Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-04-11
Cruelty to the Seamen Of the Ship
0Gafherer

| treated them with the most hendish cru
city during the entire voyage Captain
Sparks and Curtis have been arrested.
Watts escaped and has sailed for Liver
pool.
The statements of the crew are as fol-
| lows: Before the "Gatherer" had left
the harbor of Antwerp, the cruelty was
commenced. Peter Anderson, a sailor,
was given a severe beating by the first
mate. Turner, another sailor, was
pitched by Curtis, the second mate, head
foremost from the forecastle head, down
into the forecastle. On September 10Th,
John Hansen, a Belgian sailor, who was
unable to understand all the orders given
him, was beaten by the second mate,
| Curtis, In brutal manner; one of his eyes
was nearly gouged out. Five days later
German sailor named VIM. Olsner was
dashed to the rail, while Watts disfgured
his face with brass knuckles, fracturing
his nose. Charley. Danish boy, was
rendered entirely deaf in one ear by a
blow from the mate. On the 1st of Octo-
Der Watts lashed a heavy capstan bar to
the back of Olsner and made him walk
up and down the deck, kicking him as
he passed in review. Not content with
that, Watts called up a sailor named
McCue, another named Peter Anderson,
and boy named George, and together
with Olsner, subjected them to treatment
of the most revolving nature. The day
following Watts caused McCue and the
boy George to be partially stripped, and
after fastening straps to their waists
caused one to drag the other along the
deck, the mate meanwhile sitting oil the
one being dragged. The boy George,
who was only 1S years of age, shortly
after fell into the sea from the mizzen-
topsail. Jack de BRAND, French sailor,
was struck with a Delaying pin by
the mate, the blow breaking
his nose and injuring his ear.
The steward of the ship was also struck
over the head and put in confinement,
and left without food for five days. He is
now in the county jail of Los Angeles, a
raving lunatic. On November 18th,
McCue was partially stripped and fas-
tened by strap to his waist and raised
to the miZzen stay, where he hung
with his face downward until he
was black in the face from the rush of
blood to his head Olof Henry and Will
liam Osner were also treated with bru-
tality during the entire voyage, the for
mer receiving blow on his head with
a Delaying pin, which has rendered him
partially demented. Gustav Adlung, who
is eighteen years old, states that on the
second day out Curtis, the second mate,
told him to put canvas around the haw.
| sers, and as the work did not suit the
mate, he struck the boy in the eve,
knocking him down and giving him a
black eye. The Captain witnessed many
of the acts, but took no part to prevent
the OutTages; on the contrary he assisted
in some of them. On October 9th
Adlung accidentally spilled some tar
water on the railing, which was
painted white. but he did not no.
tice at the time that he had done so.
For this Watts knocked him down
against the bulwarks. While in that
position and unable to help himself,
Watts kicked him in the eyes and on the
face, and also beat him with his fist.
The Captain saw the act, but instead of
interfering. turned around and laughed.
The mate finally ordered AdIung below
to his bunk. He asked the Captain for
medicine, when the latter replied: go
to-and go to work" The next morn.
ing, while lying in his bunk, unable to
see the least thing. with his left eve
swollen in such manner as to form a
huge ball. the second mate, Curtis, came
down and struck him in the back of the
neck, saying: "Get out and go on your
watch" He states that his eyes felt like
burning balls of fire, and the pain of the
blow was terrible. Adlung was four
weeks in bed. during which time the
third mate, Driscoll, pOulticed the bows
eve and relieved his sufferings
as best he could. After four
weeks, when still unable to see
anything, he was ordered on deck. At
night, the mates would order him alOft,
out of pure deviltry, and he heard them
say: 81 hope the - will fall down and
kill himself" Tommy ING Stang, a
Chinaman, who was steward on the yes
sci, was sick one day and told the Cap
tain he could not work. The Captain
then took him by the hair and dragged
him out of his bunk and beat him with
knOtted rOpes, after which he stamped
on him and left him lying senseless. He
was taken to another place to lay, the
Captain refusing to allow him to be
placed back in his bunk The Chinaman
kept his bed for the rest of the voyage,
and was often heard to CRY. While
lying off Wilmington the Chinaman
was found lying in the hold on
the iron rails, his head being crush
ed and bleeding and the iron wet with
| blood. It was not known how he came
to be in the hold When he recovered
consciousness he was crazy, and he is
now at Los Angeles, insane. William
| Olsner complained that he did not get
anything to eat, when the first mate tied
him against the rail and stuffed his mouth
with bareback and rammed it down
with a belaying-pin. The Captain and
the second mate witnessed the cruel act
but seemed to think it good joke and
laughed at it. One time Charlie. the
DANISH boy, was at the wheel, when the
Captain hit him on the side of the head
with belayingpin; he could not hear
well after that, and there was discharge
used belaying-pin in striking, while
Curtis used rope, knotted and soaked
in tar.
When the ship arrived at Wilmington,
Adlung was not allowed to go ashore
The men, upon arriving in port, refused
to work and demanded their discharge,
which was due there, when the Captain
refused to give them anything to eat, so
they were compelled to work. Oculists
have pronounced Adlung's eyes incur
able, and say that he will become per-
manently blind. The third mate, John
| DriscOll, substantiated the statements
made by the sailors. The man Hansen,
he said, committed suicide because of
the cruelty to which he was subjected.
Hansen showed him the condition of his
body, which was mutilated in a shock
ing manner. There were cuts large
enough to lay finger in, and at some
places the flesh was in shreds. Hansen
begged Driscoll to protect him from
the mates, but Driscoll was unable to
help him, and one evening Hansen de-
liberately jumped overheard.
The boy Rasmussen was ordered to
paint the bulwarks. He had neglected
to paint small spot, when the first
mate, Watts, struck him terrible blow
on the left ear, which caused the blood
TO oOze from that organ and also frac-
| tured bone in the head, a piece about
two inches in length having been ex-
tracted from it. Watts also beat him
with his fists in the face till the eyes
swelled in such manner as to render
him totally blind. While on the poop
| deck some time after, the eyes having
become inf1amed and discolored, Watts
tried to lance them with nail.
The second mate, Curtis, when
arrested, acknowledged that there was
cruelty on board, but puts the blame on
Watts, declaring himself to be innocent
in the matter: his bail was fixed at
N1n 000 Nopto;o CrarIc xuoc odro;ttoJ