1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Hey there, history fans. We're taking a break to stay 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: ahead of the holidays, but we've got plenty of classic 3 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,480 Speaker 1: shows to keep you busy. Please enjoy these flashback episodes 4 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: from the TDI HC Vault, and be sure to tune 5 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: in on December first for a brand new episode. 6 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone. I'm Eves and you're listening to This 7 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 2: Day in History Class, a show where we peel back 8 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 2: a new layer of history every day. The day was 9 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 2: November twenty ninth, eighteen forty seven members of the Cayus 10 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 2: Native American tribe murdered missionaries Marcus Whitman and Narcissa Whitman, 11 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 2: along with eleven other people. The Whitman Massacre, as it 12 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,519 Speaker 2: became known, marked the beginning of the Cayus War, a 13 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,519 Speaker 2: conflict between the Cayu's people and the US government and 14 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 2: American frontiers people. In eighteen thirty six, Marcus and Narcissa 15 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 2: Whitman founded the Whitman Mission among the Cayu near present 16 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 2: day Walla Walla, Washington. It was the second Protestant mission 17 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 2: in the Oregon Country, a region between the Pacific Ocean 18 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 2: and the Rocky Mountains in the Pacific Northwest. The Whitman's 19 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,960 Speaker 2: built up the mission over the years, but tensions escalated 20 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 2: between the missionaries and the Cayus. The Cayus refused to 21 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 2: bend to Marcus's will and become full time farmers, weren't 22 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 2: interested in learning from the Whitman's and did not care 23 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 2: about Christianity. The Cayus also maintained that since the Whitman's 24 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 2: built the mission on their land, they were obligated to 25 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,680 Speaker 2: give them goods, but in the tribe member's eyes, Marcus 26 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 2: wasn't fulfilling his obligations. Aware of the whitman missions struggles 27 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 2: with the Cayus and with money, the American Board of 28 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 2: Commissioners for Foreign Missions even ordered the mission to close 29 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 2: in eighteen forty two, though the board later rescinded its order. 30 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 2: The mission soon became a place where immigrants on the 31 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 2: Oregon Trail stopped to rest, gathered so applies, and receive 32 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 2: care and treatment. As more people moved west, there was 33 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 2: an influx of white immigrants in the area. The Cayus 34 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 2: were aware of the harmful effect the arrival of white 35 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 2: populations was having on Native American tribes in other places. 36 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 2: They brought with them disease and in eighteen forty seven, 37 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 2: an epidemic of measles killed half the Cayu's people. The 38 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 2: Cayus were hungry, sick, and unhappy with how stingy Marcus 39 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:30,079 Speaker 2: was in his trading, and Marcus was unable to keep 40 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 2: the epidemic under control for the Cayus, even though he 41 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 2: had been caring for white and Native American people who 42 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 2: had been affected. They believed that Marcus, as a doctor 43 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 2: and religious leader, was essentially killing their families to make 44 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 2: room for more white immigrants. This was not unprecedented, as 45 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 2: Native Americans in the Northwest had been threatened with German warfare, 46 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 2: and their beliefs about the power white people had over 47 00:02:55,320 --> 00:03:00,359 Speaker 2: medicine was exploited. On November twenty ninth, eighteen forty seven, 48 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 2: a group of Cayu's tribesmen attacked the Women Mission, which 49 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:09,519 Speaker 2: was sheltering dozens of people, mostly immigrants. They killed thirteen people, 50 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 2: including Narcissa and Marcus. They destroyed most of the buildings 51 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 2: at the mission and held around fifty women and children 52 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 2: captive for weeks. Two children died and the other captives 53 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 2: were ransomed. Historians agreed that the Cayus were defending their 54 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 2: tribe since the Cayus believed that Marcus was allowing measles 55 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 2: to spread among them. News of the massacre reached Washington, 56 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 2: d c. In eighteen forty eight, and Congress responded by 57 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 2: establishing the Oregon Territory. That August, the Provisional Legislature of 58 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 2: Oregon and Governor George Abernathy authorized volunteers to go to 59 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 2: war against the Cayus, and a unit of volunteers was 60 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 2: dispatched to the Dows. Fighting soon broke out and the 61 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 2: Cayus War continued sporadically for several years. The war did 62 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 2: not turn out well for the Cayus. I'm Eve Steffcote 63 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 2: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 64 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 2: than you did yesterday. Feel free to share your thoughts 65 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 2: or your innermost feelings with us and with other listeners 66 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,360 Speaker 2: on social media, and you can email us at this 67 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 2: Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks for listening to today's episode. 