New-York daily tribune., 1843-01-03
THE TRIBUNE.
he soMERs MUTINY.
Naval Court OF inquiry.


lsder by the President.
mt. GUERT GAEsEyooRT was then recalled.
! | rs proceeding with his testimony, Commander
feuzie requested OF the Court that the wit.
sin the case might for the present be kept
,ate from the crew of the North Carolina and
yested that they be kept on board the Somers
4 laealled for.
se President replied that the officers and crew
ass Somers, who would be witnesses In this case
ar~ -sstssd. command of Capt. Mackenzie as
The Somers, and that his request
t+sTted to Com. JONES, as his Com
sgSsi
saas granted, the Court saying that
ss.sfad been brought on board the Norlh
t5at they might be at hand as soon az
3. r5om. Mackenzie then handed to the
communication of which the following is
/ distance:
ss please the Court--As in all the munies that are on
it appears that they have been provoked by gross
| ION The part OF the commanding officers, IL seems
BAT should be allowed TO show that no such cir.
ses existed in this case. The muliuy on board the
n l,iga,e Eermione, during the French Revolution,
~! o! no dsoyaty on the part OF the mutnecrs but
soyoked by long of grievances; and although
ncipal offenders were executed, the grievances were
Satds redres.ed by the action of the proper Court
Rsmuny grew out of the systematic cruelty ofthe Cap
@and was provoked immediat Ely by net Of cruelty,
kth resulted in the death Of two The muiiny on
Ari the British fgale Bounty grew out OF the brutality
H CAPTAIN and directly OF insult to one of the OF
fyt That which arose among the crew of the French
&,te Medusa provoked by the gross weakness and
B7paciiy and want of canneSs OF the commanding off,
II rue, therefore, and my professional honor
SOW t1at there has been bo5rd the Somers, and OF
Huy vessel have had the bonor command, cruelty,
Disregard OF the comla:t or the feelings of any Of the
RF no weakness no ncapacity which could provoke or
E0ursge Of the crew TO this act ofmuiiny y0hect
bis application is TO state that Lieut. Charles Henry Da
who has been Tor two years upon the vessel with
$e!i-is now in the city and on his way 10 Washington
frs urgent public ousipes And my wish is to request
a aer the testimony OF Lieut. Gansevoort is closed Mr.
EDus may be examined. ALEX. SLlDgLL MACKENZIE.
Z The Judge Advocate said that as nothing could
u sdone about this until Mr. Gansevoort's testimo-
E1.hould be closed, and as he wished to say few
Hads concerning the principle involved in the ap-
$Station, he thought the application itself should
postponed until that time. The Court assent.
and it waa accordingly postponed.
4 Lieut. Gansevoort then proceeded with his tes-
Hnony as follows:
4 On the morning of the 1.t the day on which the
&nu were executed, Commander Mackenzie or.
aNd me to arm all the petty officers whom /
kaughs TO be true to the flag. He had expressed
H,Eish that they should be armed before, but not
nins myself full confidence in them, had until
nsdiscouraged it. Onthat morning obeyed the
aier and armed the petty officers that were true
Z lsre were seven of them. The Commander
aasd me- after they were armed. to report to him.
Hsihen addressed them and gave them their or
tas. had no means of telling whether the Off
eswere true or not except by Judging from my
ocayersa.ion with them, and this in great mea-
sure removed my suspicious that they were not
/ true. The orders of Com. Mackenzie to the off,
ers as near as can recollect, were that if they
sw an attempt made to rescue the prisoners, to
blow out the brains of both the prisoners and those
making the attempt; if they saw tho prisoners for
sssa of the mainmast and in communication with
he crew, they were to destroy them; they were
sskeep a watchful eye upon the crew, and if they
Hsw any mutinous attempt they were to use their
arns upon them. He then ordered them forward
4 forgot to mention that letter was addressed
3gCommander Mackenzie to the officers and sent
aasday before, the Both, ordering US to give him
Sasopihion as to the guilt of Spencer, Cromwell
Snd Small and as to the best course to be pursued
aNecollectcd in the ward-room where we spent the
Fayin examining witnesses. 1t was ut about
S'sock, think, that the Commander ordered me
ssoreak up the Council, as he considered the yes
q in danger and wished TO show force about
10 decks. In examining the witnesses admin
l seTed an oath Of which have copy, and took
seSn the testimony as they proceeded. After
Ataring them read three of those who could write
Esued the edspostions--,hose who could not, made
us marks The original minutes are in the
asts OF MI. Heiskell, the copies arc in the pcs
sson Of Com. Mackenzie. The papers alluded
asere thea sent for.] Commander Mackenzie
I minated that the danger he aPprehended was
len the crew, not from the elements.
ihe investigation was continued on the next
aoaing at about 8 o'clock, | believe. On the
kNsslous day we examined eight or nine of the
Aes lbelieve. Most of them were petty officers:
eae trsm among the apprentices whom sus-
PSsed to be concerned in the plot. The Com
ssaaer was exceedingly anxious TO know the result
The Investigator, which occupied not great
'aae the next day. / was rot present during the
ns!s OF it. 1t being necessary for me to be on
,~. The witnesses examined on the second
" we're not the same as had been on the
l " previous. As soon as the Council came to a
ssslon, | repeated the result to the commander,
@ias him that would hand it to him in writing
sscon as it was published | told him what
'a1on we bad come to, and that it was urani-
soas Hc expressed wish that the letter We
1 gie drawing pp should be put Immediately into
Y hands. There was considerable delay from
-aslaSes made in copying. When it was done
aaasd a5 II to him. lie read it and showed it to
aushipman Spencer. The Commander has the
saai letter. Commander Mackenzie here left
! psodace the letter, and proceedings We're sus-
| ,saaed antl his return. The original letter ad-
\ ssed TO the officers by Com. Mackenzie was
| produced, as was also the original of the
I WI. both these letters were read, and have
~ already published | went forward to my
! NJ ny ana lett the Commanderin conversation with
,epencer. was not near enough to hear the
/ SPY whioh MIR. Spencer made to Com. Mackeu-
s.eeaaIks. When | saw them again MIR. Spen-
8 bad a Bible in his hand and the Commander
sea'ed nenr him with a paper upon which he
fpeased to be writing. [ did not hear tho con-
srs sss'ea then The Commander had detailed the
:s'sni snea who were 10 take the men under the