found n way to lift this bit of
flooring. The two descended into a
! subcellar and entered paSsageway,
/ at the end Of which they came to two
wooden gates. like those OF a canal
lock. though but FIVE or six feet In
height and two or three in width.
| Through seams In these gates water
trickled.
This tunnel had been built by the
original owner of the house. after he
| had lost his son, as n means OF escape
I from Indians.
The discovery occurred after the
family had become divided on the sub
ject OF loyalty to King George. and 1t
occurred to Edgar that this passage
might afford means of escape, for he
had heard the stories OF troubles with
the Indians that the former occupants
had suffered He told his sister to
say nothing about it. for the present
at any rate. till he could explore 1t fur
Their. But before he could do so the
episode that had taken him to Morris
town had occurred and the matter re-
manned as he had left it.
When young Travers asked Anne TO
hide him she at once thought of this
place, known only to herself and her
brother She led him down pair OF
stairs Together they lifted the trap,
and he went into the pasSageway.
There could be nothing better calcu-
lated to draw two young persons of OPP
pOsite sex together with magnetic ra-
pidity than this situation. Before the
trap was lowered a look passed be
tween them that annulled their individ-
ual natures and made them one. After
a pressure of hands the trap was per
mitted to fall, and a few moments later
Anne met her father in the hall.
1t was manifest to the troopers that
the spy was hiding somewhere in the
house. so they maintained their watch
without and hunted within. FOrtu-
nately for Trayers Anne was not sus.
pected AS soon as she left him he
threaded his way through the pasSags
to the gates. Seem" n chink above
through which ray of sunlight came.
he managed to raise himself to 1t and
saw the river. its surface about foot
Gnd.a half below the roof of the tunnel.
If he could open the gates he might get
. out and escape. The tunnel would only
, be filed TO within eighteen inches OF
) its top. and he need not he drowned.
He tried to open the gates. but could
not do so.
II was not till the next morning that
! Anne dared visit the captive. when she
slipped away with some food Trayers
asked her If she could get him crow
bar or large iron poker. or, better still,
a saw She brought him Il saw and aft
. er brief interview left him. and he
went to work on the gates. saving
] through wooden bar that held them
= shut. When nearly finished he decid-
ed TO wait till dark. when he opened
the gates and the water flowed in. and
. after ii had found its level he swan
] out under a starlit sky. BY morning he
&. was at Washington's headquarters
! The BritiShers never solved the mys-
[ terry Of TraverS disappearance. In
5 deed II had never been solved until
D recent explorations led 10 the discovery
= of the tunnel After the war Older
! shaw and his wife went to England
D Anne married Travers. and they occu-
pied the mansion on the Hackensack
T for many years.