St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-23
An Old-Time Narrative That
Reads Strikingly Like a
Romance.
Sensational Hanging OF
Boy Mutineer and His
Associates.
Details Of a Bloody Plot
Mapped Out by a Pirate
Chieftain.
New York Press.

around their neckS, and their three
forms swung out over the ships side on
their way to the yard. One of them was
Midshipman Philip Spencer, son of Hon.
John G. Spencer, secretary of war
under President Tyler.
[ shall not go into the details of how l
came to enter the navy, except to say
that in the summer Of 1912, when was
fourteen years old, purely through a
desire for adventure. j ran away from
kind parents and good home at
Genoa, Cayuga county, N. Y, and
joined a training ship at Buffalo. In a
few months a large number Of the APP
prentice boys, as one of which had
been shipped. were taken to Brooklyn
navy yard and put aboard the school
ship North Carolina. One day in the
month of September (the 18th or 18th,
[ think, Commander Alexander Slidell
Mackenzie came board the North Caro-
lima and called for acreW to manage the
new brig Somers for a cruise to the
African coast with dispatches to the
Vandalia.
He took from the North Carolina, l
think. thirty able-bodied seamen, sixty
apprenticed boys and a number of
officers, forming crew OF 100 men IN
all.
The Somers had been fully manned
and Differed when Acting MidShipman
Philip Spencer. then on the John Ad-
ans, made application to go on the
cruise. Through theinfiuence of friends
a place was made for him, and he
started with us as acting mldshlpman
on the African cruise. AS soon as
Spencer came aboard he attracted the
attention of all and the admiration OF
the boys. Tall. dark, straight as an
arrow. with great black eyes full of fire.
his smooth face Of the boy of twenty
one bore the features of man full OF
determination and ignorant OF fear.
Spencer was remarkably handsome
Young fellow, and a perfect dare devil.
He appeared to be afraid of nothing,
and showed in many strange ways
disposition for daring deeds and disre-
gard for consequences. He was, how
ever, kind and cOnSiderate to the
younger boys, showing his favorS in the
way of extra tobacco and rum when ever
he could do so without coming under
the eye of superior officer. On Satur-
day, November 26, Lieutenant GanSe-
WORT Informed Captain Mackenzie that
a terrible conspiracy existed on board
the Somers, involving the murder OF the
officers and the apprentice boys.
and the conversion of the vessel
into pirate to sail away with
the black flag at the masthead,
under command of Midshipman Spen-
Ger. on voyage of death and plumber.
The commander at first refused to be-
lieve the terrible story, but on inquiry
it was found that Spencer himself had
revealed the details of the horrible plot.
The night before he had invited Wales,
the purser's steward, to JOIN the band.
Inviting him to go up Oh the boomS.
Spencer, after first swearing him to
secrecy, said to Wales:
81 am going to speak freely to you,
and tell you now that If you reveal
word of what tell you you are dead
man. For as sure as there is blood in
your veins you will die if you betray
our secrets. | may not live to kill you,
but the members OF my band. who are
waiting for me at the Isle of Pines, will
do the work if | fail. l ask you, first of
all, have you the nerve to face death?
Would you hesitate, under sufficient
considerations, to kill man? Would
YOU be afraid of dead man, or lose
your nerve at the sight of one you had
killed."
Wales, terribly startled by these
fearful questions. could scarcely retain
his composure, but managed to reply in
such a manner as to encourage the
pirate chieftain to proceed with the de-
tails of his bloody plot. Spencer then
rapidly plunged into the horrible par
ticulars of the piratical scheme. He
had matured a plan to capture the
Somers, murder the officers in their
cabins. dispose of the apprentice boys
by making them walk the plank into
the sea, and to send all others of the
crew who we're considered useless or
refused to join the pirate band to the
same fate.
All this occurred without the knowl-
edge of the apprentice boys, and we
learned it only through subsequent de-
velopments. but will tell you what we
saw ourselves. On the following day at
sunset all hands were piped to quarters,
and the officers directed to meet on the
quarter deck. Spencer was standing
we'll aft, and was quite near him, when
Capt. Mackenzie and the officers came
up. Stepping directly in front of him
the captain said to Spencer:
81 understand, Sir, that you aspire to
the command of this vessel" AT these
words Spencer's dark, handsome face
turned as pale as death and his head
dropped. He replied, however, ''By no
means, sir" and attempted smile. l
heard no conversation regarding the
pirate story being told as a joke, al
though it was afterward reported that
Spencer admitted telling it, but that it
was merely in jest. The captain then
ordered him to remove his necker chief,
which he did, showing that nothing was
concealed in it. The captain then
asked:
"Where is the paper which you had
in your neckerchief?'
. 81 threw it overheard, sir; it was
nothing but the figures of my days
work in navigation" Spencer's voice
was hesitating, and he showed that he
felt his terrible position. He managed
to gain his composure, however, and
when the captain next asked:
& ssDo you consider your neckerchIef
the proper place to carry your navlga-
ton work?' he replied rather sharply.
8 81 consider it very convenient place,
sir"
By the captains orders, Spencer was
Immediately put in double-irOus and his
effects thoroughly searched. Among
them was manuscript covered with
Gr6cK 16tbcTS, WHICH,, WHCtl tlduoioeOu
by Mr.. Rogers, convinced the officers OF
the certainty of the conspiracy. To add
to this, signs of INSTRUMENTATION among
the seamen began to appear, and on
Nov. 81 two seamen, Cromwell and
Small, were both placed ID irons.
The prisoners were all kept aft, and
the apprentice boys sent forward, where
we ali slept Oil the open deck. The day
after he was put in irons, while was
taking my trick at the wheel, Small
happened to be near me and asked me
for my comb. Seeing none of the officers
near, L handed it to him, and as he re-
turned it to me he said: "Frary, have
got to die. never have taken the life
of man, but | have got to die because
/ have said would kill men," Crom-
well, the big, black-bearded pirate, was
almost completely broken down with
fear.
The next day the officers were assem-
bled, and the prisoners were told that
they had only thirty minutes to live.
Spencer, pale as death, but maintaining
nerve, answered: II do not complain
of the punishment, but object to the
short time that you give me for prepa-