The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-15
TARDY TRIBUTE
PAID TO HEROES
Monument in Memory of Prison
Ship Martyrs Dedicated
at Brooklyn.
TAFT ORATOR OF THE DAY
HORRORS ENDURED BY AMERI-
CANS ON BRITISH HuLKs.

New York. Nov 14-With President
elect William II. Taft as the orator of the
day. and in the presence Of an immense
crowd OF PEOPLE who crowded every point
of vantage. an imposing Doric column of
granite, erected in memory Of prison ship
martyrs was dedicated today.
In his tribute to the ten thousand men
who sacrificed their lives In the prison
ships Mr. Taft said he did not wish to
be understood as charging that the hor-
rible conditions which obtained on the
SHIPS were due TO generalization of the
British commanders. commander in chief
or to any one in authority.
A Recent Example.
such charges would make the British
commanders human monsters, said he
The conditions were the result OF neg
leci. not design.
He contrasted the treatment of priS-
oners OF war in those years with that
of recent years The conduct of both Rus
sian and japanese prisons during the re-
cent war IN the far east was polnten 10
by M Taft as Jan example or the re-
nlarkable progress which had taken place
since the days of the revolution. he De
Tended Washington against the charge
which has been made that upon MN
should be placed at least portion or the
responsibility for the i'll treatment OF the
ship prisoners as result OF Washing
British soldiers for imprisoned American
sailors.
He said that the conditions which pre-
vailed made it absolutely essential Tor
Washington TO retain his British soldiers
prisoners
What should be emphasized" said he,
lis that the refusal of Washington and
the American authorities 10 make the
proposed exchange was not the slightest
Justification for the neglect and cruelty
with which the prisoners of war upon the
prison hulk were treated"
Thousands of Martyrs.
After more than a century of agitation
by individuals and organizations. bones
representing approximately 1000 mar
tyrs' OF the revolutionary war. who died
on the prison ship Jersey" and other
lesser vessels in Wallabout bay, Brook
lyn. lie at last In a fittingly marked bur-
ial place for which the government. New
York state and hundreds of individuals
made contributions. An imposing DorIc
column OF granite. go feet high, sur
mounted by funeral urn and flag staff.
rises above the tomb at Fort Greene
park Brooklyn. and its dedication today
is marked by a remarkable military pa
rade of nearly 10000 soldiers and marines,
and memorable addresses by President
elect William n. Taft and Governor
Charles Z. Hughes
Monster Parade.
The procession of naval and military
=
est in the history of Brooklyn, the ire
mendous outpouring Of people from ali
over Greater New York, crowding dense
ly the line OF march. and at Fort Greene
park SEED by tens of thousands. pre-
scented an inspiring spectacle. Ma joI
General Charles +. Roe. commanding The
national guard of the state. which com
prised four divisions-troops attached to
division headquarters. First and Second
brigade headquarters and the naval MILL
tia In these We're included two squad
rons OF coast artillery regiments, headed
by General David +. Austen: the Sew
enth, Twelfth. Fourteenth. Twenty third.
Forty-seventh. Sixty-first and Seventy
second infantry regiments of the national
guard: Fourth division of the G.. A r.
veterans associations and patriotic socie-
ties. squadrons of mounted police and
many military and other bands.
Tammany First to Act
The vicissitudes of the remains of the
sailors and soldiers who died of fever
and starvation. and rotted in the foul
huiks of the British prison ships long
anchoreti-in Wall2bout bay. which they