TRAGEDIES OF THE SEA.

NZ Truth, Issue 139, 15 February 1908, Page 8

TRAGEDIES OF THE SEA.

AMERICAN BRIG-OF-WAR SOMERS.

Malevolent Captain Mackenzie. BANGS THREE MEN AT THE YARDARM. For Talking of Mutiny.

D>ar fcn'ei glatf voters of the dark / " blue sea, Dur hearts are bounding and our J souls are free ; (Far as the ocean rolls and billows foam, Behold our empire and. our home. —Byron. , •ft mutiny and tragedy took place on the American brig-of-war Somers, In December, ia42. The brig, a iten-gun vessel, was then under the Bommand of Captain Alexander Slidell Mackenzie. The ringleader was a midshipman named Philip Spencer, son of the Hon. John Or Spencer, of New York, Secretary of War, under •President Tyler— officiating m that capacity at the very time. / . The development of the mutinous Scheme transpired on the voyage of . *he Somers. to the United States from Liberia, from which place she Sailed on November 11, intending to call at St. Thomas. It was on Saturday,. November 2G, that : Lieutenant Chansevooiffc* went into tftie cabin and informed Captain" Mackenzie that A CONSPIRACY EXISTED va. board the 'brig to capture her, tourder her commander-, the officers, . and most of ths: crew , • and convert &er into 'a pirate— Spencer being at *he head'; of it. He stated that the purser, Hieskell,, told him that Wales, 1 his steward, the plot to feim; for the purpose of the commander being.warned> m time. - '. Wales. SaM Spencer. had invited him to get up. on the 1 , booms, and there infolded his plot, ■•; It was Spencer's purpose to choose, from 1 .among the teew those who were willing to join him as would: be useful, and murder the rest,. and commence pirating. He intended, to carry the vessel to the Isle of Pines, where one ;of his associates, who, had; been m the business before, . had friends ; to attack no vessels' that he was not sure to capture ; to destroy every vestige of the captured -vessels, after having removed! the vn hjables ;to select such of the -female' passengers, as were suitable, and, after they had used them sufficient! v, to dispose of them. ser threatened. Wales .» WITH INSTANT DEATH . Ixom himself or accomplices, should aiword be uttered of what had passed. \ So improbable diid this project, ap-; year to Captain Mackenzie that^eatj* first treated it with ridicule. Considering it, however, to be his duty to be on his guard, he . directed Cansevoort to watoh, Spencer narrowly, without, of course, seeming to tio . so. In the course of the day, Ganscvoort reported that Spencer had been m the ward-room examining a ohart of the West Indies, and had asked the surgeon .questions about the Isle of Pines. With boatswain's iriate, F. Cromwell, . and . Elisha Small, seaman, he was seen m, secret? conferences, and to both of these lie bad given- money, as well as to others of the crew.:-- Spencer passed the day sullenly m one corner of. the steerage, -as was his custom, engaged m » examining a small piece of paper, and writing on it with his pencil. "He had 'endeavored, too, for some days, to ascertain' the rate of : the chronometer, by applying to a midshipman named Rotters, to whom ft was -unknown, and who referred "iAta. to -the master-. He had distri-. fouted tobacco extensively among tl*e apprentices, •IN DEFIANCE OF leiterateff ordefcfc. Corrupting the wardroom steward, he caused Mm to steal brandy from the wardroom mess, with which Spencer not only got. drunk himself ; but administered it to several, of the crew. ' , . Though servile m his intercourse fWitb Captain Mackenzie, when' among the crew Spencer loaded . him withi blasphemtous vituperation, and proclaimed that it' would be a pleasing tank to roll him overboard off the zound-house. These* and various! other circumstances, determined Captain Mackenaie to (fuestdon. Spencer, whose replies being unsatisfactory, Ganse•yoort \Fa"a ordered, to put him, m double JTrons. ' Gansevoort stepped forward, took Spencer Is N sword, and >had him -handcuffed as well as ironed. He also 'kept a-const?«nl; watteh'upon Spencer;- to answer all his wants', but to put' him instantly- to death if «seen spealdn'K-to any of- the crew. <0n seaiching *) Spencer's locker, a razor case was found, inside of w>hioh . -was a Paper written upon m Greek,; a language understood by Spencer. 2t ihappened that a midshipman named Rogers was also ; versed' ih Greek, and translated - -the characters • into Englishv It contained, well-known names amrong the crew-^tlie cerItain, the. doubtful, those wfco were :to toe kept . whether they joined or not, those who were to do the work of murder, to tako the wheel, to open the avm chests were arranged m .-separate rows. •■■• - ' From the known complicity of /Cromwell m the plot, he -was brought ■to the quarter-deck at niffht, and •questioned. He denied- holding A SECRET 'CONVERSATION the night before with Spencer; and said, "It was not me, sir ; but Small." Cromwell was immediately ironed, and Small was also sent for and ironed. Several acts of disobed- . ience had occurred among the ship's company, and aiteir, heavy punishment \ .was inflicted, Captain Mackenzie ad- ' dressed the crew, endeavoring to divert the minds of . the slightest disaffected from the pictures of successful vice which the plot presented, and informing the men that the majority of them, whatever might be their inplinations, were to share the fate of the officers. But the whole of the crew was far from tranq,uiliscd, and an insolent and menacing air was .assumed by many. Mackenzie then addressed a ■letter to all the officers on board, asking their opinion as to what additional measures were necessary to the security of the ve,ssel. •' A COURT-MARTIAL 1 km decided vto to held, a* .which it

