New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-30
4 HISTORIC CITY BUILDING.
THE OLD REGISTERS oFFICE+ITs USE AS
A BRITISH PRISON..



Tom Idftor OF The Tribune.
ct,. pohabIv not onc In tcn thOusarn Of the crowds
that daily mass the building In the Park known a tho
Pecister,s Office knows that he Is looking on inc
oldest and only public building directly connecting us
with Revolutionary times. For duhng the war DO
cir,,rr with the occupation uf NeIgYork by inc
British untn Evacuation Day in 1888, 1t was croNuoo
rromiscuosy with feons of the worst Character prs
oners Of war and Others who had incurred the emny
Of the British authorities, and was rueh over DS 'o
Infamous Provost Marshal Cunningham ""oso
brutality and crueties have caused his name 10 pe
execrated About the year 1857 when the CITY was
below wa-st., with only scattered suourO oo'D'''
and the need OF room in the City Hail. Where tno
Treasury now stands, made the remoN" vi 'io '~i
therefrom necessary. the building OF ne" 11u was
decided on True 10 the custom OF the tnos "
ever public or benevolent work was unsertaAcn 'i'
Province granted lottery of 1000 pormds to raise
money for the building. IL was Originally h'o''eu
TO be two stories high but before completion j. "SS
doterm,ned to make three-story building and prooa-
bIv for this reason grant OF another lottery oil ;ooo
pounds was made TO complete it,
II was built remote from the city, far In the he' Dy
the side of the wOrkhOuse7 standing on TIDE site inc
present City Hall and adjoining the hlgh rOsA 10
Boston. leading from Spring Garden where ihc
Herald building stands. Substantially ao"T
cbatbamst 70 IFS intersection with Pearlst, and was
surrounded by the implements VI P"'''
pIlorv The whipping post the stocks and the galp"s
II Looked out on the spot where Lesler and Milmrne
had suffered martyIdom In the cause OF the people
rr,rinr the stormy days which preceded the NcV
olution II was used frequently TO ncrcerato onloA
ions patriots and was sometimes witness 10 PPu
lar demonstrations in favor OF the luprsvN'"
with the occupation Of New-York by the br7isn Us
interest as a Revolutionary prison besihs Le,o
Is tradition that Hale, the martyr spy, spent Ms
|
Of Provost Marshal Cunningham, his eXecutloncr
From this time on It was constantly crowded WIN
prsoners many times halfstsrved, and It's dungeons
were filed with the more obnoxious feoeis "4Ncu
with criminals Of the worst kind
The horrible description Of Dantes entrance lil'o
Inferno would scarcely parallel the scene Vn'n
awaited the prisoner entering here. As one eaffl-
csde after another opened and closed upon him. the
iron doors and rafting chains the armed guard ana
the increasing gloom must have struck terror mo
his heart and he must have in imagination Almost
seen that terrible inscription: All hope ABANDON ye
who enter here.7 Nor were the scenes within cal
cuated 10 raise his spirits Crowded within were the
weI the sick and the dying, the newcomer anu 'lo
prisoner enervated by long confinement
Saws a prisoner: So closely were we packed that
when our bones ached night from lying on the hau
blanks and we wished to turn, II could ony DC uoe
by word Of command being SO wedged and conpao'
as 10 form almost a solid mass of human bodies
| The allowance to each man two pounds OF hard
biscuit and two pounds Of raw pork per Week. ou'
no fuel was allowed with which TO dress It,
In the midst of this the jail fever ravaged and
carried of many victims Says Ethan Allen who was
a prisoner here The stencil Of the jail. which vas
,pl, loathsome and unhealthy, occasioned ho@Se-
ness Of the lungs which proved fatal TO many VINO
were there confned7 1t is also charged that Ameri-
can generals and soldiers here slowly starVed
to death. many being relieved Of their snhcrlhss by
.be administration of arsenic in their ratloI-
Horrible as the prison itself was, # had greater
horror In the dark and damp dungeon beneath crowded
With nurderers and the worst criminals. and TO which
the nrisoners above were consigned at Ill. And be
fore these prisoners was the constant temptation oil
release If they would enter into the Briti'h service Bu
the prison was the scene OF rejoicing. II was the
custom of wclIdsposed persons 10 send relief To some
~ the rebel prisoners and mornina person sent
by one Of the guards loaf OF bread 70 an Amerlral
officer The officer found concealed Within 1t line
announcing the capture OF Buteoyne; ,
| lie communicated the news to his fellow prisoners
and cheer arose which alarmed the guards Ethan
Alien l. said Ia have called down Though the chin
ney with his sentOrian voice, 10 the prisoners bt
low shout you rebels BurgOyne taken Aud then
such shout arose through the prison that passing pc0
ple thought prisoners had risen on their epeIs an
The guards seized their weapons ana ran 10 Iepe 'he
The building continued to be rebel prison down
10 Evacuation Day and thousands OF american soldier
and civilians passed through its ordeal or died within
its walls II is said that on Ev;icuaiiOn Day me
Provost Marshal Cunningham ref ised 10 release his
prisoners until the last minute and when The approach
Of Washington rendered longer stay dangerous he
threw down the keys at the door and hastily joined
| the last detachment OF British trC ops
u TO me that 50 tle Interest Is taken
I'm this old building II is, far We know the only
remaining Revolutionary prison in the country. ana
We are continually meeting In tho early history OF the
| country towns some OF whose inhabitants passed
through or died in this prison. During the last Cen
l tennal celebration old ST. PALS was a centre Ol
i interest and II was decOUHed with flags and visited
nv crowds And yet. for seven long years OF British
occupation while prayers being offered there FOR
the success Of King George and the British arms. here
/ ,-ittf -foh nd hut fnW
prlsoned patriots fervnty praying for Washington
| and the triumph Of the American cause. But on
Centennial Day no flag fORted it, and # remained
closed dark and silent, unmarried unnoticcd and I'M
| visited. ,
We're IL In some other city like Boston or Phlla-
dephia Il would saCYedly preserved and filed with
| Revolutionary mement0s. But this greatest city on
the continent is Indifferent 10 the destruction OF MS
! last Revolutionary relic, W. IL. IL
| New-YOrk, sept. IL, 1880.