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Show In a cemetery in Brooklyn, stands tomb upon which is engraved this epitaph: acrid to thU miiMit "Old Put," Born 220 Years Ago, Was First "Strenuous American" Conn., Scalar - ,101187 i., nil; A. a ad died Oa Ito alneiroaib day of May A. !., 17M. Paceeaser, II thoa art a Soldier, Drop a tear over the duel of a Hero Who To Ever atteatlve Iht livte and toppinrn of Mi Mea Dared to lead Where any Uared to follow: If a Patriot, Bememher the dieUnRuished and Reliant rendered tervicei thy Country By the Patriot who ileepi beneath this Marble; If thoa art Hoaeet, Renrrous and worthy Reader a cheerful tribute of reaped To a Man Whoso Reaeroeity wai sloRHlar Whose honesty was proverbial; reply readily Why, he was one ,of our generals in the RevoluFor the mention of tion! that name stirs in him a recollection of more than one incident in the saga of our fight Who Raised himself to universal esteem Aad oOires of Eminent distinction By personal worth for liberty. It may be a memory of a And a Useful Life. familiar picture he has seen often that of the Connecticut farmer leaving his plow in the furrow and starting Despite the somewhat flamboyant phraseology of this typical Eighteenth century epitaph, it is essentially a truthful summary ..posthaste for Boston when the news of Concord and 'Lexington was brought to of him. Or he may remember Trumbull's famous painting lof The Battle of Bunker Illill which shows Putnam, clad in a splendid blue and scarlet uniform, defiantly 'Waving his sword as the British charge up the slope with fixed bayonets. If Mr. Average Americans recollection of Putnam isnt based on either of these pictures, then it may be that he recalls another that of an officer on horseback, riding at breakneck speed down a long flight of stone steps while a group of soldiers look on, aghast at his daring. For that officer was also Old mander, MaJ. Robert Rogers, and who have been immortalized in Kenneth Roberts recent book, Northwest Passage." was his escape from the British at Horscncck near Greenwich, Conn. It will be noticed that all of action pictures," for that was characteristic of this New Englander who was bom years ago this month. He was indeed a man of action strenuous probably our first American and he won the right to that title long before Theodore Roosevelt made it popular. Moreover, his activities were not confined to one small section of the country (New England) nor to one certain period in our liistory (the Revolution) as, no doubt, most of his believe. During the span of his very busy life he saw action on many fronts from Montreal, Canada, in the north to Havana, Cuba, in the south; and from Boston in the east to the frontier outpost of Detroit in the west. Accolade of the Frontier There is significance, too, in the fact that many years before the Revolution, when he was barely forty, he had been given the sobriquet of Old Put." For that was the accolade which the American frontiersmen conferred upon a leader whose ability as a s fightin' man" or whose other rugged pioneer qualities commanded their respect and affection. Putnam won it on frontier the New during the French and Indian War and when the backwoodsmen of that period called him Old Put," they were saying it In the same spirit that later frontiersmen would refer to Old Old Tippe.Hickory" Jackson, canoe" Harrison, Old Abe Lincoln and Old Rough and Ready" 'Taylor. Putnam was born on January 7, 1718, near Salem, Mass. He was the tenth of 11 children in the family of Joseph Putnam, one of the few men who was brave enough to defy the Rev. Samuel Parris when the fa- . mous witchcraft delusion held that village in its evil spell. In 1739 young Israel married Hannah Pope and the next year migrated to Pomfret, Conn., where he had purchased a tract of land. There for the next 15 years he was busily engaged in farming and providing a living for ' his For 'rapidly growing family. 'Israel Putnam emulated his sire iin assuring that there would be no race suicide" in the Putnam family he became the father of four sons and six daughters. At the outbreak of the French and Indian war in 1755, he joined .the Connecticut volunteers who accompanied Sir William Johnson and his Iroquois allies in the lexpedition against the French at Crown Point. Putnam had his baptism of fire at the bloody battle of Lake George and also won his first commission, that of ' lieutenant in the Connecticut Provincial troops. He evidently demonstrated unusual ability as an Indian fighter for he became a member of that remarkable corps of backwoods warriors who took their name from their com 220 ns One of Putnams narrowest escapes from death occurred while he was serving with Rogers Rangers in the spring of 1758. He was captured by the Indians who tied him to a tree and amused themselves by hurling tomahawks at his head to see how near they could come to him and yet miss him. Next they started a fire at his feet to torture him but a sudden rainstorm came up and put it out. Again the fire was kindled and Putnam was prepared to die when Colonel Marin, a French officer, dashed in and rescued him. Putnam was sent first to and then to