a =~ 8y ELMO SCOTT WATSON NE hundred and fifty years ago the United States had arrived at a cru- cial moment In its struggle for inde- pendence from the mother country. Despite Washington’s brilliant vies tories at Princeton and Trenton, which had retrieved the earlier dis- asters in the campaign of 1776 and which had raised the hopes of the patriots for the ultimate Success of their cause, the year 1777 opened with the promise that the deamsive struggle was yet ahead. For one thing, the British had realized by this time that in Washington they had to deal with a master strategist and that in the Continental army which he led they were no longer dealing with an “undisciplined rabble of farmers.” So the bull- dog qualities of the Briton which are brought out best by defeat began: to assert themselves and the British ministry began to make adequate preparations for the stern task ahead. The first evidence of Great Britain's determination to strike a telling blow at her rebellious colonies was to plan a eampaign which would split the colonies in two and isolate New England, which it looked upon as rhe head of the rebellion, The plan, as conceived was a sound one with every promise of success. The natural of operation to bring about this spiit was the route between Lakes Champlain and George and the Hudson river. Gen. John Burgoyne was to start from Canada and come south via Champlain and line and George while Lord Howe, who then held New York, was to proceed up the Hudson and meer him at Albany. A third force. starting from Canada, was to move from Oswego on Lake Ontario, proceed down the Mohawk river the rich interior of New York and with the stores thus ‘accumulated supnly Burgovne's and Hewe's forces when the three armies met at Out on the western frontier, Rome. N. Y. now fort which was destined to play an Important part ravage Albany the ¢ity of situated a where there stands, wis in the breaking up of the British ensmnaign and where one of the most dramatic events of the Revolution was to ts place. Originally it was knpwn as Fort Stanwix, built by eolonial troons frontier numed for had protection for the western Indians and ant Irishman, Indi: fn 1758 as a against the ['rench and Gen. John Stanwix, a served in the and After the had been removed. fall into a state of dilapidation, Its wooden bhulld- and its the elements, 14 who French wars. Indians allowed to menace of the French and Fort Nranwix was ings and stockade rotted to the ground earthworks alm in 1776 Gen. Ph leveled by ip Schuyler. commander of the American forces in the north. ordered Colonel Dayton to occupy this important place. which guarded the western gateway to the Mohawk valley, and to rebuild the fort. Dayton set ahout to do this and gave the new fort the name of Fort Schuyler, In honor of his commander in the meantime the British expedition which was to sweep through the Mohawk valley wus under wav. It was commanded by Col. Barry St. Leger, who started at the same time that Bur- ~oyne started south, St. Leger ascended the St, Lawrence, landed at Oswego about the middie of July, 1777. and set out for Fort Schuyler. Meanwhile that post had been garrisoned by troops commanded by (ol, Peter Gansevoort, an officer in the New York line. who had served with Arnold and Montgomery before Quebec and who had heen ordered there to finish the work of repairing the fort started by Dayton. He was later joined by Col. Marinus Willett, an able officer whose later services were brilliant. Ou August 2 Lieut, Col, Meldon, bringing with him 200 men of the Ninth Massachusetts regiment and two bateaux of provisions, arrived at the fort FORE SCHEUYZ ER, BULLI LPI RUITS QF ZIRT STANWIE. I here old Glory” Firs 2Ced the finch Ch 2OR[TZR( NIEVO py fF avag THE PATTON COURIER Fort Sranwrx Bur Naf Onteon Stavion By Provincoat Troon» 738 { Ex pLAnATION J A. Cami fo Jao for... 7 2 A %000 Gerrits Prurdors..... E, Sith resis yes Wadore:. Wllrwns Sd to reinforce Gansevoort und Willett. The fort now had a force of about 750 men and on August 3 the post was surrounded by St. Leger's army of some 1,700 British regulars, and Indians. According to the tradition which is now generally accepted, with Mellon's supplies came the news that on June 14, 1777, the Second Continental congress had adopted a resolution whereby the fl of the United States was to be composed of thirteen alternate red and white stripes and a blue field upon which appeared 13 stars. Upon his arrival St. Leger had sent a formal demand to Gansevoort for the surrender of the post. The reply was an emphatic refusal and to add point to the refusal a new flag which had been hastily contrived was run up to the top of the mast and a cannon that had been leveled af the enemy's camp was fired. This flag is described in Calonel Willett's diary as follows: “The necessity of hav- ing a flag had, upon the arrival of the enemy, taxed the