Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-16
NOTES FROM ANNAPOLIS.
Happenings of Interest at the United States
Naval Academy.


Naval Academy.
Correspondents of The Evening Star.
U 8. NAVAL ACADEMY,
ANNAPOLIS. Nd, April Is. 1891.
II is probable that most Of the readers Of The
star are acquainted with the facts Of the hang
ing Of Midshipmsn Spencer. In 1913 the brig
Somers was returning TO the United States
from a foreign practice cruise with crew
mostly Of midshipmen, as naval cadets were
then designated One of them, Midshipman
Spencer. q son Of the Secretary Of War at the
time sought to amuse himself by making a
faneiful list Of pirates gang from the Somers
crew. In his leisure hours he made a list Of
these names in Greek and placed it in a razor
case During a long. tedious night watch he
tried to brighten pay masters clerk by telling
him Of fanciful scheme. but the latter took it
more seriously than the youngjoker had ever
dreamed of and reported il with a ma gniied ac-
count to the captain This courageous officer
was so frightened that he could scarcely call
his soul his own, and Immediately secured the
chief offender and several of his friends
by putting them In double irons and tying
them in bags. A summary court-martial. that
vns mockery Of justice. passed sentence of
death on the midshipmap and four of his
friends among the seamen for mutiny. sup
ported only by a list of names in a razor case
and boys midnight joking, and this WIS
where from the very nature of things a mutiny
would be almost impossible. Spencer's class
mates we're forced to hang him and the captain
who countenanced and caused such horrible
injustice went unpublished This event more
than anything else. il is said. caused the late
Hon. George Bancroft, then Secretary of the
Navy. to found the Naval Academy.
have been told BY some of the earlier grad
yates Of the academy that this event was fire.
quent topic Of conversation in the early DAYS
Of the school and that without n dissenting
voice the cadets at that time. who, BY the way,
are captains now il they have not left tie
service or did not have the misfortune to go on
the wrong side during the late war. considered
that Spencer was innocent The event is still
frequently brought up in conversations among
the cadets. and IL has recently been suggested
that il would be good idea to erect some kind
Of q memorial TO the only midshipman ever
hung in our navy and the only man ever hung
IN the navy for a crime he was innocent of.
understand that several ladies well known in
Washington circles have recently interested
themselves TO have the records of the case
changed or so indorsed as to show Spencer 5
innocence. The memorial scheme NAV not
have occurred to them. and if it has not it may
not be too late To suggest II now.
The NAVAL HOSPITAL
In 1869, at the solicitation Of the late Admiral
Porter. the United States Naval Hospital was
erected on the government ground adjoining
the academy and commonly known as the gov
eminent farm" The building was carefully
planned and built and fitted with every appli-
ance, but no use was ever found for il: so
il Is gradually falling to pieces Now that the
academy grounds are to be extended in that
direction. IT is proposed TO use il officers
quarters. but the distance from the other build
ings Of the grounds brings in an Objectionable
feature.
II is a historical fact that the first theater in
America built at Annanolis and ,,uf IL,