The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-02-15
FRIDAY MORNING. FEB. Is.
New York World
A Terrible Story.


Since the wreck of the whaler Essex no sea-
story has been told of murder starvation and
canniballsm that can equal the one related by
the survivors of the schooner Sallie M. Stead
man, from Charleston, S. c., bound for Balti-
more with cargo of phosphate rock. Leaving
charleston December IL the Steadman met
with very ugly weather. When she was about
twenty miles east Of Cape Hatteras she was
Struck by terrific gale from the northwest,
lasting seventy hours. During this storm the
Steadman had all her boats stove in, her sails
split and lost her GAIT Then followed series
OF squalls and comparatively calm weather.
On the 23d of January the schooner's provis-
ions gave out, and the crew of seven men had
nothing whatever with which to support life.
On the oath the schooner sprung leak, and
simultaneously three of the crew gave out.
The four remaining of the crew. including the
to keep the vessel afioat. On the Both aquarrel
occurred between two of the colored sailors, in
which one Of them, George Seaman, mulatto
was shot dead As soon as the dead man was
cold ne was cut up and eaten by the survivors,
and what flesh was left was sailed down in a
beef barrel for future use. On the 31st the sur
vivors of the crew were rescued by the schooner
Speedwell. now lying in the North River off
the Montgomery Street Ferry, jersey City.
The story of the killing and eating of Seaman
was told yesterday by the chief actors in the
tragedy.
Walter Sampson, small and exceedingly
black negro about twenty-one years of age. with
hs b found b on
Seaman. He was crazy. He said he would
kill me, and put his hand in his jumper pocket
TO draw pistol. | took out my pistol and shot
him dead. / hit him somewhere in the neck
hic hond 10 fbo hontr of
his neck. "We had been seven days without
anything to eat and think most of us were
crazy, but Seaman was crazy most of the time,
anyhow. After he was dead 1 cut his head off
and sewed it up in sack and threw it over.
board.
"Who cut mp the body?''
II didn't" said Sampson, sullenly.
II did,, said q short, thickset white man,
with scanty red whiskers; 81 did; the Cap'n
said I'D better cut him mp"
whats your name?"
"David N. Barrett, sill, Riding harbor Attain
tic County, N. j. he was cold when cut hira
up: his head was gone; took all the flesh off
of his legs, his calves and thighs and all could
get from his back and breast First though
was SO weak lust cut enough to eat. broled
it and after 1 had eaten it L found strength
enough to finish the job. After 1 had got all
off could we put the fragments into a bag
with about forty pounds of ballast, and heaved
it overheard. Then we sill had supper off the
flesh. After that we sailed the rest down in a
barrel. There was about fifty pounds of it. L
guess it didn't make me SICK l was so hungry
1 didn't care. must have eaten about two
pounds of it. Twas the cook. parboiled some
OF the flesh and some of it Ibroiled. We cooked
the flesh with pepper and salt before eating it.
We only ate two meals of the meat, for the
next day the Speedwell took us Off"
The crew of the schooner was as follows:
Captain, s. G. Highee; mate Sommers; sea-
men, Hicks, Sampson, Barrett, Herbert and
Seaman.
Captain Higbee says that the Speedwell res
cued his crew about $50 miles northeast of the
Bermudas. Owing to the exhaustion of the
three colored men double work devolved upon
the rest of the crew. The pumps had to be
kept going at the rate of 400 strokes an hour
and even then the vessel was only just kept
above water. There was plenty OF fresh water
and tobacco and upon this the crew had man.
aged to exist. Some of the men took the slaves
from the Hour barrels and chewed them On
the 3Oth of January the men had been seven
days without food, were like skeletons and
seemed half crazy.
'There was quarrel in the forecastle." the
captain said, "between Seaman and Sampson,
and pretty soon heard pistol shots. did not
know before that the men had weapons. 1
went forward and found that Seaman had been
from starvation. [ ate some OF Seaman's flesh
covered it with mustard so that I did not taste
anything else, but my stomach could not stand
II, and made up my mind to eat no more even
1t l starved to death. The very next day we
sighted the Speedwell, hoisted signals of dis
tress and were soon taken off,"
Capt. Keeue, of the Speedwell, who rescued
the furnishing crew, says that when he took
them on board of his vessel they were barely
able to walk, and in no condition to manage
their own craft The sails of the Steadman
were SO badly torn that they were utterly use
less.
The sailors of the Steadman are not allowed
to land. No legal steps have yet been taken in
hn a,re1 lii
Attorney Butler said yesterday that he had re-
ceived official notification in the case, and
that no action would be taken until such noti-
fcation had been received.