The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-05-19 00:00:00

CRUELTY AT SEA.

At the Liverpool Assizes on Tuesday, before Mr.
Justice Day, the trial was concluded of Edward
Burns, master, and Gavin Coghill, mate of the
British ship Baron Blantyre, indicted for the man-
slaughter of Charles Barnes, one of the crew of the
vessel, during her voyage last year from Cardiff to
Singapore. The allegations against the prisoners
were that they had behaved with systematic brutality
to the deceased, who, it was admitted, was a man of
very dirty habits and of impaired intellect, and un-
able to pqorm the duties of an able seaman. The
witnesses for the prosecution stated that the pri-
soners frequently thrashed Barnes and struck and
kicked him, that on one occasion they had him
thrown overboard and towed after the vessel, and
that they had otherwise illtreated him in a shocking
manner, until at last death resulted. For the
defence witnesses were called who stated that
the principal injuries to the deceased were inflicted by
the steward, who was one of the chief witnesses for
the prosecution, and by the boatswain, who left the
ship after she arrived at Singapore. The captain, it
was stated, had always behaved kindly to the de-
ceased, and the mate also was never seen to ill-use
him. The jury, after three hours' deliberation, found
the prisoners guilty, but strongly recommended them
to mercy on account of previous good character and
unusual difficulties arising from the habits of the de-
ceased. In passing sentence, Mr. Justice Day said
the history of the poor helpless imbecile who had died
was a strange and inscrutable one. The deceased
went on board strong and hearty, but was a man of
no great intelligence, and not trained to the sea. He
became the butt of everybody. His mind went from
bad to worse by usage which was a disgrace to the
British flag, and at last he died, done to death by the
brutality he had received. It was an exceedingly
aggravated case of manslaughter, and seemed to him
to call for no mercy of any kind. The sentence on
Burns would be 18 months, and on Coghill 15 months'
xmprisonment with hard labour.

Is a lantern-jawed man invariably light-headed?
A QUESTION for newsboys—Does your mother know
your route?

WHAT her eyebrow said to a society belle—" I'm
not half as black as I'm painted."

-
IT is noticed that the "gas trust" don't trust—they
simply turn off the gas just after dark.
A SCIENTIFIC article asks: "Will the coming man
use both arms ?" That depends on whether the
coming man's " ma-sh " is a slim kind of girl or one of
the stout variety.

TEACIIER : Who was Alexander Selkirk "
Tommy: "He was a civil engineer, ma'am ?"
Teacher "Civil engineer ?" Tommy: "Yes, ma'am
—monarch of all he surveyed."
SHORT-SIGRTED old lady to driver of police van: "Hi,
conductor, Bank ?" Rude policeman: "No, mum;
I;entonville."
, "NEVER contract a friendship with a man who is
not better than yourself," says one of those
gratis advice-writers. "That's all very well as
far as you are concerned, but how about the ocher
fellow ?"
Wily should a man never tell his secrets in a corn-
field P—Because it has so many ears.
MINISTER: " What ! Weeping? I have come just
in tithe. You have experienced a change of heart."
Uirl: " no, my heart hasn't damaged, but, boo boo!
lins."