Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1910-12-28
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.,
How ia Marine
Slipped His Cable
Observation-Disclosures

oVVVVVVVVVVVVV
Ensign, Peabody should have been in
tie navy a hundred years ago. when
the4men weres streated more like brutes
thanl humansbeings. instead of today,
whenN Neveryesailor. whether officer or
seamaH,> has Shis rights, But there are
nnturak tyran1s who aresby nature ty.
rannicah andF Peabody. was one OF
them, though hey kept Within the reg.
ulations. susing Ansult instead of com.
mitting a,violation of an officers re-
strictions.
Tom Spencerbwas afmarine on board
a United States cruiser. He was a
good soldier. always spick and span
and was well educated. The reason
forehis enliSting in. the marine corps
wasAthat he, hoped some day by good
conduct to secureya commission. For
some reason or other Peabody con-
cefVed dislike for Spencer. Some
saidkthe reason twas that Peabody had
been Nappointed ITO the academy from
the gutter and it had failed to make
him anything but a gutter snipe, while
Spencer had enlisted from the parlor
and couM only be a gentleman. Be
this as itlmay. whenever Peabody got
a chance tosput the screws on to Spen-
Ger he did it in as Irritating and dis
agreeable fashion as It could be done.
There was fire smoldering in Spen-
GERS breast which nothing but the mu-
tiny laws could keep from breaking
out intola volcanic eruption.
There had been a liberty party on
shore and some of the leave men had
got into, fight with the natives-the
cruiser was lying of the coast of
Peru-and when they returned Pea
body was officer OF the deck. Spencer
was one Of them and gave evidence OF
his part in the fracas by having his
uniform torn to shreds. Peabody seized
upon this to storm at him and, his
hatred getting the better of his dis
cretion. used a common opprobrious
epithet IN connection with Spencer's
mother. Like fiashlthe marines right
arm went out, and the ensign went
sprawling on the deck.
Here was a case oflmutiny. In some
of the worlds navies even in time OF
peace to strike an officer means death.
The penalty is not so severe in the
United States navy, ibut it means i'm
prisonment. Spencer was put in irons
and charges preferred a@ainst him.
1t was in the hot scar I, and there is
no telling how long time may elapse
before a man may be brought before
a court martial. 1t was probable that
Spencer would either be sent home IN
der guard for trial or would be held
till the cruiser went north. 1t was too
hot to keep him between decks for an
indefinite time, and he was given the
liberty Of the ship during the day, only
being put into the brig at pipe down"
The ships master at arms was made
responsible for him and watched him
to see that he didn't get away to shore.
1t was grim prospect for the prison
er. The insult he had received would
be no palliation for his offense. He
might have preferred charges against
Peabody, but on no account could he
have taken the law into his hands. In
stead ola commission. he would doubt
less get at the least calculation dis
honorable discharge and several years
at some naval prison. He was the pic
ture of woe as he lounged about and
an object Of sympathy with his ship
mates, who hated Peabody.
Spencer, who was In the social
scale far above his comrades, had but
few intimate companions. His only
chum was Bob Sawin, whose father
was a captain OF merchant vessel.
Bob was a great scapegrace and gen.
orally conceded to be the most reckless
man on the cruiser.
The trouble on land had subsided and
liberty parties were again going ashore.
They usually left the ship at four bells
In the evening. One afternoon Sawin
put in an application for liberty. There
was n young ensign aboard who had
been Ill ever since the cruiser had left
United States shores, and on this very
afternoon he had returned to duty and
was officer OF the deck. 1t was his
part to call Off the names Of the liberty
party.
When Sawin's name was called.
Spencer, well got up IN his best uni
form for shore leave, stepped forward,
with "Here, SIR" saluted, went down
the ladder and took his place in the
launch. The ensign didn't know him
from any other marine. There was
suppressed surprise on the faces Of the
men who knew wen enough that Spen-
GER was not Sawin, but never a man
spoke. and when the party was check
ed off the cutter bore them, Spencer
sitting In the stern sheets, to the dock.
Meanwhile Bob Sawin was hiding
under a tarpaulin on the fo'c's'le.
There he remained till darkness spread
a friendly mantle far more to the pur-
pose, then let himself stealthily down
by the anchor chains, dived, swan
under water as far as he could hold
his breath, came to the surface and
swan to shore. The next morning he
returned with the party In Spencer's
uniform.
Spencer as soon as he found himself
ashore made for the mountains and
within a few days was lost to any
searching party that might be sent for
him. He had some back pay stored
away In his pockets, by means OF
which In time he returned to the Unit
ed States. He was not missed aboard
ship TIL the master at arms hunted for
him at pipe down" to put him in the
brig for the night
When the Spanish-American war
came on Spencer enlisted IN the army,
s7fSf4n Cf1fshed hfneaif and cana back