Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-03-25
NUMBER IL

house. An officer dismounted, came
in and asked Mr.. Oldershaw If citi-
zen, describing Travers, had stopped
at the house. Oldershaw said that he
had and thought he had gone to make
a toilet: he was expecting him to come
in at any moment. The officer asked
IL Oldershaw was loyal subject OF
the king or rebel and when assured
that he was the former told him tnat
he was harboring a spy OF General
Washington's who had been to New
York and was carrying information OF
the British forces.
The house was at 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 Oldershaw 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"
mo. We must find him. He's
spy of the rebel. Washington
It was with difficulty that Anne was
able to maintain her equanimity, Dut
her father was so eager to catch
Travers that he was not as observaht
Ms he would have been otherwise. Di-
recting her to help hunt for the spy.
he ran back to report to the olhcer
that the young man had disappeared.
Anne Oldshaw had ut times wonder
ed ut a certain part Of the flooring III
the basement. or cellar, the wood of
which seemed TO have taken OH diff
ferent color from the rest She had
spoken to her brother Of it. and one
day they had examined 1t together.
Edgar found way To lift this bit OF
flooring. The two descended into
subcellar and entered Il passageway,
at the end Of which they came to two
wooden gates. like those o. Il canal
lock. though hut five or six feet In
height and two or three in With.
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 Il means OF escape
from Indians.
The discovery occurred after the
family had become divided on the SUD-
iect Of loyalty to King George. and II
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
ther. But before he could do so the
episode that had taken him to Norris
town had occurred and the matter re-
mained as he had left 1t.
When young Travers asked Anne 10
hide him she ut once thought or 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 op'
posite sex together with magnetic ra'
pidity than this situation. Before the
trap was lowered 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 few moments later
Anne met her father in the hall.
It 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 Travers, Anne was not sus'
pected. AS soon as she left him he
threaded his way through the passage
to the gates. Seeing chink above
through which ray Of sunlight came
he managed to raise himself to II and
saw the river, its surface about foot
and half below the roof Of the tunnel
IL he could open the gates he might ge'
out and escape The tunnel would only
he filled to within eighteen lncnes OF
its top. and he need not be drowned.
He tried to open the gates, but could
not do so.
Il was not till the next morning that
Anne dared visit the captive. when she
slipped away with some food. Traven
asked her if she could get him crow
bar or n large iron poker, or, better stili'
n saw. She brought him n saw ana at
er II 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. ana
after II had found its level he swan
out under starlit sky. BY morning ne
was at Washington's headquarters
The Britishers never solved the hyS'
terv of Travers' disappearance. IN
deed. II had never been solved until
| recent explorations led to the discovery
| Of the tunnel. After the war Older
shaw and his wife went to England
| Anne married Travers, and they occu'
MED the mansion on the Hackensacs
for mnny years.