Section 17 of 28 - Table of Contents
CHAPTER VI
THE COURT-MARTIAL
If any person in or belonging to the fleet shall make,
or endeavour to make, any mutinous assembly, upon
any pretence whatsoever, every person offending
herein, and being convicted thereof, by the sentence
of the Court-martial, shall suffer DEATH.
_Naval Articles of War, Art._ 19.
The Court assembled to try the prisoners on board his Majesty's ship
_Duke_, on the 12th September, 1792, and continued by adjournment from
day to day (Sunday excepted) until the 18th of the same month.[24]
PRESENT
Vice-Admiral Lord Hood, _President_.
Capt. Sir Andrew Snape Hamond, Bart.,
" John Colpoys,
" Sir George Montagu,
" Sir Roger Curtis,
" John Bazeley,
" Sir Andrew Snape Douglas,
" John Thomas Duckworth,
" John Nicholson Inglefield,
" John Knight,
" Albemarle Bertie,
" Richard Goodwin Keats.
The charges set forth that Fletcher Christian, who was mate of the
_Bounty_, assisted by others of the inferior officers and men, armed
with muskets and bayonets, had violently and forcibly taken that ship
from her commander, Lieutenant Bligh; and that he, together with the
master, boatswain, gunner, and carpenter, and other persons (being
nineteen in number), were forced into the launch and cast adrift;--that
Captain Edwards, in the _Pandora_, was directed to proceed to Otaheite,
and other islands in the South Seas, and to use his best endeavours to
recover the said vessel, and to bring in confinement to England the said
Fletcher Christian and his associates, or as many of them as he might be
able to apprehend, in order that they might be brought to condign
punishment, &c. That Peter Heywood, James Morrison, Charles Norman,
Joseph Coleman, Thomas Ellison, Thomas M'Intosh, Thomas Burkitt, John
Millward, William Muspratt, and Michael Byrne, had been brought to
England, &c., and were now put on their trial.
_Mr. Fryer_, the master of the _Bounty_, being first sworn, deposed--
That he had the first watch; that between ten and eleven o'clock Mr.
Bligh came on deck, according to custom, and after a short conversation,
and having given his orders for the night, left the deck; that at twelve
he was relieved by the gunner, and retired, leaving all quiet; that at
dawn of day he was greatly alarmed by an unusual noise; and that, on
attempting to jump up, John Sumner and Matthew Quintal laid their hands
upon his breast and desired him to lie still, saying he was their
prisoner; that on expostulating with them, he was told, 'Hold your
tongue, or you are a dead man, but if you remain quiet there is none on
board will hurt a hair of your head'; he further deposes, that on
raising himself on the locker, he saw on the ladder, going upon deck,
Mr. Bligh in his shirt, with his hands tied behind him, and Christian
holding him by the cord; that the master-at-arms, Churchill, then came
to his cabin and took a brace of pistols and a hanger, saying, 'I will
take care of these, Mr. Fryer'; that he asked, on seeing Mr. Bligh
bound, what they were going to do with the captain; that Sumner replied,
'D---- n his eyes, put him into the boat, and let the see if he can live
upon three-fourths of a pound of yams a day'; that he remonstrated with
such conduct, but in vain. They said he must go in the small cutter.
'The small cutter!' Mr. Fryer exclaimed; 'why her bottom is almost out,
and very much eaten by the worms!' to which Sumner and Quintal both
said, 'D---- n his eyes, the boat is too good for him'; that after much
entreaty he prevailed on them to ask Christian if he might be allowed to
go on deck, which, after some hesitation, was granted. When I came on
deck, says Mr. Fryer, Mr. Bligh was standing by the mizen-mast, with his
hands tied behind him, and Christian holding the cord with one hand, and
a bayonet in the other. I said, 'Christian, consider what you are
about.' 'Hold your tongue, Sir,' he said; 'I have been in hell for
weeks past; Captain Bligh has brought all this on himself.' I told him
that Mr. Bligh and he not agreeing was no reason for taking the ship.
