The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-10 00:00:00

MURDER ON THE HIGH SEAS.

The Southampton borough magistrates were en-
gaged on Tuesday in the investigation of a charge
against John Colvin steward of the bark Pasithea,
of Liverpool, for the murder of Thomas Williams,
captain of the said vessel. The Pasithea was on a
voyage from Liverpool for California, with a gene-
ral cargo, and the alleged murder was committed
on Easter Sunday, the 20th of April, when the ship
was about 300 miles north-east of the Cape Verd.
Immediately afterwards Colvin was put in irons by
the mate, and on her arrival at Pernambuco a naval
court was held, and the prisoner and witnesses
were sent home by the consul at that port, arriving
at Southampton last Friday in the mail steamship
Parana. The witnesses examined on Tuesday in
support of the charge were Benjamin Robert
Bishop, the mate of the Pasithea ; John Harris,
apprentice; James Martindale, carpenter; and
Magnus Linklater, able seaman. It appeared,
from the evidence of these witnesses, that
the captain and officers were at dinner in
the saloon about half-past one o'clock on the day
in question, and the steward, who had been waiting
nn them, was in thc., vxxx‘x),, `nas filln/It n_„
12 feet off. Hearing a plate fall in the pantry, the.
captain left the table, went into the pantry, and
closed the door after him. A scuffle was then heard
in the pantry, as if one person was shaking another,
and the steward was heard to say, " What do you
mean, Captain Williams ?" The captain said, " I'll
shake you ; you don't care how you destroy my
property;" and in a few seconds he called out,
" Mr. Bishop, come here, he's killing me ; he's stab-
bing me." On the mate getting the pantry door
open he found the captain leaning against it, bleed-
ing very much from the stomach, and the steward
had a long tableknife in his hand, the handle and
blade of which were covered with blood. This knife
had just previously been seen lying on some dessert
plates in the pantry. The steward at once said, "I
will give myself up in your charge," and was placed
in irons. The mate supported Captain Williams
to his cabin, and laid him on a sofa, when it was
found that he had been stabbed on the right side
of his stomach, the wound being about three
inches long, and the bowels were protruding. While
the mate was bandaging the wound the captain re-
marked that he did not think it was mortal, which
was all he said, and in a few minutes he became
unconscious, and died about half-an-hour after he
was stabbed. At the prisoner's request the mate
subsequently examined his hand, when he saw that
his right hand was cut in two places, the wounds
being such as a man would get by laying
the
blade of a knife, and there was also a of
th
was no blood. There seemed from the statements.
ata innhde, thatagdniivaeti,
to
top of the prisoner's head like a bruise,lum lamp on
of some of the witnesses to have been previous.d dis-
tphuetelsatbteetrwweeans therat
her stewardan irraintadbtlheremcaatnhp,at
drink. They all stated, however, heoxwcietevde in any Way
ti When not
dinner-table and . wenths:inmsoaaiddetna
appear to be in a rage,
he left the
,itdreyn, t afteral l
y mention-
ingbrok e
pantry. The prisoner, after being cautioned in
the magistrate
the usual manner by
nt h a
thei having
n gw
piacaehne
voluntary statemheins.
reaching for another I heard a foot
While
Captain Williams standing with the c
me, and a door shut. turned round, and
baehdintediLeerfta-eptl:tfe
kfonuinfedin his hand. He said, What d ar ring-
hbys
y destroyingoor lite my
eden
caught you son o ofd
ofa
o you mean
neck with his left hanD7e—b.y the
and stabbed at me with the
knife at my head, a blow which I received. I also
caught the knife 'with_
called, Mr. Bishop, my
.right hand. I then
Mr. Bishop, he's murdering
tussled I got no assistance. The door was fast k Alrge
tussled for some time, both olf us holding theth nainea
and both fell to the fioor,
brought the handle of the knifew taosthlenfleoronrewaith me,
and the point into the captain's stomach, when he
fell on;the top. The captain then got up and I also.
He stood with his back against the door, and I
stayed and held the knife, when the door opened.
Mr. Bishop made his appearance, and hauled the
captain out, but did not come inside the pantry. I
received one cut across the palm of the hand, one
between the forefinger and thumb, one across the
four fingers, and one stab at the back part of the
head. I have got nothing more to say now, but
leave myself in the hands of the law and to the pro-
tection of God." The prisoner was then fully com-
mitted to take his trial for the capital offence at the
Hampshire Assizes, which will be held at Win-
chester next week.

THE FORDINGBRIDGE MURDER.—Gilbert, the
was removed
man accused of the Fordingbridge murder,
from Ringwood to Winchester last Friday. A large num-
ber of persons assembled at the Ring 0
at the station, he
0d
railway station
to see Gilbert taken away. On his arrival
was saluted with every species of malediction
was conveyed into the
station, to await the arrival of the aediction
that it was possible to resort to.
train. Being seated in a
l and invective
chair, he sat coolly surveying the group of persons who
were gazing at him, and apparently
unmindful and regard-
less.
and
of then r
d bittererer,,
, s
thatec r a ho
such as "rascal," "villain,"
d ,
heaped on his head. One per-
a,m
son asked him if ho e
weredid
not see Miss Hall before his eyes,
ever since ho murdered her, to which he
replied, and had done soe
on which the person said, " You lying,.
villain, had‘‘N itt me,"
a relative of mine I would have skinr,ed
Thou art a disgrace to earth, heaven, and hell,
,s one satisfaction to know that Jack Ketch will
thee alive..
prisoner replied very
saanodiaiteeheli
there is
need not give yourself any trouble about it,
thee there," upon which the
coolly,
as it don't trouble me." Superintend Stannard at once
ordered the prisoner to make no reply to anything. that was
said to him. On his removal to a railway carriage, one of
the crowd made a sudden grasp at him, naught him by th'o
ear, and gave it a violent wrench, but he was at once inter-
fered with by the police. Cn being locked in the railway
carriage, the yells and execrations of those assembled (par-
ticularly amongst the female portions of them) assailed the
prisoner's ears until the whistle of the guard gave the sig.
nal to bear him away.