The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-09-06
OTHER COURTS OF INQUIRY.
As Admiral Princes Fate Left q
Black Stain Upon Nelson's Name.

ingtcn serves to recall the fact that
Tor some reason Or another each inves-
LEGATION OF this kind in times past has
Invariably left an impression upon the
minds OF the public that the person whose
conduct had formed the subject OF the in
qCiry had been treated with injustice
Leaving aside the courts of inquiry and
the courtsmartial which every admiral.
commodore and captain has TO face If ne
l 'siSs ms snip. or even damages 1t by
colilsion or by stranding, there have been
remarkably few courts held in Europe.
where a distinguished admiral is called
upon to answer charges affecting NOT
merely his discipline and his Judgment,
out even ms personal courage.
The last trial OF this kind that 7 can
recall Is that of Admiral Persano who
commanded the Italian feet at the bat
tie Of LISA in the war Of 1866 when the
wooden ships ignominiously defeated the
superbly armed Italian ironclad fleet
s[ea minE straight at them and rammins
the Italian armored ships. the impact
sinking the latter in almost every in
stance.
After the conclusion of peace the con-
duct of admiral PersanO was made me
subject OF searching and critical inves-
tig%tlon by naval court of inquiry,
ence tor the purpose or considering
charges Of neglect of duty against him,
rendered report which not only de-
clared that the accusations were vel
founded but likewise insisted that he had
been guilty OF gross cowardice- on the
inquiry the admiral was committed for
trial by coUrtmartial. But realizing that
the prejudice against him among the
members of his profession was extremely
strong. he demanded that as member OF
the senate and n a Knight Grand Cross
of the Order of St. Maurice and st. Lag
arus. he should be tried not by a court
martial composed OF admirals. but by the
senate. All the great disnitaries of the
Kingdom have right to demand TINS,
and his request. which merely served to
increase the i'll feeling against him among
naval men. was granted.
80 Id Harn
for his trial, acquitted him of the charge
Of cowardice but pronounced him guilty
of disObedience, incaDacity and negli-
gence at the battle OF LISA. ana SEN
fenced him to be degraded from his rank
of admiral. and to be dismissed from the
naval service in disgrace.
Among the foreign naval men. free
from prejudice against the unfortunate
admiral. there has always prevailed an
Impression that ne was badly trea ted and
used as a Scapegoat For II ne was de-
feated at the battle OF LISA it was large
II due to the disobedience and to the mis-
conduct of his captains. to the fact that
the art of hanaling armcred ships was
then in its infancy. and, likewise. TO the
negligence and corruption In the Italian
naval arsenalS and dock yards. thanks to
which the shells would not explode or fit
the guns, while the powder would not go
off,
Admiral de ViIleneuve was courtmar-
tailed and diSgraced by orders of the first
Napoleon for allowing himself to be de-
feated at the battle of Trafalgar: he,
too. was charged most unjustly with per-
sOnal cOWardice. whereas his worst fault
was lack of judgment and OF strategy
The Nea politan admiral. Prince Carac-
colo. was cOurtma rtialed by orders OF
Lord Nelson in 1905 and condemned to
death on charges of cowardice. treachery
and disObedience. He was hung from the
yardarm of his own flagship, and two
days later almost scared King Ferdinand
to death by suddenly appearing floating
in perpendicular position. with his body
half out of the water. just under the
galley windows of the great man-of-war
on which the royal family had taken up
their abode for reasons of safety The
prince had been a corpulent man. and
the weight attached to his feet, after his
execution, to sink the body, proved in
adequate for that purpose and merely
sufficient to make him float in an up
right position.
Subsequent inquiry. brought to light
the fact that the unfortunate prince had
been the victim OF most cruel injustice
and of false testimony and that II ne
had been condemned off hand. without
being given a fair trial il was because
it was known that he was an object of
particular aversion TO Lord Nelson; whose
mind had been poisoned against MIN oy
the infamous Lady Hamilton. to whom
he had declined to pay court. and whose
influence with the reigning family he oe-
plored.
The communicating and hanging of
Admiral Prince CaracciOlo, W.T. was a
most gallant, chiValrous and popular Of
ficer of approved courage, and who on
certain occasions had shown himself 10
be possessed of real heroism. has always
been regarded as one OF the most somber
stains upon the fair name of Lord Mel
son. one Tor which even MS most enInu-
siastic biographers are unable to explain
or to excuse save on the ground that he
had allowed himself TO be influenced in
tn ematter by his evil genius, that Emma,
Lady Hamilton. who was at the time the
British ambassadors at Naples.
Finally there is the case of the British
admiral. the Hon. John Byng, son of
Lord Torrington. who after his failure
to relieve Minorca. which was being be-
sieged by the French fleet was brought
home under arrest and tried by court
martial. The court, which was composed
of flag officers, acquitted him OF the
charges Of cOwardlce which had been
brought against him, but issued VerdlcI
to the effect that he had not done his
utmost to relieve MinOrca or to defeat
the French fleet. According to the then
articles of war. the court had no alter
native but TO sentence the admiral to
death on this count, but strongly recon-
rnended him to mercy on the ground that
he had been sent to sea with squadron
poorly manned and in shameful condi-
ton. and that at the most he had been
guilty of error of judgment and of reluc-
lance to accept the responsibility of en-
gaging overwhelming French forces VII
ships in bad condition and inadequatelJ
armed and manned
Prime Minister Pitt eudeavored in vain
to secure. not merely a communication, but
a pardon. King George, with his tradi-
tional obstinacy. declined to listen to Il
word In the admiral's behalf and he was
shot down b. a ME of marines on the
quarterback of his own flagship in
Portsmouth harbor, victim OF his SOW
ereign's obstinacy and of the construction
Of the then existing naval regulations