The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-02-08

London DaiIy Nev..

kondon Daily News.
At the winter sssizes, now being he'll,
ut Exeter, for the Counties OF Devon an,
Cornwall, before Lord Chief Justic
Coleridge, the court was occupied til,
whole Of yesterday with the case o
Richard Proudfoot, master mariner
William 81. Strickland, mate, and Robt
Murray, boatswain, indicated on severa
counts for having, between May ant
August 4, 1877, assaulted Charles Astley
Cooper on the high seas with intent t.
murder. Mr.. Collins, @. G., and Mr.
Mcclellan were counsel for the profecu.
tian, MI. Carter for the master and Mr..
Poole for the mate and boatswain. The
prisoners were the captain and officers Of
the bark Maggie Dixon, OF North Shields,
which in May, 1877, sailed from Sander.
land to Penang, Sumatra, the boy Cooper
being put on board az ships appren.
tice. Having been previously chem.
lists assistant, he was rather clumsy at his
work at first. and for this or some other
reason it was stated that the officers OF
the ship subjected him to systematic
and brutal ill>usage. He was at first
placed in the mates watch, but was
removed to the boatswain's watch. There
the same ill-usage was continued; the
boy was "rope.ended" and kicked In the
ribs until his body was covered with.
bruises and lacerated sores. At length
the boy tell i'll Of scurvy, but still the
captain kept him at work, half starving
him on a diet of boiled rice and barley.
While In shockingly weak condition
from disease and want OF nourishment
the poor boy was sent aloft to help reef
fell overheard and was drowned.
The principal witness in the case was
Fritze Ropcke, cook and steward on
board the Maggie Dixon; he stated that
when the boy Cooper came on board he
was healthy and strong; witness deposed
TO having seen the mate (Strickland)
strike him ON the n ok with the ropes
End witness spoke to the captain, and
The boy was removed to the boatswain's
watch the mate told the boatswain that
40 must "work the boy up" and the
after replied: "You may bet my life
ne shan't have moments rest" adding
hat he knew of q " cleverer way than to
ase a ropes end )" the bostswain used to
trike and kick the boy; whilst the boy
vas In weak state he was ordered to
howell Goals from the hold into the fore
'eak, and was not allowed any food until
10 had completed his task the boy
nee came upon deck and the mate asked |
lin what he wanted. The boy said he !
vas faint an 1 wanted drink of water. |
The mate thereupon struck him. Wit
Tess gave the boy little water and
iscuit, but the captain went down and
ook IT away. Witness saw water thrown
yer the lad and he knew they had tarred
is head. The boatswain said that sub
squently he would throw the luuatic
meaning the boy) overheard. On August
Cooper was on the lookout, and the
late called him down, ordered him to
IKE off his clothes, and scrubbed him
18th broom while another of the crew
arew water over him. An order was
wen to reef topsails, and the boy went
loft and fell overheard and was drowned.
1hen they reached Penang, witness and
thers sent letter to the Board Of
rade. The case was not completed
hen the courts adjourned.