The Express.
London, England, 1848-09-01 00:00:00

THE OCEAN MONARCH.

ROBBERY AND SUSPECTED MURDER BY PILOTS.
Yesterda7, Thomas Bethell and John Bennion,
two of the Dm pilots, were charged at the Po:ioc-court,
Liverpool, with the robbery of several of the unfortunate
passengers of the Ocean Monarch. The wart was crowded,
and the ease exerted, of course, the deepest he.erest.
Mr. Heary Powell, a second-cabin passenger in the unfor-
tunate vessel, stated that be was on deck a'. the time the fire
broke out, leaped into the water, and was taken into the boat
which the mate and some of the crew had gut out. After
floating adrift for some time, they were taken up by a pilot-
boat, with the name " Pi ot Qu, en, of Chester," upon her.
As they were dripping wet, he en I five or six others took off
their clothes and got into berths below. In &beat an hour
afterwards he heard a noise above—a quarrelling about
property, and, putting on a seaman's jacket, he went on
deck. He observed a man gliding away from the bow, in a
small boat, with a trunk in it. RI and the re-t of those
picked up left afterwards in the boat to which they came.
They kit, however, one pessenger' a respectable young man,
behind in his berth; he appeared to have a good deal of
money upon him, and witness had previously heard him
offer a sovereign to the crew it' they would put him en
shore. Witness, on leaving the boat, had a blanket
which he had brought up from the berth wrapped about
his shoulders. One of the crew, whom he believed to he
the prisoner Bethel, swore, and attempted to snatch
the blanket from him. He beseeched him not to strip
it from him, and taking a valuable watch from round his
neck he gave it to him that he might be allowed to keep
the blanket. He found, when on the deck, that a hand-
kerchief and portions of his clothes had been taken away ; the
studs had also been extracted from his shirt. He and those
who left with him in the boat were picked up by a smack
and landedat Beeoombe. When on board the smack the
young roan left behh.d became the subject of conversation,
and a general fear was expressed that from the rapacity and
inhumanity which the pilots had shown for the sake of his
money they might throw him overboard.
Edward Rosen, a mama on board the Ocean Monarch,
stated that alter the tire had broke out he got with the
others into the stern boat. He said ." I e..-1 her adrift
myself. We were at the mercy of the wind and waves.
We had only one oar. and could neither steer nor pull
MR the Chests: pilot boat picked us up. I can swear to
the prisoner Bethell as being one of the crew nu board
the pilot boat. After they picked us up they picked up
the other boat in which the mate and Mr. Powell were.
The men in charge lent the mate an oar, and he and tour
of our crew returned to the burning vessel. The prisoner
Bethel was tacking and trying to get to windward ; he
said he would put us ashore at Hilbra Island; but in-
stead
of doing so he kept veering and picking up thine',
amongst them a main gallant yard quite new. The other
prisoner Bennion picked up a trunk, on the bottom of '
which I read, " Richard Young, Portsmouth, Virginia "
They afterwards picked up two can and a ladder. He
kept tacking and would put us neither at one place nor
another. We met an Irish smack, "the Queen of
Wicklow," and he said he would put us on board of
that, and we got into our own boat for the purpose. Mr.
Powell bad a blanket round his neck, and the prisoner
Bethel wanted to take it from him. Mr. Pow,•U said,
" No, don't take it from me," and gave him his watch,
Bethell afterwards wanted a shilling a piece from each, for
having picked us up.—Croasexamined by Mr. Davenport ;
The pilot boat was three or lour miles to the windward of
the heroic g vessel, but we thought they might have worked
up. They gave the mate their oars, however, and would
have had to go against both wind and tide. When the
trunk will picked up they were five or six miles from the
Welsh coast,

Adam Jones,another of the seamen of the Chwan Monarch,
claimed the trunk in question. He said the name of
Young" on the bottom was, he supposed, the maker ; he
had purchased it in Boston. He had examined tee cont,nts
of the trunk now, and found mi sing two pairs of trougers,
• shirt, two black silk handkerchief., and a spotted colour..d
handkerchief; some pictures, and things of that kind, and a
pair of boots. It was lock .d at the time he heaved it
overboard.

Jahn Polk.; a boy employed by the prisoners on board
the pilot boat, said that Bennion had asked Powell ss. for
the blanket, when he gave him his watch. John Bennion
took the trunk that was picked up to his house at Dte
Hank. There was a man left on board the pilot boat; be
and another boy, under instructions, took the small b at, and
put him on board the " Taliesin, Rhyl steamer, bound for
Livespool.
Bates, the detective officer of this town, who apprehended
Beth, 11, said that on asking him he denied that he had
picked up may treat. He afterwards confessed to it, Lut
said it had been picked up on Friday. A jacket and trow-
aers which the trunk had contained were found hung op is
Bennion's house, and some of the other things bad been
washed. He got Mr. Powell's watch firom a watchmaker
at Holywelt, to whom the wiled Bennion had digiosed of it.
Police coistable Tuck stated tom he apprehended Ben-
nion. He, also, at Best denied that anything beyond riktglig
had been picked up, and talked • good deal about the sal-
vage be expected.
A number of other witneeses were in court, but as they
could merely speak to the points already in evidence they
were not called.
Mr. Rushton said he must have the young mon who had
been left in the cabin of the pilot boat clearly accounted for.
A person, named William Greenough, a preens!. r. step-
peed forward, and cad there was a young man, Henry Fisher,
in wart, who could prove that a relative of his was taken on
board the pilot-boat; every inquiry had been made, how-
ever, concerning him, but nothing could be learned.
Mr. Rushton said there was an absolute felony as to the
cloth's. The prisoners ware plots—men on wnosi ship.
wrecked people ought to be able to rely mere than upon
ohm. He remanded the prisoners.