Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-08-09
A YOUNG HERO.
1oture Generations VIII Drink In th. s...
OF Nathan Hale

generations Will Drink In the stor,
OF Nathan Hale.
IN City Hall park. New York CITY
ahos the bronze statue of a youno
inah' the story of whose brief life tbriljs
all patriotic. hearts.
The statue represents him ninionsd
awaiting the gallows, as he uttered his
last words. Z" LIE
alherlcans unite in admiration of his
noble character, pride in self-foroetfnl
heroism, and grief over his untimeIv
death. Every boy and girl in America
should know by heart the life of Cant.
Nathan Hale. 1t is story which every
son and daughter of the great republic
should eashrine in their memories.
In the darkest hour of our countries
Struggle for liberty, this self-devoted
hero-inspired with fervid patriotism
ana eager to render service to his
country-laid down his young life. a
sacrifice to the cause of American
liberty.
Inc days and weeks that followed
that memorable Fourth of July in I-1G
We're dark, indeed. for the strugpIin,
colonists.
determined to crush with one effort
the instruction in her American colo
MES, Great Britain sent that summer a
larger force than any which had before
landed upon our shores.
You know the story of the disastrous
battle upon Long Is,and-where the
lew thousand ill-clothed, undisciplined
provincial troops faced splendidly-
equipped army, many regiments of
which were veterans. The raw Amer
lean troops, despite their courage and
herolsm, were no match for the trained
and skilled soldiery of Great Britain:
and even Gen. Washington. undemon-
stratlve and reserved as he was. is said
to have wrung his hands in anguish
upon seeing his troops defeated and
driven back, he being powerless to aid
them.
After the disastrous battle of Long
Island. Washington sorely needed in
formation of the strength and probable
movements of the powerful enemy He
deemed it necessary that some skilled
soldier should go, as spy, within the
British lines and procure for him the
knowledge SO much desired. that he
might be warned in ample time"
Capt. Nathan Hale, brilliant young
officer belonging to Knowlton's Rang
undertake the enterprise upon which
the fate of the detected little army
seemed to depend. His friends sought in
vain to dissuade him from his purpose
81 desire to be useful was his reply:
his only thought seemed to be to serve
his country.
The young officer presented himself
to Gen. Washington as volunteer for
fha do
received his instructions and disap-
peared from camp.
He passed up the Connecticut shore.
disguised himself as a schoolmaster
and landed upon Long Island. He Wis
tied all the British camps upon Long
Island and in New York, and made
drawings of the Notifications. writing
his observations in Latin. and hiding
them between the soles of his shoes.
. He had been about two weeks within
the British lines, had accomplished his
purpose, and was waiting upon the
shore at Huntington, l.. l.. for a boat
that was to convey him to Connecticut.
when he was captured, having been rec
ognized a few hours previous by tory
refugee. He was taken aboard a British
man-of-war and carried to Sir William
Howe's headquarters in New York city.
Here he was condemned to be executed
at sunrise on the following morning.
In what prison or guardhouse the
noble souled young patriot spent that
last sad night of his life is not known:
but of the brutality with which he was
treated by the provost marshal into
whose hands he was given over there is
abundant proof. His request for the
attendance of a clergyman was refused.
Even Bible was denied him.
During the preparations for the exc
cution, an English officer obtained per
mission to offer the prisoner the seclu
sion of his tent, where writing mate
rails were furnished.
But the farewell letters he wrote tc
MS mother. to his sweetheart and to a
comrace in the army were torn to shreds
before his eyes by the cruel provost
marshal.
1t was early dawn on Sunday morn
ing, September %, 1916, that our young
hero was hurried away from the tent
of the English officer to the gallows
The spot selected was the orchard of
Col Henry Rutgers on East Broadway.
not far above what is now Franklin
square.
A crowd had gathered, many OF
whom afterward bore witness to the
noble hearing of the young hero. and
to the barbarity with which he was
treated by the provost marshal. This
official said: THE rebels shall never
know they have a man who can die
with such firmness-'
As Hale was about to ascend the |
fatal scaffold, he stood moment look |
ing upon the detachment of British |
soldier and the crowd standing about: |
and the words that came from his |
Iowa, young heart in that supreme mo-
ment will never die: Il only regret |
that have but one life to lose for my |
country"
1t is not known in what spot his |
BODY was laid, but the bones of the |
young patriot crumpled to dust in the
heart of the great metropolis of the
republic he helped to found.
So long as love of country is cher
ished. and devotion to the cause of
liberty is remembered, so long will the
name of Nathan Hale shine with pure
and undimmed lustre.-St. Nicholas.
Changing Customs in Mourning.
I am much interested, says writer,
% see how we Americans are following
the English custom in wearing mourn