The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-02-21
KsLLsD,ANS EATEN.
a Week at Seq syyitheut ,Eeoa-Ths R1est
Gut froIa tbss Esody 81 Murdered SAilo,
10 Sustain Life.

The narrative Of the sufferipg4SOf the
C, aw of the schooner Sallie NJ. Steaiman,
from Charleston for Baltimore, rho were
bought TO New York Monday afternoon
on the Schooner Speedwell, Is 20 horrible
in detail that IL sounds more Ike chap
ter from sensational sea. Goyei than q
stern reality.
The captain of the Speedwell reports
thar he found tho .Steelman nearly water
logged. but mhking steeyage way, under
fore aud maintopsail, northeast Of t'es
Bermuda Islands. she was giving the
American flag, Union down, as aignal
0, Sawyer, TO her, and he took away all
on board. He reported that nothing
movable was left on deck, and that The
men were hardly able to walk. Every
article Of food in tho Steelman had been
consumed eight days previously. The
remains of T@n were found, from which
parts of the flesh had been cut Some
of the flesh so removed vas found in a
barrel Fjtb some salt. This, 1t was ex-
'plaincd'to Sawyer, was done to preyen.
it from spelling. The captain, who was
wasted with hunger, told the mate that
two colored men Of the crew had cilar-
relied, and one had killed the other in
self.defence. The body was Immediately
cut up and eaten. all hands helping to do
it. The six survivors speedily recovered
their health on board the Speedwell.
THE STORY OF THE VOYAGE,
The schooner Snllie NJ. Steelman, of
Somers' Point, N. j., left Charleston, S.
c., on the 18th of December, bound for
Baltimore, with a cargo of phosphate
rock. The officers were Capt Somers
Highly, Mate II. Somers, and the crew
consisted of the cook, Sylvester b. Her
bert, Dave Barrett, and three colored
men, George Hicks, Walter Sampson and
George Seaman. For the first fortnight
the weather was quite mild and the winds
light and variable, so that they made lie.
tho headway In their voyage. On the
afternoon Of December 80, when about
twenty miles to the southeast of Cape
Hatteras, they were caught in terrific
gale from the northwest, and were lite.
rally at its mercy for seventy hours. Du-
ring that time they were driven off the
land in a terrific seaway that stove iii
their boat and washed away everything
that was movable. Their gaffs were car.
t'C0 away tsClI oAllS bDllL tO B..
On the 3rd Of January the storm abated
slightly but the westerly gales still pre-
vailed, and rs the schooner was helpless
she drifted out to sea. The saiia were
patched up but they proved of little use,
as they could not stand the etorm, and
there was nothing lett for tue crew but TO
patiently await the abatement of the gale.
Day by day passed away and still the
wind howled through the. rigging and tho
unfortunate seamcn were tossed about
the ocean without the slightest cntour.
aging prospect of any relief from thoir
perilops position.
AS if to add to the horror of their sit
uation the captain was at last forced to
reduce the rations, and on the morning
of the 23d Of January fhey consumed the
last Of the provisions. Towards evening
OF that day the pangs of hunger began
to De felt by these suffering men, and the
vessel was searched from stem to stern
for any particles oc food that might have
been hidden away 1t was almess O
ffuitleas labor, and several of the crsw
began to despair. On the following dsv
they subsisted on coffee, which proved
very grateful and warmed them up for
the time being; but the want of solid
food began to tell on the colored portion
of the crew. On that night, January
"a, the wind increased TO a gale from the
northwest, and tho unfortunate schoo 1er
Iabored so heavily that her decks started
and ahe sprung aleak. A new duty now
devoiyed OH these weak aud starving
men. as it bscame necessary to keep ths
pumps going Gil the time to keep the
water down. They all took Their turns
for another couple OF Gays, and then the
colored sesmen., George Hicks, Walter
Sampson and George Seamen, gave up
from exhaustion, and left the captain,
mate, cook and seamen to work the shipr
and :na.. the sn..ps. The s:orna abated
somewhat on the 2Sth of January, and
and the schooner was able to get up
little aail, but their prospects Of reach
ing port were very meagre, as they had
been driven several hundred miles out
to sea.
"wE MUST EAT" ID
Tie seven human beings on board this
schooner had changed fearfully during
the past few days, as their eyes had
sunken, in their sockets, their cheeks
were wan and hollow and they were suf-
fcring from intenae exhaustion. The
cook still kept up o fire in the galley and
served cut hot coffee, which was eagerly
drank, always Attending Temporary relief;
through ~ ::.tl &c &c ssi No stomach. Il HIg
not coffee, however, for which theso un.
fortunate creatures were Craving, and. al
though no ono dared to mako suages-
ton, there were strange anG dreadful
thoughts in their half crazed minds.
This condition of affairs Continued until
the morning of the 30th, when TRAGEDY
took place, which sayed-the execution OF,
q project to which they had been hiuaAst'
driven. On The 2299tth1i Of } January the col.
ored man, George Seaman, became al.
most de'irious, aud would occasionallv
leave his berth and wander around the
decl.b hall mRd. EaflS on. tho morning
OF the 30th he turned out of his bunk
and came up on deck, He frat met the
and, after talking In an incohe.
rent way, threatened to shoot him. The
captain backed away from him, and then
Seaman went to the forecastle. When
he was inside he called on Walter Samp-
son, another coIored 1nau, aud told him
to get up or he would shoot him in his
bunk. 9Saplpscns got np and nut on his
things and backed toward the door. bnt
before he got there Seaman put his hand
in kis pocket to pull his pistol, and Sapap-
son shot him. The bpdy lay there for
some little time without any Of the six
survivors venturing to make suggestion
70 to what disposition should be made of
1t; but finally the subject was cautiously
and one of the men said that
as the man was dead, he, for one, intend
ed to profit by the accident and, Try and
ave his own life. He cut OF n nortin.,
Of the body and took it into the galley,
where he boiled Ia in pgt. TIE oth6fs,