The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-09-05
The Prototype of Wirz.

The following narrative or confession,
published in Niles Register, is not only
curious, as showing how the cruelties of
the rebel stockades and prisons We're
paralleled by the atrocities committed
against the patriots of our first War of
Freedom, but is also suggestive of par
allel between Cunningham and the more
| modern WirZ:
| CAPTAIN WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM.
The following is copied from the
american apollo, No. I, Friday, Feb.
II, 1872, volume /, printed at Boston, by
Belknap d Young, State street, "a week
| ~ paper in the form of pamphlet:
t"Ihe Life, Confession, and last DYillg
Words of Cttptdin tVliiaDa tt,ysni,,g-
| ham, formerly P'opost 1Harshot in tie
city Of -Nea0 York, qohO aDas erecuted ia
| London, The 10Th Of Augast, 179l. +.
| II, William Cunningham, was born
in Dublin barracks, in. the year 173S.
My father was trumpeter to the Blue
Dragons, and at the age of eight years
L was placed with an officer as his SER
want, i'm which station ] staid until |
was sixteen, and being great proficient
in horsemanship, was taken as an assist
ant to the riding-naster OF the troop,
and in the year 1861 was made Sergeant
of Dragons, but the peace coming the
year following, was disbanded. Being
bred to no profession, took up with Il
woman who kept gin shop in blind
alley near the Coal Quay; but the house
being searched for stolen goods, and my
doxy taken to sNewgate, thought it
most prudent to decamp; accordingly
set off for the North, and arrived at
Drogheda, where, in few months after,
married the daughter of an eXciseman,
by whom l had three sons. .sillHss
'"About the year 1772 we removed to
| Newry, where L commenced the profess
sion of a scOwbanker, which is that of
enticing the mechanics and country peo-
pie to ship themselves for America, on
promises of great advantage, and then
artfully getting an indenture upon them !;
in consequence of which, on their ar
rival in America, they are sold or obliged
to serve term of years for their pas
sage. I embarked at Newry in the ship
| Needham for New York, and arrived at
that port the, 4th day of August, 1774,
with some indentured servants / kidnap-
ped in Ireland, but were liberated in
| New York on account of the bad usage
| they received from me during the pas
1
of breaking horses, and teaching ladies
and gentlemen to ride, but rendering
myself obnoxious to the citizens i'm their
| infant struggles for freedom, j was
| Obliged to fly on board the Asia man-of-
war, and from thence to Boston, where
my own opposition to the measures pur-
sued by the Americans in support of
| their rights was the first thing that re-
commended me to the notice OF Gen.
| Gage and when the war commenced |
was appointed Provost Marshal to the
Royal army, which placed me in sit
uation to wrealk my vengeance on the
Americans. l shudder to think of the
murders | have been accessory to, both
lpih and tCithoW orders from GGUefn-
,aegst, especially while in New York,
during which time there were more than
two thousand prisoners starved in the
different churches by stopping their
rations, which l sold.
"There were also two hundred and
seventy-five American prisoners and
, obnoxious persons executed, out OF all
(which number there were only about
one dozen public executions, which
chiefly consisted of British and Hessiah
Ldeserters The mode for private eXecu-
tiOns was thus conducted: A guard was
dispatched from the Provost, about half
after IL at night, to the Barrack street,
and the neighborhood of the upper bar
racks, to order the people to shut their
window shutters and put out their lights,
| forbidding them, at the same time, to
presume to look out of their windows
and doors, Oh, pain of death; after which
the unfortunate prisoners were conduct
ed, gagged, just behind the upper bar
racks. and hung without ceremony, and
there buried by the black pioneer of the
| Provost.
| "At the end the war | returned to
England with the army and settled in
| Wales, as being cheaper place of living
than in any of the populous cities; but
being at length persuaded to go to Lon
don, | entered so warmly into the dissi-
pations of that capital that soon found
my circumstances much embarrassed,
TO relieve which, 1 mortgaged my half
nav to an army agent, but that being
soon expended forged draft tor three
hundred pounds sterling on the Board
of Ordnance, but being detected in pre-
seuting it for acceptance, l was appre-
bended. tried and convicted, and for
that offence am here to suffer an igno-'
minious death. ,ss- 2se
az beg the prayers of all good Chris
| tians, and also pardon and forgiveness
, of God for the many lorrid murders l
have been accessory to.
Il .-' ''W1I. CUNNINGnAM.n 9.
You have been soreiy tried" said a
g svmpathizing friend of Joe Crowdon,
weeniug over the coffin of his third
4. r-;ff y q Ny.,s - resDouded the bereavad