The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-01-20

TIE PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE SoMRRs COURT OF
ENoUIRy.-The investigations OF the Court OF Enqui-
~ relative 10 the alleged mutiny on board the So
mers and the conduct of Commander Mckenzie,
have at length terminated Throughout the whole
proceedings the public interest has continued deeply
excited. There never has been any case whose ex-
animation has awakened such universal and pervad-
rug interest-such keen and animated discussion
such variety wecontested opinion The whole
press has been fall of il for the last three weeks. 1t
ls the great topic OF the day.
The cabin of the North Carolina has been crowd
ed every day on which the Court has sat- Immense
crowds have visited the Somers and suspected her
with all the closeness and interest of jurymen, ex
aiming the locality OF some mysterious crime.
Commander Mckenzie has been quite a lion Men,
women and children have Aocked to see the man
whose conduct occupies so much public attention
His face has been etched sketched and autographed
and viii now go down to posterity with the like
nesses OF Paul Jones, Captain Kyd. and the whole
family of Red Rovers, and may probably embelish
the mex, edition of the PIRATES Own Book" Even
the crew of the brig have become objects of wonder
ing curiosity and the smallest urchIns on board have
become invested with marvellous interest in the
eyes of the ladies and gentlemen who have focked
% the Navy Yard, and by whom they have been
subjected TO the closest inspection, as being regard
ed Young sea-dogs who might have turned out
bloody and devouring pirates.
The testimony adduced before the Court has been
merely a second edition Of the long and remarkable
narrative of Mckenzie Avast amount OF the evil
dence was irrelevant, relating to conversations ONO
bearing the case, and mere expression oil opinion
The seamen who were examined appear TO have
participated in the fears and apprehensions of the
officers and like thenI also without being able to
offer any satisfactory reasons for their alarm Thus,
TO refer TO single pont-great stress was laid by
the officers on the whlsperings and conversations of
the apprentices as they collected in little knots on
the dsck, after the arrest of Mr.. Spencer. Buthow
readily was the explanation of all that furnished In
the testimony of the boys themselves! They won
dered what ii all meant They ,couldi not under
stand the sudden arrest of officer, TOR no offence
of which they had been cognzant. What could it
mean What had Mr.. Spencer done One really
can hardly repress smile finding that the natu-
raj and unavoidable curiosity OF the boys to ascer-
tain the cause of Mr. Spencers arrest, was regard
edhy the officers &c confirmation strong as proof
of holy writ of the existence OF mutiny, and that
these private conversations were no less than the
deliberations Of consprators-
twas not little singular, and has excited good
in almost the came words 1t looked as if they
were repeating a lesson. When asked why they
thought there was danger of rescue, they all reply
"Oh! the crew were gathered In groups about
the deck" II is hardly probable That the word
group should have occurred TO the minds of sixty
or seventy sailor boys, as description of small
assemblage of individuals. Knot or gang
would have been more likely to have been employ
H. ~. Ill tIa,r
larry But the striking similarity, not only of the
evidence Of the boys, but even of the very terms
used by them in giving 1t, must have been suffi-
cien,ly apparent TO all who read the reports.
The wisdom and good sense of asking lads of
fourteen an .een years of age for their opinion
respecting ,hs necessity of the execution are some
what problematical. certainly. Why, most of those
very youngsters did not know what "mutiny"
meant. Butthey were told that 1t meant murder,
that Mr.. Spencer and his two associates intended,
in the ords of Commander Mckenzie, =" to make
them an walk the death-plank,' and being thus tho
roughly alarmed was il any wonder that they should
now say they were afraid OF being thrown over
board If the men had not been executed?
Not the least curious and instructive portion OF
the proceedings has been that of the last two days
From the great anxiety which Commander McKen-
ze manifested respecting the admission OF testimo-
ny relative 10 declarations Of Spencer and Crom-
well before the sailing of the Somers on her last
cruise. the expectations of the public were raised
20 great degree. Terrible revelations were antci.
paied. Il confidently supposed in many quar-
ters that decisive evidence of the gnt of the three
III faied men would now be given. The whole case
was be freed OF all doubt, and all difficulty. And
what was the evidence Why, of the two witness
Is reduced, one knew nothing whatever of the
matter, nor Of any concerned in 1t, having mistaken
another man for Samuel Cromwell; and the other
hal had conversation with of the boys, in
which the lad ntimated his opinion that if the
small stores fell short on board the brig, there
would ceralnly be mutiny! Such failure sus.
tain grave and most important statements must Ger.
tainly be Illuminating TO Captain Mckenzie and
cannot meet great respect or favor at the bar Of
public opinion. The statements made respecting
the character, acts, and declarations of Mr. Spence,
before his joining the Somers, which the Court re
fused TO examine, may, in all probability be as fee
bly, sustained as those respecting Cromwell, and We
who can doubt that the belief OF Capt Mckenzie
having nothing but mere hearsay and idle runner l.
support IT, respecting young Spencer, exercised gres
influence in the formation OF that decision by whc
this thoughtless lighthesrted and imaginative youn
subjected 10 a sudden and ignominiou
death
The universal question now, of course, is whs
will be the decision Of the Court of Enquiry Wi
they Justify Mckenzie Will they mott II is con
paratlvely OF little Importance what this deciso
will be The investigation OF the affair will NJ
end there Nor would it be Just IN any party that
should. The case is surrounded with pecul ar diff