Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1915-06-25
women HEROINES
OF REVOLUTION
Two Whose Efforts Are Worthy
Of a Place in the Pages
of History.

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 a spy. But
that indirectly the capture of Andre
was due to woman's intuition.
During the operations of the Amer
lean army in the vicinity of the IIud
son, Lieut. John Webb, an aid On
Washington's staff, was a frequent Wis
itor at the mansion of Gerard G. Beeh
man, at Peekskill. One day Lieuter
ant Webb left a valise containing an
amount of gold and one of his uni
forms with Mrs. Beekman, asking hei
not to give it to anyone without a
written request from himself or hiA
brother Samuel.
Some two weeks later a neighbo1
named Joshua Hett Smith came rid
ing up for the lieutenant's grip and
talked so convincingly that Mr.. Beck
man was about to give 1t to him, when
his wife interfered. Smith got i'm
patient
"Why, Mrs. Beekman," he said YOU
know me very we'll Jack didn't g'vd
me that request for his valise, because
he was in hurry and didn't hava
time to write it. But now he needa
his uniform right away and must have
It, 1t isn't as If you were giving the
valise to stranger"
But Cornelia Beekman's feminine
sixth sense told her that something
was wrong.
1T is true that / know you very
we'll. 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 visitor
rode OF disgruntled.
Smith called for Lieutenant Webb'A
valise on the very day of Andres
flight. Andre himself was in hiding
in Smiths house. Smith, 1t seems.
had heard Lieutenant Webb tell about
the grip and its contents that after
noon at the tavern, and knowing that
Webb and Andre were both OF the
same size had determined to get the
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 chief himself there Is no
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 Webbs
uniform is due solely to the keenness
and determination Of an American ma
iron.
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 I'd
apprise them, with the result that
when the tories made their attack they
found themselves ambushed.
There also is the story of a similar
service performed by Lydia Darrah,
with results of far more moment to
the patriot cause. Mrs Darrah was
a Quakeress with whom 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 Q
night attack on Washington's army,
which was then encamped at White
Marsh. Lydia ran the British lines
and appraised 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 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.