The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1915-07-08
WOMEN /. IHEROINEs
or REVOLUTION
Two Whose Efforts Are Worthy
Of a Place in the Pages
~ of History.

4, Everyone of course is familiar with
the tragic story Of Major Andre, the
young officer sent by the British to ne
gotiate the treason of Benedict Arnold,
who was captured when the plot was
frustrated and hanged as spy But
q only very few are aware of the fact
that indirectly the capture of Andre
was due to a womans intuition.
During the operations of the Amer
lean army in the vicinity of the Hud
son, Lieut. John Webb, an aid on
Washington's staff, was frequent Wis
itor at the mansion of Gerard G. Beck.
man, at Peekskill. One day Leuten-
ant Webb left a valise containing ar
amount of gold and one of his uni
forms with Mrs. Beekman, asking her
not to give it to anyone without a
written request from himself or his
brother Samuel.
q. Some two weeks later a neighbor
named Joshua Hett Smith came rid.
ing up for the lieutenants grip and
talked so convincingly that Mr.. Beck
man was about to give 1t to him, when
his wife ipterfered. Smith got i'm
patient. "
"Why, Mrs. Beekman," he said "you
know me very well. Jack didn't give
me that request for his valise, because
he was in hurry and didn't have
time to write 1t. But now he needs
his uniform right away and must have
1t. 1t isn't as if you were giving the
valise to a stranger"
8 But Cornelia Beekman's feminine
sixth sense told her that something
was wrong.
at is true that know you very
well, Smith," she rejoined, sternly
"Too we'll to let you have Sans prop
erty!"
Mr.. Beekman himself was inclined
to side with Smith. but his wife re
manned firm and finally the visito
rode off disgruntled.
Smith called for Lieutenant Webb'f
valise on the very day of Andres
tight. Andre himself was in hiding
IN Smiths house. Smith, it seems
had heard Lieutenant Webb tell about
the grip and it's contents that after
noon at the tavern, and knowing thai
Webb and Andre were both of the
same size had determined to get thu
patriot officers uniform for the Brit.
ish spy.
Had Andre made his dash for New
York disguised as an aid of the com.
mander in .chiaf himself there is nj
doubt that the American outpOsts
would have facilitated instead OF
hindered his progress, and that he
would have reached the British lines
scot-free. That he did not get Webba
uniform is due solely to the keenness
and determination Of an American ma
tron.
Other deeds Of individual hardihood
and even heroism were performed by
women without number. There, for
instance, is the story Of Mrs. Jane
Thomas, mother of seven Continental
soldiers, who learned that the tories
were going to surprise a small pa
triot force at Cedar Spring, s. c..
and who rode 60 miles in one night to
apprise them, with the result that
when the tories made their attack they
found themselves ambushed
There also is the story of similar
service performed by Lydia Darrah
with results of far more moment &c
the patriot cause. Mrs. Darrah was
a Quakeress with whom a number Of
British officers were quartered during
the occupation of Philadelphia. The
Darrah house was opposite the head
quarters of Lord Howe, and for that
reason was sometimes used for the
reading of general orders to the Off
GERS.
On one occasion Mrs. Darrah was
fortunate enough to overhear an or
der read for the troops to make a
night attack on Washington's army
which was then encamped at White
Marsh. Lydia ran the British lines
and apprised the Americans, so that
when the British came up they found
their enemy. with his cannon mount
ed, his troops under arms and so pre-
pared at every point to receive the at
tack that they had to fall back with
out striking a blow. Had the attack
been successful Washington's army
the flower of the Continental forces
would have been scattered and the
war very possibly terminated.
~.