Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-01-26

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exposition OF lis motives N ordering the execaucA o.
the prisoners more lni than his Official report
The Judge A4vocaie read ing docuiaeh'' ""'~"
annexed
May 1t please the Court
Alhoueh II has been determined by The Court 'hast
written defence Of MY conduct founded on an eAaih
nation of the evidence that has been acduced IL uhne
cessary, and under the circumstances, lhaom'sso.e
trust that The Court will not refuse from me ofie
s,aemen, of the that produced the cohVct"n
that the execution of the ringeadefs oi Inc h'ehoeo
mu,inv on board the Somers necessary TO the rre
servat.on of the vessel IL II true that these reasons
NAV be collected from my report 10 The Secretary oil Inc
Navy, which has heen read before The Court out 'he.
are nowhere stated IN connecticut nor WIN i"as c's
thickness and resiy tina! are necessary 10 impress 'r
force on The minds yf others My report TO the Sccte
la-y was INTENDED 10 be fan history o!a' til" proceed
mos on board the SoGe:s, :oT bss information aion-
and vas far very far from beHg framed with a"y direct
view 10 my own radlcanon.
proceed, tlren, under the permission OF the Court
10 submit the following tGcs and considerations US the
Ysasons that chiefly Determined my conduct How lar
their reality sulciency established hy the evdence
are questions that, without single remark, shall
leave to the judgment c! the Court.
First, was influenced by my deep conviction oil the
reality Of the plo, disclosed by Mr. Spencer To Mir
Wales Although | received the first communication
with incredibly, yet when reelected upon Inc earnest
and solemn manner IN winch The disclosure was made,
the S!ocY impression oil lpe !2aiy
Of the danger made upon lie ni'nd OF Ms Wales hm-
self my doubts vanished and my mind was filled With
the so!,c,uje Ia discover and aaoPi the
proper FOX arrcs.ug the horrors with winch we
were threatened. a, once determined 10 adept no
measure bu; after mature deisuera.ioD, to shrink from
none that the preservation of tue lives OF those en-
trusted 10 my care, the homo. oil my county, anu mi
sense Of duty should demand.
Whether the influence o! this determination is not
apparent in all my subseuuen acts, | submit To the
judgment Of The Court believed then, in The exist.
of plat, in which, BY the declaration OF Mr..
Spencer, al least twenty Of the crew were concerned
The of this plot, involving the murder oil The
officers and large portion os te crew. and the COM
mission of a!mos every cIe convinced me, Tia, those
who had agreed 10 It, were capable 81 Carrying mt"
execution, aud coma'tiGs any atfaciy Tins opinion
was further continued b, my prey'cds ka"wlenre O!
the deprayed Character Of The ctem and y iAe fact tG
many OF them, although strength and sue. "cre
will, boys age ara consfq neatly wou! oc !tie haey
To- resist temptation, and more easily ai"fed hy ise
pleasures held out TO them a. accompanying The i'!r o
pirate. Having stated thu ieasnns winch produced
The conviction in my mind OF The eXis, nee OF the plot
it only remains is7 me TO slate those which induced M
10 change my original determination 10 brng the pri-
soners the United States for the 'rsl, and 10 deem
their immediate execution necessary.
| was niuenced-Frst, by the INSTRUMENTATION of
The crew manifested after had left The coast OF
Africa and very much increased after the arrest uf The
prisoners Their gloomy and angry looks their sere;
conferences, broken of hen officer appeared; their
increased
The actual disotedence ut some; the attempt III seve
raj 10 communicate with the prisoners. All these CIR
cumsances convinced me snat there "as Danger OF
rescue, and that this scheme was i'll constant agitation
Secondly by the uncertainty under which NC labor
ed the extent OF the niutiny and the inuiy and
danger OF attempting 10 ascertain By an examination
of the crew, how many 10 be relied Let us
suppose that the whole crew had been examined, and
all had protested their innocence and ignorance; Could
we have trusted them: Would the uncertainty have
heep mini IN he IN
not the universal denial have increased and justified
suspicious OF universal gulE We must still have
believed that many were guilty, and could not have
known that any innoceut Ii the examination
had resulted the discovery OF the certain guilt OF
many of the suspected diicnltes would have been
still greater TO coEtine aaG guard them was ;mPossi-
BILE. To leave them al large with knowiedge that
their gull, known, and that II HEY arrived ~ safe.
~, death might be their doom, 10 renae taem des
perae and outbreak ns .i;abic.
Thirdly BY the xhaustion Of the officers, and b. tie
impossibty that they could much longer sustain the
fatigue which they subjected; and by the fact
that from loss cf and continual exercn, were
daily losing strength wL: that OF the mn.ineers, from
increasing numbers, was daily becoming greater.
fcrrhy. by the conviction that, even # it were pos
sibe for the officers 10 defend themselves and their
vessel in far weather. Il storm should arse, calling
the attention @! he officers and petty officers from the
prisoners TO The necessary duties OF taking care al the
vessel would have been easy for lev resone Ge:'
10 have chased the prisoners end taken possession oil
the vessel
Flitlly by Tie size of the vessel which rendered /,
imposs.b bic for To cun6nc ans prisoners and
prevent these already confined frcm communicating
with each other aud IA lose Of the who were
already ut large
Finally, by the convction that by the execution of!hs
shree rnsieades the nu,ineers would be deprived OF
she power of navigating the vessel, no other person
would be capable oG taking charge Of her. and that this
the only eifec,uai method Of bringing them back 10
their allegiance and preserving the vessel committed
10 my charge.
Having thus briefly stated the motives which produced
the belief that the immediate execution OF the ing
leaders was necessary wond only add, that had any
doubts existed IN my mind TO the Necessity Of the
TO be pursued they wond have been removed by
The unanimous opiron Of The commissioned, warrant.
and petty Officers, @hose OF ntgag "ere better
than my own, that such course WAS necessary and
inevitable. Their opinion, concnFrn- with my own,
left NE 10 doul:, that 10 pursuing tins course
doing my du'y faithfully to my God and 10 my
country.
Your most odedieat
Allen SLIDELL MACKENZIE,
Commando. T. s. y.
& Ian