Arnold's Tempter

by Benjamin F. Comfort

Ships of all descriptions were in the stream, awaiting a berth to load or unload. Some were at the wharves of Milling & FitzMaurice, loading or unloading merchandise and munitions of war. Privateers and merchantmen, brigs and barques, full-rigged ships and sloops,—all were a kaleidoscope of the cosmopolitan elements of Philadelphia. The Malay, the Portuguese, the Negro, the Indian, the Caucasian, the Creole, were all bartering and seeking adventure on the seas. They were in a harbor where war now offered all of the prizes and all of the calamities of life. The calamities claimed the greater share in the final results.

Among all this motley crew lurked disease, lust, and greed. The leaders of the enterprises reeked in greed, the hirelings exceeded in lust, but disease had no favorites.

Diseases were cosmopolitan like the people. Cholera from the Orient, peste from the West Indies, scurvy from the Antipodes, fevers from the ships and the camps of armies kept the city in continuous mourning. Though disease played the heavy role in this drama of life, still it acted its part when least expected.

Barclugh desired to buy a ship of Milling and FitzMaurice, and send her out to the West Indies with a cargo of flour, and return with rum and sugar. The profits would be large. He now had much money at command and no use for it. He thought that a few dollars turned over for a profit would not come amiss when he began his career after the Colonies were turned over to the mother country.

There was a ship, the Sea Nymph, lying in the Delaware, a prize belonging to Milling & FitzMaurice which had been bound from Havana to London, laden with rum and molasses; but her crew was attacked with the peste and inside of a week two thirds of her men were stricken with the disease.

In this critical condition the Independence, privateer of Milling & FitzMaurice, ran upon the Sea Nymph, and she struck with no resistance. Enough of the crew of the Independence who were immune to the disease were put aboard to take her into Philadelphia. The Sea Nymph was a new and handsome ship. She was lying in the stream waiting for her turn to discharge cargo, when Barclugh learned about her, and, although advised of the perils of the dreaded peste, he offered to buy her. Barclugh’s impatience to be doing business prevailed against his friends’ judgment, and he went aboard of her to inspect the ship.

His weakened physical condition put him under susceptible conditions to take the disease, and in ten days thereafter, Roderick Barclugh was stricken with the peste.

However, before this event, matters had culminated fast in Barclugh’s affairs. The tenth day of July, 1780, had arrived, and communication had been opened up between Barclugh and Andre at New York. By means of a few hundred pounds sterling, Barclugh had arranged to have letters addressed to John Anderson, Esq., New York, delivered to a boat from the Albatross, that landed at the Swede’s fishing hut on the Little Egg River. In return the fisherman brought a sealed package addressed to Mr. Gustavus, Philadelphia. Gustavus was the name of the Swede.

This line of communication was maintained at regular intervals,—whenever a load of fish came from Little Egg Harbor inlet, a sealed letter was delivered to Barclugh and an answer returned.

When Roderick Barclugh fell ill, he awoke in the early morning with terrible pains in his back and loins. He found that he was unable to arise, suffering intensely with a fever and pains in his joints. His man-servant went as usual to the door of Mr. Barclugh’s sleeping apartment but he did not find him astir, and as he listened, he heard slight groans. When he gently opened the door, there was Barclugh, helpless, breathing heavily, his eyes bulging. The only thing to do was to bring Doctor Biddle.