The organ of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, O. [Ohio]) 1852-1853, 1852-08-13

"What brig was that Ned?' inquired one {
his auditors. 'That's the first you've sal
about any such craft. ~.
''They call the brig, the place aboard shi
whore prisoners are confined. In frigate
is generally on the starboard side Of the gun
deck, between the two forward guns. | wa
slowed away there, with irons on my wrist
and ancles, under the guard of a marine
whose duty was only TO walk back and forth
picking his teeth with his bayonet, and TO Sc
that | had no talk with any Of the men
There's no great hardship in this confinement
in TACT, II fellow is lazy, he can have rathe
good time of it. He has no work 10 do, AM
can sleep all day ii he chooses, and his mess
mates will generally lend him Jackets enougl
to make comfortable bed. Then he can so
every thing that's going on, and can hear al
the talk Of the men, though he ism ailOwel
to put his own oar into the water.
The steerage officers, too, come forward Il
the bridgeport, to smoke and lounge and spiI
yarns: and I've heard many good joke anC
many good laugh in the brig, when they
thought was asleep. But fellow gets tired
of it after while though; it s too much of q
good thing, when it lasts month.
g supposed | was in for a round dozen al
the gangway, and expected every day, when
the captain came aboard, that l should Be taken
up to the mast. But they had no idea Of let
ting mo off SO easy. They wanted somebody
to make an example of | suppose, and they
wanted to get up something out Of the regular
course for little excitement; for it was rather
stupid fun, lying at anchor all summer in the
harbor, building a dyke Of beef bones round
the ship. We didn' t get aground though on
our own bones, as they say Of the flag-shipt
before us did
"Well, after while found out, that in
stead Of flOgging me and setting me to worl
again, they were going to have me tried by
court-martial. | didn't fancy that quite 81
well for fellow stands small chance Of get
ting clear in such case, with all hands afte
him like fleet Of whale boats after a timbe
raft The officers all Join their heads togeth
Gr, and make common cause, and have every
thing cut and dried before hand. The judg
OF the court is an officer, and the lawyers ar
officers, and the witnesses -are atfieers es z y
the other side, is one poor devil OF d seaman
who is accused Of assaulting an. officer :
What can he expect, except to go dead to Ice
ward2
"When the time came round, they got thei
court together in the cabin, and was takeI
in to hear the charges, as they called them
There they all sat, round both sides Of the lonl
table, as solemn as parsons, with the commo
dore at the head for bishop. | don remem
Der how long the thing lasted, but it was sew
eral days; for as every question and answer
had to be written down, theymadc slow head
way. They got through at last, however, ant
| was left at peace in the brig, glad enough i
was over SO far | didn t know what decision
they had come to, but | knew it was agains
me, or else should have been sent to work.
That, however, was just whatI had made W
my mind to beforehand, so | didn't worry
pnlf nkp kKNap n INuhi 10
found out what the sentence was; as they haC
to send on the documents to Washington anC
wait for an answer; and all that time thert
was no fun in having nothing to do but to cal
culate how many dozen | should have to take
tried to get some clew from the reefers wheI
they came forward but they were as mum a
quakers, and, reckon, didn't know any NOR
about it than did 1t came at last, though
and wasn' { taken flat aback then What d,
you think the upshOtof the matter was? Why
they had made out that | meant to kill tn
yOungster if | hadn t been prevented and the,
had sentenced me to be hung from the yardarT
till was dead as jack-knife; and they ha
got Uncle Sam to put his fist to this in blac
and white, as large as life. -
'Avast there Ned Can they hang man i
the service for meaning to do a thing when h
doesn' do it? You didn't even strike the reef
or, did you?"
''No, didn't. But bless your heart! coul
martial aboard ship can hang aman for squini
ing at the scuttle- butt, if they choose. The
have what they call the Red Book - that the
read every Sunday to the ships company o
the quater- deck instead of sermon. It's
lot Of sea-laws and they all begin: "If an
man shall do so and sO''--and then no matte
what comes next, whether it's sleeping fiJ
minutes on your watch OF blowing up ii
magazine, and captain, cook and all hands wit
it, every one ends with the same words: q
shall suffer death, Or such other punishmel
as a cOurt-martial shall adjudge." Hang m
if ever could sec the use of reading Il
same thing yer and over so2 | could hay
Jumped all Articles, as they call them, I'M
one, and had them read. "If any man sha
do anything contrary to Rules and Regul;
tions, the officers may get together in Cour
martial and hang him, or punish him in an
other way they like better. II would save
good deal of time and come to the same thin
in the end.
"But let's heave ahead with the story, {
we shan't get through before the watch is ou
after they had read that precious paper
me, and told me when l was to be hung accorC
ing to orders, they took me out Of the brig an
carried me down into the FORE passage.
thought, seeing had only week or two le
to do up the rest Of my living in, they migl
have given me chance to do it handsomely :
But this suppose, was against the articles; {
they slowed me away IN the worst hole the
could find"
Where abouts is that fore-passage, Nedp'
Its narrow gangway that leads into th
eyes of the ship forward Of the fore-hold.
divides round the foot Of the fore-mast, an
goes to store-rooms Of the carpenter and bo {,
and other forward officers. 1t is as dark as
hollow shot until you get used to it, and tn
air down there is none OF the sweetest, neither
unless you like a mixture Of tar paint an,
bilge-water
"Well, there they kept me, day after day
where could sec nobody except the marin,
who was stationed on guard at the foot Of tn,
ladder, and the yeoman who had charge Of thl
store-rooms, and who always looked as if hl
was made Of putty from living all the time il
the dark. One other man there was, though
the parson, came near forgetting him. HI
used to come down once in q while to preacl
to me about getting ready TO swing; that wal
fun, too, wasn't itF But reckon be diden't
fancy the air in the fore-peak for he general,
ly made short work Of it,