ell a victim to the
rage of a jealous husband whose honor he had outraged, or of a lover
whose affections he had supplanted. Others thought the fatal injuries
he received were the result of a drunken quarrel, commenced in a gaming
house; while many believed that private revenge inflicted the stabs,
which, from their number and direction, appeared to have been given
under the influence of ungovernable fury. Some thought the wounds were
inflicted by a vigorous man, others, that a woman had imbrued her hands
in his blood.

The first, and perhaps most natural supposition, was that some
negro, knowing the character of the voyage which the murdered man
had contemplated, had taken this desperate mode of arresting his
proceedings. This theory, however, was soon generally abandoned for
another. It was suggested that one of the sailors who had shipped in the
slaver and subsequently deserted, knowing the captain was seeking them
in every direction, had met him in the street, and fearful of being
arrested, or seeking to revenge a personal wrong, had committed the
terrible crime. This hypothesis was, doubtless, as false as either of
the others, and more absurd. It was, nevertheless, adopted by the city
authorities, and promptly acted upon, with a disregard to the rights
of individuals which seems strangely at variance with republican
institutions. The police force was strengthened, and on the evening
succeeding the discovery of the murder received orders to arrest and
place in confinement every individual seen in the streets wearing the
garb of a sailor. This arbitrary edict was strictly enforced; and Jack,
on leaving his home in the forecastle or a boarding house to visit
the haunts of dissipation, or perhaps to attend to some pressing and
important duty, was pounced upon by the members of the city guard,
and, much to his astonishment and anger, and maugre his struggles,
expostulations, and threats, was carried off without any assigned
reason, and securely placed under lock and key.

Some two or three hundred of these unoffending tars were caught,
captured, cribbed, and confined. No respect was paid to age, color or
nation. They were huddled together in rooms of very moderate dimensions,
which precluded, for one night at least, any idea of rest or comfort;
and such a confusion of tongues, such anathemas against the city
officials, such threats of vengeance, such rare specimens of swearing,
singing, and shouting, varied occasional