The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-12-05 00:00:00

ILL-TREATMENT OF STuWAWAYS.

Afew months ago we had to record a ea.e of cruelty
so shocking as to be almost incredible (remarks the
Daily News). The captain of a vessel bound from
Greenock to Quebec, was accused of having forced
five half-naked boys to leave his ship when imbedded in
the ice off the coast of Newfoundland, and to make the
beet of their way to the shore. Two of these lads died
—one by drowning, the other from exposure. The
survivors were rescued with difficulty by some persons
who put off from the shore in a boat. On returning to
this country the survivors told their piteous tale, the
result being that the captain and mate of the vessel
were taken into custody. Since then they have been
put on their trial, have made their defence, have been
found guilty, and received their sentence.
Stated in the simplest manner the bare facts are
enough to excite sympathy with the sufferers and de-
testation for the accused. During the trial, however,
the offences of Robert Watt, the captain, and James
Kerr, the mate of the ship Arran, were shown to be
even more aggravated than wuld have been supposed.
The circumstances of the case, as uarratedin open court,
are these :—Five lads, of whom the eldest was 16 and
the youngest II years of age, stowed themselves on
board the Arran on the 7th of teat April. After the
vessel was fairly on her way they came forth from
their hiding-place. For four days they gave but little
trouble to any on board, being prostrated with sick-
ness. On recovering they became blowy, but could
get little to eat. One of them having been uncleanly
was flogged by the mate with a lead-line half an inch
thick. After the mate had ended the flogging, the
captain ordered bucketsful of cold water to be thrown
over him, after which he scrubbed his naked body with
a hard broom. This brutal punishment was after-
wards repeated. At last, when the ship was surrounded
with ice, two of the lads thought it better to face the
danger of walking over the ice to the shore than to re-
main on board and be flogged and starved. The others
declined to join them. As farm as the project be-
came known, Captain Watt ordered them to
execute it, compelling the whole to go in a body,
saying to one "that he might as well die on the
ice as on the vessel, as he would get no meat till
they came to Quebec." Two of the lads were bare-
footed. All were scantily clad. One biscuit was
given to each. No one on board the vessel could see
the shore, while all could see that the ice was broken
and intersected with wide fissures. The open water
soon claimed a victim, for Hugh M 'Ewan, aged eleven,
after falling twice and getting out again, fell in a third
time, and was seen no more. It was known that this
lad was feeble, as he spat blood while on board the
vessel. Two or three hours afterwards another,
named M`Ginnes. aged twelve, sat down; his com-
rades tried to induce him to move, but failed, as his
strength was gone, and they had to leave loin to his
fate seated on the ice, ant crying bitterly. It was
between eight and nine o'clock in the morning that
the lads were thrust forth by Captain Watt ; at seven
o'clock in the evening they reached a channel, a mile
broad, on the opposite side of which they saw land ,
and houses. A woman perceived them, gave the '
alarm, and in a short time afterwards they were
rescued by five men who put off in a boat. One was
blind for a week after; the toes of the others were I
frostbitten. The marvel is that any of them escaped
to tell the story of their sufferings.
If we (continues the Wily News) had to guess the
defence of the captain and Use mate, we should sup-
pose that they would have endeavoured to convince
the jury that they were temporarily irreaponsilde for
their actions. Very different was their conduct.
Witnesses were summoned to prove that they were
kind and tender-hearted men, and incapable of acting
with cruelty. A clergyman vouched for the piety of
Captain Watt. The verdict of the jury was that
Captain Watt had not committed an assault, but that
, the mats was guilty of so doing' that the captain was
guilty of culpable homicide, and of compelling the boys