The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-23 00:00:00

AILEGED MURDER ON THE HIGH SEA&

On Saturday Captain J. A. Christie and James
Millard, the one commander and the other first
officer of the barque Elizabeth, were placed before
Mr. Mansfield, the stipendiary magistrate at Liver-
pool, charged with the murder of Francisco Rod-
riguez, a Spanish seaman.
The barque Elizabeth, of that port, has recently
arrived from New Calabar, after touching at King-
ston, where it is said the crew was changed. How-
ever, the former crew, or some of them, have got to
Liverpool, and they allege that the captain, John
Anderson Christie, and first mate, James Millard,
caused the death, at sea, of Francisco Rodriguez,
a Spanish seaman, by brutal and deliberate ill-
usage. The charge was of so serious a nature, that
a preliminary investigation was held at the Sailor's
Home on Ft May afternoon, at which Mr. Mansfield,
the Stipendiary magistrate, was present. The ex-
awaination was conducted with closed doors, but
the result was manifest by the immediate apprehen-
sion of both captain and mate on a charge of
murder.

Mr. Kehee, one of the inspectors of the detec-
tive force, stated the case at great length, from
which it appears that the Elizabeth sailed from
Liverpool on the 20thJanuarylast, for New Calabar,
under Captain Pickering. After the arrival at
New Calabar, some misunderstauning took place
between the trading master and Captain Pickering,
which ended in Captain Pickering leaving tile ship
and returning home. When the Elizabeth was
nearly loaded, Captain Christie arrived at
New Calabar in the ship Faith, and he was shortly
afterwards transferred from the Faith to the
Elizebe h. He brought with him three of his old
crew, amongst whom was Francisco Rodriguez, the
unhappy subject of the outrages. When he came
on board the Elizabeth, it is said, he was robust
and healthy, and so continued until be was brutally
treated. One evening, about the latter end of
S,Ttembir, after they had becn 50 or 60 days out,
Rodriguez was trimming the binnacle lamp at the
cabin door. He accidentally broke one of the glasses,
and the captain, hearing the smashing of the glass,
cline no from his cabin and inquired what wa' the
matter. The steward explained that the Spaniard
had broken his binnacle lamp. The captain seized
Rodriguez by the back of the head, threw him
down, anl than began to kick him all over the body.
It is said he kicked him for five minutes, or more,
with all his might, a: the same time using abusing
epithets, and saying, " You worthless scoundrel,
I'll murder you ; you shall never Jive to see Liver-
pool." After he had kicked him all over his body
and head, the captain lifted his foot several times,
and stamped his heel with all his force on the lower
part of the unfortunate man's back. Rodriguez'
cried out for merey, and crawled forward to the
forecastle. He there said to some of the crew that
the captain had killed him. He exhibited his
body and back, and it is said they were black
and blue, and that something like a joint pro-
jected at the lower part of his back where the
captain had stamped upon him. The poor fel-
low was unable to turn out the next morning.
Towards the afternoon the captain came out,
and, shouting to him, said, ' You Russian, if you
don't turn out, I'll clap a tackle on you and drag
you out." Rodriguez struggled to come out of the
forecastle, but he was in a very feeble state, and he
walked with a limp ; indeed, lie could scarcely
move at all. There was a lump visible ou the right
side of his head,
and his face was disfigured with bruises. He also
and
e the captain bad kicked him ;
began to spit blood soon after the ill-usage, and this
continued some time. The second mate gave him
sonic sennut to make rope. At his proper turn he
took the wheel as usual, but he complained that he
was unable to manage it. Nearly every day from
this the captain used a rope's-end to him,
often
very severely, and all over his body. About; a
week after this, the chief mate one night came for-
ward and asked whose look-out it was. Some one
replied, " Rodriguez's." The mate called to him,
You -- worthless scoundrel, why have
you not
relieved the 100k-out ?" The mate seized him by
the throat with both hands, throttling him, threw
him en his back violently, and kicked him, it ie
said, as hard as he could, thirteen time!. The poor
fellow exclaimed, "If you want to kill me, take a
hatchet, and cut my head off." The mate then
compelled him to t;o up to the look-out. Rodriguez
crawled on his hands and knees to the top of the
look-out, but he said he could not see, as the blood
was gushing to his eyes
every moment. He sat
down, but even then he fell down twice. lie very
often exclaimed that he was dying. Some of the
crew were compelled to help him down the ladder
into the forecastle, and next morning be was
not able to turn out. The captain came as be-
fore, "You -- lazy scoundrel, if you
don't saying,on3
a Up, I'll clap a tackle upon you and
drag you up." Rodriguez crawled out, assisting
himself by whatever he could lay his hands on,
and he sat down on some spars on the deck. He
never took the wheel after this, but he tried some
piai ing. A few days after this the captain again
kicked hitn on ti,e face. The last scene of violence
is represented as having occurred about seven days
after the mite's attack. Rodriguez was on the
As he could not walk without assistance, he leaned
quarter-deck for the purpose of heaving the lead.
on the poop for support. The captsin addressed
him, saying, "You lazy dog, do you come upon
the uarter-deck to act the sick man ? Move
q
quicker, or I'll hurry you along." The poor fellow
was 'nut able to move quicker. Upon this the ap-
tain seiz-d him by the hair of the head, and threw
hiss violently on the deck and kicked him all over
the body. Rodriguez crawled forward on his hands
and knees and belly to the forecastle. He told the
crew that his inside was broken, and that be was a
dying man.
He never got on his feet afterwards.
andit was a mass of
onhis breast and right side.
daysag
I he died, and his body
n Ho
bruises,sh
about epda
fourrhtiisc bodyd.oardtiy v a
was thrown overboard.
tredprcoloseseedutitohne,
astraetmemanedntwaosf
the case stands adjourned
thet to Saturday
Before
case
asked and granted, and
irbn.eciKixatelf.hoofe

RECRUITING IN THE LIVERPOOL DlSTRlCT.—Re-
cruitiog has been goirg on in this district up to the last
Indian news with unprecedented vigour; but during the
act l'.w days the z'al has oo newbat abated. It isa fact
worthy of note that at tie time when the gloomiest
news was received from the East, and when the hard-
ships of the soldier were fresh in every mind the
applications for enlistment were at their height. This
amply illustrates the genuine martial ardour diffused
among the people: The recruiting officers say that at
no former period was the proportion of well educated
ind likely rug men sa numerous. Their proportion is
now about 83 per cent. as contrastel with the unedu-
cated, This • may be accounted for by the depressed
state of trade, by the pleadings of the press for justice
to the private soldier, and by the effects of improved and
certain system} of elneation. FroLn the 25th of Aug.
to the sth of Nov. 3,325 recruits pas ed the Liverpool
district recruiting-office, being an average of 277 men a
week.—Liverpool