AS OCEAN ROMANCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2572, 8 July 1903, Page 14

AS OCEAN ROMANCE.

MUTINY AND MURDER

A NIGHT OF HORROR.

The etartling story of the Veronica tragedy (for the perpetration of which ghastly crime Guatav Rau and William Shaw were hanged an Liverpool on Tuesday, June 2, last month engaged the attention of Mi Justice Lawran.ee and a jury at Liverpool, where three sailors were tried on charges of having murdered seven of the ship's crew and set fire- to the vessel. No writer of tea romances ever conceived a more thrilling or dramatic plot than that which concerned this human slaughter and the subsequent arrest of the alleged murderers. In solemn, well-measured tones, Mr Tobiti, K.C., related the ease for the Treasury. The Veronica, a British ship of 1000 tons register, left Ship Island, in the Gulf of Mexico, in November last, witn a cargo of lumber. Her crew of 12 were of various nationalities. Three were Germans, and the remainder included a Hindu coolie, men from Prince Edward Island, an Irishman, and some Swedes. The names of the (murdered men were M'Leod, Parson, Patrick Jjoran, Abrahameon, Shaw, Johansen, and Bravo ;- and the prisoners were named Mons*fson, Rau, and Smith. Two other members of the crew— Fiohr and a negro cook — were ■Witnesses.

MURDER DECIDED,

After the first fortnight of the voyage Mr Tobin said blie prisoners decided to get rid of the officera, against whom they entertainett a grievance, as well a., other members of the crew. To an 18-year-old lad named Flohr the plot to murder was broached. Flohr was terrified. " I cannot be»r to see a pig killed," he exclaimed ; "how can I kill a man?" Then, eaid Mr Tcbin, the piisoner Rau, who was the ringleader, eaid, " You can choose between joining us. your fcllow-Germana, or going overboard." And Flohr, o\erawed, consented to join.

Mr Tobui then reJated the iollovriug Bt<ny of tho crime, as it would, he said, bo ' told to the jury by the witnesses for the prosecution : The watch from midnight to 4 o'clock on the morning of December 8 wao selected as the time to carry out tho qwful crime. Two of the conspirators— Smith and liar — were to bo on deck with nothing particular to do. Young Flohr was ordered by Rau to go upon the forecastle bead with a knife or belaying pin and kill '' Paddy " Doran, tho Irishman, -who was on duty. Flohr shrank from the task, and, finally, Rau went to tho forecastle head Himself, Raving to " Paddy," " Can wo see the North Kt.iv t'l-night?" This waa a simple and natural remark, because they were then lust approach. n<; thri equator, going from north to i-oucl - -i time when most taPors wero viTcr^atpd in watching the North Star. "Faddy" Mooned after Rau's question and looked under the sail towards the north. As ho did «<i Rau picked up a heavy iron br-la-"ii>.<r nin and hit l>i-n twieo on tho bvtk of Ili<> head "Paddy" tumbled clown pc-iwleci but not dpail. and wa.> thrown in he port icLkrr in tho fo'c-castlo. ( OLll IILOOPFTi \TI A K.

A few moment, Ihtr- the fir-t nntc ramo filong and iiiquiied for "Pcd.'y." A- '<

looked about the dark deck Rau liit liim twice with the belaying-pin. The mate fell, and then Rau, aided by Smith, throw him overboard, without taking tho trouble to see whether bo was dead or only "-tunned Rau and Smith, armed with r«.\ohcr« wvnt aft to kill the captain and i,-\oid mate. Flohr wa-, lrff at the port Icckoi. iriiardiiisf tlie woundod Irishman. Monsson kept watch at tho forecastle to tea that two other young saiiorn. Parson and the coolie, did not g>et nut of the forecastle. A moment later two shots were heard. The fecond mate ran from his cabin through the aft saloon, calling, '" [ am wounded." Than Flolir ujvj ordered by Rau to go aft with an iron bclaying-pm and kill Joha>n-en. who was at the wheel. Flohr obeyed, but on hi-, way changed the iron bclaying-pm for a wooden one, as " lie did not want to kill the imam." He hit Johansen, however, and Johansen ran. terrified, to tho forecastle, rud Flchr took the wheel.

