The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-14
OUR NAVY.

TErgres IngIS,eS UPSH raSeT Gg BSSTS the
with lE3ns,s1iiOrs Robbed Of MOney--rhe
The N Y. Herald this morning gives the following
account Of crueties inflicted on our seamen, whi N
will astonish those who have believed that mercy
and Kindness are distinguishing features in our
The last cruise of the United States soop-of-war
Pawnee terminated with her arrival at Portsmouth,
and on the 2lst Of July she went out OF commission.
About month before her arrival while on the vOy-
age from RIO RIO Janero, Acting Assistant surgeon
amounting in value It is said, to about $780, which
was taken from his stateroom while he was asleep.
III mas become tolerably clear, since the arrival OF
the Pawnee, that a coored man named Robert
Shorter was the party guilty of the theft, por-
his person, and he is now in the Portsmouth Jail
awaiting the action Of the Grand Jury Of the United
states Circuit Court on charge of larceny upon the
nigh seas; but no one suspected Shorter during the
voyage.
Roderick W. Turner and John A. Simmons, two
OF the wardroom boys of the Pawnee, both colored
were suspected Of the theft, and with the view to
eNtort from them n confession OF guilt, they were
both confined in double irons. For thrty-eght hours
Consecutively they lay upon the deck upon their
breasts and faces, their ankles roned together with
one pair Of irons, their wrists irOned together with
another pair, their feet bent behind them, and
both pairs OF irons being tied together behind their
conceived. At the end Of these forty-eight hours
they were raised from the deck put to stand up back
to back with their ankle irons still upon them, the
arms of each being bent backwards around the body
OF his COmTade in torture. At each meal bread and
water were allowed them, with ten minutes sus-
pension OF punishment to enable them to eat it.
No other suspension OF torture was allowed, not
even when the calls of nature had to be answered
Consequently the fore peak where they were con-
fined became nsuiierably filthy and the whole
crew were made, In a measure, partaEers in the
punishment most docie and submissive
set Of men they must have been or they would have
risen in mutiny on so extreme provOcation. For
four days these men kept irOned hand and foot
and bound together back to back. The intense heat
of the place increased their suterings, and sleep be-
came almost impossible. Simmons testified before
the United States Commissioner on the occasion OF
the examination of Shorter that both and he and
Turner offered all their wages for the entire cruise
to the master-at-arms if he would suspend their
punishment for a single hour. But no suspension
was allowed, and day and night the cries Of the tor
tured ones rung in the ears of the crew, calling for
release or death.
Suffering without sleep induces dementia. On the
sixth day of his punishment Simmons became wild
and insane, and the sufferers were parted. Simmons
still kept in irons. Turner not only kept IN
irons, but his wrists were roned behind him and
tied or riced up to one of the beams above his head
In this condition for many hours he remained tied
up so closely that his toes barely touched the ships
deck, his body hanging chiefly by his wrists, till his
| brain became giddy, and he made confession,
which is believed to have been false, that he had
stolen the gold and jewelry and had given them to
white sailor named Patrick OBren, When his
reason returned to him Turner retracted the cSnfes
| sion which his tortures had wrung from him; but
Notwithstanding this retracton, and notwithstand-
ing OBrien denied all knowledge of the larceny, and
| none of the stolen things could he found him,
OBrlen was seized, confined in double irons, ia the
| same manner as the Others and tied up by the
wrists so tightly that most OF his weight hung upon
his wrists. For three days and nights he Kept
thus, when the irons had cut into the fesh and his
wrists swollen to twice their ordinary size pre-
| sented frightfuly liberated and gangrenous ap-
| pearance. Wien the vessel reached Portsmouth
| the condition of O'Bren's wrists such that at
first amputatOn of both hands felt to be
SaTy to save his life But under the skilful manpu
atiOn OF Surgeon GOrgaS at the Naval Hospital the
Inflammation was asSuaged, and the hands were
saved.
The captain of the Pawnee (Clitz) denied all
knowledge of these punishmcnts beyond the con-
tinement Of the men in double irons. The counsel
for the executive Ofcer, Lieutenant Commander II.
r. Seeey, intimate that he knew nothing of these
tortures, but that the masterat-arms, petty officer,
inflicted them without authority. Thus the specta
Gle is presented of cruel and unlawful punishments
inflicted on board of public vessel Of the navy,
during period OF about thirteen days in all, with
both the commanding and executive officers affect
ing to have known nothing about it,
Not a word of information touching these un
authorized punshmentS reached the Navy Depart
ment through the ordinary official channels. But
Charles Cowley, Boston lawyer, formerly Naval
Judge Advocate took the atlidaVit of Turner and
Simmons, who employed him their counsel, and
forwarded it to Secretary Robson, with a request
Tor COurt-martial. About the same time Henry 2.
ROlfe, United States District Attorney for New
Hampshire sent letter to Secretary Robson touch
were referred to Court of Inquiry. which was con-
Vened at Portsmouth, consisting OF Captain Guest,
Commanders McCawley and Wills, and Commander
Temple, Judge Advocate. Mr.. Cowley and Mr..
ROlfe appeared before this Court in behalf or the
compliments.
The proceedings of this court have been conducted
with the secrecy common with such tribunals. But
the facts above reced incidentally elected in
the examination Of Shorter and the same facts, in
greater detail, must have been brought out before
the Court of Inquiry That court has completed its
labOrs and will, without doubt, he followed by Il
Naval General Court Martial before which all who
were concerned in the infCtion Of these tOrtures
will be brought for trial.