invention of the garrison a little, and a decent one was soon contrived. The white stripes were cut out of an ammunition shirt, the blue out of the camlet ¢loak taken from the enemy at Peekskill, while the red stripes were made of different pleces of stuff procured from one and another of the garrison.” But this historic event is only one of the several which took place at Fort Schuyler. or Fort Stan- wix, as It Is so often called. At the approach of Nt, Leger, General Schuyler had called out the Tryon county militia under the command of the veteran Gen. Nicholas Herkimer, who with an army of some SO) men was on the way to [Port Schuyler. Near Oriskany creek, eight miles from the fort, Herkimer halted and sent messengers to Tories Gansevoort, requesting him to fire three guns immediately upon thelr arrlval. Gansevoort was then to make a sortie against the enemy and Herkimer would advance and try to break through the enemy to join him and thus raise the siege, The plan was an excellent one, hut unfortunate- ly it was upset by the impatience of the militia, and especially some of Herkimer's officers, who demanded to be led the against enemy at once, The general pleaded with them in vain to walt until the guas of Fort Schuyler announced that Gansevoort would support their movement, But they insisted on rushing forward to their own destruction for they fell into un ambuscade pre- The author of this article, Eimo Scott Watson, is a well-known writer on the history of the United States, particularly that of the American frontier, and he has made a special study of the thrilling and romantic Revolutionary war period in the famous Mohawk valley of New York. In pre- paring this article, which d.als with an incident in that period, he has drawn upon the most authentic sources of information available in order to present here an accurate account of the events recorded. Read it and you can tell your children on Flag day the story of the historic occasion, “When Oid Glory First Faced the Enemy,” an army of British and Indians one August day 150 years ago on the old New York frontier, Elmo Scott Watson pared by an ‘urge purity or ‘lories and Indians, and half of their number was slain in the fierce little Battle of Oriskany. In the midst of the battle Herkimer's messen- gers reached Gansevoort, who had heard the dis- tant firing and then realized for the first time what It meant. He immediately dispatched a force of 250 picked men under Willett, who fell upon St. Leger's camp, stampeded a part of his force with heavy losses, captured twenty wagon loads of plunder, five British flags and returned to the fort without losing a man. These flags were hoisted on the flagstaff of Fort Schuyler under the new flag as a further gesture of defiance to the enemy. It was mere than that—for it was also a prophecy of the ultimate triumph of the cause for which that flag stood. St. Leger continued the siege, but could accom- plish little against the stout defense of (Ganse- voort and Willett. Colonel Willett had volunteered for the duty of making his way through the enemy lines and carrying news of the fort's condition to Schuyler. That immediately dispatched rig. Gen. Benedict Arnold with a force of 1.200 men to raise the s'ege. By this time the Indians, general dismayed by their losses at Oriskany (for St. I.eger's allies had suffered as heavily in that engagement as had Herkimer's men) and fright- ened at the reports of the strength of Arnold's force which was moving against them, got out of hand and finally deserted St. Leger in a body. That commander realized that he was up against a hopeless proposition. So he ralsed the siege of Fort Schuyler and retreated precipitately. So Fort Schuyler is more than a landmark where Old Glory first flew in the face of the ene my. It was the frst American victory in the decisive campaign of the war. St. Leger's fallure was the first blow struck at the success of the British plan. The second came at Bennington, Vt., on August 16 when Gen. John Stark and his Green Mountain Boys won their vietory over the Hes- sians whom Burgoyne had sent to that place te capture a store of supplies. By this time Burgoyne was in a predicament. The British ministry, after laying ts ambitious plan, by some strange blind- ness to the of assuring absolute co operation of all units in it, had fafled to notify Howe of his part. So he did nothing while Bur- goyne hoped in vain for help from that quarter, e held in store for Burgoyne and necessity Saratoga render! This year marks the one hundred fiftieth anni- versary of those sti history. New anniversary su York Is planning to celebrate their with sesquicentennial celebrations which will have natlon-wide Interest hecause they were events of vital importance to the whole na- tion. No donbt the most important of those cele- brutions will be the one which will he held near Saratoga on the