Press enter after choosing selection

General Intelligence: Military Execution: Eighty Men Shot

General Intelligence: Military Execution: Eighty Men Shot image
Parent Issue
Day
21
Month
August
Year
1843
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Among the i'ems or news brought by the las orrival frum Cantón, was a nolice of the execuUon of the rebels of the Third Regiment, vho,a short time befo ro, had risen upon and miudered some of their oflicers. They were tried, condemned and shot. The followUlg is an account of the dreadful afluir. On tlie Otli of February, upwards of 80 of the rebels werc sentencod to die the death of traitors; 41 were execuled on the 9tli, and the others on the llth ultimo, each day at 7, A. M. The spectacle was most imposing nnd awful. 'i he crimináis, the day previous to iheir executie:!, were imprisoned in barracks in the neiliborhood of the artillery ground, nccompni:ied by their confessors,and tlieir l ers placed over them. At about lialf past six each morning, thcy were unshackled, having only tlieir arms tied, and were marched between two files of eoldiers (tlieir executioners) to the ground. on which a krgo forcé was already statioiied, cpntistin of about 3000 troops, forming three sides of a square. As the moumful procesion approaclied, an oöicer proclaimed aloud to the troops, that whoever shall askor the pardon of anj of the crimináis sliould bc shot. The remainder of the regiment to which the crimináis beionged formed the bottom of the square, and behind them a strong body of cavalry was posted, before whom. their late companions in arms, the mutineers, were led to hear their sentence read, which was qu'cklv gut over, and they were then marched up to the vaeant side of the pquaie, where they were placed in file, kneeling in front of a hillock, used as an artülery butt; their executioners filed off behind thom, and in nn instant their bayonets were unfixed, the priests informed them tliat the hour had come, and the words, niake rendy, present, fire, were given nstanter, nnd the fi!e of crimináis simultaneously feil iike a wal), Or statue froni Us base o'erthrown.There wis scarcely the space of .1 ynrd between the muskeis and their victims; many continucd to writhe on the ground, but not a sound of any kind was heard save the order lo re-lond.Jfor nn reserve was in learüness, nnd an ngonizing delay was tlius caused in finally despatching the unforüina'e wrelc'ies. The troops fited in a running fire; no particular criminal was ossigned, but tliey were orderod to fire on the ones most in front. The snme awfdl scenu was performed on the 1 1 tli ; nnd on tliat day the sargeant who led the rebels at the insurrección, was strongled by the screwing machine, in the same square, and aflerwards the right hand cut off. So eoon ns it was evident that life was extinct in all the crimináis, the various regiments were marched, with music playnijr pnst the bodies, and then home to their quartere. O the 9th the crimináis were placed close to cacli other to suffer" death; bu on the 1 lth the more considérate method of separating them a yard or two was adopted. Tlius ended the rebeüion of part of the Third Brilish Regiment of tbcJittempt to Jltsassiiiate the Post Master Gtneral! - Wc collect the following news of thedaring atlempt to nssaósmate the Hon. Charles A. Wickliffe, Post Master General, from the N. Y. Express. It seems that about the last of July Mr. WickliBe, his two daughters, a niece, end a young man by the name of J. McLean Gardner, (a son of Col. Gardiner, of Washington, who was F'.rst Auditor of the Post Office Department during the administraron of Jackson and Van Buren,) carne on board at Old Point, on their way to Washington via Bal-I timore. Duringtho passage up the Potomac, Mr. Wickliffe and Gardner (who is represeted as a disnppoinied office peeker) were seen n a casual conversatie, which 6oon terminated without aitraciiiig any attenlion from the passengers. Every thing passed off pleasantly until the boat had arrived a little abovc the the mouth of the river, when dinner was announced. As Mr. W. was passing Gardiner (who was lying down and apparently asleep) on his way to the labio, he touched him, and said, 'dinner,' for the purpose of warning hini, when tliat