Norwich bulletin., 1921-07-15
ODD INCIDENTS IN AMERICAN
 HISTORY
RETAINS BLAoKGUAKD JAILER.

BRITAIN'S BLACKGUAKD JAILER.
 Of all the cruel blackguards that the British government brought to this coun- try during the Revolutionary wag, none of them left a stain as indelible as did Capt. William Cunningham, in whose hands was intrusted the care of the patriot prisoners who happened to have the misfortune to be captured while in service in and about New York. A letter written during the dark period in our history in New York reads: Folks of fashion do complain right grievously that the groanings and the lamentable cries of the rebel prisoners, both here in New York and in the prison ship. Jersey, disturbed their slumbers. And they pray that Master Cunningham, our provost marshal, will devise some means to keep i the poor wretches quiet of nights But the poor, unfortunate creatures l were not treated like prisoners of war. | They were housed and fed-or rather starved-as no country today would per init for their worst enemy. The man re- sponsibe for this treatment was Captain l Cunningham, who even his own country men loRthed.
 Cunningham was a British dragoon and and was in the regimental barracks at Dublin. In 1774 he settled in New | York, where he made a living for some l tune Dy DFedklnS COlLS ana by SlNlnR ! riding lessons. When the Revolution i broke out in 1775 he became involved in l a political row with some patriots and was forced to flee to Boston. there to seek the protection of the British army 1 His noisy loyalty to King George got him into trouble and attracted the atten- ton of Thomas Gage, the English gen. eraI. Gage appointed him provost mar shal to the royal army. His chance for ] revenge" had come.
 l Cunningham was sent back to New York and was put in charge of the Revo- | lutionary prisoners there and in Phila- delphia There were several impromptu 1 prisons in New York where the patriot captives were lodged One was the City l hall, another the famous old sugar house another Kings college, another the New 1 Gaol," and worst of all, the prison ship Jersey, moored on the Brooklyn shore Churches were also turned into jails. In the prison ship the captives were 1 herded by hundreds in dark, foul pens 1 destitute of pure air and sunlight. They were given such food as dog might scoFn, and in such tiny quantities as l would not suffice to keep a dog alive. The water they drank was filthy. No medi- cal care or chance for cleanliness or eX- ercise was granted them. Prison fever and other naladies scourged their ranks They died like so many flies. To sucf fearful conditions were 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 Pintard';
 account ofStheir sufferings:
 'So closely were they packed together
 that when they lay. down at night tt
 rest on the hard oak blanks, and they wished to turn, it was all together by
 word of command-,right,' 1eft-beint
 so wedged as to form almost a solid mas
 of human bodies"
 All war is cruel. But such torture al this was inaccessible. And (though tn
 British government might perhaps hav
 bettered matters had they chosen to) tn lions share of the blame was Cunning hams Here is a portion of his sworl
 confession, made in 17S1. just before hi
 own execution:
 T shudder to think of the murders have been accessory to- both with ant 7 without orders from the government es pecially while in New York, during whic
 time there were more than 1000 prison
 CTS starved by stopping their rations f which sold. There were also PTS Amer
 ican prisoners executed. A guard wa
 despatched to forbid people to look ou from their windows on pain of death, al
 ter which the prisoners were conducted
 gagged. at midnight, just behind the UT ] per barracks, hung without trial an = then buried
 . Cunningham went back to Engian
 after the war and took to rlotous livinI
 Being short of money to squander o : dissipation. he forged a draft For tht A crime he was tried. condemned, and c
 Aug. is, 1791. was hanged
 He is said to have been responsible fc
 the shameful death of nearly 2,5oG Amel
 ican patriots. Nor could mere G4tred fc c the coiouists account for this whoIesal j. slaughter. since he dishonestly sold fc e his own profit the provisions allotted c them
 cromorrow: clark's Conquest ef tt
 West.)