Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-01-27
From the New York Courier and Enquirer.
THE SOMERS AND HER OFFICERS.

The newspaper are publishing with great deal of
gravity statement to the effect that Mrs, Small, the
widowed mother of one OF the mutneers hung on
board the Somers is in very distressed state, and
almost insane since the news reached her OF the fate
Of her son. This is certainly very natural, and no
body can either wonder a, the feelings of the mother
or fail to sympathse with them, but we really don't
know what all that has to do with the case OF Capt
INACCESSIBLE and his officers. The mother OF every
u.creant that has suffered for his crimes deserv
ed sympathy; the unfortunate woman in this case
deserves it, and the relatives OF all the criminals who
hcreaf pay the penalty of crime at the yard arm
or upon the ga!lows OH tho land deserve III but be-
cause the execution Of q indicator brings distress
upon his friends we called upon 10 condemn to
public execution the officers Of the law who inflicted
the punishment Is Ii our duty TO stgnallze Us
muIderers the men who executed Small, Spencer and
Cromwell, because the stern necessity for such an
act If Justice involved great deal of personal grief
and distress among their relatives We can feel as
deepi, others for the agony Of heart hat such a
catastrophe must bring 10 the bosom OF relatives We
do feel most forcbly and most deepy-so, We doubt
no, do the officers of the Somers. Has II come 10
tkis however that sympathy is onlyaciye or the part
Of CRIME Tnat we are only to feel pity for the frends
OF villains 7 1t is very easy TO sit down and mlngle
Tears with the relatives OF mscreants who plotted the
murder of half vessels crew and all her officers
murder oply prevented by the Just execution of those
who prepared 10 make chaTnel house of the
ship but are we called upon for no other eeings1
Commander Mackenzie and the gallant and noble
hearted young man VINO were the destined victims
and very cruel and sangulnary persons iorsooth, be
cause they did not stand quietly and passively by to
have their throats cut, TO be thrown overheard -
The bloody sea scoundres are martyrs because the5
were swung up before they wera alowed the opportu
nifty Of carrying their butchery lno effect! Mackenzie
and Ganseyoor, and Perry and Rogers and the othe
noble fellows among the officers of the vessel ar,
eoicards and actuaied by humanity fear" lnasmuch
az they were not amaJie enough TO permit PhliI
Spencer, Samuel Cromwell and Elisha Sm all 10 mur
der them in their berths or throw them overheard
while the smaller boys were made to 'wai tho plank,
in order to rid the niutineers of an 'ncumbrance!
It's enough to cmde the blood of the very coides
observer Of newspaper slang, to see auch charges IN
ani,ated 1alnst these officers COwardce is stran
gar 10 the blood of the Sies. the Gansevoorts, tn
P,.rys the Rogers, and all others on duty in tn
coners; and We spprehended that il would he an ex
csedincly dangerous experiment TO test the qaesiio
with any of them. There 10 not man or boy anon
th,m Who has nny knowledge Of "unmsnlv fear,
fawe,cr wei /, NAV he understood hv those sho is
l.s s. ord, with 30 much unfeehnY iippancy.