History buffs please...?

Question:

History buffs please...?

We are looking for a historical person who at some point ate a letter they were carrying so as to not let it get into enemy hands. Anybody know? Thanks.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Emily Geiger:

"From The World Newspaper
Wednesday morning,
July 8, 1891

Orangeburg, South Carolina

At the time Gen. Green retreated before Lord Rawdon from Ninety-Six, when he had passed Broad River, he was very desirous to send an order to Gen. Sumter, on the Wateree, to join him that they might attack Rawdon, who had divided his force. But the general could find no man in that part of the state who was bold enough to undertake so dangerous a mission. The country to be passed through for many miles was full of bloodthirsty Tories. At last Emily Geiger presented herself to Gen. Green, and proposed to act as his messenger, and the general, both surprised and delighted, accepted her proposal. He accordingly wrote a letter and delivered it, and at the same time communicated the contents of it verbally to be told to Sumter in case of accidents. Emily mounted on horse back upon a side saddle proceeded on her journey. On her way she was intercepted by Rawdon's scouts, coming from the direction of Green's army and not being able to tell an untruth without blushing, Emily was suspected and confined to a room, and as the officer in command had the modesty not to search her at the time, he sent for an old Tory Matron as more fitting for the the purpose. As soon as the door we a closed and the bustle a little subsided, she ate the letter, piece by piece, after which the matron arrived, and upon searching carefully, nothing was to be found of a suspicious nature about the prisoner, and she would disclose nothing. Suspicion being thus allayed, the officer commanding the scouts suffered Emily to depart for where she said she was going, but she took a route somewhat circuitous to avoid further detection, and soon after struck in the road to Sumter's camp, where she arrived in safety. She told her adventure and delivered Gen. Green's verbal message to Sumter, who in consequence, soon after joined the main army at Orangeburg.

Emily Geiger afterwards married a rich planter on the Congaree.

Copied from papers of Florence Ott Geiger & John Henry Geiger

by Sara Texas (Geiger) Geiger
March, 1965"