The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-04-25

/ Trial of Alexander William Holmes, one OF
the crew OF the ship william Brown, Tor
Manslaughter.
w. CIRCUIT COURT, PHILADELPHIA, April IA.
Before Judges Baldwin and Randall.
The trial of Alexander William Holmes. one OF
the crew Of the ship William Brown, for man.
slaughter, in throwing overheard from the long boat
Francis Askins, one Of the passengers after the
vessel had been abandoned, was resumed this NOR.
ming. 80,
HNpcEr McGEr.-Iw was a passenger on board
Of the ship William Brown. We left Liverpool on
the 18th OF March,; t was on Monday night the
18th of April we s,Iuck on the iceberg; we were
all in bed; q man said the ship was sinking; We all
rushed up on deck; when | went en- deck the
sailors were basy getting out the long boat and Joi,
~ boat; l waited until he long boat was got out al d
as soon as the long boat was got oaf, got into her;
some Of the passengers were in before me. Holmes
came to me alter | got into the boat and ordered
me OUT; he said | should go int the ship again; |
told him that | would not leave the boat and return
to a sinking ship, thon he turned from me and said
no more. The boat was then pushed away from
the ship with thirty-two passengers in her; four OF
q Scotch family got in, one OF the sis es remaining
on deck; the name Of the family is Edgar;-Holmes
then went back to the ship and carried this girl on
his back into the boat, her name was Isabel Edgar;
the tive boats then pushed away from the ship;
they had lines attached 10 The ship; they cut the
ropes juslbefore lac ship went down; this was about
IL O'clock at night: the captains boat, the jolly
beat, and the long boat stayed together anti morn
ing; the captain gave Francis Rhodes, the mate, a
compass and cha ri, and told him he was $50 miles
from land. In the morning the captain took down
the names Of all the crew and passengers in the
long boat; during that day the sailors and passen-
gers continued baiiing the boat and OWN %~thxt~
was Tuesday; on Tuesday night about ID O'Clock
they commenced throwing the passengers out of
the long boat. The first heard was a passenger
Of the namo Of Owen Riley; heard him cry to a
Scotch woman 10 speak to the sailors, to spare his
lie; l don't know who was the next man they put
out; Frank Askins, they caught hold Of him and
put him out; he too, first called on the Scotch wo-
man to speak to tho sailors to spare his life; he
thought she had some influence over them Mrs.
Eigar is the name of the Scotch woman; Frank
Askins had no sisters in the boat, one of the sis
over after her brother, or that they might throw her
over after her brother; after they threw her brother
they threw her over too, and then looked for the
other sister, Ellen; then they threw Ellen over. (
The next l know Of was Holmes catching hold Of
James Black; he was a passenger; when Holmes
| caught hold Of Black. Holmes said, who 10 this?
Black made answe r and said, why its JAIME: Black;
when the mate heard Blacks name, he said, don'l
part man and wife they did not throw Black over;
Chas. Conlin was sitting next TO ne, and Holmes
came ever to him when Charles Conlin saw
Holmes coming, he said, "Holmes, dear, you will
eyes Charley, you will 20 TOOTH then caught hold
of Charles Coniin and threw him out; Holmes did;
Charles Conlin was the last person they threw out
" tue long UOdts ~ uCIC . tWO mat
in the bows that they did not notice; when morn |
ing came the sailors saw those other two pisSen
gers; one Of them was under the seat Of the boat,
and the other was under the stern OF the boat; they
hid themselves there; John Nugent was one; l |
don't remember the other at daylight these two
passengers commenced bailing the boat when
those men had done bailing the boat, they took
and threw them out; about an hour and a half after |
that we were taken up by the Crescent; | mean
VIXEN / say "they threw them over" Charley |
Smith, Alexander William Holmes, J Inn Stetson,
and Henry Murray, q colered man, cook, that is
all Rhodes did not assist, or throw any over;
Rhodes was the mate. Thirty-one went down
in the vessel; several females wentdown with the |
vessel none Of the crew went down with the ship;
none OF the crew or sailors were thrown out of the
long boat; there were nine sailors alto gether in the
long boat, and the mate; as to the weather on Tues
day night when the passengers were thrown over,
1t was not blowing and the sea was calm; there was
rain; there was no difference in the weather at that
time since the ship went down; nothing more than
1t rained; the passengers were occupied al diner
emit times in bailing the boat, tt not very often;
they would stop and then bailing again; |
there was not much water in the boat on the Sc
cond Aight; there was none on the first night; the
captain of the Crescent kept the long boat; he
burnt his own long boat and kept that one; he kept
it because it was better than his own; Frank AS.
kins said all he had was five sovereigns, and If
they would spare his life until morning he would
give 1t to them; we had three sacks or bags OF bis
cults on board Of the long boat; how much beef we
had in. l don't know; 1 saw some beef; wheu they
were throwing this passengers overheard it did net
capsIxe the boat so az to make the water come /
the boat; there was enough room before the pas
sengeTs were thrown out; / don't know that Rhodes |
had any participation in throwing over any body; |
on the first night the boat was dry; the second
night the rain 0ccasioned most Of the water that
was in the boat; they had something like a coffee
pot and also a bucket for bailipg out the boat; the
passengers brought some of their provisions in
the boat; they brought nothing but oatmeal; there
was fresh water taken into the boat don't know
how much, but l know there was some; / was
in the stern OF the boat when Holmes ordered
me out of il; l was sitting down; there were no
seats 10 the boat; another girl was ordered out
Of the boat besides me, by Holmes it was Bridget
Nugent. He said no more but that l should 60 into
the ship again he stated no reason l don't recol-
ieet anything taking place before the Jolly boat
gers names; the ship was bound from Liverpool
70 Philadelphia we left Liverpool on Friday, the
l2th Of March the number OF the crew in the
ship, including the captain, was seventeen re-
collect who were in the jolly boat there was the
second mate, one passenger, the captain and six
sailors; Eliza Lafferty was the name of the pas
senger Parker was the name oil the second mate
Joseph Marshall, a colored man, steward, was In
the long boat there were sixteen thrown over. and
seventeen saved the cook, Murray, was a very
big man two married men, passengers, that had
their wives with them, were lett IN the long boat,
James Black and James Patrick the sailors kept
the Boat On her course. |
Crosseramin6d by Mr.. BRowS-I have net been
examined before in regard to this matter; l had my
statements taken down in writing, in France, but
not since | came to America; | reside in Second
street, between Pine and Lombard; ] have only
lived there while out Of q %situationj l board there;
l have boarded there only a few days; ! lived in
Decatur street before that; l arrived in this coun-
try on the 18th of July last; ! have been in Phila-
delphia ever since; ! was examined before tho
Grand Jury; / was examined by Mr.. Dallas; no.
where else; never before a Judge till now; my un
Gle shipped with me at Liverpool; George DuHee
was his name; he was thrown cut ofthc long boat;I
was not related to any other eersen on board Of the
vessel; ! never saw any Of the passengers before i
entered on board the vessels a. Liverpool; | did not
know from whence they came; | was on friendly
terms with them on the voyage up TO the time OF
this occurrence; i have never spoken to Helmes on
board of the ship; only once j think; Holmes had
not during the voyage shown any unkindncss to me
or Bridget Nugcnt, crto any one that saw; all the