The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-05 00:00:00

BIRKENHEAD.

BEFORE REV. it m. FEILDEN, AND TIER HON. SIR E. CUST.
MUTINY ON BOARD THE JAMES L. BOOMIT.—Peter
Campbell, the see:nd mate of the James L. Bogart, who had
been several times remanded on a charge of shooting a
coloured seaman, named James Christie, was again placed
in the dock. Mr. Campbell, of Liverpool, solicitor, apnea.red
on the Dark of ahe prosecution. The prisoner was undefencia.4
Rev. Mr. Feilden, addressing Mr. Campbell, said.thot as the
prisoner (Campbell) had been remanded in the hope that
the first mate (C. Furber) would be so far recovered as to
• be enabled to be brought here to be placed in the dock
with the prisoner now before us. What state is C. Farber
now in ? Detective officer Scott said he was n rt yet fit
to be removed, and handed in a certificate to the following
effect :--14 Liverpool Northern Hospital, Feb. 4, 1857.
Sir,—C. Farber may be, able to leave the hospital in
'
the course of a few days. He is at present suffering from
great debility through leer of blood—W. B. Wall, house
surgeon." Mr. Feilden : Very well. Then the best
course now to be pursued will be to send for the house
surgeon of the Birkenhead Hospital, that we may know
if Christie is in a state fit to give his evidence. Send an
officer to make that enquiry. Inspector Gunning, the officer
sent, having returned, st ,ted that the surgeons had appointed
half past twelve to-day to perform an operation upon
Christie. Ur. Marshall here entered the court, and upon
being asked if Christie could be examined, replied
that he could. Mr. Feilden : Very well ; then let
the prisoner be taken there, and we will follow. Having
arrived at the hospital, the prisoner was taken into
the ward where poor Christie was lying in bed ; and
who, upon being sworn, gave the following evidence :
I am a seaman—on the 17th of January last, I shipped in
Liverpool for a vessel called the Robin Hood, bound for
Antigua—one Charles Vanderpole was with me at the time,
who also shipped for the same vessel About eleven o'clock
the next niaht, we went to the landing stage with the two
shipping masters, and get WO a boat to go to the Robin
Hood. The boat put off from the landing Wage, and when
we had got a short distance from it, one ot ,the shipping
masters said he had forgotten the captain's chart, and he
must go and fetc'i it. The boat was put about, and the
two shipping masters were landed at. the Princes pier.
The boat then put off again for the Robin Hood, as
we supposed, and in a short time we came along-
side of a vessel lying off Seecombe, The boatmen
bailed the mate of the vessel we had come alongside of.
The prisoner Campbell was on the gangway. I said to the
boatmen, " This is not the Robin Hood : it is a larger ship
than the shipping masters told me of." The prisoner
Campbell then said : " What ship are von looking for I
said, " The Robin Hood." Campbell said, " This is the
Robin Hood." I said it was sot, and would not go on
board. A rope was then put out of the vessel, with a loop
to it, to, as I supposed, haul us on board. The boatmen
then threatened us, and to avoid them we got on board.
When I got en board, I asked Campbell if it was the
Robin Hood, bound for Antigua. He said, " Yes."
When he said this I was standing at the gangway,
and I had a bottle of gin in my hand, which
Campbell came atd took from me, and at the
same time he asked me if I had any money, as he
wanted 2s of me. I said I had rune. Ile then ordered
me forward, and when I got there I saw that the forecastle
was fastened with a handspike. Campbell unfastened it,
and called the boatswain, who came forward. I knew the
boatswain direely I saw him. Campbell asked him how
he liked us, to which he received the reply that we were
good men. Campbell then told us to go into the forecastle,
which we did, and• the door was closed on us. I asked the
boatswain the name of the vessel, be said it wis
the James something, but he could not recollect
the name, and was bound for Mobile. About six
o'clock the next (Monday) morning we were told
to turn to, which we d'd, and kept on until eight o'clock,
when some of the men went to breakfast. I did not go
About nine. o'cicck the boatswain ordered us to turn to
again, and to go aft for the purpose of being counted. We
were counted by Campbell, who, after he had done so, said
to the boatswain, take forward what men you want to work,
and let the rest unfasten the spars and put them below,.
and then called out for the mate. The prisoner, Campbell,
came to me mid asked me what I wanted, I said, " this is not
the ship I shipped for, and I will not turn to work, and
that I had shipped for the Robin
.Hood, an English ship,
bound for Antigua; this ship is bound for Mobile,
and I am not going there." Campbell then laid hold
of me. The chief mate, Farber, then came towards us,
and said to Campbell, " Put the b—r in irons." I
said "No, you won't put me in irons," and I got away
from them and ran forward. The prisoner Camnbell ran
after me. I ran to the gallant forecastle. Both the prisoner
Campbell and the first mate, Furber, then went aft, and
in a short time returned, each of them having a revolver
pistol. Campbell pat the pistol to my head, and asked me
if I would turn to work. I said, " No, sir, I will not work."
He then said if I would not work he would shoot me. I
said I did not care, and Ferber then fired five or six
times, but did not hit me, as I jumped away each time they
fired. They then left me and went to the cabin and
reloadesel their pistols, and again came to where I was, and
asked if I would work, I gave them the same answer;
and then they both again fired at me, and 1
fell wounded in my left thigh. I cannot tell from which
pistol the ball came that wounded me, as Campbell and
Furber stood side by side at the time. When I got up
again, I saw the first mate, Farber, lying on the deck,
bleeding from the head. When I was fired at, Campbell
had also a long sword in his left hand. Previous to any
firing, the crew had not used any threatening language. to
either of the. mates, neither had they weapons of any kind
in their hands, Cross examined by the prisoner " I had a

