The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-03-11 00:00:00

bag employed in an innocent and healthful recrea-
tion, the flowers which they cultivate add to the quan-
tity of ozone in the atmosphere, and the green leaves
of their well-tended shrubs perform a valuable sanitary
futiction by extracting carbonic acid gas from the air,
and thus helping it to reserve that proportion in its
cl r.aienta which enablas it to sustain

Those who habitually give twelve-pence in exchauge
for a shilling, and include no more than twenty shillings
for's, sovereign, must have followed with some surprise
the announcements respecting the value of silver which
have lately been made, and into which a Select Corn-
mittee of the House of Commons is to inquire. Tho
matter appears to be a very grave one for the Indian
Government, and the excitement of the mercantile
community connected with the East increases with
each stage of the depression. For the moment the whole
trade between India and China is disorganized by this
depreciation. It is doubtful whether even a Parlia-
mentary Committee will be enabled to devise a remedy
for such an evil as this. In the Session of 1873, which
opened with coal at the famine price of 545. per ton, a
Select Committee was appointed to inquire into the
causes of such an extraordinary rise. No recommen-
dations, could be made, but it was clearly etiough
pointed out that the excessive rates were the result of
a combination of natural occurrences in trade, and that
a reaction was inevitable. This has since come about;
and in the case now 'immediately under review, nothing
can be lost by inquiry, but a great deal may be gained
by a thorough understanding of the entire question.
• ah
•
71 off THE "LENNIE."

In London, on Saturday, at the Bow-street Police-court,
the eleven men charged 'oath mutiny and murder on the high
seas were again brought before Sir Thomas henry. Among
those accommodated with seats upon the bench were the
Austrian, Greek, and Turkish Consuls. The prisoners were
Matte° Cargalis, 36; Paroscos Leosis, 30; Pascales Caludis,
33; Giovanni Savos Moro, 31, Greeks; Giovanni Carcaris,
21 ; George Kaida, 22 ; Georgius Angelos, 19, Turks; Giuseppe
Lettes, 22, an Austrian; Giovanni Canesso, 34, an Italian;
Peter Peterson, 26, a Dane; and Charles Itenken, 27, an
Englishman.
Mr. Poland prosecuted on behalf of the Treasury; Mr.
Sidney Woolf, instructed by the Greek Consulate, defended
the Greek prisoners; and Mr. Beard, on behalf of the
Ottoman Consulate, appeared for the Turks.

