The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-03-15
FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH Is.
BY TELEGRAPH.
MAINE.
Alleged Murder.
A Bath Captain Charged With
Shocking Barbarities.
HE IS HELD TO AWAIT TRIAL.
FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH Is.
Alleged Murder.
HE IS HELD TO AWAITTRJAL,

BOSTON, March 14.-Capt. Thomas Peabody
OF Bath, Me-, was arraigned before the United
States Commissioner aalett to-day charged
with causing the death of James 81. Elwood,
one OF tue mates of the bark G. o. WhitmOre,
on a voyage from Cardiff to Hong Kong in the
fall of 1876
The case will bs remembered, as at the time
it was reported in this country, but it never
came irto court and the charges were denied.
Capt. Peabody and two hates of the vessel
we're arrested at Hong Kong on the arrival of
the vessel there, and would have been sent to
this country for punishment had not the Ash
burton treaty bsen ia operation at the time.
Lengthy correspondence between the Ameri-
can Consul there and the authorities a.
Washington was held, aud the representatives
OF the English government also used every
endeavor to bring about an extraditi0n Thus
falling, four OF the crew of the ship were sent
to San Francisco, and there detained for
twcnty-three days in the vain hops that the
officers complained of would be found and
arrested in this country. Upon the discharge
of the sailors the official correspondence with
the State Department at Washington and the
volominous testimony taken at the Consulate
at Hong Kong were sent to. Washington and
has there been kept TIL now it is in the pos
session Of Commissioner Halett, who upon it
issued a warrant for the arrest of Capt Pea.
body, tina defendant 10 court.
The complaint in the first instance was made
by a seaman named Daniel johnson, and the
testimony of the whole crew, without an ex-
ceptiop, as it appears by the affidavits, is of
the strongest character, supporting the charge
of extreme cruelty. The witnesses are all
scattered and notlone of them can be found,
hence Captain Peabody is confronted only by
the sworn statements of the seamen who ap-
peared before the Consul. The testimony of
all agrees substantially one with another, and
the story told by Charles Wright gives an idea
of its character. He relates the circumstances
of joining the vessel at Cardiff in May, 1876,
with all hands, and says the crew had not been
on board three hours before they we're struck
with Delaying pins by the chief mate, Henry
Snow of Bath, Me. Daniel johnson was
struck with Delaying pin five or six times,
and Charles Delacole bad Delaying pin
thrown at him and was struck by it, The
witness continues: l thought it was best to
knock off, and told the mate had seen enough
and shouldn't do any more All the men said
the same, except one man, Sweds named
Charles Stafford; The mate told all of us to go
us up till s o'clock; this was about or 4
O'Clock. The captain called for us at O'Clock,
and we went aft. He said, CT unde rstand you
have refused duty" l said, "Yes, sir; l did
not come on board to be knocked about in this
manner" He said, 81 can't help that; can't
be responsible for what my mate does when /
am on shore; if I'd been on board it would not
have occurred" 1 said I wanted to go on
fhGrs s and be said mo, # You won't work,
He said, "Mr Snow take this, 'aud be handed
him an ak, and the captain drew a revolver,
and said snow I'll see if you won't go into the
irons. let him put me in irons. The ship
Was then at anchor in the roads. said to the
caytain, 'If you WON'T let me go dem and to
see the Consul" He then said, "Damn
the Consul; If you're 10 my ship you'll have to
go 10 her," The other men were all put in
irons that is, all that belonged to the forecastle
The first thing next morning heard them say
"Oh DON'T" and the men were running about
the deck in all directions. L also heard some
one say that man was overheard, and the
boat was got out to pick up Delacole, who was
attempting to escape by swimming ashore.
The next morning l was let out of irons, the
ship being under Roadway and well down the
Bristol Channel Next night two men in the
forecastle came out with both eyes black, and
blood was all over the forecastle They were
Daniel johnson and John Erickson. They
were beaten by the. chief mate ane second
mate (the sailor Stafford having been made
second mate in place of Elwood, disrated.)
