Show i I is HIS NAME HONORED J Ja Nathan Hale a Synonym for the Highest Patriotism How Youthful Martyr to the Cause of Liberty Met Death With Fortitude That Can Never Be Forgotten For For gotten When the farmers of Lexington fired tho the shots that brought on the war of or orAm Am American e r I can Independence mile Inde I that April day clay in 1775 a pale i slim boy not iret yet twenty years old destined to become becomer r a martyr to our freedom laid down downy y his badge of or office as aa a schoolteacher at New London Conn and took up the sword That boy Y was Nathan Hale His heroic sacrifice sacrifice sacrifice sac sac- to his country's cause is one of the treasured pages in American his his- tory New London went wild with excitement excitement excitement excite excite- ment when the news of ot the battle of Lexington reached there Bands of patriots paraded the streets Guns Gun and nd m made de A meet meet- were fired speeches r ing was called at once 10 to determine 1 what that city should do In the war Every man of prominence spoke and then tho the young y young ung schoolteacher was called to the platform What words he said that day have been lost to posterity posterity posterity pos pos- but we do know they must have been the the the- most stirring of ot the occasion for immediately after he ho left the platform platform platform plat plat- form men began marching forward to lo enlist One sentence of Nathan Hales Hale's that day has been preserved and it Is worthy to rank with the greatest sayings sayings sayings say say- ings of our nation Let us march Immediately and never neTer neVer nev neT er lay down our arms 1 until we we have obtained independence nce he said That Is all the more remarkable when one remembers rem that it was more mora than a year later laer before independence was talked of ot in the continental congress conI con con- I I tress gress and it was was' two years before beCore the I Declaration of Independence was wa'S adopted Nathan Hale enrolled as a lieutenant lieutenant lieuten lieuten- ant in the regiment of Col Chariest Webb His studious habits stood him himin himin himin in good stead and aud soon he was one of or orthe the best officers in the regiment He discovery and capture In I such alion I wish to bo be a all U. U useful and eve etc kind of or service for tho the public sary becomes good good- honorable by being gO P i In such manner did Captain Hal turn spy That night ho left the e ca at Harlem Heights dressed In ln th th the uc brown garments and broad brimm el hat of ot a schoolteacher He WR was ao companied a short distance by 3 Sergeant Ser Ser- geant He Hempstead and his faithful set ae Bert ant Ansel Wright who arranged to have a boat read ready Y for Captain Hal Hale for Cor his return September 20 e Nathan Hale had no trouble US In Den peas pene- the British lines Jines lIe He went wont to New York and over to I Brooklyn care M fully collecting Information about th the tho r number of British soldiers their can can- 1 non ammunition other supplies and fid fortifications In Latin and concealed t i it in a hollowed out place In one of ot hi his hi W boot heels fe IQ September 19 he began his return C I lIe He spent the night at a spen farm house the where the tho OH near place boat was to him The Tho wait for next morning j h ho went to breakfast at a little wayside Inn The Cedars kept by a widow named C Chichester r. r During his meal a aman a t man ent entered red and stared at him Cap twin tain Hale paid pal little attention as he i thought ho he was safe by now As soon as the meal was finished he d' d hurried of off off- to the rendezvous it was a r F Fa a a- a misty morning As Hale approached a athe t the beach he saw a boat pulling In jn j Glad almost beyond belief beller to be rid of ar his dangerous task he Ire hurri hurried ed J Fn 1 U down tbs I to meet mee u. u Too u HH late mie be u oe realized 1 t a of f finstead Instead of ot Sergeant Hempstead and t atre Ansel Wright t the boat was filled with h I h t t British h marines He turned tuned to run nr rb hoo but the marine caught caugh him lIh i What are you doing out so early 1 a aa marine demanded t t E 0 it proper for or a schoolteacher ytre Eh to get a breath of ot fresh tresh air Hale iP at i asked in reply r o I Why did you run 7 tyres DI D b I thought you were rebels tt The marines would not believe s In InHales InHale's Hales Hale's as assertions ertons of innocence and began be I Igan rb gan to search him