THE DUMB PASSENGER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7878, 19 January 1903, Page 2

THE DUMB PASSENGER.

EXTRAORDINARY STORY 01< THE SKA. .At. Durham Arizes in Xuvrniln'r Thomas Sinclair, a^ed fifly-pcvcii, mitsUi' mariner, was charged with. '.having mi, lire lo his s>tcaniship, Richmond, o-u the high >''.-.i,s in 1894. Th. circumstances of the c:isc as ivveaK.-'l by tho wklonci; wen: of a remark:; !ilo. <hai:;ctti'. Tho prisoner and a nsuu lruned Thompson, it. was aliened, bought the Richmond for "£SOOO in 1895." Tiny paid ih<gmutcr pint (if iho purchase' .money, ai;cl thero was a mortgage on the- shi^. The ve.s.-x'l wa-s insured for her full valut-, but it was no! alleged that, she was over-insured. In January of 1894 Mm ship left the Tync: with coals for Algiers. Neveial cases of oil were sent, on hoard without, any bill of lading, and' it was alleged tiia.t tho prisoner lolil the. mat": to tab: it as it was for the lighthou-e at Tripoli. At Algkrn the prisoner, who had travelled overland', joined tho ship, and at Tripoli, when asked about, the oil, which no oik- had come for, he said 1 it did not matter. The ship left ' Tripoli with a vaugo of esparto grass, and arrived in London in February. The prisoner went on board and ordered the oil to be removed to the. fore-part- of the vessel, and said 1 'hat a passenger would come on board to go to the Tyn<\ Just before. th'. v cliiji sailed for the Tync the passenger eaino aboard, dressed in a long ovemiHil-, and a rap which partly concealed his face. He brought a letter from tho prisoner, and in that the. prisoner suid that the passenger was dumb, that be had his own provisions, that ho was a respectable man and ai commercial traveller. During tho voyage t.h> passenger was only seen on deck at night. When nearing Whitby the cargo was found to be on: fire. It was also found that the locker where the oil was stored- had been broken into, and some of the oil was gone. Immediately after the vessel's arrivail in the Tyne the" passenger disappeared. The prisoner was nftorwurds seen in a dress corresponding with that of the passenger, and he was arrested and committed for trial. He absconded, howojser, and was only arrested last September"." The case for the prosecution is thnt the prisoner was the passenger, and that he set fire to tho ship. In the course of the trial it was stated that" he .had received' over £3000 in insurance on the vepscl. /