<P> British General William Howe had established his headquarters in the Beekman House in a then rural part of Manhattan, on a rise between what are now 50th and 51st Streets between First and Second Avenues, near where Beekman Place commemorates the connection . Hale reportedly was questioned by Howe, and physical evidence was found on him . Rogers provided information about the case . According to tradition, Hale spent the night in a greenhouse at the mansion . He requested a Bible; his request was denied . Sometime later, he requested a clergyman . Again, the request was denied . </P> <P> According to the standards of the time, spies were hanged as illegal combatants . On the morning of September 22, 1776, Hale was marched along Post Road to the Park of Artillery, which was next to a public house called the Dove Tavern (at modern - day 66th Street and Third Avenue), and hanged . He was 21 years old . Bill Richmond, a 13 - year - old former slave and Loyalist who later became a boxer in Europe, was reportedly one of the hangmen, responsible for securing the rope to a strong tree and preparing the noose . </P> <P> By all accounts, Hale comported himself well before the hanging . Over the years, there has been speculation as to whether he specifically uttered the line: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country ." The line may be a revision of "I am so satisfied with the cause in which I have engaged that my only regret is that I have not more lives than one to offer in its service ." </P> <P> The story of Hale's quote began with John Montresor, a British officer who witnessed the hanging . Soon after the execution, Montresor spoke with the American officer William Hull about Hale's death . Hull later publicized Hale's use of the declaration . Because Hull was not an eyewitness to Hale's speech, some historians have questioned the reliability of the account . </P>

Who said i only regret that i have but one
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