The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-29 00:00:00

KID.N.APPING SEAMET.

THE JAMES L. BOGART.

INFORMATION BY THE BOARD OF TRADE.

Mr. Tyndal attended at. the Police office, yesterday
morning, to prefer a charge, on the part of the Board of
Trade, in a case arising out of the sad and dangerous affair
of the James L. Bogart, which has recently made so much
noise in Liverpool. The proceeding was by way of sum-
mons, at the complaint of Charles Vanderpoll, a man of
colour, against Thomas Hudson. Mr. Bluek appeared for
the defendant.

Mr. Tyndal, in stating the case, said the complaint was
brought under the 147th section of the Merchant Sea-
Man's Shipping Act, 1854 ; and the charge was that
Charles Hudson had acted as a shipping master, he not
being duly licensed for the same by the Board of Trade.
Mr. Tyndal said the case was the more remarkable in its
circumstances because it was through the shipping of this
man in the James L. Bogart, instead of the Robin Hood,
an English ship for which he had engaged, that the
disturbance had been caused of which they had recently
heard so much. He then stated the facts, as they were
afterwards given in evideece, and said the Board of Trade,
as soon as the circumstances became known, determined
to prosecute in the case. _ He would be clearly able to
establish that the defendant, Hudson, had engaged to
ship the complainant; had induced him to sign articles
for English ship, but which had
then thesa Robiniled;andliothend, an
causedhini to be taken on board an
American ship, he being a person without a license to act
as shipping master, by which he became liable to
penalty of £2O, which, under the circumstances, he, on
the part of the board, must ask should be fully imposed.
He then called the complainant, Charles Vanderpoll :
have been in Liverpool now five weeks, On Sunday, the
18th, I was sitting in Wilson's boarding house. James
Christie was with me, and we were sitting with Wilson.
Hudson came in, and asking Wilson had he any men, Wil-
son said he had two,—those men there. He asked would We
have a ship, and we replied yes. We agreed to go on board
an English ship, the Robin Hood, that was then, Hudson
said, lying in the river, bound for Antigua, in the West
Indies, at 50s a month, with a month's advance.
Hudson then ieft, telling Wilson to be ready when be
came back. He came in less than fifteen minutes, with 3
cab, and Wilson, Hudson, the complainant, and Christie,
and a man he did not know, proceeded to where they
were to sign the ship's articles. They went to the house
of a publican named Carrot, in. Mersey street, and there
Hudson produced the articles, which he offered to read
to complainant, but he replied he didn't need that, as he
knew the course of an English ship. Hudson asked
him whether he could write, and he replied " yes ;"
but Hudson himself wrote his name, and called on
him to touch the pen while he made a cross on the
paper. They then drove down to the Pierhead, where a
boat was waiting, and Hudson called on them to row out
to the Robin Hood. Hudson, complainant Christie who
is now in Hospital, and the boatmen 'then pushed from
Vie pier. They had only got a short distance when
Hudson called out he had forgotten the captain's charts,
and must return ; complainant observed that he wanted
to deceive them, but he said no ; he must return, and be
did, desiring the boatmen to put those two men on
board the Robin Hood," to which they replied " aye, aye,"
and then rowed away into the river, They hailed a ship
and said they had two men on board who were for
the Robin Hood, and the second mate said, " this is
the Robin Hood, come alongside; complainant thought
the ship too large for an English ship bound to the West
Indies. and he wanted to sheer off, but the boatmen
made as if they would beat him, and the boat ran along
side; he endeavoured to get at the name of the ship, but
could not, and the mate ran down a bowline to take then
on board ; he replied that lie would not do so, as the,
would go on board themselves ; Christie and lie then went
on board, and they found the ship was an American, t.tit)
James L. Bogart. He did not like an American ship, and
would not consent to go on board one. To Mr. Blue'',
had an objection to an American ship. He had st-ippedtif°
days before fur an American ship to go to New Orleans;
signed articles, and shipped again notwithatrending, He bed
not rot any advacce note, nor had he vete, any ;
Mr. Quain, boarding house keeper
ad an advance note;
