Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-07-13
THE SINKING OF THE ALABAMA.
Letter from the Owner of the Deer
hOund-ILe Denies any Completely
with the Alabama

iho1ndETe Denies amy Completely
with the Alai1aala-
The owner of the Deerhound attempts
to justify his course, in letter to the Lon
don Daily News, on this wise:
The fact Is, that when we passed the
KearSarge the captain criedout, aFOr Gods
sake do what you can to save them" and
that was my warrant for interfering in any
way for the aid and suceor of his enemies.
1t may be a question with some whether
without that warrant, Ishould have been
justified in endeayoring to rescue any of the
crew of the Alabama but my own opinion
is that man drowning in the open sea
cannot be regarded as an open enemy at
the time to anybody, and is therefore en-
titled to the assistance of any passeF-by
Be this as it may, had the earnest request
ofcaptain Winslow to rescue as many of
the men who were in the water as / could
lay hold of, but that request was not coup
led with any stipulation to the effect that L
should deliver up the rescued men to him
as his prisoners. If it had been l should
have declined the task, because l should
have deemed it dishonorable--that is, in
CONSTANT with my notions of honOr-to
lend my yacht and crew for the purpose of
rescuing those brave men from drowning
only to hand them over to their enemies
for imprisonment, ill-treatment and per-
haps execution. One of our correspondents
opens his letter by expressing desire to
bring to the notice ofthe yacht clubs of
England, the conduct of the commander
of the Deerhound, which followed the en-
gagement of the Alabama and Kearsarge.
Now that my conduct has been impugned
l am equally wishful that it should come
under the notice of the yacht clubs of
England, and L am quite willing TO leave
the point of s.honOrn to my brother yachts
mel, and, indeed, to any tribunal of gen
tlemen. As to my legal right to take
away Captain Semmes and his friends, l
L.. - ls-s-, g1----s~l :. ~ ll;s-F Fl,s,s
English ship is English territory, and
am, therefore, unable even now TO discover
why / was more bound to surrender the
people of the Alabama whom l had on
board my yacht than the owner of gard
en- on the south coast of England would
have been if they had swan to such a
place and landed there, or than the mayor
of Southampton was when they were lodg
ing in that city, or than the British govern
ment Is now that it is known that they are
somewhere in England.
! Your other correspondent says that
Captain Winslow declares that the rea-
son he did not pursue the Deerhound or
fire into her was that he could not believe
at the time that any one carrying the flag
of the Royal Yacht Squadron could act so
dishonorable a part as TO carry offthe pris
oners whom he had requested him to savo
from feelings Of humanity" l was n6t7
aware then, and am not aware now, that
the men whom I saved were, or ever had
been, his prisoners. Whether any Of the
circumstances which had preceded the
sinking of the Alabama constituted them
prisoners was question that never came
under my consideration, and one which |
am not disposed to discuss even now. 1
can only say that it's new doctrine to me,
that when one ship sinks another in wa
ter the crew Of the sunken ship are de-
barred from swimming for their lives and
seeking refuge wherever they can find it,
and it is a doctrine which shall not ae-
eept unless backed by better authority
than that of the master of the Kearsarge,
What Captain Winslow's notion of hu-
manity may be is q point beyond my
but I have good reasons for
that not many members Of the |
Roval Yacht Squadron would, from "mo-
tives of humanity" have taken Captain !
Semmes from the water in order TO give |
him up to the tender mercies Of Captain |
Winslow and his compatriots. Another |
reason than that assigned by your CORE |
spondent for that herOs forbearance may
be imagined in the reflection that such 4
performance as that of Captain Wilkes, |
who dragged two enemies or rebels,
from an English ship, would not bear rep
etition. Your anonymous correspondent
further says that "Captain Winslow would
low have all the officers and men of the
Alabama as prisoners had he not placed
90 much confidence in the honor of an
who carries the flag of the
Royal Yacht Squadron" This is very
assertion, for why did Cap
ain Winslow coniide in that Edglishmah?
Why did he implore his interference, call
NO out "For Gods sake dowhat you can
0 save them?" presume it was because
le could not or would not save them him
elf The fact is that if the Captain and
rev of the Alabama had depended for
afety altogether upon Captain Winslow,
ot one half of them would have been saw
d. He got qnite a5 many of them as he
OuId lay hold of time enough to deliver