The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-07-04
Mutiny on Board Of an American Coslie

Muuny ON Board Of an American COone
Cape Of Good Hope papers of May 5th
contain the particulars Of the attempted
mutiny Of the Coolies on board the ship Kitty
Simpson, bound from Macao for Havana
The Kitty Simpson put into Table Bay for
water and refreshments. The following on
cial narration of the affair will throw some
additional light upon the horrors of the Coolis
traffic F .afssts4I s
SHIP KITTY SIMPSON, March S, 1890.
Lat. deg. 40 min. N, lon. no deg. a. min.
E., 5h. 45n. p. M.--The officers of the ship.
with ourselves, the undersigned, were in the
cabin at supper, when there was heard . rush
on deck, accompanied with much shouting
and noise. The master was in charge Of the
deck, and sentries on the barricade and on the
forecastle. The head men had charge of the
main hatch, with orders not to allow any
more Coolies on deck than were up at said
time. When we went to supper there were on
deck. in all, forty Coolies, with cooks (eight
in number included. As soon as the row be-
gan, there were on deck. in all, one hundred
men who had scrambled up in defiance of the
head mans endeavor to keep them below;
the ladder, fortunately, was away at the time,
or, no doubt, many more would have succeed
ed in reaching the deck. The attack COM
menced with Uoolie No. 90 (since dead from
watching the instant the sentry was looking
another way, and making desperate attempts
to wrench the musket away from him.
As soon as tho rush was made by No. 90 he
was quickly joined by about thirty other
Chinamen, who attempted to force open the
bnrricade. The captain was the first one to
arrive at the scene of trouble, with nothing
else in his hands than a malacca cane. He
made several blows at the Ceolie No. 96, who
still continued to struggle, but was finally
overpowered and made prisoner; also Coolie
No. 200 was captured in attempting to force
through the barricade. 1t was well plan ned
-.
first rush being made aft the Coolies surround
ed the forscastle, and endeavored to keep the
watch below confined therein, by closing the
doors, and 1t was with much difficulty they
many Of them received blows with pieces OF
wood. Most of them, however, managed to
get aft. The seaman on the forecastle was at
tackled by four or five; being armed, he infiict-
thigh himself. arl. #-4
seaman named Pratt, in endeavoring to
escape from the deck, was severely beaten
with handspikes, pieces of frewood, &c. 1t
was very fortunate that two of the seamen
were aloft at the time, and that we were pro-
vided with arm chests in each top; otherwise
we would have had, no doubt, hard struggle
and great odds against us. The seamen aloft
did not know what to make of the noise until
the man in the maintop saw the struggling aft,
and several Coolies rush out from the cook
house with fire-brands and pots of scalding
water. The seaman in the maintop (named
No. 234, who he plainly saw heave two earth
enware pots of scalding water aft and shot him
through the shoulder He leaped down the
main hatch and fell lifeless. There was also a
shot fired from the fOretop, but it did no dam-
age. As soon as the shots came from aloft they
at once began to retreat with great confusion,
leaping one over the other down the main
hatch. After we got them all down below
they commenced to pull down the main hatch,
barricade below. and to arm themselves there
with. aH- SIS tF a-. -.ss q
After a few shots were fired down amongst
them they retreated aft. and the head man, No.
5, went down and slung the dead Coolie. After
all was over we found three of them, over the
bows, hanging to rope. Great Credits due to
the crew for the GOODNESS and courage they ex-
hibited, and the prompt and attentive manner
in which they obeyed the orders issued by the
captain and officers for, had it been other
wise much blood must have been shed, and
many innocent lives lost. As soon as the
matches were on and secured, and order re-
stored on deck, the prisoners in custody were
brought up, and 10 each the following punish
ment was awarded: No. 90, ringleader, IOG
lashes ~, attempt to block house door, 1Ul
lashes 1872, barricade SO lashes; so, rim gieader
100 lashes; 200, ringleader, 100 lashes. The
above prisOne were then secured in irons on
the house on deck, and guard placed over
them. OF the crew, there is one slightly stab.
bed, one much bruised and beaten, with chic;
officer, carpenter and one seaman slightly
scalded