| Show The Patriots Patriot's Messenger NO SOONER had the patriots won the victories of Lexing Ledng- ton on and Concord on that historic m morning of 1775 1773 than the provincial council decided that the news of the he battle should be taken at once to o London and be given to t with the American cause before be- be fore ore the British officials could pres present pre pro s sent nt It to the public In n a light favorable favor ta able to their side of or the tegument argument The man who was to carry corry this message message mes- mes sage age must bo be a man of discretion and courage for It was certain that he e would be arrested by the eelS eel'S of or the crown If his mission became became became be be- came known So It was entrusted to Capt John Derby a well-known well Salem skipper who was to make the he journey y on the packet Quero He was ordered to make for the port of Dublin or any other Irish port that hat seemed wise and proceed d thereto there to London To his orders was attached attached at- at at- at ached this Imperative postscript You are to keep this order a profound profound pro pro- found secret from every person on earth carth After a voyage of ot 29 20 days the Quero reach reached d England As a further further fur fur- ther titer safeguard against betra betrayal al of hIs its plans Captain Derby did not pu put t in at an Irish IrIsh port as he be had been ordered to do but sailed to the Isle of ot Wight and then went overland to Southampton and London There Ther e ire he ie Immediately placed his papers inthe In Inthe Inthe the hands rands of Benjamin Franklin th the e Massachusetts agent In London an anthe and d the next day patriot sympathizers sympathizer s throughout England knew of the r re result re- re suit sult of the battles That the officials of the crown crow n knew that an attempt wo would ld b be e made to 0 bring this news to England Englan d is iz I shown sho by the fact that they were e on the lookout for such a gel gel- cr who the they bc believed ie would be Captain Brown commander of the Suke Sukey Blown Brown however did not arrive arrive ar nr- rive In England till June 9 0 and by that time Captain Derbys Derby's s quick trip In the Quero had resulted In presenting presenting presenting pre pre- to the British public first the patriots' patriots side of the story though Although ugh Captain Derby had bad fulfilled fulfilled ful ful- filled his his mission he was not out of danger clanger There was still the chance that a agents ent of the king would try to capture him and his preparations for departure from England were as ns mysterious as the they had been for his leaving ing America There was still danger too from the authorities wl when en he returned to America an and so he made madea a secret landing upon his return to this countr country One other oUter Item In Derbys Derby's exploit Is Interesting In rendering his bill to the provincial congress for the trip he made no charge for tor his own expenses Washington's Spies I A A USTIN ROE might justly be called the Paul Revere of ot New York Fork with this difference difference- that Instead of pt taking one wonderful wonderful wonder wonder- ful ride Roe took a n hundred bundred Those are the words of ot Morton forton Pennypacker Pennypack Pennypack- er a New York historian wh who recently recently re reo re- re discovered In an old ch chest t In Inn n a 1 home on an Long Island some one- one hundred and year old year old documents which told the hitherto unknown story of Washington's spy system while the British British occupied NewYork New NewYork York c city y during durIns the Revolution The Th-e man man n who c collected In NewYork New NewYork ew i York York the Information a about out the British plans was Robert Townsend the suc successor of Nathan Hale This Information he passed along to Austin Austin Aus Aus- tin Roe who aho carried the messages from Brooklyn to Setauket L. L I I. I where they were handed over to Abraham Woodhull Woodhull then watched for tor a n signal from a house hous far across the fields fieMs and ond this signal sig- sig nal announced that Caleb Brew Brewster Brewster Brew Brew- ster had arrived ed with his Is' Is boat t to carry the Information across th tile the i sou sound d to Maj n e who ho Immediately delivered It to t o Washington I I Austin Roes Roe's greatest ride rIde and ani anione one which was Vas more remarkable an and d Infinitely more dang dangerous rous than titan Paul Pau Rev neer ne'er Reveres Revere's eres ere's is famous was vas exploit was mad e to save Newport R. R I I. I from th the e British five Fifty miles he d In record time on that occasion and and It gave to Washington the Information In n formation that British troops troop were embarking at Whitestone Whitest one fo tor r Newport and that Admiral Graves Grave with eleven en ships was already on th tit the e way to attack the French fleet o ot f seven ships off ort the coast of Rhod e Island nd n Receiving the message fro from m Townsend he sp sped d across Long I I Iland Island Is- Is 3 land to reach rench Woodhull while Brew Brew- Brewster ster waited to carry the message message Th The e Information reached Washington i In n time for him to put out the false Information Information In In- formation and ami see to It that Brit Bri BrItIsh BrIt BrIt- Ish sh headquarters got It th that t he wa was was' s contemplating an nn Immediate attack k upon New York Alarmed by th thI this s possibility the British commander commande r ordered the expedition against Newport Newport New New- port withdrawn and this was don done e before Detore they had an opportunity t to destroy the town as us they ba bad d planned to do dt cX 1 1931 Western NO tt cr Union |