individual sprang to his feet, dr4ew a diik knife, and piercedsit into the brcast of Mr. W. An inch variatiorrin the direct Jon of tlie blow would have made ii immediately fatal. Gardiner was immediately soized by the crew nnd passengere, and confind. Upon the arrival at Baltirnore Dra. Smith nnd Theobold were called to dress the wound. Dr. T. immediately probed the wound, dressed it, and pronounced it not to be of a serious nalure. Gurdiner was taken before Wolter Grey, E?q., and cominitted for further exnminaiion. Mr. WicklnTe requcated as a particular favor, that hc should not be confined with felon?, which we suppose was granted. During Gardiner's stay at Old Poinl his conJuct was marked by the visitors as cf a very singular cliaracter, and the belief was generally ontertnined that he was laboring uuder mental derangoment - a belief whicij was sfrongly concurred in Mr. Wickliffe himself. Next morning Mr. W., after a pleasant night's rest, was taken on a litter np to Bariiuüi's hotel, where he was expected to recover eoon. The mot'ner nnd brother of the prlsoner arrived in Bultirnore. bringing with tliem eviderce as to the insanity of the unfortunate young man. The following letter was wnUen by the prisoner, soon after the offair took place, on the boat. It was addressed to the Post Master General.Sir: - I spoke with you at O!d Poir:t Comfort franl;)y and told you wiiere I wished to go. On inquiry you will find that no human being instigated me, by the remotest hint, to comrnit what I have dons to your person; thercfnre, eir, you being a man high in oifice, cannot be a man so ungenerous as to show any vindictiveness (ownrds my fornily or conncxions whom I have always had too little re gard for in pursuing their advice. You may examine into this and you will find it as I have wiittcn. lt is some gratifica t on Tor ire to learn your wound is slight and not mortal.- Witli great respect, I am sir, your obcdient servant, J. McLean Gakdine. To the Hoi). C. A. Wicküffe, P. Masler General. Accounts state that Mr. W. s fastrecovering, and wül, in a few days, bc able to perfbrni hisduties at Washington. Flogging in the Javy. - Tt is time that the Government took rneasnres 10 put an end to thiá abominable mode of punishment in the Navy and Army. Every fow months, the public ear is pained with the report of the flogging of some person in the Government's employ with the rope's end. Last winter the whole North was horrified by an account of the murder of a Mr. Pierpout, in Flurida, by flugging; and below we have evidence, that the apprenWces in the Navy have to undergo the punishment of the cok to an extent which cannot be justifiW undvr any circumsfances. It is the duty of the papers to iake this mattei in hand and ring the changes upon it unlil a reform is effected. There ae 6orrre other reforms to be biought about in the Navy, as will be seen on pe'rusal of the following frorn the Buffulo Courier; -"We nave betore us Ivvo Jetlers from two boys, belonging to a highly respectnble family of this city, wiio cntered last ycar as apprenticesin the navy, expecting tö have opportunities of education, a chance for promotion, and kind treatment. Muking every possible aüuwance for the díspoáition of boys away from home to find fault with their fare, it is manifest from the letters beibro us, that no Siich expectntions are realized. The discharge of the ooys from the service has been obtained we are informed, in coriseqtience of this disoppointrnent in the expectation of their fiiends. "I aai whipped about every dny for nothing; and nuw my boily is all covered with brtiises from head lo fodt, ond I am now euro it will kill me if I stay hcre mach longcr. Ifyou could come liere ohd see wlieh full liands witness punishmeiit' is piped, to seo obout a do zen a piece giveu them over the bare back, bring flesh and blood at every stroke, and somelimes two or tliree dozen instead of one dozen; but I woat talk about süch things any more. "L ■ gets a whaling about every dny with a ropo about nn inch thiclt, across the back. - He is now covered with marks from head to foot. I have been a little more fortúnate, having only received six dozen since I carne from Mahon. The other mom ing, tho first Jieutcnant called all the apprentice boys upon the quarter deck. Thcy all camc up thereand wlien they had got up there, he called all those tfant had cMckens, or had men to wash clothes for them, should step out: I stepped out then, and so did L and a great many other boyp. Thon he called ali the boatswain's mates in tbe sbip tocóme there.