Mr. Poland said he thought it would be convenient
if he first gave an outline of the facts as they would
be proved in evidence. The examination would neces-
sarily occupy a very long time, owing to the number
and varied nationality of the prisoners; but he
thought no one could think time lost that was spent
in the thorough investigation of this very sad affair.
The Lennie was a vessel belonging to Yarmouth, Nova
Scotia, and was a three-masted vessel, of about 950
tons. Its captain, Stanley Hatfield. was a Canadian;
its first mate, Joseph Wortley, an Irishman; and its
second mate, Richard Macdonald, an Englishman.
They were at Antwerp in October lad and the ship
was in want of hands. On the 23rd the steward,
Constant Von Hoydonck, and his assistant, a lad
named Henri Trousselot, mined, and on the same day
the agent for the vessel brought over the 11 prisoners
from England in the Dolphin to join. These 11 men,
with the three officers, the steward, and his assistant,
formed the total of sixteen hands. Some of them, as,
for instance, the steward and his assistant, Renken
the Englishman, and Petersen the Dane, spoke Eng-
lish, but the majority of the crew did not. Canesso,
otherwise known as George Green, also spoke a little Eng-
lish and on that aceount, although he had joined as an
able seaman, an arrangement was made that he should
haveextra pay and should act as boatswain, provided
he was capable of discharging the duties. The vessel
left Antwerp on October 23, bound for New Orleans,
and it was the intention of the captain to proceed
to another part of America and then to return to
Europe. All went well for eight days, although
ri,l,th such a mixed crew the captain, of course, had
some slight difficulty in working the ship. Not being
in possession of all the facts of the misunderstanding,
Mr. Poland would refrain from all further mention of
it, and go at once to what occurred on the 31st of
October. On that date, at about twenty-five minutes
past four, all hands were on deck with the exception
of the steward and his assistant, the boy Trousselot,
who were below in their berths. The crew had been
divided into two watches, but on this morning all were
engaged in putting the ship about. The captain ap-
pears to have found that the men did not readily do
their duty, for the steward below heard him call out
that they were a parcel of soldiers and not sailors.
Shortly afterwards he heard a noise on deck as of per-
sons running about. He became alarmed and called
his assistant Trousselot. They both left their berth
and went to the foot of the companion ladder, but
found the hatchway guarded by Caludis and Yaida.
The steward went to the cabins of the captain and the
mate, but found no one there. He, therefore, took a
couple of loaded revolvers which the captain always
kept in the cabin for his own protection. He was
still unable to get on deck or to render any assist-
ance to his officers. While below he heard several
shots fired, but was obliged to wait till about
six, when the whole of the crew came down.
Canesso then said to him, "We have finished now."
The steward said, "What have you finished ? '
and he was told that the captain, the first mate,
and the second mate had been thrown overboard.
Canesso told him, as he had always given them plenty
to eat, he had nothing to fear if he would navigate the
vessel for them. They were aware that he knew some-
thing of navigation, and they, although sailors, were
ignorant men and knew nothing of directing a ship's
course. They told him. they wished to go to Greece,
where they would sell the ship and divide the pro-
ceeds. Canesso had an uncle there who would assist
them in getting rid of it. Hoydonck, if he did what
they wished, was to have the charts, sextants, &c. He
determined to appear to consent to the propositions of
the men, and went up on deck to work the vessel. He
there saw blood and other signs of the struggle that had
been going on. Some set to work to wash the blood off,
while the others proceeded to destroy all traces of the
name of the vessel. Cargalis took the name "Lennie" ,
off the long-boat, another painted it off the bows of '
the vessel, and so on till no sign of the name was left.
After the revolt, of course, every man became master.
The steward decided in his own nlind to steer for
Lundy Island, as he was anxious to get under the pro-
tection of the British authorities and to give the muti-
neers up to justice. He accordingly put the ship
about, but in a short time the boatswain, Canesso, grew
suspicions, and said to him, "You will sell all my
countrymen; you are steering for the Channel." The
steward upon this refused to navigate any more, and
Petersen, the Dane, tried to work the ship. He found
he was not able to do it, and the crew then again asked
the steward to take command. He did so, and directed
the ship's course towards a point just off Rochefort,
a little south of Rochelle. On the 4th of November
they got into the Bay of Sable D'Olonne, when the men
again threatened the steward, and he was forced to put
to sea for three days. They then put back again, and
on the Bth of November, being hi sight of land, the
steward heisted signals of distress. A pilot came out
to them, but the men sent the steward below and put
off the pilot with an excuse about the chronometers.
Being now alarmed, some of the men determined to
land and make their escape. Previous to this the
steward had done all in his power to acquaint the
authorities with what had occ,urred. He put 20
messages in as many bottles and threw them overboard,
in the hope that they would be washed ashore. Many
were washed on shore in Prance; but the first inform-
ation reached the authorities in a diffeeent manner.
On the 9th of November the men asked the steward
what land it was, and all about the laws. He told
them it was a free country and is Republic, and they
then seemed to think that if they could land and get
into the country they would be sure to escape. Six of
them—Cargalis, Carearis, Leosis, Caludis, Kaida, and
Angelos—went be a boat to shore, taking with them
their share of the plunder. Angelos, the youngest of
them-all, alone took nothing with him. Landed in
France they told how they had been shipwrecked in a
vessel called the St. George. Caludis pretended to be the
captain, but the French officials quickly detected the
falsity of the tale and the men were arrested. They
all persisted in their story except Angelos, who made
a statement, which he has since repeated in this
country. Several articles were found upon the pri-
soners belonging to the murdered men, and of these
Mr. Poland said he would have a list made out. The
statement made by Angelos and the messages found in
the bottles, some of which were now washed up,
caused the authorities to despatch the gunboat Tirdil-
leur in search of the Lennie. On the 10th this boat
came alongside, and the steward, by threatening the
men with his revolvers, made them lower a boat and
row him on board. The captain sent ten armed men
to take the five mutineers in custody. The Lennie was
taken to Rochelle and thoroughly searched. From
there she was taken to Nantes, where the authorities
commenced an inquiry into the case. That inquiry
lasted some time, owing to the prisoners being of varied
nationality and to the consequent necessity of com-
municating with the various Consuls. Ultimately the
French authorities thought it right that all the men
should be given up to be dealt with in the regular way.
In conclusion, Mr. Poland intimated that on a subse•
&pent occasion it might be his duty to call one if not
two of the prisoners in order that the men who were
personally engaged in using the weapons that caused
he death of the officers should be identified.
_ _

Constant "Von Hoydonck confirmed Mr. Poland's
etatement, adding that he wa a Belgian, 25 years of
age, and joined the Leno ie on the 22nd of October last
at Antwerp. It was an English vessel and sailed
under the English flag. The 11 prisoners were brought
from England by Mr. Long, the shipping agent for the
Lennie. He did not know them by their real names
excepting the Englishman. Cargalis was known as
French Peter, Carcaiis as Joe. thei_Cook, Leosis as
Nicholas, Kaida-as Lips; Galifdis as Big Harry, Lettes
as Charley, Canesso as Green, Petersen as Peter,
Angeios as the Little .Greek, and Moros as Johnny
Moore. The captain offered Green, who could speak
good English, the post of boatswain, but said if he was
not able to do the duty he would have to go forward again.
The Dane spoke good English, the others only a very
little. French Peter said he had learnt French through
being eight years in prison at Marseilles. ()lithe morning
of the 31st he heard the captain giving orders. The braces
got foul, and the captain said, "That is always the
se; you are not sailors but a lot of soldiers." He
afterwards heard a rush upon deck and the captain
call out as if his throat was cut. Asked what made
him of this opinion, witness imitated a gurgling sound.
He heard five shots. The captain was killed just over
his berth, only a few inches of planking between them.
On the morning of the next day Renken said to wit-
ness, "You are not going to Gibraltar now." Witness
said. "Never you mind where I am going. I am
master of the ship now, and you will go where I like."
Renkeu went forward and spoke to the men and
Cargalis told witness in French he was bound for the
Channel. Witness, "N,..ver you mind; you told me
to go to Gibraltar, and I will, believe me." No
more was said then. On the 5h of November they
arrived at Sable d'Olonne, where witness looked the
boy Trousselot in the cabin' so no one should see
what he was doing, and toldl.:ea to write some notes
in French and English. These he put into bottles,
and that rii;ht threw six overboard. On that night,
too, Green and Carcaris told him what they had done
with the bodies. They had fastened a pump to the
captain, some mooring chain to the chief officer, and a
ring-bolt to the second, and then thrown them over.