title="[46]"/> his cutlass, was buried with him, except his watch; and the ceremonies consisted in reading a chapter from the bible over him, and firing a musket!

Only twenty-two days had elapsed after the perpetration of the massacre on board the ship, when with all his sins upon his head, he was hurried into eternity!

No duty was done during the remainder of the day, except the selection by Payne, of six men, to go on board the ship and take charge of her, under the command of Smith; who had communicated his intentions to a number of running away with the ship. We think we cannot do better than to give an account of their escape in the words of Smith himself. It may be well to remark, that Payne had ordered the two binacle compasses to be brought on shore, they being the only ones remaining on board, except a hanging compass suspended in the cabin. Secreting one of the binacle compasses, he took the hanging compass on shore, and the exchange was not discovered.

“At 7 P. M. we began to make preparations for our escape with the ship.—I went below to prepare some weapons for our defence should we be attacked by Payne, while the others, as silently as possible, were employed in clearing the running rigging, for every thing was in the utmost confusion. Having found one musket, three bayonets, and some whale lances, they were laid handy, to prevent the ship being boarded. A handsaw well greased was laid upon the windlass to saw off the cable, and the only remaining hatchet on board, was placed by the mizen mast, to cut the stern moorings when the ship should have sufficiently swung off. Taking one man with me, we went upon the fore-top-sail-yard, loosed the sail and turned out the reefs, while two others were loosing the main-top-sail and main sail. I will not insult the reader’s good sense, by assuring him, that this was a duty, upon the success of which seemed to hang our very existence. By this time the moon was rising, which rendered it dangerous to delay, for those who had formed a resolution to swim on board, and accompany us. The bunts of the sails being yet confined aloft, by their respective gaskets, I sent a man on the fore-yard and another upon the fore-top-sail-yard, with orders to let fall, when I should give the word; one man being at the helm, and two others at the fore tack.

“It was now half past nine o’clock, when I took the handsaw, and in less than two minutes the cable was off!—The ship payed off very quick, and when her head was off the land, there being a breeze from that quarter, the hawser was cut and all the sail we could make upon the ship immediately set, a fine fair wind blowing. A raft of iron hoops, which was towing along side, was cut adrift, and we congratulated each other upon our fortunate escape; for even with a vast extent of ocean to traverse, hope excited in our bosoms a belief that we should again embrace our friends, and our joy was heightened by the reflection, that we might be the means of rescuing the innocents left behind, and having the guilty punished.”

After a long and boisterous passage the ship arrived at Valparaiso, when she was taken possession of by the American Consul, Michael Hogan, Esq. and the persons on board were put in irons on board a French frigate, there being no American man-of-war in port. Their names were, Gilbert Smith, George Comstock, Stephen Kidder, Joseph Thomas, Peter C. Kidder, and Anthony Henson.

Subsequently they were all examined before the U. S. Consul; and with the following, an examination of Gilbert Smith, we shall commence another chapter.

CHAPTER III.

U. S. Consulate,
Valparaiso, 15th June, 1824.

Gilbert Smith examined on oath, touching the mutiny and murder on board the whale ship Globe, of Nantucket, Massachusetts, in the Pacific Ocean.

Question. Who were the Captain and mates of the ship Globe?

Ans. Thomas Worth, Captain; William Beetle, first mate; John Lumbert, second mate; Nathaniel Fisher, third mate.

Q. Where was you born?

A. In the town of Edgarton, State of Massachusetts.

Q. Did you sail from thence in the ship Globe of Nantucket, 20th Dec. 1822, and in what capacity?

A. Yes; as a boat-steerer.

Q. Was there any thing like mutiny on board the ship during her passage to the Sandwich Islands?

A. No.

Q. How many men belonged to the ship on sailing from Nantucket?

A. Twenty-one in all.

Q. Did any run away at the Sandwich Islands?

A. Six men ran away, and one was discharged.

Q. How many men were shipped in their places?

A. John Oliver, of Shields, England; Silas Payne, of Rhode Island; Thomas Lilliston, of Virginia; William Steward, of Philadelphia, (black;) Anthony Henson, of Barnstable; and a native of the Sandwich Islands.

Q. On what day or night did this murderous mutiny take place?

A. On Sunday night the 26th of January, this year; in the morning of that day there was a great disturbance, in consequence of Joseph Thomas having insulted the Captain, for which he was whipped by the Captain, with the end of the main buntline. The part of the crew not stationed stood in the hatchway during the punishment.

Q. Did any thing happen in consequence, during that day?

A. No: I lived aft; I heard nothing about it; Capt. Joy of the Lyra, was on board nearly all day.

Q. How were you stationed during the night?

A. The Captain, first and second mates, kept no watch during that night; the rest of the crew were stationed in three watches, in charge of the third mate and boat-steerers.

Q. Who had charge of the first watch during that night?

A. I had charge of the watch from 7 to 10 o’clock. At 8 the Captain came on deck, and had two reefs taken in the topsails, and at 9 went down, leaving me the orders for the night, to keep the ship by the wind, until two o’clock, and not to tack until the other watch came up; and on tacking, a light to be set for the Lyra who was in company, to tack also.

At 10 o’clock I went below, being relieved by the boat-steerer Comstock, to whom I passed the orders given me by the Captain,——(Here follows a detailed account of the mutiny, with which the reader has already been made acquainted.)

Q. Do you believe that Joseph Thomas had any knowledge of Comstock’s intent to commit murder that night?

A. I think he must have known something about it, according to his talk.

Q. Do you believe that any other person in the ship, besides those persons who committed the murder, knew of the intention?

A. Thomas Lilliston knew about it, because he went to the cabin door with an axe, and a boat knife in his hand, in company with the murderers, but he did not go below.

Q. Did you live with them aft, afterwards?

A. No: I lived in the forecastle, but all on board eat in the cabin.

Q. Name all the persons you left on the Island, where you cut the cable of the ship and escaped.

A. Silas Payne, John Oliver, (being the principal mutineers next to Samuel B. Comstock,) Thomas Lilliston, Rowland Coffin, William Lay, Cyrus M. Hussey, Columbus Worth, Rowland Jones, and the Sandwich Island native, called Joseph Brown. The last five I