-- When they had got up, then tbey were told to lick the boys as fast as they could. I got 15 with ilie colt, and L got a dozen. "Instead of having schools, we have a screen put up and cali it t!ie school room; there we have to piek oakum and laj up nettles. - Sometimes they do pretend to have school,and tlieu the school master (we have to cali him school maslor, but he is an illiterate seaman, and then nny of tiie boys can teach him) gets out a few spelling books, and slates and pencils, and make pictures. A mon of war ís a place to make a man,' as says; yes, it is - - all that you hear ia cursing, swearing, bkepheming - men and officerá all alike." According to a communication made by M. Arago lo the Academy of Sciences at Parisf. on the 5th, a contract has been entered into b Messrs. Baring k. Co, of London, witli the Republic of New Grenada; in virtue of which the Republic is to cede to them the line required for the projected canal across the Ibtlimna of Pnnnmo, with 80,000 acres land. - Messrs. Baring Sc O. had, it is said, in tha first instanco, fixed the amount of lol! for the navigation of the cnnal at the price of 18 francs per ton; but tliey have ceduced It to 12 francs. The work, upon wliich from 4,000 to 5,000 men are co be engaged, is to be completed in 5years. Yankee Vutions. - The editor of the Albany Evening Journal, now in Kngland, thus wriles nbüut a part of the cargo ot the ship, in which he made his passage from New York, tho George Washington: We have tioo thousand fVooden Clocks on board! These "nol ons are of Mnssachusetts fabrication," and fint!, I am informed, a ready market wiih John Buil. The purchasers'are among the humblest of the middiin classes who forni clubs of twelve,fifteen.cr twenty,poy 'mg sxpence a week into a pure, for the pnrchase (f clocko, which are drawn by lottery, the contribution and the drawing continuing until each member of the clubs rejoices in a VVooden Clock. Thia is one of the triumphs of American Manufactures. The slavehoiding States are a prison; the non-slaveholding States, the army and navVj are its walls. Tt is the duty of tho?e to whom God has given the power of the ballot box, to use the power in His service, by selecting and voting for men to fill Legislativo and executive offico.0, who will ue their constitutional power to isband the army, takethe weapors of war from our National ships, and substifjte the Dove for the Eajjle. - Ohio's Plough Bmj.The slavelioíiiers' convention at New OrIean-=, so ostenta liously called by Jollivet and his venal and serví tes compeers in Paris, hns fallen through, for the want of funds. - So we have llie World's Convention all on our sido. Wil] the s'aveholders take warning? WiH Mr. Van Buren and Mr. Webster nn'd the host of Northern politicians take warning, so as not to get iheir fortunes iretrievably linked wilh thoe of slavery? The Büffalo Commercial notes the fact, that throughout the whole of Mr. Adama career as a public man, ho never before his receut tour, made what muy be trrmed a stnmp He has always addressed organized bodies on spcific subjects,or eise in his lectures, confind himself to a particular topic. A Vew Dish. - A correspondent of the N York Sun states thai, by paring, quartering, and boiling cucumbers, a dish may be obtained in every respect similar to asparagus, in other words, dress the cucumhers in the same way thatyou do asparagus, and you will have a dish in no way inferior to this luxurious article. ï)estnictive Fire at the States Prison. - We ïearrr by a gentleman of ihis city. who cnme in from Jackson yesteday, that thnt porlion of the State Prison which is occupied for workshops, was entircly destroyed by firc on Tuesday ivght. Loss about $10,000. We havo not leanied how it uriginatcd. - Dd. Adv. J'ettspapers. - Tn 1775, there wnre but P7 ncwepaper esiablislunenis m the Unired States: in 1810, 553: in 1028, 827; in 1842 they had ncreased to about 1,500.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News