The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-08-07
CRUELTY TO THE CREW,
S"*l'e"di"U Men In Irons and Depriv,u0
Them Of Food.


Them Of Food.
New York Herald.
A revolving tale of cruelty aud despotism
ut sea was told in United States Commision-
er Osborne's office yesterday morning. Five
ablebodied seamen, T. G. Malloy, Charles
johnson, John Lyman, August Willman and
Andrew Wick, were taken before Assistant
District Attorney Fiero, and Mr.. Malloy,
the official spokesman of the delegation, re-
cited the facts which are given below:
"On the 28th of April,' began Spokesman
Mallow, "we sailed from Bremerhaven for
New York in the American bark John Zit-
tolsen, j. c. Merriam, captain. The crew
consisted of seven able seamen, one ordi-
nary seaman and one boy. We sailed at 2
in the morning and until noon the next
day We hardly had a moments rest,
We were so fatigued as hardly to be
able to stand. We went to the captain and
applied to him for watch and watch-that is,
four hours on deck and four hours below.
He refused US, saying, "You d. -,
I'll make you work. said, "Captain, We
can't stand it any longer.' s'Well," he said,
"you must either 60 to work or be pat in
irons" repeated, 1--WE can't work, give
us at least = few hours rest.'' He said he
would be damned if be would, and ordered
US to be put in irons. The mate put them
on me, Charles johnson, John Lyman, Au-
gust William and Andrew Wick. Wick had
them on four days, William three days, Ly-
man ten days. johnson five days and l, my
self, twelve days. They took US down to one
of the half decks, place no more than
three and a half feet high, and shut the
hatch. It was pitch dark, and the atnlos-
phere was suffocating, since the only air that
came in was that which was forced through
by the cabin buIkheads when the ship rolled.
"On the second day, by the captains or
ders, johnson and were swung up for an
hour. A rope was made fast to the irons
that bound our hands, and it was passed
through pulley. and thus We had to hang
for full hour, our toes barely touching tho
ground. Every lurch, every roll that the
ship made swung us across the deck. The
irons cut into our hands, as you can see for
yourself" Here be showed pair of brawny
fists which were still; discolored at the wrists
'Well, SIR he resumed, "for forty hours
we had nothing To eat, and it was more than
fifty hours after We were confined before We
got drop of water. At tho end of forty
hours the captaiI sent US down three and
one-haf biscuits to be divided among the
five Of us: afterw:rd he also sent us some
wafer. Tho next day he gave rs four bis
cults, the following day biscuit to each of
us, and after that he gave each man three.
'Iiie rest of the men were gradually lib
Grated. was the only man kept down. l
could sit, but not stand, and was kept bound
SO tight night and day that could not move.
1t was bitterly cold, too, but all this did not
affect the captain in the least.
Finally, on the twelfth day, the hatch was
ope'ed and | was allowed on deck. The
light and air almost overwhelmed me. I
staggered and was for some moments blind
cd. The captain said: Get down on your
knees and ask my pardon l said: Cap
tain, that man doesn't live before whom I
will 80 on my knees He got angry, but
finally was released and allowed to 90 to
work.
"Our passage was long one, lasting more
than sixty days. We arrived here on the Sd
of July. We at once went before Commits
sioner Duncan. He was q scafaring man
himself, and understood it at once that We
were in the right and awarded US damages,
the captain agreeing to pay them within seven
days. was awarded 1925, johnson 800,
Lyman S65, Whitman $50 and Wick $25.
But afterward the captln objected end re-
fused to pay"
This statement was corroborated by all
the other seamen, and a warrant was imme.
diately issued for the arrest of Capt. Merri-
man. 1t was placed in the hands of Deputy
Marshals Miller and Harvey, to be served at
their discretion.