The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-01-17
The Alleged Mutiny on Board the nitcd States
Man-of- War Soniers. In l>43.

We promised, some weeks since, 10 publish
IN abstract of this extraordinary case as soon
- IL could hc made. We now comply with
hat promise, promising that the principal au-
thoritscs for the facts set forth are the report
Of Commander MACKESzIE himself and the
evidence of the witnesses at his trial. In
BESroN's " Thirty Years View may be found
, a most acute analysis Of the whole case, and TO
this analysis we are greatly indcbtcd-not for
the facts, for they are all upon the record, but
Tor the law that should have governed tn"
proceedings,
The United States brig Somcrs had been on
= cruise upon the coast of Africa, and was
returning home in November I,i2, when the
events W" are about 10 relate occurred. She
was commanded by ALEXANDER SLIDELL MAC
KLNZIE, a commander in the naval service of
tho United States. aud an author of some repu-
TALON i'll his day, having written the formerly
Weil-known works, " \ Year in Spain and Il
Life Of Paw Jo>Es. She had crew OF one
hundred and twenty, all told, OF which ninety
six Were apprentice boy. Her second officer
was Lieutenant fA>SEvooRr, and seven mid
shipm"n, Of whom the unhappy SPENCER, 4
boy under nineteen, was one. He was 4 son
al the Hon. .iAHE> 6. SPENCER, Sccre.
IJrA Of War ~ the time; aud it seems
lie had been Wild youth, having been dis
charged from the Brazilian squadron for
drunkenness. Commander MAckESzrE endca-
Vorrd to grt him exchanged into the Grampus,
then lying ready for sea 1T New York, before
the Somcrs sailed. The reason he assigned
1T the time was that the mdshipmen'S room
VA, crowded, TWO mid>hipmcn, Hho had for
lurrly s.lt~d under him, and in whom IL had
confidence. having Joined him, anf increased
he number 10 seven, whereas there was ac-
rou.u.odalion only for five. There being no time
to apply 10 the department, MAcKENZiE told
SrES,rE, who was d">irous 10 i" exchanged,
that If hr would apply 10 Commodore PERRY
he Wuuld second tn" application. PERRY de-
cli3rd 10 trlnt,r SPENCER, but offered to trans
f.r AId>hipnau RoGEES. which MACKENZIE
would not consent t.. 1t appears from This
statement tlIat MAckENZiE had no1hing more
in view than The convenience OF the mldshlp-
men, four of whom We're his relations or con-
neclions. and two OF whom We're his nephews.
lie had already heard of his dismissal from
Iii" BriZilian squadron, be il remembered,
when he assigned this reason. After he had
slain him. i'll his rcpor, TO the Secretary he
assigned 4 very different reason for wishing
him out of the ship, TO wit that he knew
him 10 be a base character, and he wished 10
have nothing TO do with bas"neSs. 1t IL SlnSu-
lar that the l-fated Grampus, 10 which II
WAS proposed 10 transfer young SPENCER,
never returned from the voyag" upon which
she was just about 10 enter. She foundered 1T
sea the next spring, carrying every soul on
board along with her. Two officers from Nir-
ginia, both OF high promise, were ON board
Of that Vcsscl--LicHteuant MCCKEERY and
SWAMI. Poor SPENCER seemed doomed, no
matter which hc took. Had he been transfer
red To the GrampuS, he would have been
drowned; remaining on board the SomrrS, he
WAS reserved tor 4 fate even more cruel.
The SomcrS - we have said, was returning
10 the United States from the coast of Africa,
by way of the West Indies, when this alleged
nutiuy was discovered by one WALES, the
purscr's >tcward-a man Of VIGOROUSLY bad
character. who had been charged by the Com
Inandcr with buying 4 double supply OF
brandy for the ship, the same quantity from
Two stores. III New York, i'll order that he
might steal il and sell ii 10 the crew. This
steward communicated it TO the purser, and
the purscr TO the First Lieutenant (GANsE-
vooRrJ GAHSEvooRT communicated ii to the
Commander, who, according TO his tGASsE-
youRT'Sl account, took the thing ''Nery coolly
said the vessel was in 4 good state OF dlScIp-
line, and EXPRESSED his doubts "a TO the truth
OF the report" The ship being in good
STATE of discipline, according TO the Comman-
drr's own statement, it was, of course, i'll his
opinion, in no danger. The Commander, in
deed, SAYS i'll his official report, "such was the
purport of the information laid before me
by Lieutenant GAxsEvooKT, and although
lie was evidently impressed with the
reality of the project, get ii seemed to me
S. laoasro,,S, so improbabie, that l could
not forbeur treating it with rdicule. was
under the impression that Mr.. SPENCER had
been reading piratical stories, and had
amused himself with Mr.. WALES y (the
informerl Certainly the whole story was
worthy only OF ridicule. The amount OF II
was, that Mr. SPENCER, the night before, haV-
ing first gotten him (WALEs) into safe place,
suddenly asked him, "Do you fear death
Are Won afraid of dead man? Are you
fraid TO XIII a man - And having obtained
satisfactory answers to these questlons' uh-
folded to him plan for capturing the ship lie
gfgwed him list. viz: four men, certain
rs. doubtful and eighteen, nolenS cotens, who
were to be forced into the business. They were
10 call at the I.le of Pines for confederates,
and afterwards roam the seas At large under
The black dag proving upon the commerce OF
All nations A more ridiculous scheme coula
NOT have been conceived had anything more
been designed than to play upon the fears OF
WALES, who was Il landsrnan. Where was u
pirate TO 20, covered as the Sea then was Win
the fleets of all nations What land was there
which could receive them? What rock In the
ocean was so solitary that they could take 10
il without the risk Of capture! upon
The very face of it, the whole thing was
a ioke. Such MACKENZIE thought IL III Ten
o'clock on the Goth of November, lSi2 and such
he pronounced it 10 BE-, rs We have seen above
At this time, the Commander, according 10 the
account of Lieutenant GASsEvooRr, above
alluded TO- thought the ship in "a good state
OF discipline" When he made his report to the
Secretary of the Navy, he seems 10 have for
gotten what he said TO GAS>EvooRr, for In
that report he says the condition Of the ship
was a, that time very bad, and had been so
ever since leaving the coast Of Africa The
report, however, was made out after the
death of SPENCER. Mark that! Be this'
however u