Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-08-21

A Terrible Example of Punishment for
Mutineering.

Mutineering
:" Strike the bell eight! stand by! Fire
the gum Walk away with the whips.
Roll drums
This was the awful order | once heard
given when | was boy on an American
man of-war. 1t sent three souls into
eternity. No person who has never wit
messed an execution at sea can conceive a
fraction of the solemnity which surrounds
it. The death penalty has been invoked,
but very few times within the history OF
the United States navy. 1T IS one OF
those rarc events that are too liable to be
shr0uded in mystery and covered with IN
Justice, which malice or nervousness mis-
takes for discipline. The tragic scene
witnessed in West India waters might
readily be called the harshest of names
without an infraction Of the truth, But 1t
was done in the name Of discipline, and
while it did not receive the sanction OF
the government, board Of naval officers
acquitted the captain of crime; but the
shadow of that execution hung over his
after life, and he lived in retirement from
the moment he touched American shores
until he died.
1T is forty-eight years ago next Decem-
her since witnessed thls 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 sail
ing from Liberia to the United States, and
were keeping sharp lookout Tor slave
traders Ours was a sort of training ship
for midshipmen, not like those we have IN
these days; but one that III those early days
was regarded as fit for educating young
men in the practical details of navigation.
| think there were little more than hun
dred boys aboard on this voyage, and for
some months we had enjoyed a pleasant
time without anything startling to relieve
the monotony of a''sailor's life Our captain
was not IA popular man, and the crew often
found fault with his orders, but no one
never dreamed that serious trouble was
brewing, until one afternoon, late IN No
vember, when we were standing head IN to-
ward st. Thomas, about three days sail
away.
Dog watch on ship board is from 4 to 8
o'clock, and | was on, in the afternoon OF
o'clock in the evening, and we were
was ready for action 1t might be clearer
if should say that we were at regular drill
which took place every night at 6. | was
stationed at one of the guns back of the
mainmast. Nothing unusual had occurred
to even suggest to us that there was any
thing wrong. All at once came the order
from the captain:
"'All hands leave the quarter deck.
1t was the general rule on ship board
that the gunners stood at 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.
LAS moved off | noticed that all the
officers of the vessel save one were congre
gated about the captain In the after part
of the vessel. The absent midshipman re-
manned at his post at the fore castle. A
moment later another MILDLY was sent by
the captain to tell the boy that he desired
to speak with him The two lads, neither
of them twenty years of age, walked aft
together. The officers of the ship opened
IN two ranks to receive them. and i'm
mediately the commandment ordered the
midshipman from the forecastle to be dis
armed and put in irons. None Of the
ships crew knew of the occurrence unit
later when two of its number were arrest
ed and double ironed. No one of the
vessel knew of the cause of this act save
the officers. For a night md day al
most the silence of death hung over the
man-of-war, as it stood steadily on IL;
course. The crew spoke to one another
under their BREATH and the officers walkeC
the deck double armed The terrible
authority OF a NAVAL officer was to be IN
voked. and the 100 souls on board, most,
boys, fresh from the naval school, were t.
be awed by the scenes which were to follow
these arrests.
1T was the second day after these mel
were arrested. before the suggestions o
mutiny were quietly slipped among tn
crew and middies on board. No one hac
ever heard of it as a wellde6ned plot; bu
the suspicion of the officers had beer
aroused. and death was to be the penalty
| shall never forget the day the drum-hea,
court-martial was called in the cabin t
decide the fate Of these men. 1t didn
take long. When the sentence Of guilt
was rendered to crafty the caprice of
vain officer. the men were notified tina
they had ten minutes to live. There wa
no ceremony about the announcement AM
it was as brutally communicated as posi-
bic. The young boy, Is years of age, VIII
was charged with being ambitious t
capture the craft raise the mutiny and tur
it into pirate ship and command it him
self, never weakened. although his tw
companions asked for time to prepare fo
death. The lad asked to be released fror
his chains long enough to write to hi
mother but the captain refused, and the
the boy dictated to the commander
letter to her, which the commander neve
delivered.
The scene on board during the te
minutes in which the three men were pre-
pairing for death made picture upon ~
mind that can never be effaced, Whit
the other two were inclined to weaken, th
boy was a hero, and only asked for tn
privilege of sending word to his mothe
that he died like a man. and then aske
permission to give the word to fire til
gun which was to end his earthly exi'
tence.
The first day of December, 1912, was
beautiful one. The tropical sun, especia
Iy in the afternoon, was tempered by
bracing breeze, and the ocean was 6
calm as a mill pond the first half of I'll
day Not sail was in sight and IL
black lines of our ship cut swiftly throug
the sea- 1t was late in the afternoon whe
we were summoned aft to become e,
ecutioners. No time was lost in ceremol
ial preparations The boy objected to II
manner of death and begged to be sh,
rather than hanged; but the captain r
piled:
No, sir. You uust die from ii
yard-arm.'
The lad and one man were placed on Il
right side, and the third on the left of Il