They looked ev every yur a o ery where without success One pulle l loff ot off his boots and reached Inside Nothing Noth t ting CHAP NAP ing suspicious had been found Cound and ll JIo 0 the marines reluctantly were preparIng i Ing to turn him loose when one ol of H w them Ulem with an oath threw the tho boot he held at a tree That tore away t the e fi Oar r u strip that covered the secret hiding bidIng Litt thE place and the pap papers rs fell out tere- tere Captain Hale was was- then ulen taken aboard fel 14 11 thE thEa a frigate in the harbor and later tc NI New York where General Howe ques questioned oUS Honed him There was nothing to lo do ram but admit that he was a spy General Genera toll led fads 1 r Gl GlIt V It a toe to e 1 b r D Dt t uze IX III I i K c t at atm M m l r h JUc I fr frai ai vy Too Late He Realized That the Boat Was Filled With British Marines 1 it went with his company to B Boston and during the siege of ot that city by the army under General Washington the year twenty-year-old boy was promoted to tobe tobe tobe be a captain for brav bravery ry and effi effi- When the British evacuated Boston Boston Bos ton and sailed for New York a greater part of ot the American army went down that way Captain Hale and his regiment regiment regi regi- ment meat were among them They took part in all the hardships of that cam cam- am- am Late In the summer summer of 1776 when the British had driven the American army from Long Island General Washington was particularly anxious to establish some sort of ot secret information Information In in- formation line into New York He tried many plans without success Finally he ho summoned his officers to a council and told them to be on on the lookout for some bright courageous ous man who would undertake th the dangerous dangerous dan dan- task He spoke among others to 10 Colonel Knowlton of or Knowltons Knowlton's Rangers the regiment to which Captain Captain Cap Cap- tain taro Hale was attached Colonel Knowlton conferred with his officers When he put the proposition proposition to them every cheek paled piled If It tho messenger should be ca caught the they oil all knew he would be hanged as a spy The word spy is a horrible one oneto oneto to 10 an honorable h man No one vol volun volunteered un- un to risk a death adeath of shame Fora For a a. L few moments there was a hush inthe In Inthe inthe the room Then Captain Hale walked In and said I 1 will undertake it sir Captain Hale Halo had been sick In bed for tor some time and his his' fellow tellow officers crowded about rim him seeking to dissuade dis dis- suade him from his purpose Among them Capt William Hull a classmate of Hales Hale's at Yale Yalo spoke the longest But Bui the youthful captain could not be shaken from his purpose Gentlemen he said I owe my country th the accomplishment of an ob oh so important and so much desired by the commander of our armies I know of no mode of obtaining the Information information In In- formation but by assuming a disguise md passing into the tho enemy's camp I 1 Im Im m fully of ot tho the consequences of t f Howe Bowe immediately ordered that the tha 4 t young patriot be hanged the following ht day and nd turned him over to an officer named Cunningham the tho provost mar 14 shat 9 That night Hale was kept in solitary soli soil t tary confinement He begged to be allowed to write letters to his mother and Alice Adams his sweetheart In to c New London Cunningham furnished t thim him with paper and ink and then destroyed destroyed de de- strayed the letters in front of Hale saying saying- ft The rebels should never know v they fi had a man who could die with such firmness c H Hale Ie asked that a minister or a r Ft 11 ble hie be lIe sent to him Both were refused r The only favor he received was bell betes allowed to to rest in the tent of a young 1 British officer er while on his way to an his hit death neath Early on the morning of September t h 22 1 1776 it was Sunday Sunda Hale wa was conducted conducted con con- ducted to the scaffold Cunningham cuffed him brutally and said tI Make your dying speech Hale had lead been praying He lIe continued con con- and when he ho had finished roseto rose roseto to his feet teet and faced the crowd of British soldiers and townspeople In Th Ina Ea 1 a loud clear voice he said I r regret that I have but one life liCe to t give to my country y Cunningham j Swing the rebel off t shouted and thus died one of the most heroic figures in our history tl |