I'll never be able to

I'll never be able to watch Northwest Passage again...

New evidence indicates that Nathan Hale was trapped by Major Robert Rogers of Rogers' Rangers fame: "Nathan Hale Blundered Into a Trap, Papers Show".

"...According to the Tiffany manuscript, Rogers observed Hale for some days, suspecting that Hale was in disguise, and decided to engage him in conversations about the war.

Rogers led Hale to believe that he himself was "upon the business of spying out the inclination of the people and motion of the British troops," Tiffany wrote.

Hale then told Rogers of his mission, and Rogers invited him to dinner at his quarters, where he and several friends began the same kind of talk, the manuscript said.

"But at the height of their conversation, a company of soldiers surrounded the house, and by orders from the commander, seized Captain Hale in an instant," Tiffany wrote..."

A short Rogers biography is here: "The French and Indian War. Robert Rogers. 1731-1795". Rogers' Ranging Rules may be found here: "A 'Plan of Discipline' Extracted from Journals of Major Robert Rogers". The Rules are part of a French and Indian War Reenactment site: "Rogers' Rangers". Northwest Passage, about the exploits of Rogers' Rangers in the French and Indian War, is actually a very good movie, based on a very good book of the same name by Kenneth Roberts. The Blockbuster site has a synopsis of the movie: "Northwest Passage (1940)".

"...The script, by Laurence Stallings and Talbot Jennings, utilizes only the first part of Kenneth Roberts' novel, bypassing Rogers' eventual descent into madness (though there's a rather unsettling glint in Spencer Tracy's eyes throughout the film..."

Newsday tells the Nathan Hale story, here: "Nathan Hale: Failed Spy, Superb Patriot". Hale's mission and execution described, here: "The Execution of Nathan Hale, 1776 " The "Official Nathan Hale Website" is here: "Welcome to the Official Nathan Hale Website".