The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-29
AN EXECUTION AT SEA.
AN EPISODE or JHE EARLY DAYS
OF THE AMERICANA NAVY.

Ocean wave-Bacbarous Stretch of An
thority-An 1s-Year~Old Boy Murdered
'It is forty-eight years since witnessed
this tragedy on the ocean, continued the
old sailor, who was spinning this yarn
about an experience at sea- You see" he
rsn on, I'VE weresaiiing from Liberia to the
United States, and were keeping sharp
lookout for slave traders. Ours was sort
of training ship for midsMpmeu, not like
those We have in these days, but oneNthat
was regarded a. 1T for educating young
men in the practical details of navigation.
/ think there were LITTLE more than hum
dred boys aboard on this voyage, and for
some months we had enjoyed pleasant
time, without anything startling to relieve
the monotony Of sailors life.
Our captain was not a popular man,
and the crew often found fault with his
orders, bat no one ever dreamed that seri-
GUS trouble was brewing until one after
noon late in November, when we were
standing head in toward Sc Thomas, in
the Bermudas, about three days sail away.
All at once came the order from the cap
tain:
All hands leave the quarter deck
at was the general rule on shipboaE1
that the gunners stood 10 their posts, even
after the crew were ordered forward. So
every man at the guns stood fast. In
second came the peremptory order:
All hands forward Of the mainmast.'
THE ARREST OF THE BOY.
Gas l moved of noticed that all the off,
GERS Of the vessel save one were ccngregated
about the captain in the after part of the
vessel. The observation-disclosures remained at
his post in the forecastle. A moment later
another MILDLY was sent by the captain to
tell this boy that be desired TO speak with
him. The two lads, neither one Of them
90 years of age, walked aft together. The
officers Of the ship opened ranks to receive
them, and Immediately the commandant
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 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 60 be invoked, and 40 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 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 brutany 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 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 boy dictated
to the commander letter to her, which
the cOmmandant never delivered.
"The first day of December, 1892 was a
beautiful one The tropical sun, especially
in the afternoon, was tempered by a brac-
ing breeze, and the ocean was as calm as a
Illlll Dbllu buC llISb UdlI VI JUt Jay. luE
lad and one man were placed on the right
side and the third on the left of the ship
The ropes were quickly adjusted
whips in naval nomenclature-and all
hands were summoned to the dread duty.
1T is the rule on shipboard that in an
execution every living soul on board shall
have hold of the whips when the con-
demned are swung off. Even the cabin boy
and the cook are not exempt from this
painful duty. This Is exacted that no one
shall be able to chide the other with hav-
ing taken part in death TO which all were
not party. In this case the rule was en-
forced 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 officers were dressed in full uniform
for the occasion, and the crew were clad as
IL 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 whipsl
Roll drumsp
SWINGING FROM THE YARDARM-
GAS the last stroke of eight bells rang
out upon the tropical air there was one
surge Of the whips and three bodies dan
gled from the ysrdarm and three men
were strangled to death. A neck IS never
broken by such a method. ! shall never
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 down 10 din
ner and started forward The captain at
~. ~ -
spirit Of the crew, and calling them back
eased the strain somewhat by making q
speech justifying the execution, and at the
sazne time urging Us to look upon the re-
suits Of conspiracy and take warning BY It
BE then called for three cheers for the vim
1ication Of the flag, which were given
without heart, and then the crew walked
forward solemnly 90 their dinner, 70 dis
;uss the execution as much As they dared
The bodies of The three men were a.
owed 70 bangle in theair hiie ell on ship
board ate and discussed the sad events OF
he day The scene in the officers cabin
vas especially striking. Around the table
,at those who had coDdemned the three
men TO death, and az their bead the oficer
Who had ordered the exclusion The de
ais Of the alleged mutiny were freely
alked over, so one OF the otbcers told ne
lfterwsrd But It always seemed strange
o me that boz Of IS years Of 1ge, good
hearted and fail Of mischief. should have
,csred the officers Of vessel carrying 9
hundred and twenty souls, most Of whom /
BE would have TO throw overheard hsd Re
undertaken the task % capturing the ship
Nd turning II intoa pirstical craft. Phil |
4delphiS Times.
The -Four Seasons
CAIler-Ls not Mr. Won MAdshiSpJie a;
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