68 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 2: We'll see you again tomorrow. 69 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 70 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: show that reveals a little bit more about history every day. 71 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,039 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Lucier and in this episode, we're talking about 72 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: a breakthrough form of espionage from the Revolutionary War a 73 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: new kind of invisible ink that only one side knew 74 00:04:55,520 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 1: how to use. The day was November twenty ninth, seventeen 75 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:11,280 Speaker 1: seventy five. Physician and amateur chemist James Jy invented a 76 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: new kind of invisible ink, which was later put to 77 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:18,919 Speaker 1: use in the American War of Independence. From the seventeen 78 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 1: fifties until the start of the war, Jay had studied 79 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: and practiced medicine in Great Britain. When the war broke 80 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 1: out in the colonies, he used his new invisible ink 81 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: to correspond with John Jay, an American patriot, and his 82 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: more famous younger brother, eventually with James Blessing. John Jay 83 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:44,919 Speaker 1: offered his brother's ink to General George Washington, who immediately 84 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: put it to use. In the famous Culper Spy ring 85 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:54,600 Speaker 1: during the Revolutionary War, both combatants used invisible ink. British 86 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:58,840 Speaker 1: soldiers would dip their quills in something acidic like lime juice, 87 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 1: lemon juice, or vinegar, and then write secret messages between 88 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 1: the lines of seemingly mundane letters. The hidden writing would 89 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: only appear if the recipient did one of two things, 90 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,160 Speaker 1: either hold the letter over the flame of a candle 91 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: or treat the paper with a chemical substance, such as 92 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:24,159 Speaker 1: sodium carbonate. These methods worked because the acidic ink would 93 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,360 Speaker 1: weaken the fibers of the paper, so that when heat 94 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:31,839 Speaker 1: or acid was applied, the weakened fibers would turn brown 95 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 1: faster than the fibers that hadn't touched the ink. The 96 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: main problem with these types of invisible ink was that 97 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: both sides knew how to use them. If a letter 98 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 1: was intercepted and the enemy suspected it might contain a 99 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:50,679 Speaker 1: hidden message, they knew exactly how to check. In fact, 100 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 1: one British intelligence officer made it even easier to tell. 101 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: He instructed his agents to mark the corner of their 102 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: correspondence with either an an A or an F. This 103 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 1: told the recipient or the interceptor exactly how to make 104 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: the secret message appear with acid or with fire. James 105 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:16,800 Speaker 1: j recognized that most invisible ink formulas had become too 106 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: common to be effective. To combat the problem, he developed 107 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: his own unique recipe for ink, one that could only 108 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: be activated by a specific corresponding reagent. It didn't matter 109 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:34,480 Speaker 1: how much heat or sodium carbonate you tried. Without knowing 110 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: Jay's exact formula, his invisible ink would stay invisible. When 111 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: George Washington heard of this new form of invisible ink, 112 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: he couldn't contain his excitement. He wrote a letter to 113 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:51,600 Speaker 1: a lawyer and statesman named Elias Boudino, singing the praises 114 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 1: of what he referred to as sympathetic stain Washington. Giddaly wrote, quote, 115 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: it is in my power I believe to procure a 116 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: liquid which nothing but a counter liquor rubbed over the 117 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:11,680 Speaker 1: paper afterwards can make legible fire, which will bring out lime, juice, milk, 118 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 1: and other things of this kind. To light has no 119 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: effect on it. A letter upon trivial matters of business, 120 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 1: written in common ink may be fitted with important intelligence 121 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 1: which cannot be discovered without the counterpart. Shortly after, James J. 122 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: Began exporting small quantities of his invisible ink to Washington 123 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:40,640 Speaker 1: and to the Continental Army's spymaster, Major Benjamin Talmadge. He 124 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 1: and the General would then pass the ink along to 125 