The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-01-18
The Alleged Mutiuy on Board the United states
Man-of- War Somers. in 1~43.

Man-of-War Somers, in 1s43.
CONTINUED
W. left poor SPENCER double ironed, hand
cufed and tied up IN bag, lying under the
sun Of tropical climate, and drenched with
squalls, and GANsEvooRr standing over him.
pistol i'll hand, watching with cogie eye the
least sign or motion that might Justify him III
blowing his brains ont, Yet manifesting to-
wards him all the tenderness which huge gri-
malkin might he supposed 10 feel towards Il
captive mouse with which he sports in charm
ing gentleness before he finally devours IL.
But the prisoner kept in that SITUATION
six days and nights and il was necessary 10
relieve guard This was done by substituting
the informcr WALES, who seems To have had
Il special liking for the duty, since he improved
upon the vigilance of his predecessor. BY
this time there were TWO other prisoners SMALL
and CRoMwELIl, rs We shall presently see, ana
WALES kept watch over them all with
revolver in his hand. prepared 10 shoot them
Tor the least motion, voluntary or InNolun-
lary or any OF the crew who might make the
least suspicious sign. How dangerous the
situation was, and how ready the guard was
10 execute his orders, appears from his own
statement OF an occurrence that took place
during his watch. Certain men who had
missed muster Were congregated round the
stern of the launch-they Were holy stoning
The deck 1T the timc-touched their chins,
when, Su>pccting that they were making
signs 10 tn" prisoners, he told cromwell,
who had been )oing on the starboard arm
chest, and rose up about that time, that
II he saw any more signs passing between
them he would put him TO death -
lie then Went 10 the stcrno the launch, where
Il number of small holy stones Were collected,
and there saw one WILSON endeavoring to pull
Il haud>plkc from the stern OF the launch. He
threatened 10 shoot WILSON on the spot if he
did not desSt, and ordered him to the lee-way
10 draw water What his intentions were, he
did not know IN the Commander'S report he
says that there We're symptoms of i'll tentions TO
strike some blow, and introduces this transac
lion TO prove it--that Mr.. WALLS detected Will
sos in the act of drawing out alIandspikc, "eri-
IDENTITY with the intention 10 fell him (Mr.
WALEsJ-and that he, the Commander feeling
more auXionS than ever, (of course from this
circumstance of the handspike,) kept con-
stantly on deck. 1t is remarkable that the
Commander, in his report, says ii was evil
IDENTITY the intention Of WILSON TO fell WALES
with the handspik while WALES, upon oath,
says, What his intentions rere, dO'.t kno'c,
and furthermore, that he was forty feet from
WILSON when he attempted TO draw out the
handspike, for he did not draw il out at all.
The paper for which SpEScERs crayat had
been SOS rched was found, not there, but in a
razor case in his locker, which was searched
for evidence against him. The case had been
lately drawn. 1t had no razor i'll it, but con-
tanned the paper in question. 1t was small
paper rolled in another, the inner paper con-
tanning strange characters, which midship-
luau who had sufiicirncy of Greek (Which,
the Commander somewhat pompously tells us,
- we'll as everything else he possessed, was
devoted 10 his cOuntry,) interpreted Tor the
horror stricken Commander. These cabaliStic
signs were found 10 be nothing less than re
prcscntatiyes Of the conspirators. They We're
exactly as described by WALES from the report
Of SPENCER Four We're set down as certain, ten
under the head of doubtful, and the remain
der, uherc being thirty i'll all as notens rote"S-
that il, az interpreted by the scholar on board
The SomcrS-men who We're TO be forced INTO
The conspiracy whether they We're willing or
not. The ,toiens rDteaS, it seems, Were more nu-
merouS than the ceTtdia and d0Hbt"t "tcombined.
They were eighteen strong, whereas the others
combined were but twelve Among the certain
was WALES himself (the informer). There
was another, ANDREWS who was not in the
snip, so that, in point of fact, there were but
t,co certaia. If the eight d0ubtfa could, with
any samblance OF Justice, be included among
The constructors surely the eighteen notenS
V0I.as men, who We're 10 be forced into the
business, could not. Yet this was the SPENCER
conspiracy Two men certain, eight doubtful,
and eighteen altogether opposed, were to take
n man OF war with 4 crew of one hundred ana
twenty men 1t is remarkable that neither
SMALL nor CROMWELL was on the certdm "Sf
and that CROMWELL was OH none OF the lhfee
lists, although these two men were hung along
with SPENCER. SMALL WAS only condemned on
WALES information. Spencer readily ac'
knoWlcdgrd The paper 10 be his, declaring ~
the same time, lhat II was nothing bHt n Joke
SyArr and CkoNwELL We're not arrested with
SrF>.tt at Afterwards No accusation was
made against them. Their looks the Com
luandcr thought, was evidence against them
Al accident which happened 10 I'll" sky-saii'
Iua-t through ihc ulundcrlug stT!ndItS -
MACkENlIE himself, and the carclcssness of
lnldshipmau, his own nephew, was also con-
stru,d against them. The Commander gives
the following account IN ais report OF the t"o6S
4. SNAIL and CROMWELL:
The following day being Sunday, the crew
were inspected at quarters, 10 clock. took
,uy station ahaft, with the intention of watch
ing SMALL and CROMWELL. The third, or MAS
1cr.s division, 10 which they both belonged
tlwuls mustered at morning quarters upon
the after part of the quarter deck, III coniin"-
i.t.on OF the line formed by the crews OF the
guns Iht psfsgas u Lo,L ctrt ftoht,SSiy ctt""
They were determined that their appearance
IN this respect should provoke no reproot
GK0NwELL stood up 10 his fun stature, his
muscles braCcd, his blttlr-axc graspcd rcso-
lutely, his cheek pale, bat his ~" fixed, as II
iudifierently, I'll the other side ~ hui II dstsr-
,4io,d dad dangerous ar. SMALL H,oie q cary
aig.relt Rgure. Ill. appearance" was ghastly
IL. shifted his weight from side TO side, and
liz battIr.aNc passed from one side to the
Other His eye wandered irresolutey, but
never towards mine. | attributed his conduct
- fear since have been led TO believe that
the business upon which he had entered was
Iepugnant 10 HE nature, though She ioNe OF
money and Of rum had been too strong ior MS
idehly'