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Monadnock Guide
Council of Elders
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
March 14 2005
Status: offline
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 Posted - June 17 2009 : 5:53:27 PM
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2009
On this day in 1776, a man named Isaac Ketcham began a long New York tradition. He plea-bargained his way out of jail by blowing the whistle on his co-conspirators. Ketcham was in jail on a counterfeiting charge but the plot he revealed had nothing to do with that. The plot that Ketcham revealed was a conspiracy to kill George Washington...led by none other than the commander of Washington's own bodyguard.
Washington was protected by an early form of the Secret Service, a crack team under the command of a charming, roguish Irishman (ain't we all) named Thomas Hickey. Adding to his safety, Washington had a devoted housekeeper named Phoebe who was the daughter of his friend Sam Fraunces (owner of Fraunces Tavern). Add to that, the fact that George could count on Dave, the then Mayor of New York City (in this case it was Dave Matthews).
Hickey was not your typical Irishman. For example: He liked a good drink (he was in debt to several tavern owners). He had a quick mind but couldn't resist a challenge (he had several gambling debts). He also had a glib tongue, could sing like an angel and could charm a dog off a meat wagon. Also he was easily bored, particularly by a revolution that was slow in starting.
So he applied his Celtic creativity to the area of design - with a specialization in the field of currency (folks with less soul would later call it counterfeiting).
When Washington started to catch on, Hickey decided to kill the man he was sworn to protect. He found support from the mayor who was really a Tory sympathizer. They engaged Fraunces daughter, Phoebe, to serve Washington a meal with poisoned peas.
Rather than kill her father's friend, she tipped Washington, who promptly tipped the plate out the window. Outside a couple of chickens promptly ate the poisoned peas and promptly tipped over and died. That raised Washington's suspicions but they could only pin a counterfeiting rap on Hickey. That is until Ketcham exposed the plot (and another one...to enlist 700 Tory sympathizers in the Continental Army..who would then shoot Washington and most American troops at some key point of battle). (Mayor Matthews later escaped to England.) But Hickey was not so lucky. In less than a week he was hanged....the first American soldier executed for treason.
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Wilderness Woman
Watcher of the Wood
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
November 27 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - June 17 2009 : 6:44:16 PM
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| That is a great story! I don't recall hearing or reading about that before. What is your source,MG? |
"It is more deeply stirring to my blood than any imaginings could possibly have been." |
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Monadnock Guide
Council of Elders
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
March 14 2005
Status: offline
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Posted - June 17 2009 : 7:17:06 PM
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| A financial site actually, - they post "something" along this line everyday, and tie it into the market. I left out the rest about the market. It just happened to be about Washington today. I don't recall reading anything about this either, - who knows? |
you can keep "The Change" |
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Monadnock Guide
Council of Elders
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
March 14 2005
Status: offline
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James N.
Colonial Militia
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
October 24 2007
Status: offline
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Posted - November 23 2009 : 11:01:08 AM
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| This story also shows up in the standard treatments of espionage in the Revolution like the Bakeless' Turncoats, Traitors & Heroes and Spies of the Revolution; accounts of the Revolution in New York state like Schecter's The Battle for New York; and of course the detailed biographies of Washington like those of Freeman, Flexner, and others. |
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A plot to assinate Washington??? ...
