The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1843-04-13
sos. MAckeNzlE,s pEFgNcE.

IL ssral Gear. Marinl ceavrasa CT
lls nial Il comsaasasr Msekeazie. has-
ing closed j. i1hoFs. has been dissolved
~ order 81 he PFesiarnL The ERrasei
ofthe coarl Aasnasy etbernDsle kaoun
Aflsr sAe kraiag u - lessimoay hsa
hesnesaelsltd. cogmsaler Msrksnxie:s
dstsnss us resd by his eoansel. M e.
riisd ! deep izRsrsL The following i
he concluding porioa ofit
The nosioa recently suggested ghas lie
coanLd d oEsirers on bnald the S0mers
should hare preoeeded more formally.
and hasing first serFed written charges
on The accused. shepld have eeadneled
The examinaiirn il their psessnrc, subject
a. their cross examination. and regular
defence. could not haye been carried into
elTers.
Each of he three persons executed.
had np 10 she time Of lis srgesi. been dis
sinrtly informed of HE charge against him;
and lwo of them had afterwards repeated
IL plead guilty 10 the charge. The. Ger
sainty Of the guilt Of All three had been
placed beyond peradreniure hy lie occu-
lar siew uf the commander. and The SUM
mary inquest before The council of officers.
A regular trial was utterly precluded BY
The exigency oflhat awful occasion. Ne
cessily stood Stern umpire. and allowed
no time far The ceremonies or delays of
the law. The two investigations of the
case IN land, with every desire Of the
courts 10 proreed with despatch. have oe-
cupied, that before the t'our; Of Inquiry
n least iweaiy days. and This before The
Court Martial more than forty days; and
had the proposed regular trial Al sea con-
iinned bnt one tenth Of The shortest II
those times, il would. 70 moral ceriain-
~. have been interrupted and superseded
hy the threatened catastrophe. which IN
ihe twinkliag Of an eve, would have sub
ssiiuied FOR the reign &c law the :. reign III
terror" The very exposure OF The fact
that the trial Of The muliny was formally
going on for life or for death. duplicating
ofcoarse the unconinel IS well as the
coninsd guilty, would Of itself have pro-
dnced 4 conclusion that could not have
failed to hasten on the crisis.
Ii has been someiimes said that The
Somers might have lell Al ST. Thomas. in
the custody Of the government there, tie
prisoners who caused the danger. The
pEoprieiy ofsueh course may be thought
doubtful. EVENT. the brig could have reach
ed that island ia safety. An American
ship Of war Is always deemed competent
20 inset an enemy from without Of force
not superior to her own; much more mus
she be deemed competent % meet and
quell. BY her own power, an enemy from
within. Ifshe is not capable Of maintain,
ing her own discipline. she ought not tc
be held worthy to fight her country's bat
Ties. Il would seem TO be degradation
10 our Gag for an American ship Of wal
10 invoke the aid Of foreign government
70 sustain the discipline, or quell The in.
surreciion Of her own crew. But these
specnlaiions are foreign 10 the pending
trial. The evidence repels the snpposi
ton that the Somers could have reaches
+. s.. Thomas in safety with all the prison
ers alive. There was every reason 10 he
lieve that what the conspirators intended
10 do, they wonld do quickly. Mr.
Wales had understood from Mr. Spencer
that the mutiny was 10 take effect very
shortly, and even before their arriral a
81. Thomas. ...
The arrest Of Mr.. Spencer and six o
his associates, instead Of retarding, wa,
likely to accelerate the catastrophe. Tn
der the exasperaiion caused by their ar
rest, every thing indicated an immediate
outbreak. The forebolings Of The uncon
fined calprits that The commander nigh
invoke even the arm Of foreign law at ST
Thomas, and cause them 10 be sent HON,
is irons. BY safe conveyanccs. to NEE
iheir eountry's doom, lent the s;imalan
Of desperation TO The other causes Of ex
citemenl; and it is more than probable
that had the execution not taken placl
wisn il did. the squall which followed ii
the evening Of that day would have bee
the signal for the final explosion.
The bearing away of the Somers 70
some other West India island would hav
been still more dangerous cxpedieni
Ths brig would not have escaped III,
risks incident to the passage to 81. Tho
mas; and the sudden departure from tn
known course Of the voyage would hay
been virtually an official admission tia
the mutiny was too strong for the au!he
rifles Of the ship. and lia; the bearin
away was but flight from the dreade
danger ii crave protection from the GO
verament on shore. Sach an admission
while il would have disllear;ened tn
faithful. could not have failed to Civ
strength to The laithIess. Il would hay,
confirmed the wavering in their adhesion
10 the matiny, and impaired fresh coa
rage to The confirmed in guilt. That
crisis would have been sadilsply forces
on. is almost beyond doubt. The con
s2irators would have hesitated little il