'Hold your tongue, Sir,' he said. I said,--Mr. Christian, you and I have
been on friendly terms during the voyage, therefore give me leave to
speak,--let Mr. Bligh go down to his cabin, and I make no doubt we shall
all be friends again;--he then repeated, 'Hold your tongue, Sir; it is
too late'; and threatening me if I said anything more. Mr. Fryer then
asked him to give a better boat than the cutter; he said, 'No, that boat
is good enough.' Bligh now said to the master, that the man behind the
hen-coops (Isaac Martin) was his friend, and desired him (the master) to
knock Christian down, which Christian must have heard, but took no
notice; that Fryer then attempted to get past Christian to speak to
Martin, but he put his bayonet to his breast, saying, 'Sir, if you
advance an inch farther, I will run you through,' and ordered two armed
men to take him down to his cabin. Shortly afterwards he was desired to
go on deck, when Christian ordered him into the boat: he said, 'I will
stay with you, if you will give me leave.' 'No, Sir,' he replied, 'go
directly into the boat.' Bligh, then on the gangway, said, 'Mr. Fryer,
stay in the ship.' 'No, by G---- d, Sir,' Christian said, 'go into the
boat, or I will run you through.' Mr. Fryer states, that during this
time very bad language was used by the people towards Mr. Bligh; that
with great difficulty they prevailed on Christian to suffer a few
articles to be put into the boat; that after the persons were ordered
into the boat to the number of nineteen, such opprobrious language
continued to be used, several of the men calling out 'Shoot the----,'
that Cole, the boatswain, advised they should cast off and take their
chance, as the mutineers would certainly do them a mischief if they
stayed much longer. Mr. Fryer then states the names of those who were
under arms; and that Joseph Coleman, Thomas M'Intosh, Charles Norman,
and Michael Byrne (prisoners), wished to come into the boat, declaring
they had nothing to do in the business; that he did not perceive Mr.
Peter Heywood on deck at the seizure of the ship.
On being asked what he supposed Christian meant when he said he had been
in hell for a fortnight? he said, from the frequent quarrels that they
had, and the abuse he had received from Mr. Bligh, and that the day
before the mutiny Mr. Bligh had challenged all the young gentlemen and
people with stealing his cocoa-nuts.
_Mr. Cole_, the boatswain, deposes,--that he had the middle watch; was
awakened out of his sleep in the morning, and heard a man calling out to
the carpenter, that they had mutinied and taken the ship; that Christian
had the command, and that the captain was a prisoner on the
quarter-deck; that he went up the hatchway, having seen Mr. Heywood and
Mr. Young in the opposite berth; that coming on deck he saw the captain
with his hands tied behind him, and four sentinels standing over him,
two of which were Ellison and Burkitt, the prisoners; that he asked Mr.
Christian what he meant to do, and was answered by his ordering him to
hoist the boat out, and shook the bayonet, threatening him and damning
him if he did not take care; that when he found the captain was to be
sent out of the ship, he again went aft with the carpenter to ask for
the long-boat; that they asked three or four times before he granted it;
that he saw Mr. Peter Heywood, one of the prisoners, lending a hand to
get the fore-stayfall along, and when the boat was hooked on, spoke
something to him, but what it was does not know, as Christian was
threatening him at the time; that Heywood then went below, and does not
remember seeing him afterwards; that after the few things were got into
the boat, and most of the people in her, they were trying for the
carpenter's tool-chest, when Quintal said, 'D---- n them, if we let them
have these things they will build a vessel in a month'; but when all
were in the boat she was veered astern, when Coleman, Norman, and
M'Intosh, prisoners, were crying at the gangway, wishing to go in the
boat; and Byrne in the cutter alongside was also crying; that he advised
Mr. Bligh to cast off, as he feared they would fire into the boat.
_The Court_ asked if he had any reason to believe that any other of the
prisoners than those named were detained contrary to their inclinations?
