information from one person to the next, and eventually to Washington. Eventually Woodhull became nervous about being caught. Washington soon sent a supply of invisible inkconsisting of a mix of ferrous sulfate and water.Invisible ink could be brought out by exposing the document directly to heat and a chemical substance such as lemon oil. After someone reported Woodhull as a person of interest, British Lt. Colonel John Simcoe, rallied some soldiers to Woodhull's home. Learning that he was away the soldiers took to beating Woodhull's father as a warning.

After a couple of close calls Tallmadge got nervous about the security of communications that were going around Long Island and Manhattan. A solution was conceived in the form of an elaborate