A NAVAL TYRANT.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 206, 4 September 1873, Page 2

A NAVAL TYRANT.

Commander A. Semraei, late of the United, States sloop-of-war Portsmouth, has been tried by a naval court-martial, on charges of inflicting cruel and unlawful punishment on hit. sailors, abuse of his official power, and. oppressive and inhuman conduct unbecoming an officer and. a gentleman. Semmes used to chain the sailor* fo& trivial offences, in gangs of ten, close together, and place them on.the-quurter-deck to pass the night in unspeakable discomfort. While the Portsmouth lay in the port of Bio Janerio a man named King was persecuted till he attempted to desert, and was then fastened by hU arms in I feet in an unmoveable position in a boat alongside of the v«ssel, and exposed to the fierce tropical heat of the sun until his life was nearly sacrificed. Another case of outrageous crueltj was that of a seaman named Mat ••> thews, concerning whioh we quote th« language of 'the Secretary of the Nary himself: — By order of Captain Semmes, he (Matthews) wan seised and csamraed into abox three feet long, eighteen inches wide, and eighteen inches deep. Planks cut for the purpose were then placed over die top of the box, .. and force was used to crush down the protruding knees and^f head. The planks were at length by main, force btopight down to bear on the sides and ends of the box. Nails T^ere driven into the planks, and the living man was boxed up . under Captain Semmes's supervision. By this officer's order he was thus kept for five days, During these 120 hour* the miserable man was never allowed' to leave his coffin. With a refined cruelty that would not Ist him die and escape his torment, he was regularly foa through a hole six inches square. These are but a few of the brutal acts of Commander Serames, who, by the way, is a nephew of Captain Raphael Semmes o£ the pirate Alabama. Commander Seinraes waa found guilty of all charge* brought against him, and was sentenced to suspension from 'uty and rank for three year*, and to be reprimanded in general orders by theSecretary of the Navy. The Secretary, i,n his reprimand, sava that " the department would have approved of aseverei^ sentence." We should" think so. The penitentiary is the^ only fitting place for such a monster as Commander Semmes has been proved to be. — American Paper.