The Roanoke Times

The Brave Captain Who Regretted That He Had but One Life to Give.

Although the monument to Captain Nathan Hale was long ago erected at Coventry, Conn., where he was born, it was eminently appropriate that in this city there should be another, because here was originated the enterprise upon which he entered, and here occurred the tragedy of his last hours.

General Washington was occupying the house of Robert Murray, whose farm extended from what is now Thirty-sixth street to Fortieth street. Hence the well known name of Murray Hill. The Murray mansion was situated about where the Brick Church stands. While occupying this house Washington determined upon discovering what were the plans and situation of the British army on Long Island.

In the regiment of American Colonel Knowlton was Nathan Hale, a young captain just of age, who had left college and the pursuits of a literary profession to enlist in the continental army. He had recently been at the head of a little expedition on the Hudson river for embarrassing the British ships and had shown great coolness, bravery and discretion. Colonel Knowlton selected him and sent him to Washington for instructions. There can be no question that Hale was made a spy. No such technicality existed in his case as was attempted by Sir Henry Clinton and Andre in the latter's behalf. The captain furtively crossed the sound, landing at Huntington, and thence made his way to Brooklyn and returned in a few days with the result of his observations in sketches and memoranda. He was recognized at Huntington as a strange man, who had mysteriously arrived and had as mysteriously absented himself, wherefore he was arrested and the paraphernalia of his spy-ship discovered. He was immediately sent to the lower part of the city, then in British possession, while Washington occupied the upper part.

The notorious "Monster Cunningham"- so denominated by many historians of that period-was then provost marshal. He placed Captain Hale under guard in the greenhouse of a Mr. Beekman, whose farm-comprising Turtle bay on the East River -was about where Fifty-second street and First avenue now are. Lord Howe was occupying it as his headquarters. The cruel Cunningham, without even the form of a trial, concluded to execute him the next morning as a spy.

Captain Hale wrote some family letters of farewell and asked for the loan of a Bible and the solace of a clergyman. These were insultingly refused by the provost marshal, who even tore up the letters. The victim was then, early on the next day, carted down to the Rutgers farm and hanged after the Tyburn fashion to an apple tree that local history has shown to have been at the corner of East Broadway and Market street. When the cart-on the floor whereof he stood, a young man of even handsome, boyish appearance-was about to be drawn away to leave him suspended, Captain Nathan Hale remarked to the by- standers and grinning redcoats, "My only regret is that I have not another life to give to the service of my country." His remains rested at the foot of the fatal tree until the end of British occupation of the city permitted their honorable removal.

Historians have agreed that if he could have reached General Washington's head- quarters with the intelligence he had ob- tained the knowledge would have saved much of after disaster to the American cause. If ever a spy was patriotic, Hale was, and Fenimore Cooper, in his novel of "The Spy," based upon the career of Har- vey Birch, has drawn a vivid picture of the necessity, value and praiseworthiness of the spy in time of war.

Captain Hale was the earliest martyr of the Revolution, and his martyrdom was an appropriate incident for our metropolitan commemoration.-New York Recorder.