Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-04-14

BEAUFORT, S. c., April 12.-As the case just
decided in the Court of Sessions here must be
Of interest to ship masters and ship owners in
Savannah and elsewhere. propose to give q
S3rief resume of the proceedings, as well as to
show how far the powers of a ship Captain
may be exercised in the performance of his
duty to his owners and consignees, and in his
own self-defense, as to show what sailor ad-
vancs jumpers may expect when they under
take the unlawful pursuit of stealing articled
$Seamen from the ship upon which they have
>ad to serve.
1 allude to the case of the State VS. Abraham
Thomas, Master. and T. H. Richards, First Offi-
Ger, of the British barkentne Sunbeam The
prisoners were charged with the murder of one
Thomas William Murphy, seaman"
The case was called yesterday morning. his
Honor Judge w. H. Wallace presiding. Solicitor
GauIt represented the State, and w ). Yer
dier Esq, and Col VIM Elliott represented
the prisoners. The whole morning was ex-
hausted in the empanneling of jury. when
the following admirable and intelligent array
was sworn in: w. H. Cuthbert s Bowman,
Jr, j. N. Wallace. Stephen Miller, P. NJ Whit
man, j. A EmmonS, W. II. Calvert and VIM
KreSSel. white and Joseph Mcknight, B. w.
Jones, R. N. Wright and Peter Gibbes colored
The prosecution presented four witnesses:
James Smith. colored, Samuel McKain white,
Thomas Drummond, white. and Dr. Jno A
Johnson, a physician of Beaufort, who had
examined the dead body of Murphy, The evi
dence adduced upon direct examination. in
brief, was that a man named SWeeny, sailor
boarding house keeper of Charleston, had pro-
posed to furnish the Captain of the Sunbeam
with four seamen and had engaged Murphy
McKain, Drummond, and a colored sailor
named Hull to ship on the said vessel; that he
brought them to Beaufort and engaged Smith
to take them down to the Sunbeam. with their
hapOqDa n SATURDAY. NIGHT the 9Th January
that on the 9th they arrived at the Sunbeam,
and while SweeDy was in the cabin with the
Captain, drawing the advance money, the re-
cruitS went into the forecaStle and there beat
colored watchman severely, because he ac
cuSed them of stealing his knife; that the
black escaped from them to the deck and
made for the cabin to obtain succor from MS
commanding officer, Capt Thomas. The Cap ain
came on deck and the row recommended, the
negro being again violently beaten. The Cap
tain endeavored to quell the disturbance and
was ordered by Drummond to stand back and
let them have fair play. The rioters did not
deSist until the man Sweeny begged them
| for his sake to wait awhile" After some lit
tie time Sweeny bade them goodbye called to
Smith to come off, and went into the small
boat and took his seat in the stern, ordering
Smith to hoist the jib and push off that Drum
mond said you are not going to leave without
shaking hands," and jumped into the small
boat. followed by McKan and Murphy; that
the Captain grasped the iron jibStay to prevent
the boat leaving, and that Murphy went to the
bow of the boat to shove her off, and took his
sheath knife to cut the jibStay; that the Cap
tain snapped an empty pistol three times at
them and then called for his gun and shot
Murphy, then shot Sweeny in the right arm,
and then fired several shots with revolver at
the boat; that none of the party hai firearms;
that when the Captain fired the gun was held
over the side of the vessel, Murphy being
about five feet below the Captain. The evi-
dence of these three Witnesses was very con
Trajectory as regarded each others testimony,
and several facts were brought out durir the
cross examination which were Damaging to
their different statements.
DR. John A. johnson, who was placed on the
stand by the prosecution, testified that he
made an examination of Murphy's body at the
Inquest in Beaufort the day after the shooting,
and found that the wound had been made by
blrdShot at close range, and that there was
but slight decline in the course of the shot;
that in his opinion the parties must have been
nearly on a level; that the clothes Of the de-
ceased were scorched, and that the wound was
about two inches in diameter on the left breast.
Here the State rested, and the defense placed
upon the stand in the order named the follow
ing witnesses: NJ. Mehan, Deputy Sheriff, Beau
fort; Simon Wethers, colored; John Murray,
pilot; Henry May, Deputy Sheriff. Charleston;
VIM. Wilson, Sheriff. Beaufort; Richard Jen-
kins, colOred, and Captain Thomas and First
Officer Richards, the prisoners at the bar
In brief, the witnesses for the defense testi-
fed, in substance, that SweeDy was desperate
character; that he had been engaged for some
time in the business of enticipg sailors away
from ships after they had been articled, and
after he had drawn their advance money 30
liquidate the real or imaginary claims he held
against them; that Murphy was also an unTuiy
ruft1an, and had long been with Sweenv and
others in the nefarious business they were
gagged in, and was merely a runner for
sailor boarding house, that McKaiI
was what is known among seafaring men
as nautical tramp who travelled from
port to port beating or assisting TO ''beat"
ShipmaSterS, and that Drummond was formerly
a stevedore, but had left that honorable occu-
n ia flVy Vr1nr 1Tnp
tive one of jumping advances;" that the
three parties had signed themselves, or had
had signed for them, assumed names upon the
shipping papers; that Murphy always carried
upon his person sheath knife of ample pro
portions; that when the party arrived at Beau
fort they offered to pay Simon Wethers not less
than eight dollars each to be taken to the ship
and brought back; that Wethers refused be-
cause he was afraid trouble would come of
such an undertaking; that they then hired
James Smith to perform that duty for ten dol
lars each; that they were very drunk, or ap-
parently so, when they left Beaufort for the
barkentine; that they boarded the Sunbeam
with no baggage except bed of straw each.
with the exception of the fourth man, a colored
man named Hull who carried his exit" and
went on the voyage with the Sunbeam; that
no sooner were they aboard than they picked
a quarrel with a colored man, who was an old
hand on the ship, end beat him severely in the
forecastle: that the colored man escaped from
them and fled to the cabin; that the Captain
and the mate came up to quell the outbreak,
and were violently threatened by Murphy
aud Drummond, the former of whom struck
down and booted the negro brutally about the
face and head; that it was impossible to re-
strain the rioters in their violence until Sweeny
bade them wait: that shortly everything quiet
ed, and the crew retired to their quarters,
leaving the deck bloody in many places from
the fracas which had taken place, ana the in
iured man suffering from his bruises; that
Sweeny returned to the cabin and concluded
the money arrangements he was making with
the Captain. after which he went into the fore
castle and had long. confidential converse
ton with the three white sailors who had come
aboard with him; that he then came forth,
bade them goodbye. ordered Smith to get
aboard the small boat, and walked aft to the
same; that after he was in the boat Drummond
and the others came aft and started to get into
the boat, ito shake hands, that Captain
Thomas ordered them to their quarters; that
they persisted in their design and sprang
aboard; that Smith and Sweeny had drawn the
boat along the side Of the vessel much nearer
to the bow than it lay when the painter was
first cast off; that an ordinary man standing
erect in the small boat would have had his head
and shnuldars above the rail of the Snnhaam.