The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-06-16
AN OCEAN TRAGEDY,
The Mutiny Aboard the Lennfe-End of
the Trial of the CuIprII>.


The Mutiny Aboard the Lennie-End o
the Trial of the CuIprIi>.
The London Standard of May fifth
prints the following summary of the tria
of the mutineers of the Linnie: Tht
| trial of the prisoners accuse o. the mur
der of the captain, chief officer and sec
| ond mate of the ship Lennie came to al
end yesterday evening, when four of the
eight prisoners were convicted and sen
fenced to suffer the extreme penalty o.
the law. So far as they were concerned
the result was foregone conclusion
By the clearest possible evidence they
were shown to have taken an active part
in the preparation of the atrocities by
which their unfortunate victims lost
their lives, perishing at their posts in the
vain endeavor to defend themselves
against a set of desperadoes who had
planned deep and deadly scheme for
seizing the ship, after making off with
every portable and marketable article on
which they could lay their hands. The
story is indeed remarkable, alike from
the audacity of the attempt, the success
by which it had to all appearances been
crowned, and the singular manner by
eventually brought within the reach of
offended Justice The entire narrative
reads like n modernized edition of the
most sensational of those "sbipwrecks
and disasters at sea-" which form so large
a portion of juvenile reading. Hence
forth the Lennie will rank with the
Bounty, the Flowery Land, and other
vessels which have earned an evil noto-
riety from their connection with deeds of
blood and violence. With scarcely any,
and certainly with nothing like adequate
prOvOcation the mutineer set upon their
officers, stabebd, cut, and shot them
down upon their own deck. SO sudden
and unexpected was the outrage that
no one of the murdered men was
able to offer anything like effective
resistance, and had their seaman
ship been equal to their audacity the
murderers might now have been en-
jOying their ill-gotten gains in some
country where no eXtradition treaty is
in force.
At time when the public mind is 50
largely exercised on the subject of un-
seaworthy ships the evidence given in
the course of this inquiry will be read
with especial interest. The Lennie was
an English ship, owned by an English
firm, commanded by an English captain.
The first and second mates were also ma
tives of this country, but the seamen
were very mixed and motley lot indeed.
Constant Won HeydOnc, the steward, tells
us that he joined her on the 22nd of Oc-
tober, when there was no crew on board
Two days later she started on her voyage
with a "scratch crew, got together in
hot haste, and without much regard to
their fitness for the work they had to do.
Among them were Dutchmen, French
men, Greeks, Turks, Dane, and an
American. In short, they were Just such
collection of ne'er-do wells of all ma
tions as might be picked up at random
in low lodging houses in al
most any European port, and who, as
every shipmaster knows, constitute most
unpromising materials for any captain to
deal with. For about a week all went
on tOlerably well. There was no open
rupture, but, as Mr.. Justice Brett re-
marked the masters opinion of his men
was shown by his always keeping two
loaded revolvers under his pillow. At
4 o'clock on the morning of the 31st of
October, and while the steward was be-
low, he heard a scuffiing on deck. The
captain gave an order which was not
obeyed. He spoke few words of angry
upbraiding, and the next moment uttered
a cry which sounded as if his throat was
cut. The steward and his boy tried to
make their way to the deck. but in vain.
The companion door was fastened, and
they were prisoners, powerless to help,
and fearful of being set upon in turn.
They saw the men moving about, and
heard five shots fired in rapid succession,
as if from revolvers. After two hours
they were allowed to come
on deck, when they were told that the
captain and mates had been "finished" "
and thrown overheard. From the
testimony of several other witnesses
we now know that the captain and |
mates were dispatched successively in !
cold blood by Lips, French Peter, Big |
Harry, and Joe the cook, the four pris-
Oners who were convicted. Not hand |
was raised by any other of the crew on
behalf of their officers. The boatswain, !
when appealed to by the second mate to |
save his life, repulsed him with brutal |
rudeness, and when the last Of the muir
1ers had been consummated, those who |
mad stood by during their perpetration !
the bodies with chains and |
.hr?w them overheard, washing the
blood stained deck in as matter of-fact a !
fashion as il nothing had occurred at all |
,ut of the routine of their ordinary daily |
luty.
Up to this point the story is horrible
enough. Its concluding portion, how
ever, savors of the heroic and the roman
.ic. Among the men who had been so
ready to stain their hands with blood |
here was not one competent to Davig lte
he vessel. In their extremity they Iell
pack upon Won Haydonc, the steward,
Who had no part in their crime, and to
whom they promised the lions share Of
.he booty if he would but carry the ship
% some point on the coast of Greece, where
,he might he quietly scuttled, after her
stores and all other valuables had been
anded. Won HeydOHc feigned cOmpli-
lnce, but directed the ship toward the
British Channel. But this piOus fraud
vas speedily detected. One of the pris-
,ners told the Others that the steward
vas selling them, as he could see by the
water they were nearing England. Won
Heydonc clustered, threatened, and gave
ID the command for some days. But