The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-09-17
STRANGE BUT TRUE.

the locker far down below the berth
deck, where the boatswains yeoman kept
account of everything that was useo for the
snip, and painted, almost in vain, for
mouthful OF air. Yet even to him reached
the little silver instrument and he paused.
In common with the rest, to hear what was
to follow. The words came soon enouob
GAN hands on deck to witness punish>
ment =
Laying down his pen, the young man
came up the long, winding stairs, and ap>
peared on the spar-deck along with the rest
OF the crew, pale and wan, a livid ghost
standing among the living.
Only one man bore any resemblance to
him. That was the individual whom the
master-at-arms had just escorted from the
brig-the place on the gun-deck where
prisoners are confined and guarded by
marine, who, with loaded musket, marches
backward and forward continually, in front
of the men in durance.
This prisoner, just brought upon deck,
and the irons taken from his wrists, looked
nearly as pale and deatlly as the young
yeoman from the depths of the frigate.
Though he betrayed his feelings in no other
manner, he carried his head erect, his step
was firm, and his well opened eyes were
liked upon the gratings, the worming, the
sheathed cat-O-nine- tails, and all the pre-
parations for torture, without quailing, if
not with calm Indifference. He was tall
fine looking man, between thirty and forty
years of age, who, it was easy to perceive,
only required that the rust and tarpaulip
gear of a seaman should be removed from
his person, to enable him to compete, in
outward appearance, with any officer on
board the ship.
But all that availed him nothing. While
under the influence of auguadente-the Ii
quor of the country-he had met the com
modore Oh the beach, near Calao, and he
had said some things which gave great of
fense to that gentleman
He was ordered on board immediately,
and he came off to the ship in the same boat
with the commodore. When thew got on
board the crew were electrified by tie yio-
lent manner of the commodore, calling for
the master-at- arms, aud ordering that
Lewis should be put in double irons aud
confined i'll the brig. The offender. who
was 10y this time partly sobered, took of
his hat and tried to apologize but the
commodore would hear nothing. Waving
him aside, the latter cried in the most
wrathful tones "Get out of my sight, Won
scoundrel I'll have you tried by court
martial ~
Every one present knew what that meant.
Trial by court-martial meant conviction
and terrible punishment. No common
sailor ever passed through the ordeal Of a
court-martial unscathed. The trial was
mere form; it meant that the commodore
intended to punish Lewis for insulting him,
and Lewis knew that perfectly well.
Still every sailor about to be tried made
his defense. He employed somebody to
write it for him, and that defense was al
ways ready at the trial. On the present
occasion, writing a defense was somewhat
delicate, if not a perilous matter For the
commodore himself was the aggrieved par
ty, and the commodore was no lawyer.
Vested with absolute authority i'm the
squadron, he WAS not prepared to reccg-
nize the fact that the n an who had insult
ed him was entitled to as impai tial a trial
as if he had only insulted or otherwise in
jured the black cook.
1t so happened also that the young sea-
man whom Lewis engaged to write his de-
fense had fallen under the eye of the Uni
ted States Consul at Valparaiso; and when
l,n .,afo fI,n of hot . L.
consul had warned the commodore that the
captain of the ship from which the young
man had been discharged had strongly
suspected him of mutinous designs
sim not afraid that he'll create a mutinv
in my ship" replied the commodore.
With such prestige as this the young
writer of defenses had come on board our
frigate.
Such as it was Lewis defense was read
at the time. 1t took the ground that, at
the time the offense was given, Lewis was
ashore on liberty, and that during the
forty eight hours accorded him he did not
belong to The ship, and was not under the
command of the commodore any more
than the President of Peru himself. If,
therefore, Lewis insulted the commodore
during those forty-cight hours, it was not
as one of the crew of the frigate, but as a
private citizen of Callao.
What then? Must Lewis be punished
because he being only common sailor
spoke extensively to one who was socially
his superior? Certainly not Our laws
recognized no soch difference, and the
Declaration of Independence asserts 'sall
men are born equal" Therefore, the de-
fense went on to say, the otfense of which
Lewis had been guilty was precisely the
same as if he had insulted one of his ship
mates on shore, common sailor like himself
The commodore was highly exasperated
when the judge advocate read the defense
at the trial.