The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-02-14
.
! General
|Washington's:
! Wedding Present
; II Was Well Earned
! By WILLARD BLAkEMAN
By WILLARD BLAKEMAN

After the battle Of Bunker Hill. New
York and New Jersey became the
principal Revolutionary backgrounds.
though the final issue was decided In
Virginia. New Jersey was the central
state, and IL was there for a great por-
ton of the struggle the commander In
chief, General Washington. was pres
ent In person.
One morning-it was the winter aft
or the one I'm which the Americans suf
fered so severely at Valley Forge and
the cause of American independence
was at its gloomiest point-a young
soldier stepped up TO the sentry pacing
before the door of the Morristown
headquarters. and. being stopped by
the sentry, he said that he had been
ordered to report in person to the com
mander in chief Passing into the
house, he was directed to little room
in the rear of the building used by
tho general for his office. Entering the
room, he found Washington writing at
his desk. The general turned. The
young man saluted. stood at attention
AMI said:
General. am Private George Mar
cey."
"Ah! You are the man Captain liam
ilton tells me is familiar with every
hill and dale in this region. | have n
mission for you. but one on which
cannot order you, for you will have TO
go IN disguise and If captured will be
hanged for spy. Are you ready to
assume the riskf'
II am, general"
Very we'll There Is III Elizabeth.
town Tory named Tracy Ills daugh-
ter, Catherine. Is stanch patriot.
She has given me valuable informa-
ton of the enemys movements. but
for month past nothing has come
from her am anxious to know II
any trouble has befallen her. and 1t
Is important that continue to receive
the information she has been sending
me. Go to Elizabethtown, find Miss
Tracy and bring me whatever word
she may have to send me. Take the
road from here to Orange, and from
there proceed due south to Elizabeth
town. You will find the Tracy home
on the outskirts of the town in the
direction of your approach. You will
find no great force of British troops at
Ellzabethtown but they doubtless
have outposts from New York there
Go, and success attend your efforts"
That the general realized the dan.
ger into which he was sending the
young soldier was manifest, So he
grasped his hand at the final words.
Then Marcy left his commander, who
resumed his work.
An hour later Private Marcy, dress
ed as n countryman and carrying n
basket of winter vegetables on his
arm, was passed out of the American
lines by Captain Alexander Hamilton
of Washington's staff and proceeded
on his Journey. Reaching point now
called Summit. from which he could
look down on the lower ground. he
paused to view the scene before him.
then descended to Orange, where he
obtained refreshments at the tavern.
Meanwhile a violent snowstorm had
set in. and. travel being obstructed.
he resolved TO await its abatement
That night bowling wind piled the
snow i'm drifts and rendered progress
| doubly difficult.
The next morning the wind had
| ceased. and the sun came out. though
without warmth Marcy struck out
| for Elizabethtown. but few miles
distant. reaching the outskirts about
| IL o'clock. Approaching the Tracy
| house. the young man knocked at the
| door. \ negro servant answered the
I summons. and Marcy asked If any
one would buy his vegetables. Mar
cey, seeing a young lady In a living
room, pushed in there and began to
solicit trade. When the negro went
back to the kitchen Marcy asked if
| the girl was Catherine Tracy and be.
Ing informed that she was made him
self known.
Miss Tracy till then had not had any
| information for the general since her
last communication. But the night be-
fore some British officers were stop.
ping at her fathers house. and she
had heard them asking about the roads
and distances to Trenton. From these
Inquiries and other data dropped by
the officers she judged that a consider.
able force was to be moved from New
York to some point southwark. prob.
ably Philadelphia.
Now. II Marcy had returned imme-
dlately To General Washington with
this information all would have been
well. The region round about Eliza
BEETHOVEN was not occupied either by
the British or Americans. and he would
have had no gantlet to run. His trou
bic was he found Miss Tracy so attrac
tive that he was loath to part with her
He made an excuse to himself for moi
hurrying away that the snow was st
deep and his coming through II had q