The men were beaten in their hunks because
they did not answer the call to turn out. From
that time on into port have seen all the men
in the forecastle but Edward Ref struck every
day. have seen at three different times
during the voyage Delaying pins broken over
the back of Daniel johnson by the chief mate,
Snow. have on other occasions seen the
Captain kick johnson on the poop and jump
upon him while he was down. The witness
goes on recting cruelties; among others, one
wherein the Captain used in beating sailor
with piece of wood feet long and inches
wide and inch thick, and another case where
in johnson was chased by the Captain with
sail needle ia his hand and stuck him with
the needle. And the witness continues: Oae
night whale at the wheel I heard Ell wood
(deceased)say "Oh, don't Captain; let me alone /"
Was relieved and went into the forecastle
saw the I'd mate (Elwood not having been re-
duced from his posit'on) there with his face
and whiskers all over blood. He had been
turned out of the cabin. His eyes were black
and his face was bleeding, 1 have seen the
captainland mate strike him on various occa-
sions. Once saw the mate strike him a hard
blow on the back of the head with a Delaying
DID, csusing blood to flow from the wound.
Two or three days after this it was my watch
In the forecastle Elwood came running in and
his face and beard were covered with blood.
He said: "For Gods sake, Wright. wash my
beard for me-" Two days after I came on
deck and asked where Elwood was. They told
me he was in irons in the cabin. That night
at eight O'Clock he came out. Next day he was
put In irons again and let out at uight. Two
after that looked aft and saw Elwood riding
was sitting on the keel with his hands and &C.
kles dashed behind him. 1 saw him there
about an hour. The next day he was in the
same place and position, and remained
there four or five hours In day or two after,
wards be was put down in the lazaretto; he
was chained and in IRONS He did not come
out OF there for five or six days. While he
was in there often heard him shouting for a
knife to cut the rope yarns. He was out of his
mind. After six days the captain told me and
my watch to bring him out of the lazaretto.
we found him in most filthy condition and
Drought him up on deck. We carried him
along and put him on the spar by the main
rigging. The captain told us to scrub HIM
we were doing that we saw wound on his leg
about four inches long and half an inch deep
1t was green all over and around it, and on his
wrists were little small holes fnll of matter
On the top of his head there were five big holes
also full of matter, and his eyes were ali black
and blue. Tue holes in his head We're, in my
opinion, from the blows inflicted by the Delay
ing piu, and the holes in his wrists from the
IRONS put on him The captain gave orders to
wash the wound on the leg with blue stone. 1
did 30. The man said if he had any disease be
did not know it. The captain and mate then
made bunk for Elwood in the carpenters
shop. 1t measured four feet and YVES a foot
and half wide. The man was about five feet
six or seven inches tall. He laid in that three
days, dying on the last, while the vessel was
OF Good Hope. When be died he was eramped
mp with bis knees nearly touching bis chin,
caused by the smallness of the box. When
we put him in theIe the captain said he could
not live. We sewed him up in his blanket and
put him overheard.
THE CAPTAINS AFFIDAVIT
Admits that he caused Ewood to be tied on
the boat and says he "put him there for not
putting on his hat when told hin aud for cal
ing the mate liar" Put him in the lazsret-
tie because he committed nuisance when he
was chained in the bath room. In the lazaret-
te he had ample space to lie down and could
sit up. He was chained to the lashings of a
vinegar barrel, SO he could not come out.
Looked at him every two hours and ordered
night watch b do the same. He was ia the
lazarette AZ hours. He could have come out
before if he had asked to properly. Elwood
went himself to the stem of the boat, where it
was harder TO sit. He was tied because he
kept jumping off. The captain denies having
treated Ewood as the sailors testify to and saws
that the man would not work or obey orders.
ano was diseased SO that the men would not
have him in the forecastle
Capt. Peabody was held 10 $1,000
Fire In Livermore
LEWISTON, March 14-The stora of T T.,