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:47,319 Speaker 1: their secret agents in British occupied New York City. They 126 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:50,520 Speaker 1: encouraged the agents to write their hidden messages in the 127 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: blank pages of books and pamphlets in order to make 128 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: them less suspicious. There was never as much of Jay's 129 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 1: ink as they would have liked, but the amount they had, 130 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:06,559 Speaker 1: alongside their aliases and various forms of code writing, was 131 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 1: enough to get them all the way through the war 132 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: without being caught. So what exactly was in James J's 133 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 1: mysterious white ink, or the medicine as Washington would later 134 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: refer to it in letters? Jay never revealed the chemical 135 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 1: composition of his formula, after all, writing it down would 136 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 1: have increased the risk of an outsider figuring out how 137 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:34,840 Speaker 1: to use it. However, in the nineteen thirties, doctor Lodwick 138 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: Bendickson performed ultraviolet and infrared tests on letters written using 139 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: Jay's invisible ink. The analysis revealed it to be a 140 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:50,120 Speaker 1: solution made from the tannic acid of gall nuts. What's 141 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: a gall nut? It's not a nut, but essentially a 142 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 1: wooden cocoon. When a wasp lays its eggs on the 143 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:01,239 Speaker 1: branches of an oak tree, the tree he defends itself 144 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 1: by entombing the eggs within a big woody growth known 145 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:09,080 Speaker 1: as a goal nut. As for the substance used to 146 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:12,960 Speaker 1: reveal Jay's invisible ink, the test showed it to be 147 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:17,560 Speaker 1: ferris sulfate, a soil additive used to lower the pH 148 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 1: of soil. Kudos to James J. For coming up with 149 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 1: that pairing. No way were the British going to crack 150 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:30,280 Speaker 1: that one. Jay's invisible ink helped deliver valuable strategic information 151 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: to Washington and his allies, but the inventor was never 152 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 1: paid for his contribution to the war effort. In eighteen 153 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:42,079 Speaker 1: o eight, long after the war had been won, Jay 154 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 1: appealed for payment to President Thomas Jefferson and to Congress. 155 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:51,080 Speaker 1: He requested twenty thousand dollars in recognition of his services, 156 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 1: claiming that his ink formula had proven invaluable and would 157 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: surely be of even more use in the future. Congress 158 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 1: was split on the matter. Some felt Jay was owed 159 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:06,920 Speaker 1: the money, while others said it was quote absurd to 160 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,600 Speaker 1: vote away money for a thing they did not and 161 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 1: could not understand. In the end, Congress sided with Jay, declaring, 162 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:18,360 Speaker 1: quote that it shall be lawful for the President of 163 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:22,200 Speaker 1: the United States to obtain, by purchase at a reasonable price, 164 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:25,960 Speaker 1: the exclusive right on behalf of the public of the 165 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:30,200 Speaker 1: system invented by Sir James J as submitted by him 166 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 1: to the Executive Department of Government, provided in the opinion 167 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:37,040 Speaker 1: of the President, it will be of public utility and 168 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:41,760 Speaker 1: importance to possess the same. In other words, if President 169 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 1: Jefferson wanted to pay James j for their rights to 170 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 1: his invisible ink, Congress would have no objection. But apparently 171 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:54,440 Speaker 1: that's not something Jefferson wanted to do. The subject was 172 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:58,520 Speaker 1: broached again in eighteen thirteen, but the Senate voted down 173 00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: the measure. James Jay died two years later, never compensated 174 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:08,600 Speaker 1: for his efforts. His contributions to the nation were lasting, 175 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 1: but appreciation for them disappeared fast. I'm Gabeluesier and hopefully 176 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,839 Speaker 1: you now know a little more about history today than 177 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:23,520 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you liked what you heard, consider 178 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:29,080 Speaker 1: following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at TDI HC Show, 179 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: and if you have any comments or suggestions, you can 180 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 1: send them my way at this Day at iHeartMedia dot com. 181 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:40,200 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank 182 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 183 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 1: for another Day in History class. 184 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:59,040 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 185 00:12:59,120 --> 00:12:59,480 Speaker 2: or wherever 186 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:00,760 Speaker 1: You listen to you your favorite shows.