NEW YORK:
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY,
72 FIFTH AVENUE.
1897.
Copyright, 1886,
By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY.
FORETALK.
This little volume contains a brief account of the most important events in the life-career of two notable spies in our War for Independence, Nathan Hale and John André. They were both young men, well educated, endowed with genius and ability for conspicuous achievements, brave and accomplished soldiers, pure and virtuous in private character, truthful, manly, refined in thoughts and manners, handsome in person, lovely in disposition, and beloved by all who knew them.
Yet they were spies!
"Spies," says Vattel, "are generally condemned to capital punishment, and not unjustly, there being scarcely any other way of preventing the mischief which they may do. For this reason a man of honor, who would not expose himself to die by the hand of a common executioner, ever declines serving as a spy. He considers it beneath him, as it can seldom be done without some kind of treachery."