The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-11-19
ACCOUNT OF THE MUTINY
ON BOARD THE AMERICAN WHALESHIP
"ALICE FRAZIER,n
AND THE
Death of the Ringleader,
HARRY SHEPPARD.

HARRY SHEPPARD.
We have received from Capt. Newell the following
interesting account of the mutiny on board the Alice
Fra=ier. Although a long story, it is very Interest,"
ing, and we prefer to give the captains version rather
than condense.
BARK ALICE FRAZIER, !
Ochotsk Sea, Aug. 25, 1884,
Mr.. EpIroR,-DEAR SIR Il take the liberty OF
requesting the insertion of the following article In the
Advertiser, concerning the recent mutiny on board
my ship and the accidental death of its ringleader,
from the fact of many wild and erroneous stories res
pecting it having got current among the heet,-from
the general request of many of my most respectable
brother masters, and from the farther and greater
| consideration of combating the crushing censure and
sneers upon my conduct which have emanated from
some few sympathizers with the villains, / had felt
myself called upon to imprison, and subsequently to
abandon upon the first available shore, both from
fears of murderous injury to my officers and myself,
and also from a general request from many Of the
unaffected part of my crew.
The circumstances of the case are these Among
the seamen I had occasion to ship to my vessel last
February, at the port of Valparaiso, were a gang of
five, part of which were the most finished villains 1
have yet had dealings with. The ringleader of the
five had been at the head ola gang ofburglars and high
way robbers at the port of shipment, for some time be-
fore. and by his own account of himself, confirmed
by his gang on board my ship, had killed several per-
sons by generalization, and ere his death almost con-
stantly carried a slung-shot of one pound weight, &C
companied by a keenly sharpened knife which he
swore to use upon the first available occasion, par
ticularly that it should drink my hearts blood in re-
venge for an offense 1 am about to relate in connec-
ton with his being struggled on board my ship. This
person was not shipped to my vessel, either upon the
g articles or by any other method, but got on board
after this manner: Being told by a %perfdious ship
ping master of the port, one Pelcher, that there was
a " nice young man in the calaboose, imprisoned for
debt only" / requested to see the fellow ut the Con-
sul's office in the courseof making up my complement
of seamen. He was soon brought, when, immedi-
ately upon setting my eyes upon him, l informed the
shipping master 1 would not have such a person ON
board my ship at any rate. as his entire physiognomy
wore the undeniable expression of a low-minded,
blood-thirsty villain. This 1 said in the mans pres
ence and hearing, whereupon he was passed out OF
the vestibule of the Office and a young man brought
forward in his room, who was shipped in his stead,
though merely as a decoy as it subsequently proved.
for the robber, Harry Sheppard, was eventually SNUG
gled on board in his stead. l had ran off on my
course some t~hirty-six hours before the fellow made
his appearance, and it was not until several days
after that the great atrocity OF the fellows character
began to develop itself. By his own account, and that
learned of him in course of conversation with the
steward and others, / concluded to make the best of
it by retaining him ON board and treating him ac-
cording to the merits of his behavior. We soon learned
that, instead of his having been imprisoned for debt,
he was under sentence to- be whipped to death except
he could depart out of the country within a limited
time. and that, as a short time previous he had
robbed a store of some 81 700, he had bribed the
said Pelcher to procure his release after the above
wise.
Having previously found by experience ON a recent
occasion that three of my under officers were but
mere apologies for disciplinarians. not having the
faculty of maintaining the common discipline of a
well-ordered ship with old seamen to deal with, with
not even energy sufficient to free themselves from the
grossest insults, 1 took early opportunity of request
ing them to be very guarded in their dealings with
the new seamen, especially with the man Harry and
his gang.
1t is needless to state the many methods and the
rapid grades by which this gang of scoundrels paved
the way to open mutiny; among which was the
throwing of an insulting letter into my room by the
ringleader, keeping a pile of bricks at the forecastle
gangway to cast at one of the officers when he inter
crcI Will lnS III stiiiuS u lo
watch, and repeatedly threatening to have my blood
for noncompliance with their most casual demands.
Suffice to know that, having i~nstigated others of the
crew to refuse duty, in company with themselves, if
L did not comply with the demands of the man Harry
and his gang, 1 complied with their demand for the
time, as they had come upon us unawares, with
slung-shots and s~harpened knives, each of the five
having his officer allotted out to kill if we come to
blows or tried to put the min irons. Feeling, from my
previous knowledge of their plans and my conviction
of the fearless atrocity Of their character, that their
intention was more murderous than the commonality
of these affairs, 1 let discretion take the place of valor,
feeling myself to be too unsupported by the dove
hearted energy around me to combat with these de-
PRAYED fellows, when acting upon a fixed system of
action as we knew they were.
1t is enough to know that 1 bore during one month
longer with the many petty disturbances of the ships
discipline, originating with the FIVE, during which
time myself and those of my officers who had small
arms, went armed, in daily expectation of some muir
derous affair arising with the FIVE, for upon the most
trivial difficulties with the mate, (who, by-the-way,
was the only courageous person among my superior
oficers) the watch on deck by private concert would
arouse those of the five below, who were ever alert
with their slung-shots and s~harpened knives, evil
IDENTIFY seeking some occasion to use them. We slept
with loaded arms by our sue In nightly fear OF asSaS-
sination; for as our cabin is on deck, with windows
in close contact with our berths, it was easy of ac-
complishment from the deck. And as my life had
been SO repeatedly threatened, and that too by those
I fully believed capable of the deed. my fears led me
to barricade the two windows connected with my
berth and never to retire to repose without readjust-
ing my small arms.
Things continued to go on from bad to worse, until
we all agreed in believing that a crisis was approach
ing. Quite happily for US, however, during the
month following the mutiny, the five villains at its
head had so overacted their part, that the rest of the
crew had become aroused to a proper sense of duty;
and fear of the consequences of the p~iratical designs
about to be consummated, had led them repeatedly
to send messages to me through my officers to this
purport: Z" For Gods sake, captain, take these vii