Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1843-04-29

fcer could no more check the progress
of the disease. Nor could they ascer-
tain how far the mutiny had extended.
They knew that the moral malady had
been constantly on the increase since
the day when Mr.. Spencer had boosted
that he bad already twenty associates
at his call, and it. required the omnis-
cient eye to select those, if any, on
whom the officers might now rely. To
have held an inquest with the view TO
ascertain the names of the unconfined
malefactors would nave been worse
than uselss. Their universal assevera-
ton of innocency could not have gain
ed credence against the daily and hour
ly demonstrations of their guilt.
And had the names Of The unconfned
malefactors been truly ascertained,
there could have been no action on the
discovery. There was no space to
hold or force to guard, any increased
number of prisoners. And to have
singled out the culprits by name, and
branded them by sort of anticipated
conviction, and yethave permitted them
to roam at large; intermingling freely
with the crew; with the halter Of the
law about their necks, would only have
made the culprits themselves more in
furlated and desperate; whilst the gov
ernment of the ship, by exposing its
own imbecility, would have sunk into
disrepute and contempt,
Between the arrest Of Mr.. Spencer
and the execution, the mutinous indi-
cations were unceasing yet were
they deep rather than loud. The fire
beneath the surface which causes the
earthquake, reserves for the hour of ex-
ploslon its more palpable and awful de-
monstrations. In this instance espe-
cially, the mutiny had now been taught
by its own brief history TO be circum-
spect and subtle. Nevertheless the
flame, covered but not suppressed, gave
ceaseless and sure signs that the time of
its bursting forth was near at hand.
The general disobedience of orders
when first announced, and the stern de-
fiance with which they were afterwards
obeyed when more peremptorily re-
peated; the frequent gathering of the
older and. stronger of the crew in
groups for secret consultation, and their
stealing away at the approach of an Of
ficer, or else changing the discourse to
some Indifferent subject, and raising
their voices TO the ordinary key: the
carrying away of the matin top gallant
mast by the sudden and violent jerk Of
the weather royal brace by Small, who
had just left the side of Cromwell, evil
dent by design, and with the intent to
throw overheard the boy on the royal
yard, that confusion and chance for
the outbreak might thence ensue; the
Simultaneous mastering of the chief
conspirators a; the main top-mast head
on that occasion, watching the moment
for action, 10 which point was also d.
rected the fixed and anxious gaze of
Mr.. Spencer; the refusal of the men to
come aft at first when ordered there TO
aid in sending up the top-gallant mast,
and then the tumutuous and very sud
den rushing thither by nearly all the
crew, stamping with their feet---an out
rage made more suspicious by its hap
pening after dark; the REPETITION of the
same seditious conduct on the follow
ing evening when the crew were call
ed aft to the main trysail sheet, with
the further circumstance that the rush
ing aft was continued even after the
crew had been distinctly ordered to
return forward; the repeated missing
Of the master without excuse by those
named in the Greek paper, in defiance
of the government of the ship; the
mysterious removal OF the hand-spikes.
beavers and holystones, so as 10 make
them accessible to the eonspirators at
the moment of need, and the sharpen
ing of the African knife and battle axe;
the steal,hy glances of the conspirators
towards the places in the ward room
and steerage where the officers off duty
kept their arms; the declaration by one
of the conspirators that he would like
to get the African knife into the hands
of Mr.. Spencer, and that the knife
would yet have to do great deal of
slaughter; the raising of the handspike
in threatening manner by the same
conspirator against an officer, whom he
sought to take unawares; the ceaseless