New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-11

aThe He'll as The pfson.hip Jersey was known Sic
was only one o, Sc, eral Of the British prison ships or
dcus Of cruelty lrwcvcr the principal ones heSde'
her being the Prince 81 Wales. Good Hope SCORPION
~tronbolo and Falmouth. The Jersey was sixty four
mn shin and had A long and honorable cayccr IN the
Uritlsh navy until She was d.man'lcd and took thr
place Of tho prison ship Good HOPE, when tie latter
WAS burned in Walabout Bay. now the site OF tr'
Navy Yard In Hrooklyn. Tho Good Hope and Other
vc .cs which had been used transports 10 bring over
the lobster backs the British red coat"d soldier
were called were first employed as prison ships ana
norton Of the American prisoners taken In the as
,>trou, battle Of Long Island, on August II. l''"'
were put aboard them a. they las In Gr,ve'chd hiy
When New York fell I'p The hands of The British TIC
prI-oners taken. well those taken IN successive
american defeats. nunbciuc many thousands. more
Than filed the -ocallcd prison ships. and the Norh
and Middle Dutch churchc, and several other cmrchc'
and the ordinary fails were not sufficient 10 hold item
and then the Jersey The Whiby and Falmouth. then
lnoorcd I'm the Wallllout. wo-c made prison ships
The Jersey certainly Won pre- cmIncncc for supreme
cruelty 10 human brius- Notwithstanding the horrible
treatment 81 the prisoner, Oh the Other vessels Sh'
wa, ucruitted - rot and sink at the point where -he
lay fpr 30 many years, and "A f." years ago "hcn
excavations were being made FOR new building at
the Navy Yard pieces ~ the old ship and bones Of
the prisoner, brought up. A. each prisoner was
sent on board Of this den he was taken into the hod
where he Joined mes, consisting Of six or eight
only when full VIII little light and little fresh
air they were packed together like animals, fed on
spoiled and wormy food. AID little Of 1t at that.
During the day the prisoners came mp on deck in
turns for fresh air and exercise and the rest Of the
fine was passed I'm the hold. The brutality OF the
officer, and guards grossly nhunan, and ih was
idle sport for them 10 fire among or bayonet the
prisoners for the most trivial offence That disease
and death made fearful havoc among them was not
IND, .,d 1. M lat
the horrible hole Of suffering the Jersey was, on
board Of which the regular morning wa Rebels.
turn out your dead - the name Of The He'll
There were instances Of successful escape, but all
these attempts whether successful or unsuccessful,
increased the restraints put upon the capvcs ThouS
ands Of the dead were buried in shallow graves on
the shore, and from one cause or another many OF
the bones ancrward became exposed.
I'm l-O- many hogslcads Of bones Of these patriots
were collected and buried in vault upon ground
near the Navy Yard given by John Jackson, who had
purchased the Rcm-en estate, which afterward be
came "A part Of the Navy Yard. The cornerstone OF
this tomb laid by Benjamin Romainc AT that Tune
Grand sachem Of the Tammany Society or Columbian
order Of the City Of New York, and in which were
placed thirteen great collins 10 typify the thirteen
original states. In 1889 the tomb, which was
wooden structure, had 50 badly decayed That the
municipal government Of Brooklyn removed the re
main, Of the martyr, 10 a new tomb In Washington
Park the site OF EOrt tftcHc. ONefODhlllB uio
moorng place Of the jersey. Then MIR. Romano
who was a true patriot and had served In the war;
bought the old lot burial place for himself ana
family aud In le1i his body was buried IN CONN
which he had long kept for himself In the tomb.
The prison-sh.p martyrs have not had Their memory
neglected. however for al Milford, Conn. Is "A monu'
nent in memory OF forty who lie buried there
ON three Of the faces Of this monument are these
inscriptions: -,
"In honor Of forty-siX American soldiers who sacrl
feed their lives in struggling for the independence
OF TINS country. ..
1.-TWO hundred American soldiers, who. In DESTITUTE
.,cilc and diving condition, brought from
British prison ship, when lying near New. YORK ahG
Suddenly cast upon shores from BRUSH Garter
shin on January /. l1I'. 49, 49, A., ,., 4,
Erected by the Joint liberality OF the General As
somi,I. ana The people OF Milford and contributing
,'1,nug those buried at Milford are captain Dawn
Ainrri- Edward Morris, Charlie, Pond Peter Iohd anu
+ icu.cnaut Zaciaria, KhOadcs, AL Of whom nave
-cendnnts living In c her Milford. STAFFORD New
Nnrk ar IrOphlyn. The society Of BrDOhlNnites aeu
r,rsod 10 Ice erected the monument IN lhe lflnlN
Churchyard 10 the memory Of the prison snip marNfs
The monument proposed Ia be erect 81 al FORT "icer
and for which plans had lccn made was 10 bc oi
era nic and put up the base alFehdy con-trucuu
md which surrounds the present tomb II was Ia be
'mru"mntrd Inv a dome upon the top Of which was
~ hc n huge bronze eagle with spread wings. ON
The pancs about the pedestal " was proposed to nave
Of the prison ships Win appropriate