The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-01-19
The Alleged Mutiny on Board the United States
Man-of-War Somers, In 1913.

lCoScLrpEp]
tEoSwBLL was now arrested and qtles toned
by the Commander with regard to the secret
conversation he had held the night before with
SPENCER He replied, 1t was not me, il was
SsALL." Ii was simply impossible that either
CROMWELL or SNAIL could have held any con-
Nersation with the prisoner the night before,
=. because that prisoner was handcuffed, double
ironed, and had his head in n bag, and man
stood over him with a loaded revolver, ready
10 blow his brains out first, and shoot any body
attempting TO communicate with him after
wards. But this was enough to secure the
arrest of SMALL, already suspected from the
declaration OF WALES and from his having
obeyed the order of Midshipman PERRY when
the mast had been broken. SMALL was
questioned rs 10 his conversations with SpEy-
,ER. He answered that he had had many
foolish conversations with him, but "ao
mutiny." SMALL and CROMWELL were ironed
and bagged, like SPENCER. On Monday, the
18th, after having fiogged the boys pretty gene
rally all around, the Commander delivered
speech. which must have been n very eloquent
one, for he tells that its effect was such
hat he considered the crew tranquillized
and the vessel safe. lie stopped SPRSCER's
tobacco and his spirits sunk. He spent
the day with his face buried in his grego,
and when il was raised it was found to be-
bathed in tears. On the 18th, all hands were
again called TO witness punishment and now,
the Commander says, the crew far from
being tranquillized, although he made another
speech. Seditous cries were heard during the
night. Signs of disaflrction multiplied-those
most seriously implicated collected in knots,
talked in low tones, and hushed up or changed
the subject when an officer approached. The
petty oiiicers-sounded by the First Lieute.
nant-cXprcssed the opinion that the vessel
was far from being safe--several times during
the night there We're symptoms Of TN intention
10 strike some blow The court martial, not
content with these generalities, tried TO get at
some one incident to Justify the accusation Of
the last named intention They could only
get AT one, and that was the hand-spike affair,
which has been already explained. WALES,
according 10 the Commander, saw WILSON
endeavoring TO pun out a hand-spike, evi-
IDENTIFY with the intention to fell him
WALES. WALES said he did not know
what his intention was-that he was forty
feet from him and that he did not succeed
in drawing out the hand spike. Besides WILL
son, three seamen - GREEN, MCKEE and
MCKINLEY - were arrested for missing the
MCKINLEY told very natural tale, on the
trial. After the arrest of SPENCER, he and
MCKEE turned in and out when the watch
was called. The man relieved was TO wake
the other that to go on guard. The OFF,
Ger would not let MCKEE stir that night and
MCKINLEY oversight himself for fifteen min
utes, and missed his muster. The Com
mander. nevertheless, arrested him for con-
hp her
had likewise missed muster, and had the
same, equally good, excuses. In his sail
bag WILSON had a knife of uncommon appear
ance, fit for no good purpose. This excited
strong suspicion. 1t turned ont on the trial,
that it had been purchased on the coast Of
Africa by Purser HEIsKELL, supporter of
MACKENZIE, for MCKINLEY, who was cot
boy, and who had used il for cutting holes in
hammocks. lie had sold it to WILSON, who
had taken fancy 10 it. 1t seems that one of
the crew had been sharpening his battle-axe
with file, and making it very sharp. MAC
KRSZIE reported this fact, among others. 1t
appeared, upon the trial, that the regulations
required the battle-axes to be kept sharp and
bright.
1t was now Goth November. The informer,
WALES tcstiies that on that day the crew
continued dissatisfied and grumbing all day
that the master being sick, he was himself on
deck the whole time attending to his duties and
having charge also of the berth deck-that he
had TO bring three or four up for punishment
for insulting deportment-that the dissatisfac-
tion continued to increase until the executions,
when it subsidized, and the crew ran TO execute
an order, whereas before it was executed
slowly and carclcssly.
The vessel WAS now in four days OF 81.
Thomas 1t must be proved that the muthy
was 10 take place before reaching that island
WALES had said nothing of this in his previous
testimony. This was an addition. lie was
asked by the Judge Advocate "when did you
first swear that Mr.. SPENCER told you the
mutiny would break out shortly before your
arrival at ST. Thomas ?" and he answered -
forget on what day, but think it was on the
3Oth November"
I}y this time, twelve besides SPENCER, GROIN
WELL and SMALL had been bagged and ironed.
The Der was inconyeniently large. Some
Of them lust be gotten rid of. They were
rapidl approaching St. Thomas, and once
Ia rived there there could be no excuse for not
carrying the prisoners home, 10 be tried there
and MACKENZIE, as, according TO his own
account, he afterwards told SPENCER, was
afraid If lie got TO the United States the nigh
position of his (SrENcER's) father, and the
money and influence of his friends, would
defeat the ends of justice. He had already
determined tC hang these men il any more
arrests Were made, and he says there were
two others almost Us bad. On the 3oth, there
fore he delivered letter To the First Lieu
tenant calling on him. the Surgeon, the
Purser and four of the elder midshipmen, TO
favor him with their advice as TO what he
was 10 do. The officers nominated met in
what was called n council, and proceeded TO
take evidence, as they called II. Such evil
dence, we venture 10 say, never before con-
y,cted any man of the most petty offence
Thirteen men, headed by WALES, were
sworn by a person who had no right
10 swear them. What they said was
taken down in pencil on slips Of paper
there was no pen, ink and paper furnished, ana
the excuse for not providing il was, that there
were no lawyers on board. Nota man tesu-
fled 10 any overt act, or could point toa single
act iustifying even suspicion They thought
Ta~ tI1n