Ellsworth American., 1876-11-23
A Centennial Story.

One hundred years ago, Nathan Hale.
captain in the patriot army, was hange,
as spy in New York CITY. Born |,
Coventry, Ct. June 6. 1865. Nathan Hale
graduated at Yale College in l77l: an,
afterward taught at East Haddam anf
New London. News came OF the battle.
at Concord and Bunker Hill. A town
meeting was called at New London, and
he, young man, principal OF the acad.
emy' addressed the assembage, closing
MS speech with the stirring words
Let US march Immediately, and never lay
down arms until we have obtained our in.
! dependence, He was made alieutenant in
the company that was raised and was pro.
moted to the captaincy when Capt. John
Latimer was made major. -Mauy of the
recruits were sea-faring- -nen, and at least
four OF them belonged to the ancient tribe
OF MoneSan. !.a.at'aBs, ..at' aGaptm uIH IHalis waSrip
| lI'5, It arrived in New Y ork city. At the
| time it was attached to Webb's regiment
| In Spencer's brigade. Shortly afterward.
however, Gen. Washington organized a
select regiment to be known as 'Concress's 8
Own. and placed it under command OF
/ Col Thomas knowltou, OF Ashford CT.
who had greatly distinguish himself at
Bunker Hill, and who fell at the battle of
/ Harlem Plains. Nathan Hale's COMPANY
was with knowlton IN the gallant charge.
but their beloved commander was in the
camp OF the enemy, under orders from
Washington.
History has preserved the muster roll (
the regiment, aud among the men whom
Hale commanded are found the ancestors
oil not few families OF distinction in New
York as we'll as Connecticut
few OF them, led by Hale, cut out a
sloop from the side of the British man of
war Asia. in the harbor of New York, and
party OF three was chosen to take charge
OF the tire-shp which ran alongside the
trigate Phenix, in the Hudson liver. So il
happened that after the disastrous defe at
on Long Island, when Gen Washington
looked around for man whom he could
trust to go into the camp OF the enemy and
report is condition, the choice OF Col
huowlton and other high officers fel! upon
Capt. Nathan Hale. Tradition has pre-.
served picture OF the gallant young SOL
der, who In April, l716, encamped his
company III the telds near our Bunker Hill,
at Broadway, and the Bowery, and VINO in
September. The same year, crossed the
Sound at Norwalk on his perilous erraud.
Twenty-one years old H. June, bright eyed
aud athletic, he was dressed In a frock of
white Iinen, iringed, such as officers then
wore, with yellow ribbons IN his cockade
10 mark his rank in lieu OF epaulets. He
had his iire-lock sluug behind, Gall officers
wore them thus, and at his side was the
sword worn by his uncle, Nathan Hale,
who wa, killed by shell at the siege of
Louisburg, in E45.
When equipped tor the perilouS work of
spy. Capt. Hale changed his unilorm for
plain SAT- of citizens clothes with round
broad btimmed hat, assuming the charac-
ter oil u schoOImaster and retaining moth
ng but his college diploma, signed by the
Rev. Dr. Naphtali Dagget, president of
Yale. rs Introduction TO his assumed call
ing.-leaving that place in sloop com
manded by Capt. Pond, he was set ashore
at Huntington, l.. l., aud thence proceed ed
through the British camps on Long Is
land and at New York After passiu. safe
lv to the out. posts OF the British army, he
stopped at a tarvern called the .Cedur>.
where he was seen and recognized hr fn-
ry cousin, a diS-ipated young man named
samuel Hale, who had received many ia
vors at his hands In former times.
q This double traitor betrayed him to the
British, saying that he was captain IN the
Continental army, aud a spy. Gen. Howe
was then residing at the Beckman house,
near the present junction OF LIST avenue and
5lst street Hale was brcught before him,
and frankly owned his name, rank and OBJ
ject. lhi, was on ;he 2lst OF September.
1875. just one week from the day on which
Washington had given him his secret in-
structions at the Murry house, Son Murray
hill
Without allowing Capt. Hale the formal- !
" OF a trial Gen. Howe delivered him ov- |
er 10 the custody of the infamous provost |
marshal. Capt. Cunningham and ordered /
him to be hanged the next morning. That |
night he was coutint d in the greenhouse I
OF the Beekman mansion and closely guard
ed He asked Tor a clergyman. Ii was re-
fused him. He next asked for Bible. |
That, too, was refused. \ British officer !
who bore flag OF truce to out lines to in- !
form the Americans of the fate Of Capt. |
Hale, gave Capt. Alexander Hamilton
some Interesting details of the manner in |
which be met his death. He said;
On the morning of the execution my sta
tion was near The fatal spot. and | request
ed the prOvost-mar>hal to let Hale sit in /
my morquee while the necessary prepara-
tons were making. Hale entered calm /
and dISnitud. He asked tor pen aud ink
and wrote "A letter To his mother and bro
ther, which were subsequently destroyed |
by Cunningham. Shortly after he was
summoudto the gallows few were arount T
His last words We're: Il only regret /
have but one lite to give for my cour " /
This is the testimony of British officer |
to the fortltude of a hero. Contemporaries |
Gus history atfirms the cruelty of Howe and |
Cunningham. The latter gave as a reason |
for destroying the letters written by his |
prisoner that the rebels should not know
they had in their army a man who could |
die with so much firmness.'
<.,th h,r Ri ~ - n,,f,, .harn
Capt. Hale was buried. Some have placed |
the spot under great butternut tree that |
stood until awithin few years iu front OF
the Beekman mansion. Others assert that
II was beneath an apple tree on the old |
Rutgers farm in the 7th ward. His grave
was unmarked and forgotten, but some
where in New York city, the ashes OF Ma
than Hale rest, and no monument has been |
erected to his memory. The town of Co.
ventry, where he was born. has erected q
shaft in his honor, but New York has given
Nnrk Wnrl1