May, 1776
"Back in Manhattan, the young captain [Alexander Hamilton] found a city engaged in a spree of wanton violence against Tory sympathizers. Many Loyalists were subjected to a harrowing ritual known as “riding the rail,” in which they were carried through the streets sitting astride a sharp rail borne by two tall, strong men. The prisoners’ names were proclaimed at each street corner as spectators lustily cheered their humiliation. One bystander reported, “We had some grand Tory rides in the city this week. . .Several of them were handled very roughly, being carried through the streets on rails, their clothes torn off their backs and their bodies pretty well mingled with dust. . .There is hardly a Tory face to be seen this morning.”
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, page 75.
OK, but rape of juveniles?
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