SALEM (AP) - When Jim Clark bought an old trunk at a California antique store in the late 1970s, he was interested in its old books.

But the Hopewell resident soon discovered documents hidden in a false bottom. One was a poem was written by a Revolutionary War prisoner in an English prison.

Clark hopes to learn the full story behind the poem when Oregon Public Broadcasting's "History Detectives" features his document on television Monday.

The poem's author, Daniel Goodhue, joined the militia in 1776 and later crewed aboard a privateer allied with the American Navy.

But the vessel, the Fancy, was captured by the British on Aug. 7, 1777. Goodhue, a native of Ipswich, Mass., became one of the first prisoners of war in U.S. history.

Goodhue, then 19, wrote the poem in 1780 while being held at Mill Prison in Plymouth, England.

Goodhue's poem is a call to arms against British tyranny and a cry for liberty. It refers to early battles in Lexington and mocks Gen. Thomas Gage, who led British forces in North America until 1775.

Clark hopes "History Detectives" can tell him more about the document.

The new show, co-produced by OPB, employs a team of four experts who use their backgrounds in architecture, antiques, sociology and art history to uncover the truth about a family heirloom, local legend or antique.

The show recently sent a film crew to Clark's Hopewell home. Architecture specialist Gwen Wright and cultural historian Elyse Luray visited with Clark during the filming.

A crew also shot footage in Goodhue's hometown. An Ipswich historian will portray Goodhue.

Clark is eager to know what the experts discovered. He wonders whether the poem was sent to relatives in Boston, or if Goodhue kept it with him until he was repatriated after the war.

"This is literally our country being formed," Clark said. "I wonder what he thought was ahead for our country when he wrote this. Did he worry the British would win?"