ARSON ON BOARD THE CHAPMAN.

Wellington Independent, Volume XX, Issue 2218, 13 June 1865, Page 5

ARSON ON BOARD THE CHAPMAN.

Yesterday, the police flag was again soon flying on board the Chapman, and the police went off. Information was then given that a man named John Phillips, an able seaman, aided by a boy named Francis Shea, an ordinary seaman, had attempted to set lire to the ship. The prisoners were brought up for examination before the Resident Magistrate, when the following particulars were elicited : — First, Captain Edward Featherstonhangh, the commander of the vessel, stated, that about three o'clock yesterday morning, he heard a man call out '' fire, fire," and jumped out of his bed at once in order to find out the reason of the alarm. Ho was told that the hold of his own ship was in flames, and at once called for assistance, and getting the firs engine rigged, jumped down below through the fore scuttle with the hose in his hand. He found that the firo was amongst the cargo some distance from the scuttle, and was unable to penetrate far into the hold owing to the smoke. He and the mate, half choked hy it crept in, and after much labor succeeded in getting the flames under, and were thus enabled to arrive at the seat of the fire, which they found had originated amongst some broken cases, of which the contents had been previous!}' plundered. The fire had evidently been smouldering ■ long ere the flames and smoke were seen, as a large number of cases were burned, and one of the deck beams was found to be much charred. After the debris had been cleared away, the hose was kept plaj'ing until the firo was extinguished and the amount of damage ascertained. Up to this time, Captain Foatherstonhaugh, whatever were his suspicions, was unaware that the conflagration was the work of an incendiary, and it was only on his emerging from the hold that it was made known to him that such was the case, and that the perpetrator of the deed was the seaman John Phillips. Hearing this he at once placed him in irons, and on a statement made by him to the efl'ect that "he was not the worst, and that the boy Francis Shea ivas the principal culprit," he thought it advisable to handcuff him also. The principal witness against the man Phillips wna William Charles Russell, the survivor of the boat-sailing expedition, who stated in Court, that while he was on watch on Sunday night, he heard a voice call out " help,'' upon which he ran in the direction from which the voice came, and discovered Phillips, almos-fc suffocated, and vainly struggling to get up the fore scuttle. When Phillips saw that assistance was at hand, he called out " help me out Russell, for God's sake, help me out," and renewed his efforts to extricate himself from the burning mass below, llussell did assist him, and on. getting him into the forecastle, discovered that his canvas jumper was in flames. The fact of the man being in the hold at night where lie had no business, was in itself strong evidence of his guilt, but there was still other proof of it and that was also given by Russell, who swore that during the early part of the evening he had caught him sneaking down and stopped him. This is all that is known of the dastardly attempt to set the Chapman on fire, and nothing more will be discovered until the next sitting of the Supreme Court, when John Phillips will stand his trial. Before the Resident Magistrate ho made a vague and rambling statement, in no way exculpating himself, and not implicating the boy Shea, against whom there was not a tittle of evidence. Consequently the charge against the lad wag dismissed, and John Phillips alone is committed to trial as the incendiary. Captain Featherstonhaugh has now eight of his crew in jail, and has lost four by the boat accident, which we record in another column, so that his ship is left short handed, and he is put to great inconvenience. It is solely owing to the energy and activity shewn by himself and his officers, aided by the seaman Russell, that the fine ship Chapman is not now burnt to the water's edge.