The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1836-06-22
From the New- Bedford Courier.
SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT.

Justice Putnam.
Extraordinary case of cruelty on board OF
Whaling Ship, rhich resulted IN reducing
the sufferer TO madness. The civil prosecu-
ltion which forms the basis Of the following
article, has been long time pending-we
say pending, for though the jury have re-
turned verdict for the plaintiff, giving one
thousand dollars damages, there yet remains
a frivolous technical legal point to be argued
before the full bench. The circumstances
Of the case las related by the Reporter Of
the Boston Morning PosD are substantially
as follows -
In August, 1882, the plaintiff, John G.
Bull, aged 10 years, shipped as boat-steer-
err on board the whaler Mount Vernon
commanded by Capt. Edwin Coffin, the de-
fendant. Most of the ships company, and
all the officers, with the exception of Bull,
belonged to Nantucket, from hich port the
Mount Vernon sailed. 1t is surmised, that
the i'll usage TO which Bull was subjected
on the voyage, originated from the fact,
that he came from different section of the
State from his shipma,es. AT Edgartown
he was reprimanded by one Of the mates,
for attempt e to go for "A letter, which one
Of the hands informed him was laying in the
Post Office. 1t was proved that he was So
ber, enterprising, courageous, and compe-
tent to discharge the duties of his office, the
most honorable and exciting function of
which was that of acting as % hdrpOOnier," :"
| which, when his boat hove alongside of "a
whale, was assigned to another. He often
requested the post of honor and danger"
and in one instance on board of the same
hon I,l otr,Ea haIa nI
one could have done, although it was his
first attempt. He was extremely mortified
at being superseded in this duty, and in his
manners exhibited the natural effects of his
disappointment. When the Mount Vernon
put into Tombez, Capt. Coffin, as is the
custom, entertained some brother Captains,
with wine from the ships stores. Subse-
quently, on the same day, Bull had some
brother boat-steerers on board to see him,
and he took an unfinished bottle of wine
from the Captains room, opposite his own,
aud treated his company. The balance of
the testimony inclined to the side, that
though it was usual for Captains and mates
to entertain company on the ships stores,
it was not customary for petty officers to do
so. Commodore Downcs thought it was
an offeace, it was but Il very trivial one.
Bull was however, dis-rated, sent forv ard,
put to scrubbing decks, ordered to 60 aloft,
and deprived his "lay." This treatment
affected his mind he began to talk wild,
md was regarded as sullen. Once he
was kept on deck h whole day, and
not allowed any watch below. At anoth-
er time, he was kept a whole night at
the w,ndlass, while it rained. In the morn
being the 9TH of June, he went below, re-
fused to speak, or eat, and laid in his berth
till it was thought he was dying. The
hands convinced that he was sick, and so
informed the Captain, who had him remov-
ed TO the cabin, where he received the nee
essary attention, but refused to eat for 8 or
8 days, till some soup was forced into his
mouth. He began to revive little, and
Capt. Coffin, suspecting that he was sham
ming sick, drove him out of the cabin, but
would not allow any one to help him take
his chest out and drag it forward. BY the
time he got to the fore hatch he was so weak
that he could not stand. The officers, by
the Captains orders, continued to treat him
as shamming.' He was confined in the
fore-hold, and kept on bread and water by
Coffin's orders. This was his only food,
except what was furnished by stealth, by
those of the ship-rnates whose sympathies
were awakened in his behalf In addition
TO these degrading deprivations, he was
struck in the face, and finally twice seized
up by the thumbs and regularly hogged, till
the blood flowing from the wounds on his
back run on to the deck. The cat used
had four tails at the first flogging; on the
Th of July, he received 25 lashes, and on
the second, 23-some of them were struck
on the small of the back-or lOins*-from
which the flesh was cut out in spots. He
was once dragged out Of his hiding place
in the hold, where he had nothing TO lie on
but coil of rcre, at midnight, and fogged,
by mate. He was also flogged by the
Captain, who declared that he would not
only give his officers leave to fog him, but
also the foremost hands. These measures
entirely failed to restore Bull to his health
or senses, and Captain Coffin, regarding him
as incurabl,, took him on board Of the Po-
tomac then on that station, for the purpose
Of inducing Com. Downes TO take hn
home. Captain Coffin told Commodore
Downes that he had used him with great
severity, and still thought that good 1og-
ging would do him good, and when his body
was examined on board the Potomac, the
scars on his back were plain aud distinct.
As the Potomac was at that time ui.der or
ders to cruise for several months under the
"line," it was deemed unfit for Bull to be
exposed to the climate so long, and Com
modore Dowucs recommended Coffin to
send him home in the first whaler that should
sail. Capt. Coffin could not readily get an
opportunity of doing this, and IN the month