St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-15
PENALTIES FOR JACK.
The Punishments That Are Melted
Out to American Sailors.

The PuniShm entS Ihat Are Meteu
Out to American Sailors.
New York Sun.
Fortunately for the sailors Of the
United States navy, fogging is thing
of the past, gone with the sailing-shlp
and the muzzle-loading gun, and the
regulations issued by the navy depart
ment say just how far an officer may
20 in the punishment of an enlisted
man.
In order that no man can plead igno-
rance when he has broken any regula-
ton the articles for the government of
the navy, called by sailors the riot act,
are read on deck with all hands at
muster on the first Sunday of each
month.
It is not infrequent for a captain to
make all of his crew study the regula-
lions, and when any sailor has been
caught doing wrong he sometimes
makes the crew pronounce sentence.
1t is quite amusing at such times to
see how man can mistake ten for
five when it relates to days of confine-
ment.
One of the most severe punishments
known to sailors in the navy is to be
put in tie brig" which is small
room below decks used as a ships
prison, where culpritS usually wear
what are called double irons, and the
diet is restricted to bread and water.
A slight case of intoxication or an
omission of the word sir in speaking
to an officer will send an offender be-
low for from two to ten days. When
sailors come ashore sixteen or twenty
hours liberty is given them, but if
CHI ho1 IN a
time, even by an hour, their punish
ment will be swift and sure, and if
one overstays his leave ten days he is
entered in the books as a deserter. and
is subject to a court-martial if caught.
All men are told this as soon as they
enlist, and it serves to keep many from
breaking their liberty, as it is called.
But an ingenious trick of Jack Tar to
have a week or so ashore, and to
eVade court-martial, is to break his
liberty about nine days and twelve
twelve hours, and then to report
aboard In this manner he has a good
vacation and receives some such SEN
tence as five days solitary confine-
ment in the brig. For though this
punishment may seem severe enough
to landsmen, it is nothing to your hard
ened salt who has done thirty days on
bread and water and felt no lasting in
convenience from it.
Another thing which serves to re-
move the terror from a bread and
water confinement is that the friends
of an imprisoned man can always
manage to pass some food to him with
out being seen by the marine who is on
guard outside the door.
On a great many ships in the navy
the sailors have bored holes in the top
of the brig, and through these they
pass tobacco food and sometimes rum
from the deck above to the confined
shipmate.
Whatever in the way of comfort that
is passed to a prisoner must be by
STEALTH for marine is always on guard
at the door, and according to the sail
ors' code a marine would no more help
sailor than he would attempt to
fly, and consequently a sailors love for
a marine is like that which the evil one
is supposed to entertain toward holy
water.
Many tricks are played on the marine
guard by sailors, and it is not an I'M
usual occurrence for a marine to find
his gun and bayonet smeared with
! molasses just before inspection, as a
memento from some young sailor whom
he has reported for punishment
When a bill was before congress
| some months ago which advocated the
removing of the marines from naval
vessels the sailors started cry of the
| Marines must go!' and every time one
of the guard passed a group of sailors,
either ashore or aboard Ship this cry
was taken up and repeated as long as
! the seagoing soldier remained in hear
| ing.
| Whenever a sailor returns from shore
he is met at the gangway by a sentry,
who searches him carefully to see that
he has not brought any Intoxicating
| liquor aboard with him. This is an in
| dignity which Jack dislikes, but has to