Evening star., 1932-04-03

1t is related that during the weeks Of her re
covery from the fever Deborah found herself
involved in a love affair with a Baltimore girl,
who never suspected that the soldier, Robert
Shurtliffe, was a woman
After Deborah's discharge from the service
she married Benjamin Gannett Of Sharon and
settled down to domestic life in her husbands
home town, where she lived until her death
in 1927.
When the British under Gen. Howe held
possession of the Quaker City in 1777, room
in the home of the Quakers william and Lydia
Darragh, was used as a conference room by
some of Howe'S officers.
On December an officer notified Mrs. Dar-
ragh that meeting would be held in the cuun-
Gil room that evening and requested her and
her family TO retire early. He assured her,
however, that he would call her when the
meeting was over SO that she might lock up
after their departure. The cautious attitude of
the officer Immediately aroused the suspicious
Of the quick witted Lydia, who was loyal to
the patriot cause despite the fact that by her
faith she was opposed to war.
After the family had retired and the con-
ference had gotten under way she removed her
shoes, crept to the door Of the council room,
and placed her ear to the keyhole in time to
hear read an order for the British troops to
march out the next day in surprise attack upon
Washingtons Army at White Marsh. Later
when the officers came to tell her that the meet
she pretended to be asleep and would not
answer until they had knocked three times.
The next day Mrs. Darragh procured q pass
from Gen. Howe to the British lines, o.
tensibly for the purpose of purchasing -four for
her household. Arriving at Frankfort, how
ever, she discarded the bag and hurried toward
the American camp. On the way she met one
of Washingtons aides to whom she revealed the
object of her journey.
Washington was soon notified of the intended
attack and when the British troops arrived
at White Marsh they found the American Army
fully prepared to receive them. Lydia Dar-
ragh's timely warning had saved Gen. WASH
ington and his Army from capture by the
British.
| YDIA DARRAGH, who was the daughter 0e
= John harrington of Dublin, is believed %
have come to America when she was about IS
years old, shortly after her marriage to will
liam Daragh. She died on December 28.
1889, at the age Of so, and although q few
years earlier she had been read out Of the
meeting" of Friends because of her irregular
attendance at religious meetings her remains
were nevertheless inferred in the Friends
burial ground at Fourth and Arch streets,
Philadelphia.
BY chance Mrs. Jane Thomas of the South
Carolina backwoods learned one day of raid
planned by the British against a patriot camp
at Cedar Springs Horseback, she covered the
distance of so miles between her home and the
camp, arriving in time to warn the rebels"
among whom several of her own sons.
When the raiders arrived they received
counter surprise, with the result that although
numerically superior they were repelled with
heavy losses.
There is another story to the effect that once
when her husband had fed before an advanc-
ing party OF loyalists Mrs. Thomas and her
daughters, with the assistance of a neighbor,
succeeded in repulsing the invaders when they
attempted to storm the Thomas cabin.
Mrs. Margaret Corbin, like Capt. Molly
Pitcher followed her husband 10 battle and
when she saw him fall during the attack on
Fort Washington she took his place in the field
co~tinaed on Eighteenth Page