CU'TAIN SHOT TWIC'F.

Just then the captain ramo out of his crbin. Rau, who was watching, slict him twice. Tlie captain fell baok in his cabin badly wounded. Meanwhile the your.™ sailor Parson had tried to escape from Ihe forecastle, and had been killed wjth a he-laying pin Hi 6 body was promptly thrown over board, and there remained on t'ec-k a largo pool of blood. Th-e n-ogro cook, who luid been asleep in his bunk, was urou&ed by iihe disturbance. As bo came out of liis cabin. Rau, revolver in hand, ordered him to wake some coffee. The cook, who beg-ged pitifully for his life, obeyed. Rau compelled the cook to taste the coffee to show that he had not poisoned it, and then ordered him to keep away from the after-part of the chip, where the wounded officers we so After drinking th«> toffee, Rau, who h.i 1 assumed command, ordered the remainder of the crew aft to barne.ulp the wounded officers in the deck house. The port-holos were boarded over and the pkyhght was fastened down, so that the oaptam and mate could not fire out of them. K\tra dooii were braced against the navigation room to prevent the captain getting out. In this room, without food and without water mvo for s-uoji as thr>v could ppt from a tin of canned pras-, tlio captain and second mate were kept impri-oned for some day- On one cco-ion Kan wanted -oiro cliart->, glasses, and sextants from the cubm He ordered the captain to hand them up through the .sk. light. The *-c<oiul mate I old him the ttiptam was too wenk Ran <ie manded that he do a> ordeied The captain finally parsed the articles un. mu\ a^lcd a.? rro did co: "What have I Hone that T should be treated like this"' Can you not spare my life? "

DOOMED TO DIE

Tlie captain mid maic lrmuined im prisoned a t'ay or two longer. Tli^n the conspirators decided that they mu-,t die A passing vt-fcsel micrht pick them up. So one day Rau arranged the men upon the lxiop, and stood there with a revoher. Flohr was given a belaying pin. Rau ordered the .second mate to come out.

Ho ramo out. like a rat from a nowlyopened trap. Ho ran blindly alone; the arm board fide, of the> deck. Smith thot lnm. and ho jumped into the water.

Ran cavo the older. " About " adding. Hi mu-t be Lillt-d btfori we lc.ue.''

As the ship came about the throe men again <»hot the second mate as he was struggling in the water, and he sank.

Then came the capt.nn's turn. lie was ordered out of hK cnlim The nion, re\olvers in hand, w.utod; but he did not oome. Tho coolie was '-out into th p (ab-n with an axe to fttrh him out.

He came- out then, almost a chilly man, with his hands before hn face, and as he staggered feebly clown the deck Rau stepped up to him, placed a revolver at hii head, and blew his biains out. Meanwhile the wounded Irishman in the forecastle had been murdered.

The surviving «-even men then held a council, and deeid-od to fire <tho thip, to burn their blood-stained clothes, to leave the ve&sc.l in mid-ocean, and to g<'t away m tlie- lifeboat.

Day by day Rau mado> his comrade, iepeat the story they were to tell the Convul wherever they landed — that tho ship was accidentally burnt, that the crow left m two lifeboats, and that the ■-econd lifeboat was lost.

But two of tho erew — the coolie and Johan^en, tho Swede — were bad lcainoiF, and therefore they were killed.

Then the remaining five- set sail in the lifeboat, after vainly trying to c-apMzc tlie other boat. After five days they .sighted land. Ra;i ordeicd the provisions, amlo\en the men's caps, to be thrown overboard, and they landed on the island of C'ajuaira, belonging to a Liverpool shipowner.

The cook told the tale as instructed upon the arrival of the steamer Brunswick, and the fiie men were taken on board. But the cook -afterwards confessed U> the plot, and the lad F'ohr corroborated his story upon their arrival at Liverpool.

The juiy took only 15 minutes to eons-idcr their verdict. Ernest Mons=on (aged 18) uas recommended to mercy on account of bis youth and previous good character.

Small was 50 years old and Rau was 28 The hearing was concluded and the sentences pronounced on Thursday, May 1 4 .