FIGHTING AMONG SAILORS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4428, 7 August 1901, Page 5

FIGHTING AMONG SAILORS.

33 SERIOUS AFFAIR* PJtESS ASSOCIATION'. INVERCARGILL, August 6. A melee in which the officers and crew of the s.s. Oceana and some oystermen were concerned has occupied tho S.M. at tho Bluff for, the past two days, and the hearing is not yet concluded. So far , as the case has gone, it discloses gross i lawlessness on the part of the officers of ; the Oceana, a largo vessel loading oats !. for South Africa. In a case of assault preferred against Captain J. P. Turner and ' G. M. Miles. : the second _ officer, the complainant (*’. Phillips) said that at 11.20 on the night of July 30th, Miles demanded oysters from! him on itho wharf, and being refused' Phillips down. Miles then - blew a. whistle and all hands came ashore including the captain in his pyjamas,; to his assistance. The fight became general and D. Matheson, third engineer of the Oceana, fired a revolver at one Spen- i cer, au oyster man, who had taken to the water. Spencer said that he was grabbed' as he swam alongside the dredge and f ducked till nearly drowned. - He got away and made for a Maori house ashore. He was followed end another shot fired at him. He got into the house, hut another 1 shot was fired at the house, tho bullet being found in a weather-board. Meanwhile an extraordinary outrage was Serpelrated on Phillips. Ho was forcibly i ragged to the steamer’s side, a rope was passed round him, and ho was hoisted onj the deck, kicked audfldaten with a board, i dragged to a, bathroom, handcuffed anti locked up til' the police, after some pro- 1 rancation, liberated him. The defence was that Phillips was the 1 aggressor, but the S.M. said his story' was tho more reasonable one, and much ' of tho evidence of the accused was untrue. He was of opinion that the accused joined to make reprisal on the men; that the captain Assisted or directed in draeffrinsf * Phillips aboard; and that both wore responsible for everything that-was donoj The captain might not be primarily to' blame ■ he had been told fonr or five men : had set on his second mate and no doubt ' was indignant, but nothing could justify 1 his standing by and allowing the brutal 1 outrages committed. Miles war fined' 10s, the captain £2 10s. Counsel: haying stated they would appeal, cused were each fined £5 Is. to enable" them to do so. ; Matheson, au engineer, was next chare- 5 ea with shooting at John Spencer. This.! man stated he was not the causa of the) r ° w ; in fact, he went to the assistance' of Miles. He saw accused come down a ladder from the Oceana. AU oyetermen then went aboard: a cutter. Ac,* cused sprang aboard, and poked his arm down the hatchway, and said he would shoot tho first that moved, Spencer nulled off his sweater and hat, got on deck, and slipped over the side, as he did not like the look of things. He swam to the other wharf, got out of tho water, and met Miles, accused and another- Miles said "this is one,” struck him on the month, and knocked him over the wharf. He fell on the deck of a cutter. They rushed after him. and he again took to the water. Someone cried, ■ "If you don’t come back I will shoot you." and immediately a shot was fired. He heard the bullet strike near him. Then followed a docking episode, in which he alleged the first officer of the Oceana and a coloured man were the offenders. They dragged him up on tho wharf, where he saw Captain Turner and the accused running about, the former singing out. "Tate him (Spencer) aboard and court-martial him.” He broke away, and as he ran for the town-* ship he heard another shot, end yefc another. Accused was the worse for* Honor. A fireman at the freezing works close' by heard firing and saw three men follow Spencer to the Maori hojiee, where 5 .they made a demand for admission. ■ The Court is still sitting. The affaijf has caused much excitement at tho-p'ort« .