Answer--'I believe Mr. Heywood was; I thought all along he was intending
to come away; he had no arms, and he assisted to get the boat out, and
then went below; I heard Churchill call out, 'Keep them below.' _The
Court_--'Do you think he meant Heywood?' 'I have no reason to think any
other.'
_Mr. Peckover_ the gunner's evidence is similar to that of Mr. Cole's,
and need not be detailed.
_Mr. Purcell_, the carpenter, corroborated, generally, the testimony of
the three who had been examined. _The Court_ asked, 'Did you see Mr.
Heywood standing upon the booms?' 'Yes; he was leaning the flat part of
his hand on a cutlass, when I exclaimed, In the name of God, Peter, what
do you with that? when he instantly dropped it, and assisted in hoisting
the launch out, and handing the things into the boat, and then went down
below, when I heard Churchill call to Thompson to keep them below, but
could not tell whom he meant; I did not see Mr. Heywood after that.'
_The Court_--'In what light did you look upon Mr. Heywood, at the time
you say he dropped the cutlass on your speaking to him?' _Witness_--'I
looked upon him as a person confused, and that he did not know he had
the weapon in his hand, or his hand being on it, for it was not in his
hand; I considered him to be confused, by his instantly dropping it, and
assisting in hoisting the boat out, which convinced me in my own mind
that he had no hand in the conspiracy; that after this he went below, as
I think, on his own account, in order to collect some of his things to
put into the boat.' _The Court_--'Do you, upon the solemn oath you have
taken, believe that Mr. Heywood, by being armed with a cutlass at the
time you have mentioned, by anything that you could collect from his
gestures or speeches, had any intention of opposing, or joining others
that might oppose, to stop the progress of the mutiny?' _Witness_--'No.'
_The Court_--'In the time that Mr. Heywood was assisting you to get the
things into the boat, did he, in any degree whatever, manifest a
disposition to assist in the mutiny?' _Witness_--'No.' _The Court_--'Was
he, during that time, deliberate or frightened, and in what manner did
he behave himself?' _Witness_--'I had not an opportunity of observing
his every action, being myself at that time engaged in getting several
things into the boat, so that I cannot tell.' _The Court_--'Putting
every circumstance together, declare to this court, upon the oath you
have taken, how you considered his behaviour, whether as a person joined
in the mutiny, or as a person wishing well to Captain Bligh?'
_Witness_--'I by no means considered him as a person concerned in the
mutiny or conspiracy.'
_Lieutenant Thomas Hayward_, late third lieutenant of the _Pandora_, and
formerly midshipman of the _Bounty_, deposes,--that he had the morning
watch; that at four o'clock Fletcher Christian relieved the watch as
usual; that at five he ordered him, as master's mate of his watch, to
look out, while he went down to lash his hammock up; that while looking
at a shark astern of the ship, to his unutterable surprise, he saw
Fletcher Christian, Charles Churchill, Thomas Burkitt (the prisoner),
John Sumner, Matthew Quintal, William M'Koy, Isaac Martin, Henry
Hillbrant, and Alexander Smith, coming aft, armed with muskets and
bayonets; that on going forward, he asked Christian the cause of such an
act, who told him to hold his tongue instantly; and leaving Isaac Martin
as a sentinel on deck, he proceeded with the rest of his party below to
Lieutenant Bligh's cabin; that the people on deck were Mr. John Hallet,
myself, Robert Lamb, Butcher, Thomas Ellison (prisoner) at the helm, and
John Mills at the conn; that he asked Mills if he knew any thing of the
matter, who pleaded total ignorance, and Thomas Ellison quitted the helm
and armed himself with a bayonet; that the decks now became thronged
with armed men; that Peter Heywood, James Morrison (two of the
prisoners), and George Stewart, were unarmed on the booms; that Fletcher
Christian and his gang had not been down long before he heard the cry of
murder from Lieutenant Bligh, and Churchill calling out for a rope, on
which Mills, contrary to all orders and entreaties, cut the deep-sea
line and carried a piece of it to their assistance; that soon after
Lieutenant Bligh was brought upon the quarter-deck with his hands bound
behind him, and was surrounded by most of those who came last on deck.
