The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-02-14
Superior Court.
BEFORE JUDGE BoNNEY.


SATURDAY.-Wm. Ryan VS.. Joseph c. Hopkins.
Action to damages laid at $1,000 for an as
sault and battery and false imprisonment. The
plaintiff was seaman on the schooner Rookie E.
Yates, of which the defendant, who resides in Dam
ariscotta, was master. The plaintiff and the mate
of the vessel testified that while lying at Union Is
land in Georgia in August last, the crew were,em-
ployed upon the wharf in loading the vessel with
hard pine ship timber; that the weather was in
tensely hot; that after working one day the plain
tiff and two others stated that it was too hot for
them to work in the sun upon such heavy timber;
that it was work they were not used to and they
it, Put to THAT any ny
was suffering at the time from diarrhea and so told
the captain; thereupon the captain told them they
the seamen who had not signed the shipping arti-
cles was paid off and left. The plaintiff and the
third man went to village some four miles above
and at night returned They were informed that
szhey could have no supper as their grub had been
cut off by the captains order. At eleven O'Clock
that night they were arrested BY officer By the
foot four miles distant, and put in Jail, that the
jail was small. lily ventilated. dirty, one story in
height with no shade from the tropical sun, and
that they were confined there seven days with no
bed and only one blanket between them; that their
food was insufficient. When the vessel was ready to
sail they were brought aboard, and with the irons
still upon them, thrown into the lazaret-a com
partmen in the hold of the vessel at the stem, not
over three feet in height-the matches closed and
the vessel was towed to sea. Then the plaintiff
taken out and ordered by the captain to loose the
main GAIT topsail rhe plaintiff replied that he
hungry and weak and wanted something to eat first.
The captain ordered him aloft He went and per
formed the duty. Then the captain ordered him to
loose the fore-topsail. The plaintiff said he could
not, he was hungry and dizzy and had cramp in
his stomach. The captain poured out a common
tumbler twothirds full of castor oil and told him to
drink it, Ryan drank part of it, when his stomach
refused any more. Thereupon the captain struck
him on the head and ordered him to drink the whole
put into berth in the stewards room, and on tn
next night was able to do his regular duty until her
arrival at Rockport, Maine.
Captain Hopkins employed no counsel but man
aged his own case and it furnishes exception to
the old adage. He testified that the trouble begun
they were shipped to do work aboard vessel and
not as longshoremen. told them if they could mt
work on the cargo and obey orders they could do
nothing. They went off and came back for supper.
told the cook not to feed them. Ryan didn't tell me
he was sick. l told them l wanted them to go to
any more work aboard of her, and if they ever
caught me on the wharf they would murder me.
They demanded a discharge and wouldn't give it
to them. They used very abusive language to me
and had them arrested. went 10 jail the next
morning and tried to have them come back and 90
life. As to the lazaret the captain said he was
klrai Of them and only did what he was brought up
to do that to the dose of castor oil he only gave
them and one-half great spoonfulls. and the
rest in the tumb er was syrup. The captain-per-
haps through forgetfulness-did not deny the test-
tain struck Ryan in the head when he said he could
take no more oil. The verdict for the plaint
for $500.
Webb s. Haskell for plff. Hopkins pro Sc