The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-01-19
nder the pressure of Lieutenant GAssE-

under the pressure of Lieutenant GASsE-
vooRT's constant solicitations for quick de-
cision, the Commander, IL seems, being in a
hurry And well he might be- for they We're
now approaching St. Thomas, and In two days
more would be there. The whole swearing
had been given direction TO show that the
men must be executed at once, or the ship
could not be safe. The council not only found
the men guilty, but declared it would be un-
safe to carry them TO the United States They
recommended sufficient time to prepare for
the great change but this was disregarded.
This council sat within forty feet of the
prisoners, who had not the remotest idea that
il was trying them for their lives. They knew
nothing, indeed, of its proceedings until MAC
kESzIg came to tell them that they had been
condemned and were TO die in ten minutes.
The subsequent proceedings Of MACKENZIE
were so diabolical according to his own
account that they seem to have been prompted
by hell itself He went first to SPENCER, and
told him he was TO be hung in ten minutes.
The unfortunate youth fell upon his knees and
said, :" am not fit to die" When he coolly
bid him remember the thief on the cross, and
then proceeded to interrupt his preparations
for eternity by upbraiding him with his
intended mutiny. That was not all; he
attempted to get up evidence 10 Justify himself
by extor ling confessions from the prisoners
He excited SPENCER against CROMWELL, and
CROMWELL against SPENCER, that he might
take advantage of what they said of each
other. Against SMALL there was no shadow
Of testimony but what we have detailed.
There was on SPEScER's list the name
of ANDREWS, and contrary to SAALL's
declaration, and letters in his pockets from his
own mother, MACKENZIE insisted that SMALL
was ANDREWS, and hung him accordingly.
The prisoners were tortured for two hours
when they should have been engaged in devo-
tion-by these attempts TO eXtort evidence
from them. SPENCER was told that he might
write n letter TO his mother but being hand
cuffed, he could not write, and MACKENZIE
TO write for him No less than
five persons testified that they were within
four feet of the two, yet heard not one single
word of what either said. MACKENZIE reported
SPENCER rs having said that his death was
lust, and that he had been guilty OF many
crimes statement palpably, and upon its
very face false and iniquitous. If SPENCER
had ever committed many crimes, where is
the record of his prosecution A man in these
times cannot commit many crimes without
being prosecuted for them. The whole course
of MACKENZIE, talking with this boy, helpless,
and in sight Of the rope reared
ready to hang him, denoted n coarse, unfeel-
ing, malignant mind, and an unforgiving tenn
per for we have no doubt that he was
prompted to the act by the contemptuous
opinion expressed of him by the prisoners, as
reported by WALEs-a man who, according to
his own account, had msinuated himself into
their confidence, and then betrayed ii, and who
was, therefore, totally unworthy of belief
unless his testimony had been corroborated.
The prisoners were hung on the lst Decem-
Der, lS42 but we have protracted this nara
tive so far that we will cut ii short here. For
further particulars, we refer the reader to
BESTos's Thirty Years View.