Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1881-06-10
Price Four Cents.

important, and SO much desired by the com
mander of her armies-and I know of no
other mode of obtaining the information
than by assuming disguise and passing into
tn enemy's camp I am fully sensible of the
consequences of discovery and capture in
such situation, but for year I have been
attached to the army and have not rendered
any material service, while receiving COM
pensation for which / make no return; yet
am not influenced by the expectation of
promotion or pecuniary reward. I wish to
be useful, and every kind of service neces-
sary for the public good becomes honorable
by being necessary. If the exigencies of my
country demand peculiar service, its claims
to the performance of its service are imperi-
ous."
Hale received instructions from Washing
ton in person. Then crossing over from
Norwalk, Connecticut, in sloop, he was landed
on Long Island at place called 1.-THE Ce-
dars" on Huntington bay. This was about
the 18th of September. Assuming the dis
guise of schoolmaster he entered the Brit
ish camps and was successful in accomplish
ing the main objects of his mission. He then
retraced his steps and arrived in safety at
1.-THE Cedars, where he had arranged to meet
boat to carry him back in safety to the
Connecticut shore. At length he saw he
supposed, his boat approaching 1t was early
morning and his perils must have seemed
over, as he could plainly discover the shores
VI udtlV0 STATE rising IN beauty D61Of6
him beyond the blue waters of the Sound. He
hastened to the waters edge to meet it, whsn
suddenly number of men sprang up and
with muskets aimed at his breast compelled
his surrender. 1t was a boat which it was
said had come ashore for water from the
Halifax, British man-of-war, Captain
Quarme, which was anchored near by, but
had been concealed from Hale's view by the
projection of Lloyd's Neck. On being taken
aboard he was searched, when were found be-
tween the soles of his shoes drawings of the
British works with notes IN Latin. It was
evident that he was spy. As such Captain
Q-arme treated him, though with kindness,
won by his noble bearing, and regretting as
he afterward said, ''that 80 fine fellow had
fallen into his power"
His subsequent history is soon told. He
was taken to New York, which he reached
few days after it had fallen into the posses
sion of the British. Hale was at once taken
to the headquarters of Sir William Howe at
the Beekman mansion on Turtle Bay, then
three miles out of the city, now the corner of
First avenue and Fifty-tirst street. IL was
the same mansion subsequently occupied by
General Clinton where four years later, al
most to day, Major Andre slept the
night previous to his departure on his ILL
fated expedition. New York was then a
small town, and on the day of Hales arrival
one-third of it, comprising about 500 houses,
had been destroyed by fire. Sir William
Howe tall and digni6ed, personally re-
sembled Washington; but he was harsh and
imperious towards 1.-The rebels'' who fell into
his power. Hale's trial took place in green
house attached to the mansion. 1t was short
and summary, and orders were given for his
execution Tomorrow morning at day
break" He was put in charge of Captain
William Cunningham, an Irishman who early
in life had served In the British dragons.
At the outbreak of the war he was a resident
of New York, and becoming tory and rene
gade Joined Sir William Howe and by him
was appointed provost marshal of the British
army. A large lusty Irishman of rough,
forbidding aspect, he was one of the most
horrible cruel wretches that ever occupied the
position of jailer over human beings Avari-
cious cruelty 80, he at times dosed his prison
ers with a, ,senic in their flour for the sake of
cheating his king and country by continuing
to draw their nominal rations He was ac-
customed to beat his prisoners in the back
yard at night until their cries for mercy so
distressed certain women in the neighbor-
hood that they complained to General Howe
to abate the nuisance. He was wont to sit
at his quarters at the provost or jail-which
stood within the present postofice park
near Barrack, now Chambers street-and
drink punch until his brain was on fire. He
would then stagger out into the corridors,
followed often by his negro Richmond, the
common hangman, and pouring volleys of
abuse on the wretched sufferers who hap
pened to be outside drive to their cells the
''dogs'' and "rebel spawn" he called
them, and then kick over the vessels of soup
which the charitable sometimes placed there
for the frlendless captives. This wretch de-
MED Hale his request for Bible and writing
materials. But young officer of the guard,
touched by pity, interposed and supplied
him with the latter. He wrote, it is thought,
three letters-to his parents, to his sisters,
and one to his affanced, Alice Adams. These
letters were given to Cunningham for ulti-
mate delivery. These he read, and then in
furiated by the noble, heroic spirit they dis
played he tore them to atoms, for the reason
he afterwards gave, ''that the rebels should
never know that they had man who could
die with such firmness
Hale's place of execution is supposed to
have been not far fro East Broadway and
Market street, then in the suburbs of the
city Early morning it was and the people
crowded around the spot to witness the sad
scene. Many whom the terrible fire the day
before had rendered houseless and homeless
were there. But among them all not one fa-
miliar face was present, not one vol, e to whls-
per word of consolation in his dying ear.
Yet his spirit did not give way. He stood
there undaunted, ready for the sacrifice.
Then it was that the horrible wretch Gun
ningham, with a triumphant leer of fendish
wickedness, demanded of him in coarse,
scoffing tones ''his dying speech and confess
sion" +" as though he had been guilty of some
monstrous crime. This in the hope that he
would give some answer y;r, which dch
he could turn into rldicuIe ior
Hale, it is said, gave one glance of contempt
at the miserable man land then, as his soul
was filled with the grandeur of the idea his
changed to one of holy energy :
and sweetness as he uttered in reply in thrill
ing tones that most sublime sentence which
e. oil ti,,,a his MAJ aa
of the most heroic souls known to human his
tory: 81 only regret that have but one life
to lose for my country" s'Swing the rebel
off Swing the rebel off ~ cried the infuri-
ated Cunningham. A few minutes later and
all was still in death
At the execution the brutal Cunningham
swore at the women for crying At the close
of the war, with other tories, he fed to Nova
Scotia where he was eventually arrested for
forgery, tried, convicted and hung
In the simple language of one who knew
them well, THE death of Hale almost killed
his parents" Poor Asher Wright, his faith
full camp attendant, was made partially in
sane by the blow for the rest of his life.
Although he lived to the age of ninety
years, he could never allude to the
circumstance without bursting into tears.
He said Hale was too good looking,
too frank-hearted to succeed. ''Some scrubby
fellow ought to have gone" Hale's affianced
in 1874 at the age of 6S, in her last hours
bore his image in her mind; for the last
words she spoke on earth we're, "Write to
Nathan"
Where the noble form of Nathan Hale
found it's burial, not human being tell.
1t is supposed that his sepulchre was in an
old graveyard just north of the site of Cham
ber street, New York, where the dead of the
American prisoners were ANONYMOUSLY
thrust by their relocated foe. In digging
deep for the foundations of the business
structures now standing there, his remains
long long ago must have been exhumed and
his dust scattered to the winds of Heaven.
Andre has been greatly honored in his burial
in Westminster Abbey among the renowned
of England's dead. The whole world knows
his history, this young man of Swiss parents,
born and bred on English soil, who held the
high position of adjutant general of the
British army-know it because his arrest by
three patriotic and incorruptible militia men
led to the discovery of the appalling treason
of one of Americas most trusted and talent
ed generals.
Benedict Arnold and Nathan Hale In
neither ran drop of coward blood; but in
81 = IL -lI