knife in my hand when you first told ins to turn to, as I
was going to undo the spars. You told me to Put the knife
away, which I did, and I have not seen it since. I had not
got the knife when you and the first mate ran after me when
I refused to work. I have told the truth, and I would not
tell a lie for anybody."—Mr. Marshall then gam hie
evidence to the following effect : Christie is my patient,
he is suffering from a gunshot wound in the left thigh ; he
is not yet fit to be removed, and I have not yet been able
to extraA the ball. There is still considerable danger,
but Ido not expect a fatal termination of his case. He
will be detained here some fire or six weeks longer. Daring
the time Christie was giving his evidence stimulants were
given him. He appeared to be in a very weak state, and
upon being asked how he felt, said, " I feel very bad—l
am getting worse; I cannot help myself at all; my other
leg i 3 very bad now with pain, and I don't seem to have
any use in it." The prisoner was then ordered to be takes
back to the Town Hall, where the whole of the depositions
were read over to him, and he was fully committed to take
his trial at the forthcoming assizes. It is expected that
Furber will be fit to be brought over on Wednesday
next, when the whole of the evidence will again be taken.

REWARD OF HEIMINITE

PRESENTATION OF A GOLD MEDAL mom. TUB Ill:PEllOR OW

FRANCE TO AN ENGLISH. CAPTAIN.
Yesterday, the Local Marine Board met at the Sailors'
Home, in order to present Captain Robert Gorrie, of the
barque Rabat Finnic, with a gold medal from his
Majesty the Ea-ipet.or of France. S. R. Graves, Esq.,
presided, and Messrs. Beazley, Mondle, and Tomlinson
were present, as was also Mr. Tonson, the examiner.
The circumstances that ied to this presentation were as
follows. On the 25th May, 1835, the captain was on hit
voyage from Bahia to Hamburg, and when in lat. 1
long. 32 \V., he saw a ship with signals of distress, at&
bearing down to her, he found she was the " Lewis lei
Grand," of Bordeaux, in a sinking state. He took off the
master and 14 men, and treated th'm .most kindly for
42 days, until he landed•them safely at Queenstown.
He totally refused to accept of any remuneration, and
this becoming known to his Majesty, he ordered the
Minister of Marine to forward a beautiful gold medal to
the Ambassador of Franca at London, along with an
honorary diploma from the Marine Board of France, to
be presented to Captain Gorrie, for his brave, humane,
and generous conduct. The ambassador forwarded the
present to the Board of Trade, and that body sent it to
the Local Marine Board here for presentation. Mr.
Graves, in presenting the testimonial, observed that the
board were sometimes called on to sit in censure of the
conduct of captains, and it now formed a pleasing con-
trast, and they felt most happy to meet that day to offer
the present to Captain Gorrie, as an acknowledgment
from the Emperor of the skill and humanity of the reci-
pient. On several occasions they were also called
on to present medals, but on none of those,
were they called on to express approval of
the cot:duct of captains with greater pleasure than in
the presenu
Instance. There appeared to be greater
emulation ainj.."tzst captains lately to act with
-nd courage to save life, or there
humanity, attention, b.
was more attention aia Y h 'crowned heads to such
humanity than heretofore. He•sii,2 it was the handsomest
to offer, and .he
gift that the board had been called on- ,:rdomaN and
bad now only to present it, (along with the 0., „
wish him long life to wear it, as it was one that he
well feel proud of. He would again say it was the mo..
elegant medal ever presented to a captain by the bwd:
The medal bore the following inscription:—
" MINISTUE DR Li MARINE
AU

CAPTAINE GOMEZ

COMMANDANT
DIT NAVIRE ANGLAIS

ROBERT FINNIE
1855"

" SAIIVATAGE DE L'EQUIPAGE
D' UN NAB IRE IFILANCIAS
1855"
•

The obverse bears the likeness of the Emperor, and
altogether is a valuable and handsome present. Captain
Gorrie, in brief terms, returned thanks, and felt
very grateful for the honour conferred on him, but
said he tlid no more than his duty in saving the lives of
his fellow creatures. Ha mentioned that when he, was
chief mate of a vessel, called the Caroline, he also saved
a ship's crew from destruction. Having duly thanked
the baard, he retired.