Montreal where he was held as a prisoner of war until autumn when an exchange of prisoners permitted his return to his home. The next year, however, he was back in the service as a lieutenant colonel in the British and Colonial first-clas- York-Canadi- - army which General Amherst led against Ticonderoga, Crown Point and Montreal. Off to Cuba. After the fall of Montreal, which meant the end of the French rule in Canada, England to make war on prepared France's ally, Spain, and in 1762 sent a naval expedition against Havana, Cuba. Among the Colonial reinforcements was a Connecticut contingent of 1.0UJ men led Putnam. by Lieutenant-Colone- l The ship on which he sailed was wrecked off the coast of Cuba but, by making rafts, his men succeeded in reaching the shore. Then they marched overland and reached Havana in time to join the main British force. And. as usual, when they stormed Morro Castle, the Spanish stronghold at the entrance to the hrr-bowas in the thick Old of the fight. He hpd hardly returned to his home from the Cuban expedition when Pontiacs war broke nut in 1763 and it wasnt long before Old Put was in the field again. This time he was major of a Connecticut battalion of 2Z0 men who accompanied Colonel Bradstreet on his expedition to Detroit, then besieged by Pontiac's warriors. Bradstreet raised the siege. Then he led his force back to the place on the Sandusky river where the present city of Fremont, Ohio, now stands, to receive the pris r, lil" Putnams character. And un- like many of his contemporaries, the passing of time and the labors of the "debunking school of historians have not dimmed his fame. As might have been expected from a man who led a life of such extraordinary activity and variety, even for the stirring times in which he lived, he became the hero of a number of folk tales. But, unlike so many legends which clustered around our early-da- y notables, all of these tales seem to have had a basis of solid fact. Becomes Old Wolf Put. One of the most familiar is the story of his wolf hunt. During his early career as a farmer near lf Pomfret a began preying upon his flock of sheep. He and his neighbors tracked her to her lair, a small cave, from which they were unable to dislodge her. Finally, Putnam threw off his coat and waistcoat, tied a rope around his legs and, telling the other men to pull him out when he gave the signal, he took a torch and entered the cave. It was so small that he had to crawl on his hands and knees but far back in it he saw the glowing eyes of the wolf. When he gave the signal, his helpers pulled him out so fast that his shirt was tom off and he was severely scratched and bruised. Undaunted by this experience, he took his gun and crawled into the cave again. The discharge of the gun in the narrow passage stunned him and he was pulled out by the gunpowder smoke. But he she-wo- GENERAL PUTNA31 STARTING FOR BOSTON (From a drawing by Lossing In Coffins The Boys of 78," courtesy Harper and Brothers.) Put and the scene pictured fellow-Amer-ica- Ruth Wyeth Spears Wai bora at Salam la Ito Provlacc of Maiiachacatta Oa Ito aeveath Say of January 'By ELMO SCOTT WATSON SK the average American Who was Israel Putnam?" and he will these are of SEW Wha ft Weatern Newspaper Union. enough: la Ito Armiea Major-Gcaer- HOP The United Stalci of America Israel Pufnam, Best Remembered as a New England General in the Revolution, Was a Man of Action Who Had an Adventurous Career in Many Places From Montreal, Canada, to Havana, Cjba, and as Far West as the Wilderness Outpost of Detroit. .probably Ta Ito memory of bract Pataam, Biqolro, oners which the Indians had agreed to turn over to him. While there Putnam helped fortify the encampment, which included the present county fair grounds, now called the Israel Putnam Agricultural park. After the successful conclusion of this campaign, Putnam returned home once more. In the spring of 1765 his life was saddened by the death of his wife and one of his daughters but he was soon in the midst of a new kind of activity to divert his mind from his troubles. The passage of the Stamp Act resulted in the organization of the Sons of liberty and, of course, Old Put" was one of their leaders. In 1766 he was elected representative to the Connecticut assembly and the following year he married Mrs. Deborah Lothrop Gardiner, a widow. In 1772 Putnam was made a member of the Company of Military Adventurers, organized by Gen. Phineas Lyman, who visited the Lower Mississippi and West Florida to look over the lands promised by the British government to provincial soldiers who had served in the French and Indian war. However, nothing came of this promise and four months after Putnams return home occurred the Boston Tea Party and the passage of the Boston Port Bill. Boston's Benefactor. When the Connecticut patriots decided to send food to their distressed brethren in Boston, Putnam was the man chosen to deliver it on the hoof! So he set out on horseback, driving before hint 120 sheep and successfully delivered his flock after a tedious trip of nearly 100 miles. The newspapers, in announcing his arrival, spoke of his as one of the greatest military characters of the age" and a