The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-02 00:00:00

THAMES.

ALLEGED MURDER OP AN ENGLISH SEAMAN ON
BOARD AN AMERICAN SHIP.-Mr. Walter Cole, of 25,
York .street, Blackfriars -road, came before Mr. Yardley
and stated that his brother-in-law, James Matthew Hum-
phreys, an ordinary seaman, had been beaten and cruelly
murdered on board the ship Devonshire.
Mr. Yardley—When, and upon what voyage ?
Mr. Cole—He was beaten in a most savage manner be-
tween Ist and Bth of December, and upon the last-named
day he was again beaten by the second mate, who shook the
rigging and cast him overboard, and he was drowned.
Mr. Yardley—Where is the Devonshire ?
Mr. Cole—ln the London Docks. She arrived on Satur-
day.

Mr. Yardley—ls the Devonshire a British ship ?
Mr. Cole—No sir ; an American ship—one of the New
York liners.
Mr. Yardley—Then I have no jurisdiction whatever.
Mr. Cole—What am I to do, sir ? My relative has been
beaten and murdered. How am Ito obtain redress?
Mr. Yardley-1 would advise you to make application to
the American Consul.

Mr. Cole, who was accompanied by Mr. John Charles
Humphreys, the brother of the deceased, then retired.
Before leaving the court they handed to our reporter a
statement, of which the following is a copy, and said if the
American Consul did not give them redress they should
apply to the Home Secretary and the Board of Trade.
James Matthew Humphreys, an Englishman, joined the
ship Devonshire. at New York, as ordinary seaman, on the
ISt of December last. He was kicked by the captain on the
first day the vessel sailed The second mite of the ship
frequently ill-used him. On the night of the 6th of De-
cember the second mate beat the deceased with a belaying
pin, kicked him in a savage manner, and sent him up to the
main royal mast head. Humphreys was then so seriously
bruised about the breast that he could scarcely draw his
breath. On the 7th deceased went to the chief mate of the
Devonshire and obtained some opodildoc to rub
his breast.. On the 7th of December the second mate
went down into the forecastle and called the
deceased a d-d loafering' son of a b- and:a d-d
London thief, and struck him two or three times in the
face, and gave him five minutes to get out of the forecastle
on to the deck, and threatened if he exceeded that time he
would pull him out. On the Bth of December the finishing
stroke was put to the cruelty of the second mate. All
hands were engaged in reefing the maintop-sail. The
second mato came up the rigging with a marling spike and
beat the urtfortunate deceased off the rigging, saying, " Go
over you God d- son of a b-," and the poor fellow
went overboard and perished. No means were adopted to
save him, and no boat was lowered. Mr. Cole added that
he received the names and addresses of several of the crew
and passengers who were witnesses to the brutal punish-
ment inflicted on the deceased.

Mr. Mitchell has engaged the London Glee and
Madrigal Union for a series of performances of English part
music to be given at the Dudley Gallery in the Egyptian
Hall : the first takes place to-day.
Her Majesty's steamship Urgent will not leave
Queenstown for the Cape of Good Hope until to-morrow.
Letters, &c., will be in time for her if posted at the General
Post-office to-night.
INQUIRY INTO THE Loss OF THE INDIAN SCREW
STEAMER.—The inquiry was resumed on Saturday in the
St. George's Hall, by Mr. Mansfield, Liverpool stipendiary
magistrate, and Captain Harris, nautical assessor; but the
evidence adduced was simply a recorroboration of the state-
ments recently made as to the probable cause of the wreck
of the vesseL The government charts, however, were stated
to be very incomplete in their bearings on the currents and
soundings in the vicinity of the place where the Indian was
wrecked ; and Captain Harris intimated his intention of
laying the subject before the Lords of the Treasury, with a
view to the coast being surveyed and the chart rearranged.
Captain Smith, the commander of the Indian at the time she
went ashore, was exonerated from all blame.
THE LATE MURDEROUS ATTACK AT WORCESTER.
—WORCESTER, Saturday.—The particulars of n brutal and
murderous attack upon an old man, named James Williams,
at Renwick, near this city yesterday week, by his nephew,
John Williams, was reported in this paper on Monday last.
The prisoner has now been finally examined by the county
magistrates, the unfortunate uncle being sufficiently reco-
vered to give his evidence, and has been fully committed to
take his trial at the next Worcestershire Spring Assize. The
old man stated that since the prisoner had been convicted of
bigamy in marrying his cousin (the old man's daughter),
the daughter had lived with him (her father) and he had re-
fused to allow the prisoner to visit her. It:seems the daughter
met the prisoner in the street, about an hour after the attack
on the old man, and before he had been traced by the police.
She was then unaware of what had taken place.