The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-01-16 00:00:00

WHIPPING A SCHOOLBOY.

A despatch from Chattanooga, dated December 28,
furnishes the following

A tragic affair occurred on Salt Creek, forty miles
below here, a few days :duce, the particulars of which
are as follows t—lt seems that Mr. Beane, a schosd
teacher, attempted to whip a boy named Hutchison,
who resisted and left soloed. A day or two afterwards
young Hutchison' accoim,mied by hu brother and a
man named Smith, visited the schoolhouse' for the
purpose
avowed pose of chastising Beane, but not finding
him there they proceeded to his residence. Beane
saw them coming, and, anticipating their errand,
armed himself, as also did Mr. Moore, who happened
to be at the house. On their arrival Hutchison said
they intended giving him (Beane) a thrashing. Moore
remonstrated, when Smith drew a pistol and shot him
dead. This was a signal for all to probes pistols.
Beane shot and ins!antly killed Cyrus Hutchison,
brother of the ochoolhty. He had scarcely tired when
Smith, who had instantly killed Moore, fired another
barrel of his repeater at Beane, the ball struck, but
failed to immediately disable him. Beane then turned
on Smith and lodged three balls in his body, inflicting
wounds which resnlttql mortally in a few minutes.
Twenty minutes alter the affray commenced Moore,
Beane, Cyrus Hutchison, and Smith lay dead on the
ground within a few feet t,f each other.

ALLEGED CRUELTY by a SHIPMASTER.

At the recent meethos of the Local Marino Board of the
Port of London, to inquiry, ordere.l by the Board of Trade,
was held into charges of cruelty aod misconduct preferred
aZahiSt Capta,ll Hughes, the c.onmander of the Flying
Cloud, during evil) ag. Irmo syduey to I flu. The pro-
ceed,ngs occupied nearly sis hours, and a grest body of evi-
dence was taken:—

The complainant made a hal,: statement to the effect
that last May he skipped os stewatd on board the
vessel at Sydney, and as she had to take passengers,
he informed the captain what things he should require,
and scarcely a quarter of what he hail menth mod were
supplied. He told the captain that he had not
sufficient things to do his work, and asked for another
candle for the pantry. The captain said there was
sufficient light, and requeated him to go Ma with his
work. The captain's wife caught hold of his whiskers and
said she would get him a god! thrashing. The captain
then used bad language, and before he (complainant)
could reply as to whether he would go on with his work,
, the captain.ordered the mate to handcuff him, which
was done. He WAS taken into the storeroom ami
secured in a crouching position to a ring bolt in the
dick. He was kept in that position or about twenty
minutes, when the doctor ordered him to be released,
and he was then secured to a railing in the room, where

he remained all night, and on the following day about
non, the handcuffs were broken with a chisel, the key
4.1 the handcuffs having been lost. The purser who
had charge of him, then got a padlock and fastened
him again to the rail. In the afternoon he told the
captain that it was impossible for him to do the work
with the things he had, and the captain then swore at
him and had him chain, lto a rail on the poop. In
the evening he was removed to the store, and secured
to the rail for the night. He was only allowed biscuits
awl water. In the morning he was again taken on to
the poop, aril fastened as before. He suffered much
froin the ,ml4l. A iiassmi wr put a pair of gloves on his
hands, and the captain desired the mate to take them
off aud throw them overboard. At night he was
removed back to the store, and in the morning he was
released to bale out the water in the room. He
was again fastened up, and at noon he was taken to
the engineer to have the handcuffs filed off, but that
could not be done owing to his wrists having swollen,
and the irons were broken by a chisel. He then went
to his work and did it as well as he could. He added
that he was subjected to the greatest abuse from the
captain mid his wife. He had brought an action
against the captain in the County Court, and re-
covered £3O. He said that he saw the captain assault
the purser. On the 3rd of August the captain's wife
was confined, and he sent the hands up aloft to give
three cheers.

The doctor, the purser, and other witnesses were
examined in support of the comphint, and it appeared
that appeals had been made to the steward to induce
hini to go to work.

Mr. Williams, for the captain, denied that the
steward had been fastened up for the time he had
stated. lie had refused work upon the most trivial
grounds, and the captain had been compelled to do
what he had in order to make the man obedient to
commands and to prevent insubordination.

Captain Hughes was the& examined, and he denied
making use of bad language, or that his wife had done
so. The steward refused to do his work, and he
ordered him to be put in irons. NVhen he heard that
he had been secured to the ring-bolt, he had him re-
moved. He sent the mates to induce him to resume,
and then he sent his (the steward's) wife to him, and
he returned to duty. He added that he put complain-
ant in irons because he believed the ship to be placed
in peril by his conduct. The mates had since bone
to sea.

he court gave the following judgment: -The Board,
having heard the evidence produced with reference to
the charges of misconduct and cruelty preferred by
Walter Leslie, steward of the ship, Flying Cloud,
against Hugh Hughes, the master of that vessel, are of
opinion the steward was decidedly in fault when he
refused to perform his duty, but that the 'raster was
by 110 means justified in using such harsh means OA to
put him in irons for a lengthened period. In conse-
quence, however, 1d the high testimonials in the
captain's favour, the board returned him his certificate,
and severely censured him.
Mr. Self, the magistrate and legal adviser of the
Board, said that while lie bowed to the decision of his
collealpies, he could not refrain from remarking upon
the improper language which it was stated hail been
used by the captain, and Inc would add that, had he
(the captain) come before him in another court, pro-
bably he would have been more severely dealt with.