he wanted .to "do" Mr. 0 ;
-An.% 'eecause the latter ha('
he belie
" done" him last voyage. Mae Block showed him 018
articles of-the James L. Bo
rdrt to which his name is 11°,
attic-tied and his mark,
bo', he denied having ever put haouf
to those articles z they 'were not at all the same he signed'
The paper was not itie same. He would not then ship 0"
board an Amerie:.4n vessel. Mr, J. T Towson, secretary
to the Local Marine Board, was examined to sil°ll.,
that Hudeen was not licensed to act as a shiPPln!
master. Mr. Miller, an officer of the Sailors' Houll
proved t hat he saw the Robin Hood in the rift
on Saturday evening, the 17th, and that evening
she left the river. Mr. Watts proved that tu
Robin Hood shipped a crew at the Sailors' 11°5:a
"
previous to sailing. - Mr. Mansfield, to complainan'i
Did you know anything about the Robin Hood, or Oa
she was in the river ? Yes, sir; Wilson shipped a cook oil
board her. 'Why did you sign articles at the defecl:,
dant's office for an English ship, and not at the Sailor'
Home? Well, sir, it was late; it was ten o'clock, and the
Sailors' Home was not open. Mr. Tyndal said it was n°,
necessary to have a substitute to sign at the Sailero
Home; he might do so anywhere. The ship had been passel
Mr. Tyndal having closed his case, Mr. Bluck argn.,°,
that the summons must fail. The charge was, that fo:
defendant, not being a person duly licensed, had acted ""
a shipping master, and had shipped the complainant for
the Robin Hood, an English ship. But he could 0,
have done that, because the evidence was, that ti'
Robin Hood had sailed the day before. He hoped th:
court would say the point was fatal. Mr. Mansfield'
who had some time previously been joined by Mr. Ai k
having consulted with the latter a few moments, ealt
Mr. Black had better go into the merits. Mr. Binr,,,
then proceeded to say that there was no deceptl%
practised :upon the complainant; that the na,cl",
of the ship for which he signed was known to /..105,1.
that the articles were read to him ; and that lee 113,1-
signed the articles of: the James L. Bogart now and
He would show that from the clearest evidence, hoe'
could they believe a rascal like that,
articles for one ship, had got a note, ale'.
her, and gone to another vessere a then abandon'
v, ho had signed
wss
examined, and stated that James. Wilson ej
with him, and witness wee • .a complainant
and he positively swore 'with him at the ofClC,',;
was not going oh with
Vanderpoll knew
heard him told ho, vr_e to
'Ooard an English ship ; '
Bogart, an America)" ship
said he was read'go on board the James
for the voyage to Mobile P
.He saw the ar .to go toh—ll to get out of Liverpo- t
know them, would
,„
'')'.ales signed by Vanderpoll, but n°4
that the ur • In reply to Mr. Tyndall, the witness stated
hcles were tully read to the complainant, arild,
he 'll:have known where he was going. John Howe „t
I",arl'aing house keeper, also stated that he was present
7f.en the articles were read to Vanderpoll, and he masa
itave known he was shipping for a voyage to Mobile 310
back to Liverpool. Evidence was also given that t'fi
complainant had shipped previously in the Leucothia, °,O
American ship, and that by his desire an advance 0,
had been given to Mr. Quain, his boarding house geepe',
Mr. Quain proved that Vanderpoll owed him m 0 r'
and therefore he allowed him to take the note.
Tyndal was proceeding to address the court on the e'
deuce, when Mr. Bluck denied his right to ds so. 1-",„
Tyndal insisted that, under Sir John Jervis's Act, he hada
the right to address the court, Mr. Bluck having produe4
evidence. Mr. Bluck said it vas upon Jervis's Act el
rested his objection. The act was then appealed to, a.°.
Mr. Bluek's objection fully sustained. The complainsl3.4
in a further statement to the magistrates, 5,11,
Wilson knew he had shipped foe an English e"„rii
and he and his comrade had paid half a crown to Wile'
for " discharges " (forms of discharge) nudset,
had those discharges now. He repeated he had not
signed the articles produced ; those were on dirtier Pelle,
that he signed. After some conversation between to
parties on both sides, Mr. Mansfield stated that he wouee
adjourn the case, and would not again require t`;‘,
appearance of Vanderpoll. He would adjourn the Cl
pro forma for a week, and from week to week oe
.5
Christie was able to appear. Mr. Bluck objected to this
arrangement ; but upon an intimation that the immeditfe
decision would probably be against him, he assented very
willingly.