In the month of
February, 1778, the remaining prison ship was burnt, when the
prisoners were removed from her to the ships then wintering in the
Wallabout."
One of the first notices we have in the newspapers of the day of
American prisoners is to the following effect: "London, August 5th,
1775. As every rebel, who is taken prisoner, has incurred the pain of
death by the law martial, it is said that Government will charter
several transports, after their arrival at Boston to carry the
culprits to the East Indies for the Company's service. As it is the
intention of Government only to punish the ringleaders and commanders
_capitally_, and to suffer the inferior Rebels to redeem their
lives by entering into the East India Company's service. This
translation will only render them more useful subjects than in their
native country."
This notice, copied from London papers, appeared in Holt's _New York
Journal_, for October 19th, 1775. It proved to be no idle
threat. How many of our brave soldiers were sent to languish out their
lives in the British possessions in India, and on the coast of Africa,
we have no means of knowing. Few, indeed, ever saw their homes again,
but we will give, in a future chapter, the narrative of one who
escaped from captivity worse than death on the island of Sumatra.
An account of the mobbing of William Cunningham and John Hill is given
in both the Tory and Whig papers of the day.
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