The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-11-28
Rx ELMO SCOTT WATSON


!. ]. !. !. /. !.
HE names of Thaddeus
AI KosciuSko and Casimir
al Pulaski, the two Polish
IL IA soldiers who fought in the
81 Revolution, are familiar to
lt 81 most citizens of the Unit
III IA ed States, but it is doubt
full if the name of another
I'LL Pole, Haym Salomon,
means anything to more
than one out of thousand Americans.
Yet his contribution to the cause of
American liberty may in some respects
be considered infinitely greater than
those of the other two combined.
The invaluable services of this Po-
lish Jew, whose financial genius was
so vital TO the Revolutions success,
have always been known to the schol-
ars of that struggle, but the difficulties
of obtaining reliable information have
kept this inspiring story from the pub
lie and the efforts which have been
made to pay appropriate tribute to
his memory have, for some unknown
reaSOn-unleSs it can be attributed to
the proverbial ingratitude of republics
which so easily forget their debts to
some who labOred nightly in their
cause-been defeated for more than
a century.
Fortunately for the cause of Truth
there has appeared recently a biog-
raphy of this man which enables us
TO see him in his true stature as one
of the really great figures of the Rev
olution. 1t is the book "Haym Salo-
mon and the Revolution" written by
Charles Edward Russell and published
by the Cosmopolitan Book corporation.
Solomon was born at LISA in Po-
land in 174O. At the age Of thirty he
joined in the fight to resist Russian
domination of Poland, was associated
with KOsciusko and Pulaski in their
heroic but futile effort and like those
two, was forced to flee from the coun-
try. He first made his way to Eng
land but soon left there and came to
America, arriving in New York in 1772.
Solomon had had considerable training
in business before leaving Poland and
he quickly established himself as a
broker and commission merchant in
New York city. The opportunity lay
at hand for him to make a great for
tune but he hindered his chances for
that by one act. For the freedom-lOv-
ing Pole almost Immediately allied
himself in the strongly Royalist
colony of aNew York with a dis
reputable and discredited" organiza-
ton, called the Sons of Liberty, who as
early as 1874 had banded together to
resist oppressive acts by the British
crown.
He was worker in their cause at
the outbreak Of the Revolution, and
late in 1776 he was one of a number
of the Sons who were imprisoned by
the British, accused of having started
the fire which swept New York soon
after the defeat of Washington's army
on Long Island led to the occupation
of that city by Lord Howe. Solomon
was lodged in the Provost and to be
held there meant certain death for
many a patriot during the reign of
Cunningham, the brutal master of the
British prisons in New York.
Among the British troops were thou
sands of Hessian mercenaries who
could not speak word of English.
When it became known that Solomon
could speak German Che was also a
master of French, Polish, Russian and
Italian), he was put in better quar-
tiers and used as an interpreter to the
HeSsians by the British. Eventually
he was released on parole. Even
while prisoner he was working in
the patriots cause for, unknown to
the British, in his talks with the Hes
slams he was urging them to desert
and pointing out to them the bound
less opportunities which hay in the new
country for them when the war was
over More than that he was taking
advantage of the fact that was regard
ed as ''trusty" by the British, pass
ing by their sentries freely and going
pretty much where he pleased, to aid
in the escape of American prisoners.
After his parole, he was able again to
engage in business, using this as well
as his interpreter duties for the Brit
ish, as cloak for his activity in be-
half Of the patriots.
For two years Solomon led SEEM
ingly peaceful existence, although
there was never a moment when his
life was not in danger of being ended
before firing squad or at the end of
a rope if the British had suspected
what he was about. Then suddenly in
August, 1878, Sir Henry Clinton re-
ceived word that Washington was plot
ting to burn the city, and Solomon
was arrested as the chief agent in the
plot and returned again to the Provost
Details of this Imprisonment are lack
ing, but it is believed that he was con-
demned to death but managed to es-
cape from the prison shortly before
the day of his execution. How he did
it Is unknown, but 1t is believed that
he bought his way out of the prison
and then used his familiarity with