The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-12-31
Court OF Inquiry on board the North
CarOllnn.


| uohdi MiusillPiildn came on board Whcn Increased
TO seven,the number Of those who were to occupy
space capable of accommodating only five. had
heard that Spencer expressed a wish to be trans
terred TO the Grampus, and said that if he would
make an application to that effect to Com. Perry, |
would second the application to detach him. The
| application was made, and earnestly seconded il
on the ground of the comfort of the young officers
| Commodore Perry declined TO detach Spencer. but
| expressed his Willingness TO detach Midshpman NJ
| H. Rogers, the last ordered on board the Somers
| But TO TINS could not CONSENT because knew him
10 De an olicer In every sense OF the word; gentle
| man OF high attainments in his profession The
Somers sailed then with seven IN her stserage they
could not all sit together. The two Oldest and most
| useful had no lockers to put their clothes in, and
| slept on the steerage deck, submitting without
| murmur, and performing their duties with perfect
satisfaction recur TO these recollections, and en-
| deavor to review his conduct. | treated him pre-
clsely like the others. perhaps reproved him less
had, indeed, little hope of essentially serving one
who had been so great an enemy TO himself. Spen-
Ger mad very little intercourse with the officers, but
| was very intimate with the crew. He passed Jokes
with them, and II was only on such occasions that
| he was observed to smile, and sometimes with
strange flashing of the eye. These various recol-
lecuons added weight to what had been revealed TO
me, and determined me at once to make sure of the
person of Spencer, although had medtated allow
| ing Mr. Wales another interview with him, for the
purpose OF discovering more Of his Plans as had
been arranged between them. But / concluded
that II Spencer was really in earnest, there quite
| enough already known. Having assembled all the
othcers and men, and addressing Spencer, said, 81
learn that you aspire TO the command of the Somers"
| With great Difference, and smiling, he answered
mo, sir" Did you not make known to Mr..
Wales project to kill the commander, officers and
aporlian Of the crew, and convert this vessel into
prate!' II may have told him so,sir" said he; but
was in joke You admit, them ! returned,
that you told him so-ths, sir, is Joking on dan
your neck handkerchief" He did so, but no paper
| was to be found in it, / then asked him what he
had done with the paper which he stated to Mr..
what the paper was He replied that he "put his
place to put his days work :" 1t is convene nj
one, said he, with an air Of Difference and bland
ness. then said to him, &c You must be aware that
| you can accomplish your projects only by passing
over my dead body and the dead bodies of the other
officers. You have given yourself a great deal TO
do, sir. Ii will be necessary to confne you.' |
| then ordered Lieut.. Gansevoort to arrest him and
| put him In double irons Lieut.. Gansevoor stepped
forward and took Spencer's sword, who was then
ordered to SIT down IN the stern port he was double
lrOned and for additional security, hand-cuffed.
| directed Lieut.. Gansevoort to watch him. and gave
| him orders to put Spencer to instant death il he
| were detected holding any communication by signs
| or otherwise with any OF the crew. Spencer was
himself made aware of the nature of these orders
also directed Lieut.. Gansevoort to that Spencer
had every necessary comfort his safe keeping would
| admit of. In confiding this task to Lieut.. Ganse-
WORT, his known humanity and kindness gave me
the utmost confidence that 1t would be properly dis
| charged Yet Lieut.. Gansevoort while he was most
solictous for the comfort of the prisoner, and mi
nlstered TO his wants with the tenderness of a
man, watched HIM with an eagle eve, ready at any
| time to take his life fhe violated the orders. Mr.
Spencer being lroned, the officers were remanded
to their quarters the crew and battery inspected, the
ordinary report made, and retreat beaten. That night
the officers of the watch armedlwith cutlasses
and pistols, and the rounds Of both decks made fire.
quenty, TO see II the crew were in their hammocks,
and no suspicious collection of individuals. On
searching Mr.. Spencer's locker, small case,
which, with a razor, he had drawn from the purser,
was found, but instead OF the razor, the case con-
| tanned small paper rolled in another On the inner
paper strange characters were written, which prov
ed to be Greek, with which Mr. Spencer was IA
miliar. 1t fortunately happened that another mid
shipman on board, who understood Greek-one
whose Greek well every thing else he possess
ed were wholly devoted to his country-midship-
man Rogers. He translated these characters, andit
crew, arranged IN different liss-those who were to
be kept, whether they would or not, in separate
rews-those who were to do the work of murder
those who were to open the arm chest, and those
h-:-s Sunday, the Inspected al quarters
at 10 o'clock. took my station abaft, with the in
Cromwell and Small. The third division, to which
they belonged, always mustered the after part of
the quarter deck, being continuation of the line
O md sm oX the guns The condition Of Cromwell
renty determined that their appearance in this res
pect should elicit reproof. Cromwell stood up to
his full height-his battleaxe firmly grasped-his
cheek pale, but his eye fixed inderently to the 9TH
er side. He had a determined dangerous air
SmalIs appearance displayed much uneasness. He
shifted his battle-axe from one hand to the other
his eye waswanderng irresolutely but never towards
me. attributed his conduct to fear. have been
since led to believe that the business was repugnan
| to his nature; but his love of money and rum was
too much for his fidelity. After quarters the church
was rgged-the crew mustered and came up with
| their prayer books, and took their stations
without waiting tor all hands to be called
After half past 10 o'clock, the usual time of dinner
asked me If he should call all hands Five bells then
struck and all hands were called The men were
unusually attentive, and the responses than or
dinarlly audible carefully inspected the counte-
nances OF the crew, but saw nothing that gave me
dlstrust, In the afternoon the sky sails and stud
ding-s were set THE narrative here related how
in the execution by one of the most faithful of the
apprentices, OF an order by Capt. Mckenzie, sud-
den jerk given to some part OF the rigging by Small
and another Of the crew, put the life of the appren
tce INTO extreme jeopardy, and carried away the
top-mast, creating some confusion | did not
cream at the time that the carrying away of the
mast was the work of treachery, but knew that it
had endangered the life of boy created confusion
and interrupted the regularity OF duty, likely to be
taken advantage of by the conspirators if they were
still bent on the prosecution of their designs The
greatest care was then taken to prevent confuson
every thing connected with the wreck was sent
down from aloft, the sails bent afresh every one en-
ployed, and all things made to go on with undevla-
ting regularity. To my astonshment all those most
conspicuous In the programme of Spencer, no mat
ter IN what part they stationed, mustered at
the maintopmast head, whether inspired by sudden
zeal for their country for the opportunity of mu-
tiny. Perhaps the plan had not yet been abandon
ed. During this time remarked that Spencer gave
many OF those strange and stealthy glances which
have before noticed The deck being cleared, sup
per was plped, before sending up the new mast Al
ter supper the same persons mustered at the mast
head as before. The topsallant was fitted and
sails set by this time IT was late and deck and
quarters were Numerically dispensed with. Still
thought II scarcely safe to leave Cromwell at large
during the nsht-the night was the season of dan
ger. After consulting Lieut. Gansevoort, deter
mined TO arrest Cromwell the moment he reached
the deck met him at the foot of the Jacobs ladder
called hun after, and asked him relative to the Sc