Fatal Fracas on boaud Shi?.—A most shocking tragedy has occurred on board the ship Navarino, a British barque which left our anchorage about six o'clock for Hong Kong. We give the particulars as nearly as we can gather them, but of course do not pledge ourselves to the correctness of more than the primary facts. It seems that the mate took the vessel out, and that both he and the second mate were drunk at breakfast time, and the captain asleep in his cabin ; and that about half-past eleven o'clock, the second mate being in charge of the deck, ordered eight bells to be strtlck, and then went below, woke the captain up, and asked him to have some" thing to eat, and then went into the mate's cabin and turned him up. They both then came into the cabin, and in course of conversation with the captain the latter said the mate was drunk ; that the pilot had told him (the captain) so, and that he (the pilot) was afraid to take the vessel out because of it. The mate fetched the pilot—a native—down before the captain, and before him the pilot denied having said so. At this the captain laughed but afterwards accused the second mate of being drunk, which he denied, and some words ensued, and the captain ordered the latter to leave the cabin. The second mate squared up to the captain (who is an eld man) and told him if he was not so old he would strike him, or words to that effect. The captain on this shook his fists, and said that had he possessed the strength he once had, he would have thrown both of them them (the mates; out of the cabin, and peremptorily ordered the second mate to leave the cabin or he would stab him, and the carpenter, who was also present, says teat he suited the action to the word, and drawing a bayonet from the rack of arms at the side of the cabin, struck the second mate in the throat with it. The carpenter helped the wounded man up the companion, leaving the captain and first mate together, and within a very short time was followed on deck by the latter, who leaned over the companion door for a moment or so and then the captain rushed up on deck, and either pushed or struck the mate down. At this time the mate was lying on the forehatch having hiswound d"essed,as well as the cock could do it with water and wet cloth. The first mate went forward to the forehatch and then laid down, and pulling up his shirt over his loins said he was stabbed, and it proved to be so. While the men were attending the mate on the forehatch, the second mate died on the hatchway, The native pilot or some of the crew (Europeans) signalled to H.M.S, Zebra, and some officers and men from the Rainbow, together with the master attendant, went on board and took proceedings necessary in the matter. The captain, of course, was brought on shore, and remains as a prisoner. His name is Young. The second mate's name, who is dead, is Richard White, and that of the first mate John Grant. The body of the second mate was brought on shore last night and carried to the hospital, to wait an inquest. The first mate is on board, stabbed in the back, and of course under medical treatment. — Singapore Free Press. Jan 9.
O'labrell.—"We observe that at an indignation meeting held at Hamilton, in Tasmania, Dr. Sharand the warden, is reported to have said that O'Farrell, the would be assissin of H. B>. H. the Duke of Edinburgh, is uncle of the man Allen, one of the conspirators recentlyexecuted at Manchester for murder of policeman Brett. The Hobart Town Mercury adds:—"We have a letter also from a gentleman holding a high position in the magistracy of this colony, which gives us some particulars respecting the relatives of OTarrell, from which there seems little doubt that the statement of Mr. Sharand is correct." Telegram and Toktoia. The Atlantic cable does tell such lies!—to this country ; let us hope not from it. Query —"What are the comparative number of falsehoods on an average daily issuing from this end of the Cable and that? All the electric wires, however, from abroad, bring so many false messages, that " telegram " will soon be synonymus with "crammer" "Whenever anybody says the thing which is not, his hearers will observe, •' That's a telegram!" and when you tell a girl anything that' she doesn't believe, she will exclaim, " Oh you telegram!" instead of " Oh, you story!"
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Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 234, 1 May 1868, Page 3
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782Untitled Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 234, 1 May 1868, Page 3
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