Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1849-11-15
Ethan Allen i'm Captivity.
TFrOm his own Narrative.

/ l.
The regular officers said that they
were very happy to see Col. Allen. l
answered them, that should rather have
seen them at General Montgomery
camp. The gentlemen replied that they
gave full credit to what l said, and as l
walked to the town, which was, as /
should guess, more than two miles, a
British officer walked at my right hand,
and one of the French mobiles at my left /;
the latter Of which, in the action, had his
eyebrow carried away by aglancing shot,
but was nevertheless very merry and fa-
cetious, and no abuse was offered me till
came to the barrack yard at Montreal,
where met Gen. Prescott, who asked
me my name which l told him.
He then asked me, whether was that
Col. Allen who took Tconderoga. !
told him I was the very man. Then he
shook his cane over my head, calling
many hard names, among which he fire.
quently used the word Rebel, and put
himself into great rage. told him he
would do well not to cane me, for was
not accustomed to it, and shook my fist
at him-tEat that was the beetle of NOR
tally for him, if he offered TO strike up
on which Capt. M'Cloud of the British
pulled him by the skirt and whispered
to him las he afterwards told meg to this
import that it was inconsistent with his
honor to strike prisoner. He then Or
J dered serjeant's command with fixed
bayonets to come forward and kill thir-
teen Canadians, which were included in
the treaty aforesaid.
1t cut me to the heart to see the Ca
nadians in so hard case, in consequence
Of their having been true to me they were
wringiug their hands, saying their pray
ers, as concluded, and expected imme-
date death. therefore stepped between
the executioners and the Canadians,
opened my clothes. and told Gen. Pres
colt to thrust his bayonet into my breast,
for ] was the sole cause Of the Canadi-
ans taking up their arms.
The guard in the meantime, rolling
their eye balls from the General to me,
as though i'm patient, waiting his dread
commands to sheath their bayonets in
my heart. l could. however, plainly
discern that he was in suspense and
quandary about the matter. This gave
me additional hopes of succeeding; for
my design was not to die, but to save
the Canadians by finesse. The Gen.
stood minute, when with an oath he
made the following reply: I sO;U not
execute yo~ noV but yow shall grace a
halter at Tyburm."
remember disdained his mentioning
such place. I was, notwithstanding,
little inwardly pleased with the ex-
preston, as it significantly conveyed to
me the idea Of postponing the present
appearances of death, besides bis SEN
tence was by no means final, as to "gra-
cling a halter," although l had anxiety
about it after / landed in England, as
the reader will find in the course of this
history. General Prescott then ordered
one Of his officers to take me on board
the Gaspee schooner of war, and confine
me, hands and feet in irons, which was
done the same afternoon was taken.
I now come to the description Of the
irons which were put on me. The hand.
cuff was Of a common size, and form, but
my leg irons, l should imagine, would
weigh thirty pounds; the bar was eight
feet long, and very substantial the
shackles which encompassed my ANGLES,
were very tight. I was told by the off
Ger who put them on, that it was the
kings plate. and I heard others Of their
officers say, that it would weigh forty
weight. The irons were so close upon
my ANGLES, that / could not lie down in
any other manner than on my back. I
was put into the lowest and most wretch
ed part of the vessel, where I got the
favor of chest to sit on; the same an
swered for my bed at night, and having
procured some little blocks of the guard,
who. day and night, with fixed bayonets,
watched over me, to lay under each end
Of the large bar of my leg irons, to pre-
serve my ANGLES from calling, sat on the
chest or lay back on the same, though
most Of the time, night and day, sat on
it; but at length having desire to lie
down on my side, which the eloseness Of
the irons forbid, I desired, the Captain
to loosen them for that purpose, but was
denied the favor. The Captains name
was Royal, who did not seem to be an
ill-natured man; but oftentimes said that
his express orders were to treat me with
such severity, which was disagrseable
to bis own feelings; nor did hs ever in
suit me, though many others who came
on board, did. One of the officers by
the name of Bradley, was very generous
to me; no would often send me victuals
from his own table; nor did a day fail,
but what he sent me a good drink Of
grog.
was confined in the manner have
related. on board the Gaspee schooner,
about six weeks; during which time l
was obliged to throw out plenty of ex-
| traVapant ianpuAue which nrswerad cnr.