The New York herald., 1879-03-29
Remarkable Story Of a United
States Consul.
BRUTALITY on THE MURDERED MASTER
Suspicious Deaths on Board
the Vessel.
PANIC AND DESERTION OF The CREW.
How Men Were Lost Overheard and Died
in the Hospital.
LETTERS TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT.

LETTERS TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT..
WASHINGTON, March 49, 1870.
The account in the HERALD of the killing Of Cap
tain RichardR Barcey. Of the bark Elverton. by his
second mate. John Powers. has directed attention
and given interest ana Importance to certain
official consular reports fle in the State Depart
ment on the subject of Captain Barclays maritime
history especially his conduct his last voyage to
Rio, just previous to the homeward trip. during
which he had the encounter with Powers that
suited in his death. These papers produced
with intention of prejudicing the for the
prosecution against Powers. They quoted to
illustrate fully the tragedy she Elverton and
to show that Captain Barcey. like too many of his
kind was guilty of persistent brutality and really
invited his violent end.
CONSUL sTRYKER's INVESTIGATION.
The papers referred to series of reports from
the Consul General at Rio and the Consul at Pernam
buco, Brazil touching the interference of the latter
gentleman, Mr.. Joseph w. Stryker. in behalf of an
oppressed seaman Of the Elverton. named Charles
Alck and the release and discharge from the ship of
Alick because Of his ill treatment by Captain Bar
cley. The evidence obtained by Consul Stryker was
of SO convincing nature as to warrant him in in
tervening even to the breaking of the shipping
more, in the OF hisinvestigston Mr.. Stryker
got at the evidence of practices the part OF Bar
cley indicative of the grossest rascality IL not Of
murder. For instance. named Frank
Miller is reported the log having fallen over
board while drawing bucket Of water. but tho
accident as far known to the crew. wit
messed by anybody on board except the man who ia
suspected of having made away with the poor sailor
And yet when the vessel got into port Captain
Barcley filed an official statement at the Consuls
Office that Miller had deserted. the record of his log
to the contrary notwithstanding. In another
he sent hand ashore sick. who died in hospital
recorded in the log but was sfterward reported as
having deserted
seafaring men will readily understand the possi-
bic motive prompting such . deed as the murder of
Frank Miller. Oftentimes q vessel is managed by
the captain speculation, the owners giving him
fractional interest percentage of the profits Of
each voyage in place of salary other fixed remu-
neration. In such case he hires and pays the crew
aud feeds and fnds them out of o certain
allowance made him by the owners. 1t is
therefore to the captains interest to i'll feed the
to the point OF starvation and of desertion
death to make the date of such incidents
possible without risking detection. This is the ex-
planation given for reporting Frank Miller and
Charles Ross having deserted at later time than
the real datos at which had fallen overheard at
sea and the other had died in hospital.
THE CASE THE sEAMAN AIIcK.
The case of. the ill-treated seaman Charles Alck
forms the chief subject Of Mr.. Stryker's despatch
No. lat to the State Department.. Tho Consul had
already had serious difficulty with Barcley on the
subject Of the commercial interests committed to
the latter's charge as master Of the Elverton. He
refers to this former matter discussed in his
despatch No. 146, and proceeds to say
particularly reference the sailor Charles xick
two encosod with their respective snnsaes
THE CoNsUL's STATEMENT.
Tho following is enclosure No. /. being Mr. Stry.
kcr's statement 'n the matter OF one of the deser
tions declared by Captain Barcley of the American
bark Elverton. of Baltimore in Rio Janefro:"-
UNITED Stairs CONSULATE,
PEssAHsuco Brasil, sept y, ls7s
the master Who was on G Ancan BARK EivcrtoS no
n this port when she made hcr voyage Baltimore
THAT twenty baltimore .youns Cor
past seven o'clock in the morning he called them to brest
captain hS sSSs and Ssn sy Ss0f as
sn that s s. sd % 0su pssa
slyshing of his being lost, -
s 4 e HI Log ssss q q the
&c s ss % mot sSS y sSS
the bari aud ssid 70 be brotnas inis~ q csp
sS.. Sr s S 'ss o s,ysr
board A. sea was declared per annex No. BY Captain
Bowling the seems, vessel in that city
the s shp shs e
e wnieh the Eysr,Sn S may r.s return IN the United
$3.50 ~ '' JOSEPH W. "is srSYSKR, iSsPSs Consul
CHARLES ALEXIS STORY 4.
Enclosure No. 2 Of this set of documents is Mr..
stryker's official record Of tho complaint preferred
by Aiick against Captain Barclcy and his statement
Of the circumstances and reasons under which ho
ortared Alicr disrharoad frn,xo ..-.-,.. -.
Elverton. II tells its own story
UNITED STATES CONSULATE
PERNAMDUCo, Brazil. Sept. II 1878
No 1i7 lof which this is to bc enclosure No ~ snX
gwen therein, on page L. 9 part of complaint or
bark Everton, of Baltimore. Barclev master I
will herein give the whole of the story or Complaint
thcn made to me by the said seaman
fS,se said ho Was % afraid to go back tho
ont fr"@ Baltimore RIO young oermsa sailor frank &
ing called 'asp g SrsssI.. and ,soa s.Sas
and then thew found he trsnl1 was mssing tass h
captain had Sf,sn been striking and beating This :spr
II s Che ran y" away ss'IS iso
A,sa ,ss ana when S sonns back @ from Africa 20 Mo
~ ten o'clock in the day he took sick and tho
he dsd and that tho captain had often been beating this
~ rsrS-rhss when the bark reached Rio tho cook, Robert
which he diod. -
foua-rhat next all tho crew, including both mates.
ran away ffom the vessel In Rio himself and
20. rev sailors but no mates and went to Santa
CHthcfina. Brazil; that there away, and
brought back caught three of tom on
the vessel and the other them was shot right
hand aud left by the tho hospitu there hon the
vessel sailed for Pcrnam co. - - -
iVMThat about after the wus I'm this har
Dor the captain asked him sign or put his cross on
b-h ~"S~ '''-' w" "
last Friday 9th inss) he asked she captain 10
% ,o @ IN oye s a. tho Consul wa: 70 take his tet
permit him to icave the vessel that day - - '~T0'
scea-That thc captain lot como 10 tl.
ON the next day atufay Consul was busy that
day Win the other witness te cook) and ho went bsck
Y & me snrk IN the q,sn'ng and tho captain s,raek
plainly showed whom ho tho consulate ,, thefol
lowing Monday at two r. M and the COOK came nm and
ran at him with saucepan aud nfterwnrd with knife:
that the captain theu put him irons and nfcrwsri