Rambles about Portsmouth. Sketches of persons, localities, and incidents of two centuries: principally from tradition and unpublished documents. By Charles W. Brewster.

182 RAMBLES ABOUT PORTSMOUTH.
prisoner guilty of the crime with which he is charged'?
Lieut. Drown, being the youngest in commission, was first
called upon. He replied, No. The other eleven replied,
No. And the President was well satisfied that the verdict
was just.
It was found that, suffering as he was under partial insanity, he was not a safe man for the army, and the court
recommended that he be honorably discharged from the
public service.
No one rejoiced more than Capt. Bailey, at the happy
result of sending a witness not in the specification. And frequently our venerable friend Drown (who was the summer
guest of Col. Walbach above referred to) congratulated himself with the thought, that if while in the army he never
killed a man, he was by his position instrumental in saving
one innocent man from being shot.
RAMBLE CXV.
]Fort Constitution-The Explosion in 1809.
In our last Ramble some reference was made to incidents
occurring at this point of our harbor defence. We take
this occasion to give a sketch of a disaster which took
place at this fort in 1809, when the garrison was under
command of Col. Walbach. The circumstances will be new
to many of the present generation.
On the 4th day of July, 1809, there were two public political celebrations in Portsmouth. The Federalists marched
to the Old South Church to listen to an oration from Isaac
Lyman, Esq., and partook of a dinner at the old Assembly
House. The Democrats marched to the North Church,
were addressed by Joseph Bartlett, Esq., and dined at
Davenport's.