The National tribune., 1881-08-27
A SURVIVOR OF DARTMOOR PRISON.


has called out from the Baltimore Sun and others
the claim that Captain Hardie was the last sur
vivOr of that memorable affray. Rochester
people will not be satisfied with such state
ment, when it is well known that the venerable
David Wingate, a native of Rochester, and now
living with his son, Samuel Wingate, on the
Salmon Falls Road a little more than two miles
! from the village is a survivor of this massacre
! Mr.. Wingate has been a sturdy farmer, an up
! right citizen, Geyout Christian man, with whom
it is a pleasure to converse. On Saturday, in
company with friend we called at the house of
this white-haireI old patriarch, and found him
"hale and hearty" and free to converse upon the
subject. "No," said he captain Hardie was
not the last survivor, nor am /, for there is now
man living in Portland, Me. who was i'll Dart
moor Prison." and then the old gentleman, in
rapid and vivacious manner, said: II will tell
you all about it, for | was there, and can remem-
Der all that took place" We will give almost
! the exact words the old gentleman used, for he
has a good command of language and his simple,
| truthful way and manner will be much more
effective than any embellishments could give.
| He said:
| "In July, 1911 we sailed from ST. Mary's,
| Georgia. with full cargo of pine lumber, which
we discharged at Chatham dock yards, on the
! Midway. branch of the Thames. After un-
loading our cargo we dropped down the channel
to Falmouth, England, where, on our arrival, and
even before sails were quite furled our vessel
was boarded by Press Gang | was on the
topsail yard at the time and was singled out by
the gang, who claimed that was an Englshman
| toll I Ann SaIIn h,,X
held and put on the old hulk Experiment, a
guard-ship, and afterwards put on the receiving
ship San Salvador where were large number of
pressed men, l was finally drafted to go into
the service. After two months spent in transit,
mostly cruising, we arrived at the island of
MonOca, in the Mediterranean Sea, where was an
English naval station, in command of Rear-Ad-
miral Pickmore. Thomas Low, Henry Stone,
and James Connolly, of Boston; James Thayer,
of bingham, Mass, and myself all Americans
and pressed men, were placed on board of the
Admirals ship, Gorgon
"When news arrived that war had actually
begun between America and Great Britain there
was great uneasness among the prisoners con-
cerning the treatment we were then receiving:
for by the law of nations, prisoners of war have
!
prisoners wanted me to go to the quarterback,
act as spokesman, and claim our rights as pris-
oners of war, for we had been pressed into the
service. We knew rights and dared to de-
mand them. We were urged to enlist in the
royal service, and told that we should never have
to fight America, as we would be attached to the
Mediterranean fleet: il we refused we should be
put on two-thrds rations and be put in irons.
But no prisoner would yield, and we were put in
irons for twenty-four hours, when they were
, taken off; were given the liberty of the ship
and treated as well as we could expect under the
circumstances. After long stay at MOnoca, two
hundred and thirty of us prisoners, pressed men
who refused to do duty for the English, were
taken from the Mediterranean fleet and sent to
Gibraltar where we stayed six weeks. Some of
US were put on sloop-ofwar commanded by
Captain William Bissel. Twenty of us were put
in chains, for old Billy Bissel mistrusted that we
had plan to take the ship.
MANY of the prison ships at the Mediterranean
were those taken by Lord Nelson, Ehgland's
greatest naval commander, at Copenhagen. |
had now been in the service as pressed man
and on transit as a prisoner almost two and a
half years, and | have pair of woOllen
stockings given by man who was drowned
in attempting to escape by swimming from the
fleet while at anchor. At Dartmoor prison we
were put into cell No. Z, and were well treated
for they looked upon resolute men who
feared nothing. We had been there about six
months when news came of the treaty of peace
signed at Ghent between America and England
and from that time until our discharge we in
dulged in hilarity and sports. On the 9th of
April, while engaged in yard playing ball.
the ball was thrown over into the yard occupied
bv soldiers as barracks. We demanded the ball
weak place in the wall, some of the prisoners
tore out the bricks, and one crawled partly
through when he was driven back by the sentry
at the point of the bayonet. This was the cause
of the massacre though the soldiers did not want
to hurt the prisoners.
"The joyful demonstrations being kept up
Commander Shorthand appeared and ordered us
to our dungeons which request the prisoners re-
fused to comply with He then took a musket
and fired and then ordered the troops to fire at
u.s. which they did, firing over our heads, for the
troops didn't want to hurt unarmed men. The
shots were received with derisive shouts. They
fired second time, and six men were killed and
twelve were wounded This guelled the mani
, festations of JOY and went into the dungeon.
Twenty days after on the Goth of April, we were
discharged. Nobody can tell Our feelings, Some
of rs had been almost three wears as pressed men