The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-06-27

Breucklen shore) CUNNING HAN
disturb their slumbers And they pray
that Master Cunningham. our provost
marshal. will devise some means to
keep the poor wretches quiet OF
nights" o.. .
So runs an old letter written In
New York during the darkest days OF
the American Revolution. The Brit.
ish had captured New York and Phila'
deiphia. To both cities-but chiefly to
New York-they brought thousands OF
patriot soldiers, captured In battle,
and many non-combatants who had
risked freedom and life to help the
cause of liberty by money. gifts or By
patriotic speeches.
These unlucky captives were not
treated like prisoners Of war They
were housed and fed-or. rather.
| starved-in a way the law nowadays
would not permit for cattle or swine.
And the man in charge Of them w8
a blackguard whose own countrymen
loathed him, William Cunningham.
Cunningham was the son OF Brit
ish dragoon and was born In. the
regimental barracks at Dublin. In 1774
he came to America and settled In
New York, where he made living for
some time by breaking" colts and by
giving riding lessons When the Revo-
luton broke out. in 1775. he became
involved in q political row with some
local patriots and was forced to fee
to Boston, there to seek the protection
o: the British army.
His noisy loyalty to King George
III. got him into trouble there and at
tracted the notice Of Thomas Gage,
the English general. Gage appointed
him provost marshal to the royal
army. His chance for revenge" had
come
Cunningham was sent back to New
York and was put in charge Of tho
Revolutionary prisoners there and in
Philadelphia. There were several i'm
promptu prisons In New York where
the patriot captives were lodged. One
was the city hall. another the famous
old Sugar House." another. Kings
(now Columbia) college: another the
new gaol" (the old hall Of records
in City Hall park. torn down only q
few years ago), and-worst Of all
the prison ship Jersey" moored on
the Brooklyn shore. Churches were
also turned into jails.
In the prison ship the oaptives were
herded by hundreds In dark. foul pens.
destitute of pure air and sunlight.
They were given such food az dos
might we'll scorn. and In such tiny
quantities az would not sufice to
keep q dog alive. The water they
drank was flthy No medical care
or chance for cleanliness or exercise
was granted them. Prison fever and
other maladies scourged their ranks:
They died like so many fiies. To such
fearful condition we're they reduced
that the lowest city outcasts were
touched by pity and secretly sent
them food.
The fate Of the captives In the new
gaol, or hall Of records. was little bet
ter. Here Is an extract from Pin
tard's account Of their sufferings:
$50 closely were they packed to-
gether that when they lay down a
night to rest, on the hard oak planks.
and they wished to turn. 1t was all
together. by word of command
'right'-1eft-being so wedged as to
form almost . solid mass Of human
bodies
All war is cruel But such torture
a. this was inexcusable. And (though
the British government might perhaps
have bettered matters had they chos.
en- to) the lions share Of the blame
was Cunningham's. Here 10 portion
OF his sworn confession. made in 17o1.
Just before his own execution:
IT shudder to think Of the murders
I have been accessory to. both with
and without orders from government,
especially while In New York, during
which time there vero more than two
thousand prisoners starved BY stop.
ping their ratious (which I sold).
There were also i76 American pris.
ooers executed. A guard was desi
potcn0d 70 IOrDio people 10 look Out
from their doors or windows on pain
Of death. after which the prisoosrs
were conducted. gagged. at midnight.
just behind the upper barracks. hung
without trial and then buried"
Cunningham went back to England
after the war and took to riotous Nv
ing. Being short Of money to sQuan;
der on dissipation. he forged a draft
For this crime he was tried. con-
demned. and. on August 10, 1871, was
hanged.
He is said to have been respon sible
for the shameful death OF nearly $500
American patriots. Nor could mere
hatred for the coionists account for
this wholesale slaughter. since he dis
honestly sold for his own profit The,
/ nrOyi sinpa aiJOttaJ tn fhop,