The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-05-01

80 N~%@ n
| ton. till some time after the cruise OF
| the Constitution frigate had terml-
mated. John p. Hale, Of New Hamp-
| shire, has ali the glory Of It's abOh-
| ton When first heard-preIuded by
the shrill piping of the boatswaln and
his mates, the summons reminds one,
In a manner. of the call sounded by
the angel Gabriel, when lie Shall come
to summon the dead to judgment, and
sends through the soul a sensation of
horror, such as / shall not venture to
describe. One would think that on
so solemn an occasion as 4the com
mencement of a voyage around the
terrestrial globe, a libation Of
blood to Nemesis would be an anti.
Christian, and, therefore inappropriate
Offering; that the man in command OF
the expedition, if possessed OF the
ordinary sensibilities of infrm human
nature, would be so filled with sad
dening emotions at leaving his native
land and the endearments OF home,
as to be in no mood to engage IN so
shocking a spectacle as a white man
writhing under the tOrturlng lnhIc-
ton of the lashes Of the Cat {. -nine-.
tails" applied with savage vigor to
| the bare back of a wretched offender.
Mad Jack P%ercival, however, was SO
constituted that such sentimental
| stuff as tenderness was an entire
stranger among his sensations. He
was a grim visaged, stony hearted
old brute, who, though having the
human form divine" certainly had
a very diabolic nature. He was what
4 is technically denominated a Mar
tinet." Like all other human beings
! whom l have ever seen clothed with
irresponsible power, he took huge de-
! light in showing to those who we're
subject to it that he possessed it, and
l would use it unmercifully. whenever
( he could do so with a shadow of JUS
LITIGATION. Daring the two years and
1 six months that he commanded the
| Constitution frigate he was V
known to let an opportunity slip by
Of iLficting corporal chastisemenl.
Furthermore, whenever disease left
him The capability of sUperintend-
ing a fogging, he would aggra-
vate the torments of agony en-
dured by the culprit by taunts
and jeers by insults and mockery,
such as | Dever before heard, and
such az | pray heaven / may never
again hear fall from the lips of de-
PRAYED human nature. The pilot had
Scarcely left US; land was still plainly
in view we we're, as yet, atthe thresh-
old of our cruise, when our ears
were startled with the call of All
hands witness punishment The
| heathens Of old would have looked
upon the men who could commence
- -r-In-koG Tnn ELrn orrra IN cTTph .
way, as wretches outlawed Of God,
and consequently deserving destruc-
ton. All, the poor heather what a
pity they knew nothing Of the hui
manizing influences of Christianity
While we were lying at anchor IN
the harbor of New York, the crew
was one day mustered on the quarter
deck, and Mad Jack delivered an ad-
dress. He had a passion for Grating,
and pasting notices to the crew over
the water butt, for the mems perusal.
Yet he was in cleverness no Marryatt.
Among other things communicated
to us by him on this occasion, was the
revelation that be had discovered an
infallible cure for drunkenness. The
rationale Of said cure, as disclosed to
US, fairly curdled our blood. He in
tended to put the offenders first of all
in irons, next in confinement IN the
brig G.. e. a space between TO for
ward guns on the lower gun
deck), there to be kept during his
pleasure; when he was ready to pro-
coed. with the cure, they were to be
brought on deck, physiced with a
quart of sea water, and then receive
a dozen lashes withSthe cat" to as
sist the operation Of the medicine.
During our stay at New York, sew
eral of the crew, undeterred by
the terrible punishment threatened
against those who should violate the
rules of the ship against inebriety,
became intoxicated on duty, and were
incarcerateda as aforesaid. The brig. F"
in fact, had quite an OVERLOOKING crew
by the time we sailed. Those were
the culprits, the laceration Of whose
backs, and the physicing of whose
astronomical apparatus, we were
called upon to witness.
When this revolving spectacle was
to be exhibited, the marine guard was
always drawn out under arms, aud the
officers appeared with their side arms,
on the quarter-deck. No one among
the crew reported for duty, was ex-
cused on such an occasion. 1t was
intended to serve as an exemplifica-
ton of discipline, and the boatswain,
and his mates we're imperiously au-
thorized to use the colt incontinently,
(i.e., a fathom Of inch rope,) to expe-
dite the movements of skulkers or
laggards to the spar deck.
To render the sickening spectacle as
painful and degrading to the sufferers,
Id ~ imnrassivn as q Warning to the