person whose bravery and character need no description. Although he did not live up to the first part of that description during the Revolution, there was no question of the truth of the second part. After the Battle of Bunker Hill, Putnam, row a took part in the fighting around New York and Long Island. In May, 1777. he was placed in charge of the defense of the Highlands of the Hudson but was removed from command because of the loss of Forts Montgomery and Clinton. However, a court martial exonerated him of blame for these disasters, restored him to. hi command and he was later svt to Connecticut to superintend recruiting activities. But Old Put" was growing more skir and, after a mishes. including his famous escape from the British at Ilorse-r.eckhe asked for a leave of ab ser.ee. In December, 1779, as he set out on horseback once more to join the army he suffered a slight stroke of paralysis which ended his military career for all time. He retired to his farm where lie followed with keen interest the march of events the final triumph of the patriot cause and the founding of the new nation which he had served so well until death wrote "Finis" to his busy life on May 19, 1790. major-g- eneral, ol-.- l fc-.- , Chintz Bed Spread With Corded Seams. p directions for making you like to make a and to match dressing tables; slipcovers bedspread Making IlCULD s step-by-ste- chintz your curtains? Of course, such a spread must have seams in it, for most chintzes are only 33 inches wide, while the average double bed is about 54 inches wide. But seams need not detract from the beauty of the spread. Eleven and a half yards of chintz will make this apread and pillow cover for a double bed. In the diagrams at the right I have given the dimensions for cutting these for a bed. It is best to cut the center portions first; then cut side sections for the the pillow cover; then the strips for pillow cover and spread. This leaves a long strip for the side ruffles of the spread. Cable cord for the corded seams may be purchased at notion counters. Prepared bias trimming may be used for the cord covering. Baste the covering over the cord, as shown here at A; then place the covered cord in the seam, as shown, and stitch as at B, using the cording foot of your machine. Every Homemaker should have a copy of Mrs. Spears new book. Forty-eigSEWING. pages of 18-in- 10-in- ht restoring and upholstering chairs, couches; making curia n3 for every type of room an.l purpose. Making lampshades, rugs, ottomans ar.d other useful articles for the home. Readers wishing a copy should send name and address, enclosing 25 cents, to Mrs. Spears, 210 South Dcsplaines St., Chicago. Illinois. Uncle ftliilQt SaifC: Missing Those of Today Many of us are very busy looking for tomorrows possibilities. A man's age commands veneration. A womans commands tact. A man who is sure of himself doesnt have to impress people. As a rale he doesnt eare. A man may reject what is called because he an opportunity doesnt want a life of highly paid drudgery. Louder automobile horns are always succeeded by still louder ones until the law stops them. half-chok- ed insisted upon going back into the cave and this time he emerged triumphantly, bringing with him his shirt and the dead wolf! Because of this feat he became known locally as Old Wolf Put and, as his fame as a fighter grew during the French and Indian war, the wolf part was dropped and he was known as Old Put. During that war he became the hero of another familiar tale. While serving with the Connecticut troops near he learned that for several nights in succession the sentinel at one of the posts around the British camp had mysteriously disappeared. General Lyman gave orders for the sentirel to call out Who goes there? three times, if he heard any noise, and then if no answer came to open fire. In spite of this precaution, the sentinels continued to disappear. The Mystery Solved. Thereupon Putnam volunteered to try to solve the mystery. Soon after taking his post, he heard a rustling noise in the leaves as though some animal were scuffling about on the ground for food. Peering through the darkness. he saw a huge creature which he recognized as a bear. As the animal shambled toward him. something in its gait aroused his suspicion. He immediately called out Who goes there?, as ordered, repeated the challenge twice, then fired. Rushing forward, ly? found the bear in its death agonies but when he turned the animal over, lie found enclosed in its shaggy skin a painted Indian warrior with a tomahawk clenched in his hand. The mystery was solved at last. The other sentinels had believed it was a real bear and had allowed the daring warrior to get near enough to them to use his tomahawk before they learned of their mistake. After Putnam's turn of duty at that post no more sentinels disappeared. ... the BEST BOY Ira THIS CHAINS Check 4 these Points: 1. WEED Americas menu atop toward, backward and aida kida. Twin tht meta! to wear tbroufh. 9. Mada of "WEEDAL-LOtha tooth, wear-raiati- ng metal mpecially developed for making WEED Tire Chaim. S. Side chain welded and rw hnidnird to taka tha 4. 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