New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-11-27

| a striking instance OF the impulity with which
crueltiss are committed on sbip-board, and Of tae
facility with which tue officers Of vessels continue
to eacape punishment aud even trial. Is afforded by
| the case Of the chip Mddesex, in reference to
| which we print some communications in another
| column. This vessel which belongs to a line OF
Liverpool packets, s,led from Liverpool on the
l2ib Of February last and arrived in New-YOrk on
the 18th Of April. During the passage four of the
sailors died, in consequence, as was believed by
several intelligent persons on board, of the extreme
cruelty, the beasDgs bruises, starvation and IN.
necessary exposure to which they were subjected
Five OF six others were, from similar causes, COM
pietey disabled and on the arrival Of the vessel
were carried to the hospital covered with wounds
and sores.
The principal agent in the infection of these
cru.ltiss was one Jones. alias Williams, the second
mate of the vessel, s Wellhman by birth, who
seemed to take fendish pleasure in beating the
men with Delaying -pins, trampllog on them with
his boots az they lay senseless the deck aud, 10
the case of at leas. one of the men who died par-
suiDg this treatment with an sVowe1 intent to Kill
the Vicim. But, though Jones was the mois active
in these atrocities, macy cruelties were also
committed by Lyman, the first mate; some Of them
in the presence, aud even by the command of
Captain Parmelee himself.
The difficulty in these cases Of cruelty at sea is
commonly the want of reliable testimony. Con
orally spesking, there no witnesses to the per
petrstCn Of such acts except the very sailors who
have been the victims Of them, or their comrades
VIII sse testimony is APP to carry but very little
weight with Courts md Juries especially when
oontradiced, as it always is, by the testim ny Of
the officers in each other favor Bat that obstacle
did not exist in this case. This vessel had on
board large number Of passengers, among
whom were persons OF intelligence, whose
attention was strongly attracted TO the scandslous
and heart rendng sruelties perpetrsted upon the
sailors under their eyes. Among the other passen-
gers was clergyman of the Episcopal Church,
whose journal of the voyage is now before US, con-
| tanning the most hOrrid details OF the cruelties
which be personally witnessed In fact, before the
voyage was ended, jones' the second mate, became
| fully aware of the disgust and indigestion with
| which his conduct was regarded, and of the fact
| that notes had been taken Of his doiDgs, which
might be produced as evidence against him. Ac-
cordiDsly he provided for his own safety by ab-
scondipg from the ship on her passage up from
Quarantine and, though an Indictment WAS found
az sinst him, he has never been arrested. An in
dctment was also found against Lyman, tbs firss
mate, but be obtained ball. and has since dsap-
pearsd. The Grand Jury, though they seemed
greatly affected BY the details of the laid be-
fore them yet, for some reason, did not see ft t.
find ary bill agains. the csptSn.
Under these circumstances, the only alternative
seemed to be to call the attention of the public
through the press 10 some of the details of thi hOr
rid affair. This was done in an article written by
one Of tie eye-witne,ses, and published as CON-
mupcatiOn in The n. Y. Times of the 18th ulsmo,
over the signature of Justice" To this article
Captain Parmelee himself replied few day, after,
answers to whom on the part Of three Of the pas.
seGgers over their own sisnatures-h.ving been re-
fused insertion in The Trm.s-are published else
| where in our columns to-day. The excuse set up
by Captain Parmelee is that the passage was a
very stormy one, and that the hardship and suffer.
ing Of the crew, resulting in the death of four OF
them, and the disabled condition at the time OF
their arrival here of several others, were
the inevitable consequences of the labor and
exposure on their part required to keep
the vessel ahoat. But as an Offset Il
bis denial that any man on board was ill., treated
from reckless or malicious spirit, we have the
sbscOndiDg Of the tao officers, Jones and Lyman,
rather than to stand trial. and the positive a,ser.
ton OF the passengers, whose letters we pin,
todsy, corroboratng, as they d. the details noted
down ct the time in the journal to which we haze
referred SIS being before u.s. One of the charges is
that the men were not only no ribly beaten. but ais
that they were starved. The very ineficency o.
the men which afforded the occasions for many o
the outrages committed upon hem-though in SO u,
cases those outrages would appear to have beer
| quite sranitous-seem 10 have grown. in q grea
] measure FROM their feeble aud emsciated o0a