Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-15
A GREAT MIsrAKK
The Hanging Of Midshipznan spescsr sn
the Charge Of Mutfny.

the Charge Of Mutiny.
INDUCING IN A PRACTICAL yoxR-Hn DEATH
TIE hEvrNoE OF oARPExrERs MATx-rHf
ONE BLOT UPON THk FAME OF THE NAvI
Written for The Evening star.
0NE BRIGHT MORNING IN THE SPRING
" OF 1912 . frightened boy Of seventeen
babe farewell to mother and sisters and .
beautiful home in Washington city 70 search
for fame and promotion - q midshipmsn in
the United States navy. In that day there was
no Naval Academy toeducate the navy's future
officers, and the young aspiranss for naval
glory were sent out in squads Of ten or twelve
on the seagoing men-of-wsr to learn their pro-
fession by hard knocks and . smAttering Of
navigation and mathematics from .'school-
master" who was enlisted as a sort Of warrant
ofiicer on each ship. This cadet was Midship-
man Spencer, ason Of the Secretary Of the
Treasury at that time. Before entering on
MS naval career he had taken part Of college
course at old Columbian University, and there
ne mad ekcelled in athletics, led in his classes
and had been the mains:ay Of q Greek letter
fraternity. Together with fourteen other mid
ehipmen he was sent out on European cruise
In the United States brig Somers.
GREEK LETTER FRArERSrrr
Everything went well with those on the brig
until returning to the United States BY the
south passage" (by way Of the West Indies)
Midshipnan Spencer, through love Of his old
college days. founded Q chapter Of his frater-
nifty among the middies on board. In order to
retain the fancied secrets of the order be made
list OF the names in Greek and placed il in
razor case for safe keeping. They held meet
Ia zaA To ~ <hos
ant and superstitious petty officers very mystic
rious and boded no good 50 their minds. Dur
ing the discharge Of his duties Spencer came in
contact with an obstreperous carpenter mate
who refused to recognize the midshipman's
authority. This resulted finally in giving the
carpenters mate ten days in the brig" a. the
ships jail is called. The carpenters mate
waited and watched for q chance to revenge
himself, and it came in a very unexpected
manner.
During . long midnight watch Spencer
amused himself by drawing a graphic picture
of pirates cruise to some OF the enlisted men.
The carpenters mate stood near and heard it
ALL so did the purser's clerk, and the latter in
nocently asked why Spencer did not try it.
Spencer jokingly said il the men would follow
him he would. Taking the razor case from his
pocket he took the fraternity list from il, and
on the back made list of certain" doubt
full and .'enemy" Of the ships crew; in the
first he placed his own name and that Of nine
VI tne crew ana Two commissioned Of1cers TO
give 1t tone, he said. They talked it over for
an hour, and the purser's clerk, Wales, added
his name TO the list Of certain" pirates
A CHANCE FOR REVENGE.
Here the carpenters mate, Norris saw his
chance for revenge. and the next morning he
reported to the executive officer that q meeting
was planned with Spencer and Wales at the
head, and this was Immediately reported to
Capt. Mackenzie, who was in command. This
courageous officer was well nigh frightened to
death. He called "ali hands to quarters" In
full dress and had the conspirators put in
irons. With Spencer were four other midship-
men. Spencer did not know till he was in
formed that he was a mutlneer what all the
disturbance was about.
Norris told the captain ''to take the razor
case and it would tell ALL" Sure enough there
Greek on the other side of slip of paper. This
to the captains mind was conclusive. The
midshipmen we're double ironed and thrown
into bags, neatly sewed up and all locked in
the sail room, stuffy, ill-aired box in the hold
A strong guard was placed over them, with or
oers TO shoot them If they made q move.
A SUMMARY oouRr-MARrrAL
A summary court-martial was called, Spencer
was given a counsel, but sowing to the gravity
of the case" the counsel was not allowed to
speak to Spencer, so no defense except guilty,
four OK his friends among the certain we're SEN
fenced to be hung at daybreak. Wales was
offered his liberty il he would divulge the plot
and, base coward that he was he lied bis part
well and manufactured diabolical story of the
intended private cruise.
This was the damaging evidence mid
shipman in a country infested mot by pi-
rates. but by men-of-war, where from the very
nature Of things pirate cruise would be i'm
possible, was to seize ship (whose crew
ryQ inst hfrv,A ar,1 L,,s., 49,
was to roam the seas as a pirate. Spencer had
red flag "a red handkerchief he had pur-
chased In Spain as memento Of bull fight J,
he had once asked the navigator how to navi-
gate by dead reckoning something any mid
shipman in any navy should know, and he knew
enough Greek to write a few names. What q
deplorable criminal he was; lost to self-respect
and ignorant and regardless Of the nation well
fare. "Justice must be done," said the cap
tain. The prisoners were informed at in the
morning that they would be hung at the yard
arm at 8. To cheer them on the captain read
q verse from the Bible and ten from the articles
OF war to them. Spencer was asked If be had
any word to send to his mother. The message
was restricted to a few words, and everything
in the shape of denial of guilt was taken from
it before it was sent At eight bells the ships
company were paraded, the officers in full dress
and the men in mastering blues" the marines
were stationed with loaded arms and ordered to
be ready to fire.
HUNG AT THE YARD ARMS.
The captain then ordered the other midship-
men to imam q yard arm whip and run Spencer
up to the yard arm, and if any one shirked
pulling the marines would be ordered to shoot
him down" As the unfortunate Spencer was
thus basely hung for q crime he never COM
mitted or even thought of the crew were
ordered to cheer. The Somers' log book says
"they cheered with lusty will" Well, a file
Of marines with loaded rifles ready to shoot him
who failed to cheer was enough to give q man q
'lusty will"
After Spencer four others considered as the
ringlesders were hung in succession. Thus
ended the mutiny on board the Somers, and
thus was baseiy hung the only midshipman
ever accused OF mutiny, and he was not guilty.
All this occurred in the West Indies within a
hundred miles Of the United States coast. The
most conservative commentators on the case
say that the captain should have delayed tax
ing such decisive action until the United States
allowing Spencer a hearing before the court
captain when he reached Q home port at
Savannah was to march solemnly to q church
and "thank God for SO miraculously saving q
nations vessel from peril by pirates'-pira.es
that never existed except in the fancy of jok-
ing miishipman and the crazed imagination Of
o martinez who commanded the Somers.
DENOUNCED IN THE SENATE.
The United States Senate appointed . COM
ynittee to investigate the matter and Missourf's
great statesman, Thomas Benton, who graced
the Senate chamber for thirty successive years,
hrought the elouueuce Of his mem and voice