needed the utmost daring combined with the most exact
attention to details, and in both these respects there was
nothing wanting to insure the success of the enterprise. The
hour was well chosen, as that in which the foe would most
likely be off their guard, and to this we must ascribe the
slowness of their assault on the Americans and the
uncertainty of their aim. The mode of approach to the
frigate, the skill with which the ketch was laid alongside
without exciting suspicion, and the rapidity and
completeness with which the destruction of the prize was
prepared for, were all worthy of high commendation. As for
the boldness of the enterprise, one has but to consider what
would have been the fate of the Americans had the attack
failed. Directly under the frigate's guns, and in a harbor
filled with gunboats and armed cruisers and surrounded by
forts and batteries, escape would have been impossible, and
every man in the Intrepid must have perished. The greatest
courage, coolness, and self-possession, and the most exact
discipline, alone could have yielded success in the daring
project, and these qualities seem to have been possessed in
a high degree.

The success of this exploit gave Lieutenant Decatur a
reputation for gallantry which had its share in his
subsequent elevation to the highest rank in the navy. The
country generally applauded the feat, and the navy long
considered it one of its most brilliant achievements, it
being deemed a high honor among sailors and officers to have
been one of the Intrepid's crew. The writer of these pages
may add that it is to him a matter of some interest that the
first man to reach the deck of the Philadelphia on that
memorable night was a namesake of his own, Midshipman
Charles Morris. For the credit of the name he is also glad
to say that Mr. Morris in time become a commodore in the
navy, and attained a high reputation as an officer both in
war and peace.

THE VICTIM OF A TRAITOR.

On the Ohio River, fourteen miles below Marietta, lies a
beautiful island, which became, in the early part of this
century, the scene of a singular romance. At that time it
was a wild and forest-clad domain, except for a few acres of
clearing near its upper extremity, on which stood a large
and handsome mansion, with spacious out-buildings and
surrounding grounds which were laid out with the finest
taste. The great elms and gigantic sycamore of the West gave
grandeur to the surrounding