Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 June 1911 — A Patriot’s Ruse [ARTICLE]

A Patriot’s Ruse

By CAPTAIN F. A. MITCHEL.

W W y HEN the war of independence >7*/ came on. New York’s populaV v tion had changed from a lot of pipe smoking Dutchmen to comprise many people of refinement It was then that that society in which Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr shone ten or twenty years later was forming. People had begun to use silver on their tables instead of pewter, and social dinners were quite pretentious. One Nicholas Van Schoonhoven, a wealthy citizen, built in his house in the village of Greenwich (long since a part of the city of New York) a vault in which to store his valuable tableware. It was located in the second story in a hallway running past his own bedroom. Van Schoonhoven was a patriot and when in the struggle for independence the British occupied New York he moved to Westchester county, some fifteen or twenty miles up the Hudson river, within the American lines commanded by young Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Burr. Before the evacuation he returned to the city to be near his real estate, leaving his movable valuables in Westchester county. Edith Van Schoonhoven while in Westchester met a young lieutenant in Burr's regiment, Charles Robertson, and the meeting had resulted in a love match. The separation when she went back to the city was very trying to a pair of lovers aged twenty-two and nineteen respectively. Though but a few miles apart, they were still very far. Robertson stood the separation a month, then, putting on a countryman’s clothes and carrying a large basket containing butter, eggs and other farm produce, be set out for New York. At King’s bridge, a wooden structure spanning Spuyten Duyvil creek and connecting Manhattan Island with the mainland, he found the British pickets. His farm produce passed him, and he walked to the southwestward, crossing diagonally what is now Central park and made toward the Hudson lower down till he came to the village of Greenwich. As he was crossing a field where the Columbus monqment now stands one Peter 01dershaw, a rabid Tory, saw and followed him. Unaware that he was watched. Lieutenant Robertson knocked at the door of Nicholas Van Schoonhoven. showed his basket of produce i and was admitted. This Oldershaw saw and straightway walked down to Bowling green, where he found General Howe, to whom he reported the fact The general sent a small troop commanded by a sergeant to capture the young patriot, whom he did not doubt had come into his lines for the purpose of spying.

Charles Robertson and Edith Van Schoonhoven were sitting together in the parlor, where they could look out on the broad Hudsoh. when they saw a dozen redcoat troopers dash up and surround the house. For a moment Edith was paralyzed; then, suddenly gathering her faculties, she seized her lover’s hand, ran with him upstairs and. opening the vault door, thrust him in, closing the door after him. locking it and putting the key in her pocket She was too excited to think of his being smothered, but fortunately a small ventilator had been left over the door.

When the sergeant entered Edith had recovered her equanimity so far as to meet him with a well feigned look of surprise on her face and invited him to search the house. Not finding any one. he left the premises guarded by his men and rode to General Howe. Howe, believing that the lieutenant was there, sent Captain Fawyer with his company, to relieve the sergeant and to take up his quarters in the house, keeping it surrounded. Sawyer, who was a young London swell, at once began to make love to Edith. She found it somewhat difficult to feed her lover, since she had no way to do so except through rhe ventilator. and. having to stand on a chair for the purpose. she dared not transmit food when the captain was in the house for fear of his catching her at it One night when the bell on Trinity church, far away on the lower end of the island, struck 1 Edith arose from her bed. put on a dressing sack, went to the vault, unlocked it. let her lover out, took him up to the third story and locked him in an unused room. Then, going down to Captain Sawyer’s room, she knocked at his door, calling to him" that she had been frightened by a huge black cat that had got into the house and asking him to drive it out “Don’t trouble yourself to put on your clothes.” she said; “use this ’’ And. opening the door a few Inches, she dropped a double gown of her father’s into the room. Sawyer arose, put on his boota and the double gown, seized the only weapon handy, his sword, and went out into the hall. There he found Edith, apparently very much frightened. She had lighted a candle and conducted him along the hall to the vault, whose door stood ajar. “There—the horrid thing went in there!" she almost shrieked. Sawyer boldly entered the vault. In a second he heard a click behind him. He was a prisoner. > ’ “ Running to the room where she had left her Jover, Edith released him and lighted him to Sawyer’s apartment, where the Yankee put on the Britisher’s uniform, went downstairs and after a parting kiss strode out and past the guard. Sawyer,. after taking in the situation’

set rip a terrific howl. hoping to make himself beard by the guard without.' but be might as well have tried to make himself beard from the bowels of the earth. He was not used to ris ing early, so he was not missed in the morning by his men. Edith kept him confined as long as she dated, then let him ont and the saucy gtrl had the effrontery to ask if be had killed the Considering the ridiculous tight the episode would place him In. Caprain Sawyer never reported it When the evacuation of the.city took place Robertson entered it and married the girl who had saved him from the fate of a spy.