The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-03
From ne Philadelphia Times.

the Ocean Wave-The Fate of Three
Men.
From the Philadelphia Times
They died a. sea by tie IoDe- strike the
bell eight, Stand by Fire the gum Walk
away with the whips, Roll drumsr
"Thi, was the awful order l once heard
given when boy on an American man-of-
war 1t sent three souls into eternity. No
person who as never witnessed an execu-
ton at sea can conceive even a fraction of
tie s1lemnity which surrounds it. The
death penalty has been invoked but very
few times within the history of the United
/ States navy. II is one of those rare events
| that are too liable to be shrouded in mystery
aud covered with injustice, which malice or
| nervousness mistakes for discipline. The
tragic scene l witnessed in West India
waters might readily be called the harshest
! Of Il Mes without an attraction Of the truth.
But it was done in the name of scipline,
| and while 1t did not receive the sanction of
| the government. a board of naval officers
| acquitted the captain OF crime. But the
shadow of that execution hung over him all
| his life, and ne lived and died in retirement
| from the moment he touched American
| shores.
1T is forty-eight years next December
| since | witnessed this tragedy on the ocean,
this yarn about an experience at sea. "You
! see," he ran on, "we were sailing from
Liberia to the United States, and were keep
ing a sharp lookout for slave traders Ours
was sort of training ship for midshipmen,
| not like those we have In these days, but
one that was regarded as tit for educating
| young men in the practical details Of navi-
| CATION. think there were little more than
a hundred boys aboard ON this voyage, and
| for some months we had enjoyed a pleasant
! time without anything startling to relieve
| the monotony Of a sailors life.
Our captain was not popular man, and
! the crew often found fault with his orders;
| but no one ever dreamed that serious
trouble was brewing until one afternoon
late in November, when we were standing
| head in toward st. Thomas, in the Bermu-
| das, about three days sail away. Dog
watch on shipboard Is from to o'clock,
and l was on in the afternoon of Nov. q.
! 1t was about o'clock in the evening, and
| we were standing at our posts as though
the snip was ready for action. 1t might
I be clearer if l should say that we were at
| regular drill, which took place every night
| at O'Clock. | was stationed at one of the
| guns back of the mainmas,. Nothing I'M
usual had occurred to even suggest that
there was anything wrong. All at once
| came the order from the captain:
| "'All hands leave the quarterback
ut was the general rule on shipooard
that the gunners stood to their posts, even
after the crew were ordered forward. So
every man at the guns stood fast In Sec
ond came the peremptOry order:
"'All hands forward of the mainmast."
LAS | moved off | noticed that all the
! officers of the vessel save one we're congre-
| gated about the captain in the after part of
| the vessel. The absent m dshipman re-
| manned at his post at the forecaStle. A mo-
| ment later another mildly was sent by the
captain to tell this boy that he desired to
speak with him. The two lads, neither of
them 20 years of age, walked aft together.
| The officers OF the ship opened ranks to re-
ceive them, and Immediately the command
| ant ordered the mIdshipman from the fore
| castle to be disarmed and put in irons.
| None of the ships crew knew of the occur
| renee until later, when two of its number
were arrested and double-ironed. No one
| on the vessel save the officers knew the
cause of these arrests.
"For a night and day almost the silence
of death hung over the man-of-war as it
! stood steadily on its 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 naval officer at sea was to be
| invoked, and 10 souls on board, mostly
boys fresh from the naval school, were to
| be awed by the scenes which were to follow.
| cit was the second day after these men
| were arrested before the suggestions of mu-
tiny were quietly slipped among the crew
and middies on board. No one had ever
heard of it as well-defined plot, but the
suspicious of the officers had been aroused
and death was to be penalty of those sus-
| picions. | shall never forget the day the
| drum-head court-martial was called in the
cabin to decide the fate of these men. 1t
didn't take long. When the sentence of
guilty was rendered to crafty the caprice
of vain officer, the men were notified that
they had ten minutes to live. There was no
ceremony about the announcement, and it
was as brutally communicated as possible.
The young boy, Is years of age, who was
charged with being ambitious to raise the
mutiny, capture the ship and turn 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 bov dictated to the commander
letter to her which the commandantne never
delivered.
1.-THE first day of December, 1912, was q
beautiful one. The tropical sun, especially
| in the afternoon, was tempered by a braclng
breeze, and the ocean was as calm as mill
pond The first half of the day. Not sal
was in sight, ana The dark lines of our ship
cut swiftly through the sea. 1t was in the
forenoon when we were summoned aft tc
| become eXecutlOnerS. NO Uim3 was lost In
ceremonial preparations. The boy objected
to the manner of death and begged to be
shot rather than hung, but the captain
replied:
"'No, sir You must die from the yard
arm
, 1.-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 III naval homenclature-anC
! all hands were summoned to the dread
duty.
''lt is the rule on shpboard that in an ex
ecution every living soul on board shall
have hold of the whips Copesl when the con.
demned are swung off. Even the cabin boy
aud the cook are not exempt from this pain
full duty. This is exacted that no one shall
be able TO chlde the other with having taken
part in death to which all were not g
party. this case the rule was enforced to
the letter, because this was an execution of
greater moment than any that had ever
taken place in the American navy or has
ever taken place up to this date. The Off
GERS were dressed in full uniform for the oc
cast IN and the crew were clad as if for in
spection.
The ropes adjusted, the captain stood
back and in a loud voice gave the command
Strike the bell eight! Stand by! Fire tine