Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-08-22
AN EXECUTION AT SEA.
AN EPISODE OF THE EARLY DAYS
OF THE AMERICAN NAVY.

this tragedy on the ocean," continued the
old sailor, who was spinning this yarn
about an experience at sea. You see." he
ran on, I'VE were sailing from Liberia to the
United States, and were keeping a sharp
lookout for slave traders. Ours was a sort
of training ship for midshipmen, not like
those we have in these days, but one that
was regarded as fit for educating young
men in the practical details of navigation.
1 think there were little more than a hun
dred boys aboard on this voyage, and for
months we had enjoyed a pleasant
time, without anything startling to relieve
the monotony of a sailors life.
Our captain was not a popular man,
and the crew often found fault with his
orders, but no one ever dreamed that seri-
GUS trouble was brewing until one after
noon late in November, when we were
standing head in toward st. Thomas, in
the Bermudas, about three days sail away.
All at once came the order from the cap
tain:
"'An hands leave the quarter deck
ut was the general rule on shipboard
that the gunner stood to their posts, even
after the crew were ordered forward. So
every man at the guns stood fast. In a
second came the peremptory order:
"'All hands forward of the mainmast.'
II ARREST OF H BOY.
"As I moved off l noticed that all the Off
GERS of the vessel save one were congregated
about the captain in the after part of the
vessel. The absent midshipman remained at
his post in the forecastle. A moment later
another mildly was sent by the captain to
tell this boy that he desired to speak with
him. The two lads, neither one of them
20 years of age, walked aft together. The
officers of the ship opened ranks to receive
them, and Immediately the commandment
ordered the midshipman from the forecas-
tie to be disarmed and put in irons. None
of the ships crew knew Of the occurrence
until later, when two of it's number were
arrested and double ironed. No one on
the vessel save the officers knew the cause
of these arrests.
"For a night and a day almost the silence
OF death hung over the man-of-war as it
stood steadily on it's course. The crew
spoke to one another under their breath,
and the officers walked the deck doubly
armed, constantly watching us. The
arbitrary authority of a naval officer at sea
was co be invoked, and 100 souls on board,
mostly boys fresh from the naval school,
were to be awed by the scenes which were
to follow.
When then the sentence of guilty was
rendered to crafty the caprice of a vain
officer the men were notified that they had
ten minutes to live. There was no cere-
mony about the announcement and it was
as brutally communicated as possible.
BRUTAL AUTHORITY.
"The young boy, is years ofage, who was
charged with being ambitious to raise the
mutiny, capture the ship and urn it into
a pirate craft and command it himself,
never weakened, but his two companions
asked for time to prepare for death. The
lad asked to be released from chains long
enough to write to his mother, but the
captain refused, and then the boy dictated
to the commander a letter to her, which
the commandant never delivered.
"The first day of December, 1912, was q
beautiful one. The tropical sun, especially
in the afternoon, was tempered by a brao
ing breeze, and the ocean was as calm as
mill pond the first half of the day. The
lad and one man were placed on the right
side and the third on the left of the ship
The ropes were quickly adjusted-called
whips in naval nomenclature-and all
hands were summoned to the dread duty.
"It is the rule on shipboard that in ar
execution every living soul on board shall
ndNC " u II WHlpS WAtH Vic Gull
demned are swung off. Even the cabin boy
and the cook are not exempt from this
painful duty. This is exacted hat no ont
shall be able to chide the other with hav
ing taken part in a death to which all wer,
not a party. In this case the rule was en-
forced to the letter, because this was az
execution of greater moment than any tina
had ever taken place in the American navy
or has ever taken place up to this date
The officers were dressed in full uniform
for the occasion, and the crew were clad a.
if for inspection.
"The ropes adjusted, the captain STOOD
back and in a loud voice gave the com
mand: Strike the bell eight Stand by
Fire the gunl Walk away with the whips
Roll drumsi'
SWINGING FROM H YARDARM.
"As the last stroke of eight bells ran,
out upon the tropical air there was on
surge of the whips and three bodies dan
gled from the yardarm and three mel
were strangled to death. A neck is neve
broken by such a method. | shall neve
forget the scene at this moment. The crew
were speechless. So they stood and looked
as If bound to the spot. The awful spell
was broken as we were piped Town to din
ner and started forward. The captain a
this caught something of tn
spirit of the crew, and calling them bacl
eased the strain somewhat by making
speech justifying the execution, and at tn
same time urging us to look upon the re
suits of conspiracy and take warning by ii
He then called for three cheers for the vim
dication of the flag, which were give
without heart, and then the crew wake,
forward solemnly to their dinner, to dis
cuss the execution as much us they dared.
The bodies of the three men were al
lowed to dangle in the air, while all on shiI
board ate and discussed the sad events 0
the day. The scene in the officers cabi,
was especially striking. Around the tabl
sat those who had condemned the tire
men to death, and at their head the office
who had ordered the execution. The de
tails of the alleged mutiny were freel
talked over, so one of the officers told IN
afterward. But it always seemed strang
to me that a boy of is years of age, goo,
hearted and full of mischief, should hav
scared the officers of a vessel carrying
hundred and twenty souls, most of WHOM
he would have to throw overheard had h
undertaken the task of caDturinn the shi