Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-05-27

the last hope of the malcontents, and
from that time vessel after vessel with
drew without objection and returned to
their allegiance. On the 10Th of June
the hundreds Of detained merchantmen
were allowed to depart, and such fleet
never entered port before by the same
tide. From this moment the disintegra-
ton was rapid. On the 18th only seven
vessels were flying the red flag, and on
the 10th every ship had been restored to
the command of it's proper officers, and
the crews were glad to return to duty.
Thus was this most remarkable mutiny
inaugurated and maintained for four
weeks, almost within sight of the turrets
of Windsor, and for the first time in her
history was the British metropolis block
AIDED.
Parker returned to his former posi-
ton on the Sandwich, but on the Goth of
June file Of soldiers from the fort at
Sheerness came on board, and the in
surgent chief was taken into custody.
On the gath court-martial was con-
vened, ViCe-Admiral Sir Thos. Paisley
presiding. Parker conducted his own
defense, and acquitted himself with
much ability. The line Of argument he
adopted was that the situation he held
was in a measure forced upon him; that
he had only consented to assume it in
the hope of being able to restrain the
I, L
strained them; owing to his stringent
orders not hundred pounds worth of
property had been destroyed by the mu-
tineers; had he been disloyal, he said, he
might have taken the ships to sea or car
ried them into the enemies ports, for
which dazzling reward had been offered.
He admitted that technically he might
be guilty, but the purity of his purposes
ofense. But the Government showed
that he had formally issued an order as
Stunning command of the insurgent ships,
that he had addressed the Government
in that capacity. and that as he had gone
from ship to ship of the fleet he had been
attended by his staff and received with
cheers and all honors due to exalted
rank, and after a brief deliberation he
was sentenced to die at the yard-arm Of
the Sandwich in presence of the whole
fleet.
When his doom was announced he
stood up and said: {" I shall submit to
your sentence with all due respect, be-
ing confident of the innocence of my in
tentions, and that God will receive me
with favor. | sincerely hope that my
death may be the means of restoring
to the navy, and that those
men who have been implicated in this
business may be restored to their posi-
lions and again become seryiceable to
their country. l wish further to say that
eminently just, though |, with every
loyal citizen, regret the mode selected
for their accomplishment"
On the morning of the Both of June
the yellow flag, the signal of death, was
hoisted on the Sandwich. The whole
fleet was ranged around the death-ship,
their crews piped to the forecastle, and
at nine o'clock the unhappy prisoner was
brought on deck. He was pale but COM
posed, and as he passed his messmates
he said: "Good-by to you, boys. I sin
cerely hope my death may be deemed a
sufficient atonement for you all" Just
before the rope was adjusted he handed
to an officer a letter to his wife and his
will, cow eying to her some property in
Scotland, after which he was hauled up
and died almost without a struggle.
But there is a sad romance connected
with this tragedy which is more inter
esting than the tragedy itself. Parker's
young wife resided in Scotland, and
when she heard that the Sheerness fleet
had mutinied under the lead Of Richard
Parker she had no doubt that the in
surgent chief was her husband, and she
instantly departed for London, believing
his arrest was certain, and hoping to
save him from the vengeance of the law.
On her arrival in London she learned
tudt uoI uuSUduu udu De6n IT1ou ana
condemned. She fastened to a notary,
paid a guinea for having petition for a
communication properly prepared, and
sought to present it to the King. She
was obliged to give it to Lord in wait
ing, who, on learning for what purpose it
was intended, coolly advised her not to
waste any more time or money in that
effort, for no power on earth could save
the bold mutineer. She then went with
all possible haste to Sheerness, where she
learned that her husband was to be hung
at nine o'clock the next morning. At an
early hour she began to search for means
to get on board the Sandwich, and it was
nearly nine before she succeeded. Then
she was not permitted to come within
200 yards, but was near enough to see
her husband as he came on deck on his
way to execution. She became wild with
grief, and, stretching out her hands, cried
"Richard! Richard! Oh, my husbandp'
and fell senseless. The doomed man
heard the wall, and said to one of the
officers: "There is my poor wife from
Scotlandl Can | see her, if but for one
,,,o,,,ont9D No reDlV was made hI1t +bo