CRUELTY ON BOARD SHIP.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XX, Issue 144, 18 June 1886, Page 4

CRUELTY ON BOARD SHIP.

Our telegrams yesterday elated thafc fc. e . Captain of the American whaler Petrel bad J been arrested on a charge of murderii g ( Bir'on, the ship's cooper. Tb» followi* g ex raot from fche StaAs report of the enquiry will give some idea of fche cruelty i racfcisfd on board fche ship : — John B. Moraran, fourth mate, deposed : I joined fche Petrel afc N» w B df-rd. I was not ill-* rated mys lf in anyway. I consider that others were illtreated. Button, the cooper, was somew h afc iil-treated after starting from Bedford. The cooper's work was unsatisfactory ; he gave a deal of impudenoe to the officers, and did not perform his work as ho ought to bave done. Once the cooper was told to opeu a butter keg, bufc he refused, and went below. Foley ordered the cooper to return, and told him to be careful he did no knock fche head of the k g into the butter. The co iper gave the head a blip and h fell into the butter. Foley took the head ond rubbed tbe bu-fctr on the cooper's nose, saying, " Cooper, if you were not an old man — ," then paused. In fcbe meantime the captain canio ou deck. Foley reported the matter to the capt in, who said, '• When my officer tells you to do something, flo ifc." The cooper gave the captain some impudence, and fcbe captain saif*, "Foley, when you tell amtntodo a thing, and he refuses, make him do it. Take a club, a bit of wood, anything jon come across, and knock him down. When I tell a man to do anything, and he do i't do it, he will find me right alongside of him ; hu", by God, if I tell one of my officers to do anything, and he disobeys my orders, I'll shoot bim. There must be discipline on th''i ship. I must begin from the firs*, part of fcbe voyage. I came out here for a voyage, nnd om going to get a voyage i£ I kill ev^y man in the ship." The cooper continued to growl, and he was pu r . in iron 0 , and placed iii tbe after house. That night he was pu iiitotbesj.il pen. The cooper w.is troughfc up every mo'-ning for breakfast on deck. The captain told him when he was re-dy to ob^y orders he would ba taken out of irons. The cooper said, " I'm the cooper of this ship, and I'm going to be the cooper of her." Foby told me (wit nes-) to let the cooper out to wash. Foley always talked kiudly to the cooper, asking bim to do his duty. The cooper siid he would. The cooper was ordered to make a tub. Hu worked ab it for a mouth. The cooper was set to knock down nail heads in the deck, and s*ii*l he could not see them. The captain cime along and said, " God d — -n you, don't you see those heads there?" and kicked bim. When off Fayal, the fiiss mate found an onion in fche cooper's pocket and said, " Why didn't you ask me for thafc onion ?" The cooper replied, ' Don'b know, sir." Fo'ey took fcbe cooper to fche port side, made n ropo fas', round his neck and swung him till tbe cooper's feet touched the deck. One morning tbe cooper finished his breakfast; as the captain came on deck. The captain camo up to him and said, " D n you, what are you doing here ? Tbis is my side of the deck." Some words passed between fchem, and as the captain passed he would kick at him, aud then walked fche poop-deck, paying, " I'll learn you how to give me your cheek." I hive seen the cooper kicked by tbe captain more than by anyone else on fche ship. Ido not think the man should have been treated that way. because he was nofc in his right mind. Whilst the cooper was confiud in the sail-pen, Foley found a kaife coucea'el in bis los -in. After tbat we had to watch him very sharply. He was then put in the forecastle, because he could not do coopering. He was in my watch, and was very childish. After we left Fayal, he began to shake all over, and rolled when he walked. He had two mastheads a day, but no wheels or lookouts. The crew complained about the cooper all day long. The cooper was then boxed and slapped considerable. One day, during a storm, the cooper was knocked heavily on deck by the swaying of the men hauling a rope. I picked him up and told the first mate that the cooper was unable to stand on deek. Foley sent the cooper below. That was fche last time I saw him on deck before he died. I went below with Foley to see the cooper. Tbe latter did not recognise us ; his eyes were set, and he seemed to be in great pain