The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-07-30
NUMBER l3.


A well-knOwn English gentleman
Mr.. James Silk Buckingham-lately de-
ceased, was about sixteen years old when
he volunteered OIL board an English ship
of war. where, however, he soon became
disguised with the severity of the dis
cipline. and deserted. The scene which
impelled him to take this course was the
" fogging round the flee" of deserter::
The poor fellow had been impressed
and torn from his wife and children. lie
had deserted, and, when recaptured, he
struck the officer who took him. The
merciful sentence of the cOurt-martial
was that he should receive twelve lashes
at each vessel i'm the fleet. A boat from
each vessel attended the execution, and
Mr. Buckingham was in one OF these
He says
"The prisoner was in the launch, one
of the largest boats of his own ship, in
the certre of which was erected trangu-
lar framework, made of handspikes or
poles. To this he was fastened, by the
arms being extended upwards and out
wards, and his wrists bound tightly to
the framework by cords, his body being
perfectly naked down to the waist.
"In this boat were about dozen OF
his own shipmates, the officer superin-
tending the punishment, lieutenant OF
his own ship, and surgeon of the same,
whose duty it was to see that the punish
ment was kept short of inficting death.
"On reaching the leeward ship, the
launch hauled alongside; and at least
twenty boats, in one of which l was
stationed at the bow, clustered round the
vessel on the starboard side, few yards
only from the launch, so we could see
every lash that fell, and hear every shrek
and groan of the sufferer.
"From the ship there descended an
officer, with two bOatswains' mates, and
an assistant-surgeon The naked body
of the victim was exposed, and we heard
the order given: The prisoner was to
receive a dozen lashes from each ship,
Boatswains' mates do your dutyv
"The strokes of the lash fell heavily,
and at what to me seemed long intervals
Ga minute between each at least.) The
very first brought blood; the sufferer re-
strained his utterance till about the fifth
or sixth; but then the pent up agony
had vent in shrek, enough to rend
heart of stone.
"At the end of the first instalment OF
a dozen lashes, the victims back was one
mass of lascerated flesh and blood; and
over this was spread a blanket, which
we were assured, was stepped in vinegar
and brine, as some said to augment thu
suffering, as others contended, to prevent
modification.
"The boats now all fell into line, eacl
towing the one next behind her at ar
interval of about boats length apart
and the last having the launch with tn,
prisoner in tow, all pulling against a still
head wind to the ship next in order t.
windward, occupying from fifteen t.
twenty minutes.
"Here the same horrible scene was re
peated, and so onward till about ten o
twelve ships had been visited, there be
ing six or eight more to go to; when tn
victim having several times tainted, am
his voice ceased to give forth eithe
shrieks Of grOans, he was reported by tn
surgeon to be incapable of bearing an,
further infiction, and was ordered to b
rowed ashore to the hospital, befor
reaching which he was discovered to b
dead; and some declared that he had rt
, ceived the last heavy lashes on his bod
after the spirit had quilted its earthl
: tenement"
Before the fleet sailed Mr.. Buckine
, ham deserted, and was fortunate enOug
to escape re-capture, and its cOnsequer
repetition of this disgusting and disgrace
full scene, with himself for the princip'
actor.