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Page 4
"Prisoner, hear the sentence of the Court! The Court decides, subject to
the approval of the President, that you never hear the name of the
United States again."
Nolan laughed. But nobody else laughed. Old Morgan was too solemn, and
the whole room was hushed dead as night for a minute. Even Nolan lost
his swagger in a moment. Then Morgan added,--
"Mr. Marshal, take the prisoner to Orleans in an armed boat, and deliver
him to the naval commander there."
The Marshal gave his orders and the prisoner was taken out of court.
"Mr. Marshal," continued old Morgan, "see that no one mentions the
United States to the prisoner. Mr. Marshal, make my respects to
Lieutenant Mitchell at Orleans, and request him to order that no one
shall mention the United States to the prisoner while he is on board
ship. You will receive your written orders from the officer on duty here
this evening. The court is adjourned without day."
I have always supposed that Colonel Morgan himself took the proceedings
of the court to Washington City, and explained them to Mr. Jefferson.
Certain it is that the President approved them,--certain, that is, if I
may believe the men who say they have seen his signature. Before the
Nautilus got round from New Orleans to the Northern Atlantic coast with
the prisoner on board the sentence had been approved, and he was a man
without a country.
The plan then adopted was substantially the same which was necessarily
followed ever after. Perhaps it was suggested by the necessity of
sending him by water from Fort Adams and Orleans. The Secretary of the
Navy--it must have been the first Crowninshield, though he is a man I do
not remember--was requested to put Nolan on board a government vessel
bound on a long cruise, and to direct that he should be only so far
confined there as to make it certain that he never saw or heard of the
country. We had few long cruises then, and the navy was very much out of
favor; and as almost all of this story is traditional, as I have
explained, I do not know certainly what his first cruise was. But the
commander to whom he was intrusted,--perhaps it was Tingey or Shaw,
though I think it was one of the younger men,--we are all old enough
now,--regulated the etiquette and the precautions of the affair, and
according to his scheme they were carried out, I suppose, till Nolan
died.
When I was second officer of the "Intrepid," some thirty years after, I
saw the original paper of instructions. I have been sorry ever since
that I did not copy the whole of it. It ran, however, much in this
way:--
"WASHINGTON (with a date, which have been late in 1807).
"SIR,--You will receive from Lieutenant Neale the person of Philip
Nolan, late a Lieutenant in the United States Army.
"This person on his trial by court-martial expressed with an oath
the wish that he might 'never hear of the United States again.'
"The Court sentenced him to have his wish fulfilled.
"For the present, the execution of the order is intrusted by the
President to this Department.
"You will take the prisoner on board your ship, and keep him there
with such precautions as shall prevent his escape.
"You will provide him with such quarters, rations, and clothing as
would be proper for an officer of his late rank, if he were a
passenger on your vessel on the business of his Government.
"The gentlemen on board will make any arrangements agreeable to
themselves regarding his society. He is to be exposed to no
indignity of any kind, nor is he ever unnecessarily to be reminded
that he is a prisoner.
"But under no circumstances is he ever to hear of his country or
to see any information regarding it, and you will specially
caution all the officers under your command to take care, that, in
the various indulgences which may be granted, this rule, in which
his punishment is involved, shall not be broken.
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