BLUEJACKETS SENTENCED.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 244, 12 October 1907, Page 6

BLUEJACKETS SENTENCED.

COURTS-AIARTIAL ON H.M.S. TORCH. OFFENCES IK THE SOUTH SEAS. Three courts-martial were held on board H.M.S. Torch at Sydney last week. Whilst on her recent Ion;: cruise in the South Sea Islands several of the warship's company got into trouble. It seems that on a" long voyage of 15,000 miles, such as the Torch has just completed, the discipline exercised aboard proved too much for some of the men, and several offences were committed aboard. Sailors cut loose sometimes, and it was on this cruise that several head ■of poultry, a live pig, and a portion of another, which were given to the officers at Panning Island, mysteriously disappeared, and all the bluejackets were nut on "sentry-go" duty, but the culprits were not discovered. The men under court-martial were Frederick M. Ellis, a private, William Doddimead, private, and Alfred C. Hunt, a stoker petty officer. The first-named was charged with lying, drunkenness and insulting language to his superior officers. He pleaded guilty to the two latter charges, but not guilty to the first. He was sentenced to sis months' imprisonment. Doddimead was charged with, being absent without leave, and with using insuiting language to his superior officers. He. pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to four months' imprisonmentHunt had two charges against him, viz., being absent without leave and using threatening language to his superior officers. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment.