The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-02-21
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KILLED, AND EATEN.

AA KILLED, AND EATEN.
A Week Mt Sen Without Eood-The Flesh
Cut from the Body OF a Murdered Sailor
to Sustain Life.
The narrative of the sufferings of the
crew of the schooner Sallie NJ. Steelman,
! from Charleston for Baltimore, wbowere
brought to New York Monday afternoon
on the schooner Speedwell, is so horrible
in detail that it sounds more like chap
ter from sensational sea- novel than q
stern reality.
The captain of the Speedwell reports
that he found the;Sseelman nearly water
4 logged, but making steerage way, under
fore and maintopsail, northeast of the
Bermuda Islands. She was flying the
American flag, Union down, as a signal
of, distress. He sent his first mate, d:
o. 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 the Steelman had been
consumed eight days previously. The
remains of man were found, from which
! parts of the flesh had been cut. Some
of the flesh so removed was found in a
1,bafrel with some: salt. This, it was ex-
! Eplained-to Sawyer, was done to prevent
/ it from spelling. The captain, who was
wasted with hunger, told the mate that
two colored men of the crew had quar-
relied, and one had killed the other in
self.defence. The body was Immediately
,cutlup and eaten, all hands helping to do
lit. The six survivors speedily recovered
their health onsboard the Speedwell.
THE STORY OF THE VOYAGE.
| The schooner Sallie NJ Steelman, of
s,omers' Point, N. j., left Charleston, S.
G., on the 17th of December, bound for
Baltimore, with cargo of phosphate
rock. The officers were Capt Somers
Highly, Mate r. Somers, and the crew
|consistetof the cook, Sylvester B. Her.
bert, Dave Barrett, and three colored
linen, George Hicks, Walter Sampson and
George Seaman. For the first fortnight
the weather was quite mild and the winds
flight and variable, so that they made lit
Etle headway in their voyage. On the
afternoon Of December 80, when about
twenty miles to. the southeast of Cape
| Hatteras, they were caught in a 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 terrific seaway that stove In
their boat and washed away everything
chat was movable. Their gaffs were car
ried away and their sails split to ribbons.
On the 3rd of January the storm abated
slightly but the westerly gales still pre-
vailed, aud as the schooner was helpless
she drifted out to sea. The sails were
patched up but they proved of little use,
as they could not stand the storm, and
there was nothing left for the crew but to
patiently await the abatement of the gale.
llOay by..day passed away and still the
wind howled through the. rigging and the
unfortunate seamen were tossed about
the ocein without the slightest encour-
Laying prospect of any relief from their
Iperilous position.
AS if to add to the horror of their sit
iuation The captain was at last forced TO
l.reduce the rations, and -.on the morning
lof the 23d of January they consumed the
last of the provisions. Towards evening
Of that day the pangs of hunger began
10 be felt by these suffering men, and the
vessel was searched from stem to stern
for any particles of food that might have
lIbeen hidden away 1t was, almost
lIfruitless labor, and several of the crew
began to despair. On the following day
lrhey subsisted on coffee, which proved
very grateful and warmed them up for
The time being; but the went Of solid
food began to tell on the colored portion
I,of the crew. On that night, January
"a, the wind increased to gale from the
northwest, and the unfortunate schooner
lubored SO heavily that her decks started
and she sprung aleak. Anew duty now
devolyed on these weak and starving
men, as it became necessary to keep the
pumps going all the time TO keep the
water down. They all took their turns
for anotEer:coupleo of days, and then the
colored scamen., George Hicks, Walter
Sampson and George Seamen, gave up
from exhaustion, and left the captain,
mate, cook and seamen to work the ship
and man the pumps. The storm abated
somewhat on the 2Sth of January, and
and the schooner was able to get up
little sail, but their prospects of reach
ing port were very meagre, as they had
bsen driven several hundred miles out
to sea.
"wE MUST EAT.".
The 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-
fe.ing, from intense exhaustion. The,
cook still kept up FIRE in the galley and
served out hot coffee, which was eagerly
drank. always afTording temporary relief!
through warmth to the stomach. Itwas
not coffee, however, for which these un-
fortunate creatures were craving, and, al
though no one dared to make sugges
ton, there were strange and dreadful
thoughts in their half crazed minds.
This condition of affairs continued until
the morning of the 30th, when tragedy
took place, which saved the execution of
project to which they had been almost
driven. On the 29th of January the col
ored man, George Seaman, became al
most delirious, and would occasionally
leave his berth and wander around the
decks half mad. Early on the morning
Of the 30th he turned out of his bunk
and came up on deck, He first met the
captain, 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 colored man, and told him
to get up or he would shoot him in his
bunk. Sampson got upand put on his
things and backed toward the door, but
before he got there Seaman put his hand
in his pocket to pull his pistol, and Samp-
son shot him. The body lay there for
some little time without any of the six
survivors venturing to make a suggestion
as to what disposition should be made of