Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1874-12-31
Helena, Montana, Thursday, December 81, 1874.
4 Ravage in the rorecastlo.
From the San Francisco Chronicle, November Is.

from the San Francisco Chronicle, November IL.
The whaling bark Florence. which, fol
about year past, has been cruising in tho
Japan and Ochotsk seas, arrived i'll this port
last evening. Captain Williams furnishes tho
details of 4 succession Of casualties From,
his statement the following story is CLEANED
On the way to the vessels destination she
put in at Pleasant Island, a small island in the
South Pacific ocean. \ large number of the
natives of the island were allowed to board
the vessel, and furnished the crew with fresh
supplies. After the vessel had progressed !.
short distance On its route, a stOwaway in the
person of copper colorcd native of the
island, was found concealed in a hiding place
below deck. lie was con, eyed before the
Captain. to whom hr expressed Il desire To
accompany the vessel in the capacity of sea-
man. lie was accordingly furnished with
clothing and either appurtcnanCcs of 4 sailor,
and was formally christcned ''Jim."
The new recruit prosecuted his allotted labor
with all the zcst and recklcssness indicative
of an old seaman, and attracted no attention
until about the middle of February, when
something peculiar was manifest in his con-
duct. lie talked and muttcrcd in an inco-
herent manner, and accompanied his gabblng
with gestures of the most frantic character.
by order of the Captain he was ordered
forward, and the occurrence was banished
from the minds Of the ships officers AS q
matter of little moment. Shortly after his re-
tircmcnt to that portion of the vessel tho cry
of IMAM cut" mingled with screams of
terror, were heard coming from that direc-
ton. The Captain hastencd to the spot and
was appalled, by the shocking spectacle. On
the deck, stretched out cold and dead, lay the
1Nn6i0c nf tw0 co0Ymon y,0nO1A1 in q horrible
manner. One of tho scamen was Ernest
ThOis, Frenchman. The other was an
American, named G. A. Cooper. His body
was stabbed in seven different places. The
deck was slippery with the blood which had
flowed from the wounds of the murdered
men. From the statements of the seamen
who witnessed the occurrence from short
distance, the Captain cleaned the following
particulars:
A portion of the crew were lying in the
tol,-gallant fOlcCustle. 'Jiin," the native.
had joined them, after receiving the admoni-
tion from tho Captain. In one moment, sud-
denly and without the slightest warning or
immediate provocation, the native drew the
knife which hung in the Frenchman's sheath,
and stabbed him in the abdomen, dragging
the knife across the body, and inflicting q
CHASTITY wound. The infuriated native then
STT0uH III 0uOtucT UlCUD0T VI tuC CICW, Ouu
effected y violent lunge at him, but fortu-
nately the assailed seaman was too agile, and
escaped with a siN-inch rent in his shirt.
Cooper was the next one attacked, but he
was not armed at the time, and his attempts
to defeat the infuriatcd natives assaults were
useless. He did not fall to the deck, how
ever, until he had fought for his life, and had
received seven terrible stabs in the breast,
face and thighs. After the struggle with
Cooper the native sprang into the forecastle,
where he imagined himself secure from harm.
The crew were afraid to venture through the
hatch, and, :withstanding the repeated
orders of the captain, declined to so. AS Il
last resort, tho Captain ordered the bulkhead
separating the crew from the folecastlc to be
torn away. The sailors went to work with a
will, and in brief period had torn down
sufficient 10 effect IN entrance into the muir
dcrcr's hiding place. All attempts at a pacific
capture of the wretch were futile, owing to
the ficrceness of the natives disposition. He
resisted the cndcayors of the crew to capture
him, anil. in fact, attacked them with ferocity.
In one Of the struggles sailor plunged his
knife into the natives heart, and he fell to the
deck dead. Late in the afternoon the three
bodies were committed to the waves. The
triple tragedy cast gloom over the whole
remaining voyage, and the superstitious pro-
pensi,ics of the sailors were heightened to an
inordinatc degree.