The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-01-04
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>NIMnd INIe'
The Tragedy ON Board ho' ~.
= .r II, New York Harb> q ..,,+.i


Vessel i'm New York Harb> contain
Tho New York papers of Tuesday , ,ted
t,ll particulars of the terrible tragedy ena, "
Monday afternoon on board the schooner JUN
r Carnage, while moored at the foot OF z4'h
street. North River, brief mention OF winch
has been made by telegraph, and when enoeo
in the death of one participant, the 1atai
wounding of another and the arrest OF 'he 81.
wing parties. 1t appears that the schooner Is
owned in Rockland, Me-, and that all her crew,
from the captain down to the capin-poy' nan
from the same place. Harris, the mate WIN
did the killing, bears the reputation OF 'yra "a,
when on duty, although good seaman Inv
captan. H. A. Pitcher, engaged Harris as
Rockland lust before departing for New aorA
with a cargo of lime, being Ignorant Oh MS
ohoroctor While taking in cargo Harris quar-
relied with the crew, who retuseu w "oih un
der his orders, and left the vessel IN oouy'
On persuasion OF the captain, who promised 70
SECURE them fair usage, the men We're induced
70 retnrn to their duty. Matters progressed
smoothly enough until the vessel reached
Hnlmes's Hole, when Captnin Pitcher went on
shore. telling Harris to have boat at the
wharf waiting for him at certain hour. Cap
tain Pitcher happened to be detained some Ne
|
had to borrow boat and row out to his vessel
Harris said the crew of the boat had refused to
wait at the wharf, the night being so cold.
The crew learned Of this, and from that time
until the arrival of the schooner IN New YORK
on Wednesday last, there was eonsta4t swear
ing between Harris and the crew,
On Monday, by direction OF the captain, the
mate ordered the crew to work scraping the
masts but they refused to work on holiday
and went on shore They visited all the saloons
in the neighborhood, and at about o'clock
came on board drunk. In the meantime Zap
tain Pitcher had learned of his order being dls-
obeyed and called Harris into his cabin, settled
with and discharged him.
As they came up the eQMpanlQn ladder and
gained the deck of the schooner, Harris was
Confronted by Gasson, Anderson and Burleigh.
Gasson accused Harris of having told the cap
tain that he refused to wait in the boat for the
captain at Holiness Hole, Harris gave him
the lie, when they clinched each other Then
Anderson and Burleigh joined in assaqlting
Harris, and he, drawing his knife, stabbed Gas
son through the breast. Gasson fell on the
deck, the blood squirting in jets from the wound
and he died in three minutes Burleigh next
felt the deadly knife, He received two danger
GUS cuts across the left breast, which bled pro-
fusely. Anderson, who had not been 90 for
ward in the fight, fled down the dock. Harris
then ran over the gangway to the pier, and
threw away the knife. He ran down to the
Twenty-third street Ferry, and there meeting
Officer Murphy, surrendered, saying he had
stabbed man on board the schooHeF.
Gasson was a good seaman, generally quiet
aud has father and mother, laboring people
living in Rockland Harris admitted having
stabbed the men, but said the three men Were
beating him with clubs, and he called out t.
Captain Pitcher and another captain standing
by to save him from being murdered, but they
did not move. Seeing this and feeling his life
to be endangered, he used his knife.
Captain Pitcher eontradicts the story of Har
ris in two important particulars, The captain
said that Harris did not call for help, but On thu
contrary he Captain Pitcher endeayored t.
separate the combatants And further he sale
that Harris could have jumped away from thu
seamen if he wanted to.