The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-08-26
MEN OF REVOLUTION
 KNEW HORRORS OF CONVICT SHIP LIFE
Visit of Success Recalls The Story of The Floating
 Prison Jersey
More Than 5000 Patriots Were Confined Aboard Dismantled
 Ship--Dr. Bowman's Diary

The visit of the convict ship Sue cess'' :. to Bridgeport brings to mind the fact that we had famous prison ship in America the Jersey. Dur ing the Revolutionary war this famous or rather infamous old hulk was the prison in which at various times more than 5000 of the patriots who had ta- ken up arms against England were confined. There were other hulks used by the British for the same pur- pose. They were the Good Hope which lay for a time in the North River, the Scorpion, Falmouth, Stron- boil and Hunter but the most noted of all because she was the longest in use
 was the Jersey, which lay for more than three years in what was called Wallabout bay, off New York.
 The Jersey was an old dismant1ed 64-gun ship, anchored about a 100 yards from shore. The port holes were closed and two tiers of openings, twenty inches square were cut in her sides and crossed with iron bars. For a while more than 1000 prisoners were confined on her at once. They were crowded below the decks like cattle and underwent s6fferings i'm possible to describe. They died there like so many cattle. Of the 5000 who were prisoners on board the Jersey at various times it is estimated that 1000 died on board.
 The Jersey was used principally as a prison for sailors, privateersmen and private soldiers. Most of the of fcers and men of position taken by the British were confined in land pris- ons or paroled.
 One of the most noted prisoners confined on the Jersey was pr. Alex ander Bowman of Hartford. He spent 14 months in captivity aboard this infamous hulk and like pr. Man nette, the Bastile captive of Dickeps'
 Tale of Two Cities" he kept a diary during his confinement.
 Dr. Bowman had finished his medi- cal studies in France and came back to America in 1776. He had decided to establish practice at Newark. On arriving in America, however, he ac- cepted commission as surgeon from the Continental Congress and Joined the American army. He was then only 26 years of age He served with distinction with the army, crossed the Delaware with Washington and took part in the surprise and capture of the Hess1an forces at Trenton.
 A year later he was sent in s1oop bound for New London to bring to the American army medical supplies that had been captured by an American privateer.- On the way the sloop wasd captured by British man-of-war and Dr. Bowman with others of the crew was made prisoner ana sent 10 con- | fnement on the ship Jersey.
 There he remained fourteen months. 1 At first he shared the same confine- i ment and tTeatment as the other pris- oners. After a while the British withdrew their surgeon from the ship 1 saying that he was needed by the Brit i ish soldiers on land. Then 4Dr. Bow man was placed in charge of the med | icine chest on board and permitted to minister to the ailments of his fellow | prisoners. Several times he was sus- | pected of aiding in escapes and att tempts at escape from the ship and | was thrust back among the other pris- oners for punishment.
 Although exchanges were frequent | 1y made, the British were Ioath to aI- i low his exchange because he acted as | prison surgeon for them. During his | confinement he kept a diary in which 1 he recorded the crueIties and barbar- ities practiced by the British upon | the unfortunate Americans confined | there- When after the war the Brit | ish attempted to deny the stories of | their abuse of prisoners, Dr. Bowman presented his diary to confound them. | He was finally exchanged and went to | Newark where he established 8 prac- tice and lived to be 90 years old.
 Some of the men taken when Bene- | dict Arnold and his British force :cap- tpred Fort Griswo1d in. New London harbor in 17S1 were also confined in the Jersey.
 A general exchange Of prisoners was finally agreed upon in 1781 and Lord [ Howe sent to the American lines a horde of ragged, gaunt and dying creatures expecting to receive in re- turn the same number of well condi- toned HesSianS and Englishmen Washington was so indignant when he oolxed upon the victims of British bar parity that he refused to release thel. same number of prisoners as Howe de- Washington claimed thati1 although Howe had kept the letter to the terms of the exchange as to man for man, he had violated its spirit. He finally compelled an exchange on a ! more equitable basis