Page:American History Told by Contemporaries, v2.djvu/538

vost Marshall led him, brought up to them in the Tubs they used in their Rooms, when the Weather was so hot that they must drink or perish — On hearing a number of these Instances of Cruelty — I asked who was the Author of them — They answered the Provost Keeper — I desired the Officer to call him up that we might have him Face to Face — He accordingly came in and on being informed of what had passed was asked if the Complaints were true — He with great Insolence answered that every Word was true — on which the British Officer abusing him very much asked him how he dared treat Gent^l in that cruel Manner — He insolently putting his Hands to his side swore that he was as absolute there as Gen^l Howe was at the Head of his Army — I observed to the Officer that now there could be no Dispute about Facts as the Fellow had acknowledged every Word to be true — I stated all the Facts and Substance & waited again on Genl Robertson, who hoped I was quite satisfied of the falsity of the Reports I had heard — I then stated to him the Facts, and assured him that they turned out worse than anything we had heard — On his hesitating as to the truth of this assertion, I observed to him the Propriety of having an Officer with me to whom I now appealed for the Truth of the Facts He being present confirmed them — On which the Gen^l expressed great Dissatisfaction & promised that the Author of them should be punished — . . . after this I visited two Hospitals of our sick Prisoners and the Sugar House ; in the two first were 211 Prisoners & in the last about 190 — They acknowledged that for about two Months past they fared pretty well, being allowed 2 Ibs of good Beef and a Proportion of Flour or Bread pr Week by Mr. Lewis Pintard my Agent, over and above the Allowance reed from the British, which was professed to be 23 Allowance — but before they had suffered much from the small Allowance they had rec^d & that their Bread was very bad, being musty Biscuit, but that the British Soldiers made the same Complaint as to the Bread — From every Account I rec^d I found that their Treatment had been greatly changed for the better, within a few Months past, except at the Provost — They all agreed that previous to the Capture of Genl Burgoyne, and for some time after, their Treatment had been cruel beyond Measure — That the Prisoners in the French Church amounting on an Average to 3 & 400 could not all lay down at once — That from the 15th of Oct^r to the 1st of Jan^y they never rec^d a single stick of Wood, and that for the most Part they eat their Pork raw — When the Pews & Door & Window facings failed them for fuel — But as to my own personal Knowledge, I found