in the bowels I rubbed him. When I touched the pit of his stomach he screamed. I applied mustard and hot water, which seemed to give him a great deal of ease. I told Gill to keep the clothes on the cooper as long as the water was hot. Afc 10'40 p.m. the third mate told me tbe cooper was dead. I have seen other men slapped about. Examined by Mr Foley : I think you were good to the cooper. You went to the captain and got mustard for him. You said you were very sorry for him. As far as I kno ft you used him well whilst he was in irons. In some instances you have shown favours to the crew. You were very good to me when I was sick. Examined by Mendozo : I did not see you throw the cooper and jump on him. I never saw you draw blood from any man on the ship. Examined by Consular Agent : and the third and fourth officers : He added to our respective duties at night. It was some time after we left New Bedford ; before that, I headed starboard watch at night. I saw the cooper opened after his death. I cannot recognise the letter produced, because I did not handle any of the papers. On the second night after we arrived at Russell, I came ashore with some of the Btarboard watch — Antoine, Simmons, Manuel, and others. I made no complaint to the Consular Agent of what had taken place on the vessel. All the larboard watch that desired to come ashore did so. Next night I heard the captain give orders that the men should not be allowed to go round to tbe house, and say, " Put a rope round them and let them go in a boat." I assisted to sew up the cooper's body after his death. I did not see the body stripped. I saw no marks on his face. I saw froth coming from his mouth. I last saw the cooper ill-treated three months before his death. The lasfc time I saw anyone strike the cooper to hurt him he waa struck by the captain. The cooper was confined to his bunk three months before his death. It is customary for a man to take as many mastheads per day as requested. I have been up for all day. I saw the cooper sent to the masthead by the captain and Foley when I think he was not fit to be sent there. The cooper was ordered to take the first mast-head in the morning, and the last at night. I prefer the one in the middle of the day. Ifc was cool weather at the time. I have seen a deep cut on the cooper's nose ; ifc left a scar. I did see a rope made to thrash the cooper. The rope was two feet long and as thick as my middle finger. There was one knot on ifc. It was used by the first and second mate for that purpose. The cooper was always full of mischief; and used to run and laugh. I kept a man looking after the cooper always. I never saw the cooper scrubbed with a brick. I saw the captain shove his head in a basin of what is too filthy to mention. I saw no provocation given. The captain did not examine this witness. The Inquiry was adjourned at ten o'clock last night, and was resumed this morning Peter Levy deposed : I have not been illtreated myself, but saw the captain strike the cooper when the latter was in irons. On another occasion the captain kicked bim on the nose and split it. The cooper said to me he would make five thousand dollars out of ! the ill-treatment he was receiving. I saw Foley whip the cooper and pull his whiskers out. Saw Mendoza slap and kick the cooper. Examined by Captain Reid : I was with you before for fifty-two months. By Mr Foley : You werb good to the cooper, and used me well in a good many ways. By Mendoza : You treated me well. Frederick Augustus Gill, one of the deserters and a West Indian, deposed : I received my first punishment from Mr Foley, who knockied me down in the boat. I looked at him, I when he said, " Don't look at me in that way or I'll murder you 1 I'll smash in your brain box 1" Another time I was at the windlass when my handspike broke. Mr Foley struck me, knocked me over the windlass, took a handspike and said he would knock my brains oufc. SYhen I complained to fche Captain the latter said he would murder me. Once, when I was steering by the wind, Captain told me twice to keep top gallant sail lifting. I answered " aye, aye, sir," when he shook his hand iu my face, and struck at me, and said he would murder me and every son of a tbat was on board the ship. The second mate also told me he would knock my brains out if I looked at him again. I saw the cooper ill-treated

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