The Ely miner., 1927-11-11
q Ze1clzl1zM.

discomfort and in his mind the seed
of protest against tyranny began TO
grow.
Later he went to France where he
studied military engineering, especial
ly Notifications, study which was to
bring him fame. At the age of twen-
ty-eight he returned to Poland to find
the family fortunes in the hands of
spendthrift older brother and rapidly
disappearing. In the meantime the
first partition of Poland had taken
place and Polish estate were being
cOnfscated by the Russians, who were
Overrunning the country. Having
heard of the rebellion of the American
colonies against the British king, Kos
ciusz1lo resolved to cast his lot with
them. He arrived in Philadelphia
soon after the signing of the Declara-
tiOn of Independence, having mort
gagged his patrimony and borrowed 450
ducatS to get there. He seems to have
made the acquaintance of Franklin,
either in France or after his arrival in
Philadelphia, for we next hear of him
presenting himself and a letter of in
PRODUCTION from Franklin to His EX-
cellency, George Washington, in Oc-
tober, 1776.
'What can you dO?" asked Wash
ington. according to the familiar story.
TRY me and we shall see," was
ton made him a colonel of engineers
and from October, 1776, to April 1777,
he was busy fortifying Philadelphia,
continuing the work there that he
had undertaken before his services
had been accepted, Then he Joined
Gates army in the North and per-
formed the services at Saratoga and
West Point already referred to. Later
he was of invaluable assistance to
General Greene as chief engineer In
the southern campaign, and it is said
that Greene's escape from CORVALLIS
during his memorable retreat was due
largely to the work of the Polish Off
Ger in constructing pontoon bridges
which allowed Greene's army to cross
rivers before the British could over
take it.
At the close of the Revolution Kos
ciuszko returned to his native land
and had prominent part in the
stormy times which preceded the Sec
ond partition of that unhappy country.
In his fight for the liberty of his
country he was finally wounded in bat
tie and captured by the Russians, who
held him prisoner for two years. Then
he was released upon his request to
visit America once more. After his
second visit here he settled down in
Paris and then removed to Switzer-
land, where he was living at the time
of the fatal fall from his horse. AS he
lay dying at Solothurn, Switzerland,
he requested that his heart should not
be taken back to his country until the
day when Poland was Free" So it
was removed from his body (Which
was taken to Cracow and buried in
the cathedral there), embalmed and
placed in bronze urn which was
kept at Zugwils. 1t remained there
until some thirty years ago. Then it
was removed to the little chapel of
Chateau Rapperswil, near Zurich.
During all these years Poland had
been a political football for the DOW
ers of Europe. But the end of the
World war found it an independent
state at last. So the heart of Kos
ciuszko has gone back to his native
land to be placed in the cathedral at
Cracow, there to be honored by his
countrymen for his struggles in their
behalf. And in America, where he
also fought for freedom, monuments
in Washington, D. c., at West Point.
in Humboldt park in Chicago. and this
latest one in Boston stand as con-
slant reminders of the debt we owe
to this great champion of human
liberty"