This witness then states, that on the arrival of the _Pandora_ at
Matavai Bay, Joseph Coleman was the first that came on board; that he
was upset in a canoe and assisted by the natives; that as soon as the
ship was at anchor, George Stewart and Peter Heywood came on board; that
they made themselves known to Captain Edwards, and expressed their
happiness that he was arrived; that he asked them how they came to go
away with his Majesty's ship the _Bounty_, when George Stewart said,
when called upon hereafter, he would answer all particulars; that he was
prevented by Captain Edwards from answering further questions, and they
were sent out of the cabin to be confined. He then describes the manner
in which the rest of the mutineers were taken on the island. Having
stated that when he went below to get some things he saw Peter Heywood
in his berth, and told him to go into the boat, he was asked by _the
Court_ if Heywood was prevented by any force from going upon deck, he
answered, 'No.' _The Court_--'Did you, from his behaviour, consider him
as a person attached to his duty, or to the party of the mutineers?'
_Witness_--'I should rather suppose, after my having told him to go into
the boat, and he not joining us, to be on the side of the mutineers; but
that must be understood only as an opinion, as he was not in the least
employed during the active part of it.' _The Court_--'Did you observe
any marks of joy or sorrow on his countenance or behaviour?'
_Witness_--'Sorrow.'
_Lieutenant Hallet_, late midshipman of the _Bounty_, states,--that he
had the morning-watch; that he heard Lieutenant Bligh call out murder,
and presently after saw him brought upon deck naked, excepting his
shirt, with his hands tied behind him, and Christian holding the end of
the cord which tied them in one hand, and either a bayonet or a cutlass
in the other; that the cutter was hoisted out, and Mr. Samuel, Mr.
Hayward, and myself ordered to go into her; but the boatswain and
carpenter going aft, and telling Christian they wished to go with the
captain rather than stay in the ship, and asking to have the launch, it
was granted. On being asked if he saw Peter Heywood on that day, he
replied, once, on the platform, standing still and looking attentively
towards Captain Bligh; never saw him under arms nor spoke to him; does
not know if he offered to go in the boat, nor did he hear any one
propose to him to go in the boat; that when standing on the platform,
Captain Bligh said something to him, but what he did not hear, upon
which Heywood laughed, turned round, and walked away.
_Captain Edwards_ being then called and sworn, was desired by the Court
to state the conversation that passed between him and Coleman, Peter
Heywood, and George Stewart, when they came on board the _Pandora_.
_Edwards_--'Joseph Coleman attempted to come on board before the ship
came to an anchor at Otaheite; he was soon afterwards taken up by canoes
and came on board before the ship came to an anchor; I began to make
inquiries of him after the _Bounty_ and her people. The next who came on
board were Stewart and Peter Heywood; they came after the ship was at
anchor, but before any boat was on shore. I did not see them come
alongside. I desired Lieutenant Larkin to bring them down to the cabin.
I asked them what news; Peter Heywood, I think, said he supposed I had
heard of the affair of the _Bounty_. I don't recollect all the
conversation that passed between us; he sometimes interrupted me by
asking for Mr. Hayward, the lieutenant of the _Pandora_, whether he was
on board or not--he had heard that he was; at last I acknowledged that
he was, and I desired him to come out of my state-room, where I had
desired him to go into, as he happened to be with me at the time.
Lieutenant Hayward treated him with a sort of contemptuous look, and
began to enter into conversation with him respecting the _Bounty_, but I
called the sentinel in to take them into custody, and ordered Lieutenant
Hayward to desist, and I ordered them to be put into irons; some words
passed, and Peter Heywood said he should be able to vindicate his
conduct.
Prev
Next
All
Printer Friendly Version | Send this page to a friend | Discuss this Book
Your email address is safe with us. View our Privacy policy.
 |
 |
|
|
The Magic Egg and Other Stories Sections: 14 What's this? Table of Contents |
 Non FictionShort StoriesPoetryPlaysSci FiPhilosophyReligionBiography |
Best Freebies
