The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-03-21
MID-OCEAN TRAGEDIES.
Il TERRIBLE PICTURE OF LIFE ON TIE
OCEAN WAVE.

The Eventful Passage OF the Ship Flo
relic from Cal1ao to Char1eston-A
Chapter Of Tempests, Casualties, Man
slaughter and Mutiny.
The American ship Florello, which Is now
lying of the bar of this harbor, having arrived
on Tuesday from Guanape and Caliao, appears
to have had an evenlful passage since she
sailed from Callao on the sh OF last November,
ana proves to have been during that long
voyage The scene of more than one mid ocean
tragedy. The log of the vessel, as published
in TIE NEWS Of yesterday, conclsely relates
the first of the disasters as follows "Decem-
Der 6, LAT. 47 south, long. SIS west, Harry Sto-
ben fell from the foretopsailysrd overheard,
his head striking the starboard fore channels,
ana was drowned.n- little lees than month
from the date of this casualty terrible storm
was encountered, which the log records as
January 8, LAT. ~ south. long. 80 west, expe-
rienced terrible gale from norlh-norlhwest;
took In all the sails, but the lower fore and
maintopsail and foretopmast staysail; shipped
q heavy. sea, which stove the main hatch
house, and washed the tarpaulln from of the
main hatch. moving everything about the
decks, and filling the decks and cabin with
water.
This, however, was not destined to be The
last Of the horrors, and to the terrors of sud-
den death by accident and the fury OF the ele-
ments were added crimes arising from the un-
governed passions of the men. The log re-
cords the next casualty In the following words
which, brief and commonplace as they are,
prove to be the record of q tragedy, which as
the circumstances are reported to us, appears
to stop but one step short of murder: ION
February 8, latitude south, longitude 8. west,
8. d. Cromwell, native of the United States,
died." The full details of this case, and of an
attempted mutlny which Is briefly recorded
further down the log, were obtained yester-
day from Captain Mears, who came to the
city to tUra over the mutlnsers 10 the United
States authorities. From the account OF The
captain Of the killing OF Cromwell, and the re-
volt of portion OF the crew, 1t appears that
Cromwell being sick had been excused from
duty, and was lying In his bunk In the lore
castle on the morning of February 9th, when
the watch was relieved, and The old watch
went below to sleep. One of these men was
German sailor, named Wiesson, powerful
and brutal fellow, and he had no sooner en-.
tered the forecaslle than he commenced abus
ing the sick man, accusing him OF shammlpg
sickness 30 as to shirk his duty, and insisting
that he must turn ont of bis BUNK and take
his trick on deck. The sick man begged to be
left alone, but Wiesson only became the more
abusive, pulling him around by the nose
and eara, and finally dragging him out
of his bunk by the shoulders, and holding him
up on his feet. At this Cromwell swooned
away and fell heavily to the floor, and Wlesson,
then becoming alarmed, ran aft 10 the captain
tor help to revive him. The captain came at
his call, bat blythe lime The TWO reached the
forecastle Cromwell was dead. The captain
was made acquainted with the circumstances
of the case, but while he was considering as
to the course to be pursued with Wlesson, ne
was informed by the cook of:a more serious
impending difficulty. This occurrence was on
Saturday, the ssn CT February, aud onthe eve
ming Of that day the attention oil the COOK was
attracted bya whispered consultation which
was being carried on by four of The sailors In
the vicinity Of the cooks galley, which
they supposed to be emptys he thus
heard the details of a plot to st'r up the crew
to revolt, to murder the captain and first
mate and take possession of the vessel. The
rlngleader appeared to be- one Sylvester, who
had been the second mate of The ship, but had
tcen disrated, for. some fault. and who ap-
peared TO be actnated by revenge; and the
other conspirators were three seam en-, Wies-
son.. Green and Maxwell. The cook heard
one of them say that he would ''go ait and Fix
the old man,n0or something to that effect.
One of the others asked him If he had his
knife, and he replied that he had, and he was
going to strip open the old -" Then
there was asllencefor some time, until! the
drstspeaser, returned, and told the others,
with plentiful interlarding of angry oaths,
that he had been unable To get into the
cabin, and they would have 10 walt. The
cook scon communicated his discovery to the
captain, and that officer aud the fret mate
formed plan for the capture of the conspira-
tors. They determined to call one of them
! into the cabin, and there handcuff him, aud
8send the other three into the hold on some
$6stensIble3 duty, when they would clap on
the matches. and allow them 10 come up only
one at q tine, so that they could be arrested
in detail. Tue next day being Sunday, how
ever, they postponed the execution OF this
plan until Monday morning, when they sent
for Wleeson TO-. come into! the cabin. He
obeyed the order, and, as soon as he had got
inside, one loaded pistol was presented TO his
head by the captain and another by the mate,
and he was commanded to hold out his hands
for the "darbes. %" The sailor proved desper-
ate, however, and, ducking his head, he ran
between the two aud out at the cabin door,
the captain swapping his pistol twice at him.
but Without effect. he then ran across the
deck and jumped on the spanker boom, work.
ed his way out to the extreme end of the epar,
and stayed there for twenty-eighs hours. In
the meantime the first mate, fearing an imme-
,Aaiate revolt Of the rest OF the crew, ran for
S|(srd to tasten down the companion way OF
the forecastle. He was pursued by one CT the
mutineers, who drew his sheath knife and
threatened to murder him If he touched the
forecastle, and the mate, drawing his pistol,
warned the man that II he came one step far
ther he would do 30 ct the peri OF his life. TIE
sailor pressed forward and the officer fired,
the ball taking effect In the flesh of the
,Aooldor Th{, nhock Oh tho atrank pn5 in fact