anniversary But on Aug render 1st 3 there will be one which will one of the most dramatic events In all American history. It will take place where Fort Schuyler and it will com- 1 Old Glory first faced So Flag day this year has a particular commemorate one stood memorate the day on wi the enemy signideance, not only because June 14 marks the oue hundred fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as our national emblem but because it foreshadows the anniversary some six weeks later of the day when Americans first fought ln defense of that emblem upd the prin ciples for which it stands. of Burgoyne's sur- | ing events which made world | Gfie AMERICAN LEGION . (Copy for | American Legion News Service.) This Department Supplied by the BOYS’ BASEBALL IS American the United | baseball] Legion posts States expect the junior season this year to be throughout | BACKED BY LEGION the heavy or light head of hair, the | | best of any yet sponsored by the or- ganization, with less expense than {last year, because the series of elimi- nation games will be confined to stato llnes and no regional or national c¢on- | tests will done last | year, be held, as was of the Legion successful activities undertook. More than most In spite of the handicaps last vear, boys’ baseball turned out to be one | the | 30,000 boys were brought temporarily under Legion influence to be coached in good | sportsmanship. | The rules for junior baseball have | been prepared under direction the Legion's Americanism | last year. Any boy Is%eligible who will | not attain his seventeenth | before January 1, 1928. Is required to fill out and sign a i tificate of eligibility. No gible for any championship series un definitely. enrolled direction before the Every player cer- team is eli- has been the | less it { under | July 15. | In some states each post that enters fee of not Legion | a team pays a registration This enables the state department to finance the state cham- | more than $5. | | pionship finals, which involve railmndg | fare and hotel expenses for several | teams, | assistance from their local | men's clubs and other organizations | Interested fn boys or community wel- | fare. In places the games business several concerned apd business houses closed | Junior baseball. New York reported that state wou'd have forty leagues going before the season would be fairly under way. | Montana's state executive committee | of the Legion voted on January 11 to encourage the contests in every | way it could. sized junior baseball in bulletins that have been sent to every post, the ad- Jjutant, James K. Fisk, announced. “If there is anything in the world that IT am particularly interested in ft is baseball,” is the whole-hearted Wicker, who given by Hugh WW. state adjutant of coached the University of Florida for and was a baseball player six years support Arkansas, two years “The city league is organized,” was the word from Baltimore Edwin I. Lindell, state adjutant of Minnesota, that greater in- terest was being shown in junior base- reported of | division, as | birthday | ball than last year, and similar let- | ters from nearly every state in the! Union have been received by the na- tional Americanism division of the Legion at national headquarters in In- dianapolis, Ind. Post Makes Good Sum With Automobile Show The Elkton (Md.) post of the Amer- has found that an conducted annually, is source of well as a good thing for munity and merchants, The thilfd show held recently cleared more $450 the treasury. It held in the National Guard ar- mory, rented for the occasion, Nine- teen different makes of automobiles were on display, and radios apd elec- ican Legion auto- mobile show, revenue, as the an important con- post's than for WHS post trical appliances were also exhibited. A total of 3,650 adults attended the show, this in a town of 2.800 popula- tion. No admittance charge was made, the entire revenue being derived from the sale of shop space to dealers, Mu- sic was furnished by Legionnaires. Candy and soft drinks were sold by women of the Legion auxiliary. One room at the show was turned over for | reau hospital near Elkton, and vir- tually all the articles were disposed | of at good prices, { Hilo, Hawaiian Islands. Active in Civic Work Although separated from the United States by a wide expanse of the Pa- cific occun, Hilo post No. 3 of the | American Legion at Hilo, Hawaiian Islands, is | 5 » a TT | the Legion's major program for 1927 | Jackal. | that exists today. forward actively in going service, The post is spon- maternity junior community soring a child clinie, supplying equipment for welfare and | | | { tect a tender plant which would other- | | shower bath by | an umbrella and ! while water was sprayed the sale of products made by disabled veterans at Perry Point Veterans' Bu- | cat. einaeneiedeiedeiirdrddedipnioioisnlsodeoiiiiod [ €ob 4 i ; TRY THIS IE