The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-04-21
A MILITARY EXECUTION.

I do not believe that there were fewer than four
or five thousand men in the plain that day, inclu-
ding of course the division of unarmed Marines the
General and squadron of horse artillery We
ormed along three sides of square, the fourth side
which looked towards the being open, that is to
cav il represented to gaze only three graves, with
with three collins, which lay side by side, upon the
mound of earth that had been cast up from the centre
one Our division, with some regiments of the line
that were brought know not whence, occupied
naralel fronts of the square. The marines were
placed so as to Immediately face the graves, of which
we were in some sort on the flank In front OF the
unarmed mass again were two or three parties of
armed men, all marines, IN this order-forty stood
with ordered arms about fifteen yards apart from
the coffin, and their right flank though space or
two removed from them, was single sergeant car
rying fusee. He wore neither pouch, nor side arms
nor belt but seemed to be equipped in every respect
like one from whom some sudden display oil ACTIVITY
was to be expected About fifteen yards to the rear
of these forty stood sixty more, ALL like the foremost
detachment, armed, with all marines Next came
two field pieces, which the artillerymen loaded IN
our sight with grape and beside which they kept
post with lighted fusees in their hands While, last
of all was a troop of horse, mounted, with swords
drawn and ready, as 1t seemed, on gwen s'gnai, 10
bear down the first movement towards mutny.
Moreover observed that as single sergeant 1anked
the more advanced Of the armed parties so he IN turn
was supported by other sergeants, two standing on
level with the flank of the second line, and SIX more
succeeding them. The whole of these be 1t observed,
were equipped like the first, each having merely ms
fus e. while all were disencumbered OF every thing
which might affect the rapdity Of their movements
The purpose for which they were placed puzzled US,
of course, good deal when we first beheld them;
but the event proved that the disposition was wise
one We had been on the ground parhaps, half an
hour when the shrill notes of the fife, and the low
roll of the mufled drums, caused us to turn our eyes
in the direction of the citadel There, winding slowly
down the road behed an armed party on the march,
in the midst of which moved three marines, with their
waists manacled together. The culprits, for such
hey were, appeared to be men in the prime and "
gor of their DAYS tall, stout fellows, with no palpabe
mark of the traitor about Them and their countenances
though pale exhibited they approached our ranks,
few traces of dependency, or even unmanly terror
Their dress of COURSE the ordinary fatigue dress
of their corps and their heads were oragng caps
but they appeared to have taken great pains with
themselves for it was impossible to be more clean,
or to carry about them an air more decidedly pro-
fessional They conducted to the collins, where
a corporal struck off their irons and the guard fall
ling back left them to converse with priest, who
had accompanied them from their cells II was long,
and. apparently, interesting scene while the mode
| in which it was carried on affected us greatly. Two
out of the three soon knet down upon their collins,
as if their confessions were made and their souls
shrived. The third continued for some time in an
erect position, the priests hand being all the while
capsed in his. Poor fellow there was surmse
prevalent in the camp to the last that he protested
his innocence of the crime with which he had been
charged and that his conference with the priest ad
for its object the vindcaton of his character after
hi. fate should have been sealed, cannot tell how
much of tr 18th in this rumor is 1t for me To
cast shadow of reproach the finding and sentence
of the court that tried him but perfectly recollect
that the interval of his conversation with the clergy
man was To all of exceedingly distressing; and that
| though it could not have lasted more than FIVE mi
mites at the uttermost began by degrees to fear
that it would never terminate At last however, the
generals Impotence broke forth into words. ] be-
| lieve he was quite as much affected as any Of US.
| Who indeed can be otherwise than affected while
watching the conduct Of fellow creature who, in
perfect health, is preparing for immediate death
But he felt presume, that it his duty to shorten
| this trying scene as much as possible. Accordingly
he called aloud to the priests to withdraw and threat
ened in case he did not attend to his warning, that
the marty should fire upon him also. The priest mad
! fulfilled his part as became him and, having once
more pressed the cuprts hand and committed MN
/ To Gods keeping, he retired behind our lines. Then
knelt The unhappy man down IN ms place, WIN
check that benched not, and eye that never lost
its brightness and the signal being given, the forty
marines who composed the executive party came to
the nresent and fred. There something more
than commonly startling in the result The companions
Of the object of our intense interest dropped the
instant they never moved limb but died upon the
spot He who seemed so reluctant to part with life
escaped without wound yet he rose not from his
kneeng position, nor moment granted him for
rising. The sergeant who stood alone on the flank
of the party saw that their voey had failed and in
obedience to the instructions which placed him where
he was, he fastened to atone for the failure. he
sprang towards the condemned man. clapped the
muzzle of the fusee TO his head and in an instant he
was corpse. The wretched man who thus brought
their days to an untimey end had been implicated IN
plot for the destruction not only OF the barracks OF
their division, but Of every man, woman and child
; that dwelt within the walls-Gkig's Veterans o
L - IL