A STORY OF THE SEA.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 122, 23 May 1919, Page 5

A STORY OF THE SEA.

BOY'S TERRIBLE VOYAGE.

Anna's of the sea contain few morel horrible tales of cruelty than the story told by Leonard Alexander Smithson ot his trip from Vancouver to Cape Town with •■Hell Fire" Pederson and hi* two son*, in charge of the barquentine Puako. which ended with the arrest of the captain and his sons, who acted as his mates, on a charge of murdering the cook. Brought back to the United States "'Hell Fire" and his hopefuls arej now facing a capital charge at New York. The Puako loaded at Vancouver w-hen the schooner Laurel Whalen, now in port here, was picking up her cargo.

Young Smithson. ambitions to become a sailor, signed on for a trip to the Cape. Captain Pederson took a fatherly interest in him, advising him against the evils of drinking and 6moking, and admonishing him to live a virtuous life— while the ship was in port. When at last Pederson was able to induce a crew to put out to sea, the paternal interest in the young boy, who acted as second cook, changed, and instead of being given kindly advice, the lad saye he wasi daily beaten until he was 'black and blue. His noee was broken, and 'his head laid open. Four times during the voyage did he carry twin black eyes, the gifts of "Hell Fire"' and his tons. W-ROTE TO MOTHER. In a letter to hie mother from Gape Town, the lad gives his story of the voyage and the death of the cook, in connection with which the captain is now in gaol charged with murder. He declared that he was a witness to the death of the cook, and when he told the captain in answer to a question that he would tell the truth to the American consul he was pummelled and beaten. The story, as contained in the letter to his parents reads as follows: — "Dear Mother and Father, —Just a line to let you know I am still living, but not too well, as I have ben so beaten and starved aboard the ship that I look like a skeleton, but am starting to pick up now. Well, mother, this has been the worst five months I ever put in in my life, but not only mc, the whole crew. "When we came ashore every one was black and blue all over the body, and all nad black eyes. "The captain and mate are up for manslaughter, as the cook was driven over on 'May 23. The reason he jumped was that every meal he cooked he was called in the cabin and beaten and bawled out, and then I would get the same for doing nothing, only the captain was always drunk and half crazy, and his sons were the two mates, and everything he said they would beat us. j

"The cook got about the same for everything he did until he was driven crazy, till one morning he was working, and the mate called him to him and beat him till he ran for the side and jumped. .lust as he got to the side the mate kicked him and made him go, but] when he came to his senses in the water he grabbed the log line in the back of the ship, and called 'help, help,' but when a fellow named Riely tried to save him, the captain said, 'Get away from that line and so forward, you,' and the mate shook the man ofi" the log line, and let him drown, and when he saw I was watching he said, 'What good is he? Let the drawn.'

"Then that afternoon he auked mc what I was going to tell the American consul about it, and I told him I was going to tell him the truth. At that he went pretty near crazy, and said: You I'oing to tell the truth?' Then he beat mc up again and broke my nose, and put three cuts in my head and gave mc a set of black eyes. That was only one set, but 1 had four sets on the trip. "Well, the whole crew are in the detention camp, and arc held as witnesses, but the captain and mates are in gaol, held for murder, and Lord knows when the trial will he over. It may last two months, or it may last a year. But anyway, I am safe and getting fed good, ana have a good place to sleep. -'Well, we cure had a long trip. tVe were over 130 days, about 140 days. That's .">(> days late, and we were to make it in SO days, so I just got your letter to-day."

The authorities at Cape Town handed the Pederson a over to the United Stated, and the prisoners and the crew are reported to have arrived at New York on the American cruiser Charleston.