The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1943-04-10
Record Shows
Washington Paid
Costs OF War
Advanced His
Own Funds to
Keep Fight for
Liberty Going
PHILADELPHIA

PHILADELPHIA - George
Nsshington's personal account
book Of expenses n maintaining
his headquarters and furthering
the activities Of the Continental
army during the Revolutionary
War. which for nearly 100 years
was thought 70 be lost or de-
stroyed, has been found in the
United states Treasury Build
Ing in Washington.
No particular attention had
been paid TO this soiled old book.
says the Philadelphia Bulletin.
and it had been shunted around
the Treasury from one place 20
another, always in the way and
getting dirtier every day until II
was recently found under an old
safe.
The late John Clement Fftz-
patrick, of the Manuscript Di-
vision of the Congressman Lii
brary-authority on the life. let
tiers and handwriting of George
Washington. declared il TO be the
long-lost original fair copy which
Washington had started writing
in June, 1878, when he became
commander-in-chief of the CONT
mental Army at Cambridge,
Mass, and completed in july,
1888.
KEPT IN DUPLICATE
The accounts were kept in du-
plicate by Washington himself.
One was TO be transmitted at the
close Of the war to the Board of
Treasury of the Continental Con-
gress for auditing NOV the
Treasury of the United States) to-
gether with all the necessary
vouchers, receipts and loose
memoranda: the other. or draft
copy, he retained, and that copy
is now among the Washington
papers in the Congressional Ii
brary.
Looking back 167 years when
Washington began these accounts.
the modest items entered in the
notebook might induce a smile
If the cause had not been so i'm
portant and the privations of the
army been so great.
Washington personally paid
for many secret service men,
bought guns. horses and equip
ment, paid dispatch riders and
a multitude of other items in
GLIDING money advanced to
many of his officers attached TO
his headquarters.
This may account in part for
his statement recorded on the
last page of his account book,
where he wrote: Il find upon
the final adjustment of these
accounts (which will appear been
long unsettled) that l am a con-
siderable loser"
HIRED SPIES
Shortly after Gen. Washington
arrived at Cambridge, where he
established his headquarters on
July 2, 1775, he made an entry in
his note book, as follows: ITO
1884, dollars given to - to in
duce him to go into the town Of
Boston to establish a secret cor
respondence for the purpose of
conveying intelligence of the
enemy's movement and designs.
After the asterik at the bottom
of the page he wrote: The names
of persons employed within the
enemy's lines and who may fall
within their power cannot be
included"
This might be said TO be the
beginning of the FBI and Vari-
Gus secret service departments
of today. The total sum spent
for this service during the en-
tire eight years of war amount
ed TO only 1882 pounds 10 shill-
ings, equal to s9,9l2, or a little
more than one-eighth of Wash
ington's total expense in run
ming the war.
The daring Of the American
secret service agents is attested
by the presence among Wash
ington's papers Of a huge state
nent bearing the signature Of the
British acknowledgement showing
the strength Of the British army