amma n-ne rnl | 3 By EDNA PURDY WALSH 3 | Ett ele ee A Home-Made Hair Dryer | IKRE Is one of the quickest and at { the same time the most bene- | ficial ways of drying the hair at home With a 75 or 100-watt nitrogen lamp tied or held to the handle of a clean, shiny dipper for a reflector, enough heat is concentrated to quickly dry There is much more benefit from the heat of a lamp to the head than the heat of a radiator or air dryer. The prominent hospitals of the country ap- ply 1,000-watt lamps to operation in- cisions to promote a quicker replen- ishment of red-and-white cells of the blood for the purpose of healing. The | | expensive sanitarium applies these light rays to its rheumatic patients with marked success. It is not the l.ast year posts received great | heat alone which cures, but the pow erful force of the light rays themselves which have a deep penetration. Light rays have been found to have 8 marked stimulating effect on the | held the entire Interest of the towns | 8Cadp, lessening dandruff, and toning up the roots of the hair to prevent for the afternoon when the boys of | further falling. | rival towns were fighting for county | Very gentle massage given to the or state championship honors, | scalp at the point where the rays are Early this year reports from Ie- |being applied is a great aid to the gion officials in various states indi- | tonle effect, | cated a rapidly growing interest in roti. | Save the Old HE old umbrella has Do not throw it away of them have been tried, is its practical use as a HE ket. In the absence of a clothes bas ket, one helpful husband found thst Umbrella many until One of them clothes Uses, some California has empha- | the umbrella with the curved handle | saves stooping and walking. It hangs | on the clothes line full of clothes, and | can be pushed along on the line as | the hanging progresses, doing away with walking back forth to the clothes basket, | Choice plants and may be protected from the hot sun during the days of summer by old and vegetables torrid professional | which removed so | can be easily slipped into the ground. umbrella from die has the bulky han- been that they | Even the umbrella which will not pro- | tect against rain will nurse and pro- wise die from too much heat. One young man made an admirable taking the frame of sewing rubber to its curtain around him from above. His curtain was of course collapsible so that it could be folded away when not In use. (@, 1927 tips to make a Western Newspaper Union.) Hereditary Foes Cats and dogs are enemies hecause their ancestors were, and— quite un [ consciously—the descendants main | tain the family tradition! The dog's | | ancestor wus a wolf, whose chief vic- | tin was the cat's ancestor, the wild: | Another cats’ ancestor, the tiger terrorized another dogs’ ancestor, the This explains the family feud | No Life in Meteorite | athletic teams, promoting inter-island | The Smithsonian institution says | competition in baseball, basket ball | that nothing indicative of any form and football, and sponsoring an annual of life, either animal or plant, has | mercantile fair which is the biggest | ever been found in meteorites. As | uffair of the year in Hilo. | long ago as 1880, a German by the | Encourages Study of History A fund created by Dela- | ware post No. 1 of Wilmington to pro- vide prizes of $5 each to be awarded to the eighth grade pupils in the local schools who attali the highest efficiency in the study of Awerican history. hus been two | nnme of Hahn published descriptions of what he thought were animal forms In meteorites, but it was definitely shewn thut he was mistaken. Deceit in Diplomacy If men were as deceitful as women claim they are, they'd all be In the diplomatic service, | stomach PROVED SAFE Take without Fear as Told in “Bayer” Package Does not affect the Heart Unless you see the “Bayer Cross” | on package or on tablets you are not | getting the genuine Bayer Aspirin | proved safe by millions and prescribed | by physicians over twenty-five years for | Culds Headache | Neuritis Lumbago | Toothache Rheumatism | Neuralgia Pain, Paln Each unbroken “Bayer” package con- tains proven directions. Handy boxes of twelve tablets cost few cents. Drug- gists also sell bottles of 24 and 100, The Good Time Coming President John HH. Moss was re- sponding ao a toast in hls honor at a Kiwanis banquet in Milwaukee: “The condition of Russia under Bol- shevismn,” he went on, “was curiously hit off by an I. W. W. orator, who shouted from his soap box one day: “Yes, gents, there's a good time comin’ when every man’ll do what he llkes, and if he don’t, he'll be made to, by erinus!’' ”"—Minneapolis Tribune. If you would advertise your troubles without cost tell them to a gossip. St ———— WORMS RUIN A CHILD'S HEALTH Drive every worm out of { your child’s system without a moment’s delay. Use the safe { vegetable worm medicine tha has been so successful for 75 years—Frey’s Vermifuge. Perhaps you don’t know your child has worms. Gritting the testh, pick- ing the nostrils, disordered stomach are symptoms. Buy Frey's Vermifuge at your druggist's today. Frey’s Vermifuge " Expels Worms 5 CANCER FREE BOOK SENT ON REQUEST Tells cause of cancer and what to do for pain, bleeding, odor, etc. Write for it today, mentioning this paper. Address Indianapolis Cancer Hospital, Indianapolis, Ind. Not Guilty Ed — “What's your about?” Ted—"Oh, I responsible for my success.’ wife angry just sald she's The occasional use of Roman Hye Balsam at night will prevent and relieve tired eyes and eye strain. 372 Pearl St §. Y. Adv, i Sometimes a woman spends a great deal of time looking for a husband after she has secured him. Your Druggist Says! Indigestion Must Go or Money Back You are simply patching up your when you take things that can only bring relief for a few hours at a time. Why not build up your run-down stomach-—make It strong and vigor- ous so that you can eat anything you want any time you want to without misery and distress? Dare's Mentha Pepsin is what every sufferer from poor digestion or dyspepsia needs—a pleasant upbuild- ing elixir for the stomach. Thousands of bottles of Dares Mentha Pepsin are sold every day be- cause it is an outstanding, supremely effective stomach elixir that druggists everywhere sell with the distinct un- derstanding that If it doesn't do you more real good than anything you ever tried—get your money back. Demand Dare’s—no reputable drug- glist will offer you a substitute. Deafness—Head Noises RELIEVED BY LEONARD EAR OIL “Rub Back of Ears” INSERT IN NOSTRILS At All Druggists. Price $1 Folder about “DEAFNESS* on request A. 0. LEONARD, INC., 70 FIFTH AVE, N. Y. DR.L.D.KELLOGG’S ASTHMAREMEDY for the prompt relief of Asthma and Hey Fever. Ask your druge= gist for it. 25 cents and one doi= lar. Write for FREE SAMPLE. [hy Northrop & Lyman Co.,Inc.,Butfalo, N.Y. 9) CTE NO BAYER ASPRIN § Wh x ry IN Hoe “B” Elimin Very Us Device Serves Usual Elect ing Cu By CHARLES There is nothing about the usual “F serves to harness t lighting current, ol nearest socket or ci to the radio receiver bhagteries. Just hoy plished is worth k now enjoying a “B” those contemplating chase of such a dev To begin with, the current that comes or convenience outle Moyred for radio pur rent that flows first and then in the ot direction of flow at times per second. Su rent, If we may ter not be introduced ir without causing have ous that the alternat be straightened out in one direction onl) Through Tra The first step is t nating current throu which steps up the o twice or more its p to operate the mec lows. The current is in character, despite the transformer. The current from ti now led to a most which we may call | stile. It is similar turnstiles used in su tric railways for the ting persons pass thre tion but ther pass through in the Such an turr rectifier. In the usua either the Raytheon barring electric fier is employed. T gaseous conductor tub ment to burn. The causes a certain brea tion of the gas, whi path for the one-wa, of the Rectron, a filan and the particles or el the alternating curre by the heated filament the one-way bridge fo current. Nome “B” ploy chemical cells one-way conduction p Filter Stops “pt which eliminato Most rectifiers, mean tire alternating cur through stile arrangement, thrown open while the by means of and vice versa, for gr Half-wave turnstile, at every nating current is flow in the right direction. rectifiers p which is th other interval Now the current t through the electric tn fier is flowing in one Because of the turn comes in pulses, so pulsating direct curre to delicate radio cire pulsators or electric make their presence I give hum. So the ¢ passed through a filter ripples. The filter namely, choke coils an ers The the pulsating current, condensers serve to St A beautiful struck between chokes though we we the 1 consists o choke coils electric It is as dam to which would valley as uncontrollab chokes are the dam, densers ure the impo reservoir behind the du control otherwis of the damming actic are converted into a water throughout the tion and other useful p the pulsating current eliminator filter is co steady flow of current, hum. The Register current iss filter circuit would be if just the full outpul desired. However, it a radio receiver can ¢ output at all times, ( sre various kinds of different voltages. F certain minimum load tained across most filt rectifier tubes to insu safe operation. Hence put is now delivered to sistance, which in term like a gatehouse of a wi tem, in that it distribu current over different Now the Two Stations f Before the end of large broadcasting stati and Calcutta will be fi the recently licensed casting company, a rey partment of Commerce
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