The Republican journal., 1882-06-29
The Murder of Captain Dwight

The New lork Tribune gives the annexed
details OF the murder of Capt James 5. Dwight.
of the ship Freeman Clark. of Boston, by the
Cinnamon belonging to his crew. on Saturday.
the 9th ult.. while on the voyage FROM Bombay
to New York.
ION Friday night, before going to bed, Cap
tain Dwight complained that he did not feel
right. He was not at all sick and had no def
mite cause of complaint. Nevertheless he seem
ed to be unaccountably depressed in spirits.
When he left the deck for his cabin he called
the second officer, James NJ. Lowry, and shook
hands with him. The incident was viNidlv re-
called by Mr.. Lowry after the mutiny had oc-
CURED. 1t was about 1l.30 z. NJ. on Friday
that the captain went 10 bed. Second officer
| Lowry went off duty at midnight and at 4
o'clock on saturday morning his watch was re-
>umed. shortly after Capt. Dwight had gone
to his cabin he called ont Of the aft cabin Win
dow to Mr. Lowry to take out dog which had
been chained 10 the cabin table, for a little cX
crciSe Mr.. Lowry thinks that the mutineers
originally intended to carry out their plans at
midnight, when there WAS little chance of in
reference, but We're prevented from doing so
by this trivial occurrence. The dog put
back into the cabin by Lowry about A. NJ. The
second officer took a cup Of coffee from the
steward. and then went forward about 51j.
1t about this time. it is supposed, that
the steward and the cook armed each with Il
Ratchet and an ordinary butcher knife, went in
to the captains room and hacked and stabbed
the unfortunate commander to death. The muir
der completed, the two villains went through
the cabin to First Officer Williams room, for
ward. Mr.. Williams was sleeping, but he was
aroused by cut over the head from one of the
as>ailantS. Just as the cook raised his hatchet
10 intlict another blow, Il seaman named Fran
cc>co, who had been attracted to the room by
the mates cry of Murder! grappled with the
assassin. The four men. struggling together.
got out on the forward deck. In the meantime
Second Officer Lowry had heard Mr. Williams
calls and saw the struggling men. He ran for
help 10 the captains room, and found his com
mander crOuchcd on his knees by his bunk,
bleeding profu>ely and moaning.
The captains murderedn cried Mr.. Lowry
to the man at the wheel, and he then dashed
back to the forward deck. His appearance at
tracted the attention of the cook, who ran to-
ward Lowry crying, i will kill you, you -
" - Lowry fled into the captains room
ana secured the captains sword. Running
| around TO the forward deck he found the stew
ard and the first officer cinched. Lowry cut
the steward twice over the shoulder with his
sword and the mItlneer released his hold of
Mr.. Williams. y seaman named Andrew John
son. who had reached the spot followed the
cuts with blow on the stewards head with Il
| capstan bar Charles johnson, the ships car
penter. who had been on deck only few min
| utes. seized an iron pump handle and felled the
steward. The latter died in about fifteen min
| utes.
| Meanwhile Francesca, who had first come to
| Mr.. Williams assistance. on seeing the cook run
after Lowry, ran to the carpenters shop and
| secured an axe. The cook finding that his in
| tended victim had eluded him rushed toward
| Francesca. The latter was chased to the aft
deck, where he turned on his pursuer, and both
men struck at each other with their weapons at
| the same time. Francesca received cut on the
! head, and he gashed the cooks face severely.
The mutineer then fled forward and was hit
with a claWhammer by another sailor. The
murderer fell and almost instantly died.
First Officer Williams wound received in the
affray was not very severe. Capt. Dwight was
! born in Springfield, Mass. He forty-sX
years old. He was unmarried. He had been Il
captain for about twenty years, for the last six
years commanding the Freeman Clark. The
provocation for his murder is believed to have
been his order forbddng the Cinnamon to
smoke opium, as it made them stupid The day
before the murder he had their room searched
and the opium found in it thrown overboard.''