was unanimously agreed ih'af Spenoer, Cromwell and Small should die. Captain Mackenzie concurred, and gave orders that immediate preparations be made for hanging them at the main yardarm. The afterguard and idlers were mustered on the quarter-deck at the whip intended for Spencer ; the forecastlemen and the foretopmen at that of Cromwell, to whose corruption they had been chiefly exposed ; and the maintopxnen of, both watches at that intended for Small, who bad been captain of the maintop. The •■ ensign and pennant being bent on ready for hoisting, Mackenzie put on his full uniform, and announced to the culprits tha<t ten minutes would be granted 'to them to make their final bequests. • This intimation overcame Spencer who sank, with tears, upon his knees, saying that he was not fit to die. Upon Mackenzie urging him to set an example of dying with decorum m the presence of men he hai corrupted and seduced, he became•calm. Mackenzie, m succession, made similar communications to Cromwell and Small. Cromwell fell upon his kneys unmanned, protssted his innocence, iuul invoked the name of his wife. Saucer also said that CROMWELL WAS INNOCENT, But Cromwell was the biggest man m the ship, and was condemned as the one man of whom the officers had real, apprehension. Small alone received the news' with composure. When asked if he had any message to isend, he said, 1 "I have nobody to caro for. me, but my poor old mother, and' l don't want her to know how I died." In reply to Spencer's qiiestion whether the law would justify the commander m taking life under such circumstanpes, Mackenzie assured him that it would. Spencer then as^ed to be shot, instead of being strangled at the yardarm, but was told that no distinction could be made between him and the others. He requested that his face might be covered, and has irons removed, but the. latter was wot granted. More than an hour was thus occupied. _,„ The petty officers conducted the prisoners to the gangway. At the break of the quarterdeck was a narrow passage betweenthe. pump and the tank, and it was here that Spencer and Cromwell met, but spoke not. At the Kari<rsvay. Spencer met Small, and. nsVed his forgiveness. Small refusing, Captain Mackenzie urged him to fee more geftercnis, and he relented. * After some farewell words, he said, turnto those who held the whip, "Now. brother topmates give me A QUICK AND EASY DEATH." Small was placed forward of the gangway, with his face inboard ; Spencer was similarly placed abaft the gangway, and Cromwell also on the other side. Spencer now sent for Lieutenant Gaaesvoort, and said that he wished him to . bear testimony that he died a brave man. Spencer, then asked the captain what was to be the signal for execution. Mackenzie answered that, being desirous to hoist the colors at the moment of execution, to give solemnity to , the act 1 , it was his intention to beat the jcair as for hoisting the colors, then roll .off, and at the third roll to fire a gun. Spencer asked to be allowed to give the word to fire the Run, and the request was granted. He begged that no interval, might elapse between giving the word and firing the gun. Time still wearing away m thismanner, Small requested leave to address the crew, and Spencer, having leave to give the word, was asked to consent to the delay. Small's face being uncovered, he spoke .:— ' "Shipmates and topmates, .;: take warhing by my example, I was never a pirate ;. I have never killed, a man. It's for saying I would do it, that I'm about to die. See what a word will do. It was going m a Guineaman that btought me to this. > -BEWARE OF A GUINEAMAN." Turning to Spencer, he said, "I ? m ready to die, Spencer, are you?" ■Cromwell's last words were, "Tell my wife I' die an innocent man ; tell! Lieutenant Morris I die an innocent man." - Captain Mackenzie now placed himself m a situation where his ! eye I could take m everything. He waited for. some time, but' no word came from Spencer. At lengths Spencer said that he could not give the word I — that he wished the commander to give the word himself. The euns were accordingly fired, ami the execu-. tion took place. The three conspirators— 'or alleged conspirators— swung lifeless m the air, from the , lee yardarm. The crew was now 'ordered aft, and were addressed by the captain ; after which they were piped clown from witnessing punishment, and all •hands called to cheer the ship, Mackenzie himself gave the order, "Stand by to give three hearty cheers for the- flag of the coutftrv." The cheers were given. Not content with this, on the following Sunday; the captain, who must have been A PSALM-SINGING FIGHTING MAN, compelled the whole crew, officers and men, to sing the old hundredth psalm as loud as nossible. On the arrival of the Somers at New York, the tragedy was investigated by a court of inquiry, consisting of Commodores Stewart, Jacob Jones, and Dallas, and Captain Mackenzie's course fully approved. A court-martial was also subsequently , held, at his own request, of which Commadore Downes was president, and the trial, which lasted forty days resulted m the acquittal of Mackenzie. One of the abjest reviews of this case was that by J. Fenimore Cooper, the 6 novelist, m which Mackenzie's course was condemned, but the popular opinion was IN HIS FAVOR. '. The brig-of-war Somers never had much lu6k after this unfortunate occurrence. .On D.ecem,ber 8, 1846* four