Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-06-18
MUTINY AND MURDER.
A Terrible Struggle ON "A Swedish H. q
How thc Revolt was QueIIeds


Details from Brisbane furnish terrible
story of mutiny and murder on board the
Swedish brig Natal in the passage from
Boston to Brisbane. When the vessel
was in latitude thirty-eight south, longi-
\ tude sixty-seven east, Captain Estrom
carly in the morning was reused from
sleep by an ax-cut on the right jaw and
neck He turned around and saw the
carpenter aiming another blow at him,
which me partially stopped with his hand,
SO that the cut did not 90 so deep. The
weapon used by the carpenter was a long
handled carpenters AK. The captain
wardcd off this stroke too, and wrencheG
the ax from him. The carpenter then
drew knife and drove the blade into
the captains neck. The captain clutched
the blade with his right hand, and sue
cccdcd in wrenching the knife from the
man. The first mate, attracted by the
captains screaming, rushed into the
cabin, and the carpenter and steward ran
off, The captain and the mate followed
them but were met outside the door by two
sailors, Burton and Rafense the former
Of whom struck the captain several blows
on the head and body with handspikc
The captain, who had lost the knife he
bad taken from the carpenter, re-entered
the cabin and took down gun from the
wall, and the first mate, who was also
severely wounded, came with him into
the cabin All this time the blood had
been streaming from the captain wounds.
but he partially stanchcd them with
wadding Seeing that the situation
was desperate, the captain and.
mate provided themselves with
ammunition, and loaded the guns
and revolvers. The mutineers, seeing
that the officers were armed, rushed down.
INTO the hold through the matches. John
son. a sailor, who was the last, hcsitated
q little, and the captain called out: Go
aft, or I'll shoot yOu;n and in this way he
was forced TO go aft, where he was
promptly secured and tied The fore
scuttle and forepeak matches were fast
encd down. and when this was done
Johnson was united, and told to assist in
working the vessel, which he was willing
TO do At this time the second mate was
missed. He had been sitting on the port
side Of the deck, washing his clothes in
the moonlight. His cap was found lying
on a covering board, and on the top of it
broad cut was visible. 1t was then APP
parent that he had been murdered and
thrown overheard II seems, from the
evidence of the surviving mutincers, that
the murderer had crept behind him and
Glove in his head with an ax, and then
thrown the body into the water. John
son noticed the second mate, struggling
in the water, and heard an agonzed cry
for help, but nobody stirred hand or foot
to assist him. After numbering the sec
ond mate an attack was instantly made
on the captain and first mate, who were
supposed to be asleep in their berths.
While the carpenter was attacking the
captain with the AK, a sailor named Tur-
ton went into the first mates cabin and
shot him twice with revolver, in the
head. The first shot took effect under
the right eye, the second in the chin.
The mate sprang out of his berth, and,
after some struggling succeeded in wrest-
ING the revolver from him. The first cut
received by the captain was very severe
one, part of the cheek bone being cut
off; the second ON the right temple and
the other blows here and there
were not so deep On the right hand all
the fingers were cut, and the left was
nearly disabled from blows and scratches.
The knife-cut in the neck crosses the AK
cut behind the chin. and there were
scratches and blows all over the body.
A bullet had entered the mates head be-
tween the nose and the eye, and remained
embedded in the wound. The bullet
that struck him in the chin could be felt
beneath the chin. The bullet under the
chin was extracted.
The mutineers having been battened
down, much noise was heard in the hold
during the night Next day more noise
was heard from the forecastle, as though
the men were cutting their way through
with knives TIE captain began to fear
the worst, especially as there was pc
troleum cask accessible. AS far as he
knew, they had no other tools than their
knives, a revolver, and few bolts lying
IN the hold. As they had revolver in
their possession the captain and mate
dared not 80 too near the forecastle, but
once, rs they went forward. they were
asked by the carpenter through crack
In the forccastle, on behalf of the mutt
neers, ''if they could come up and work
The captain told them first 10 deliver up
their arms. To this no anSwer was made
Captain Estrom. on the third day, in fear
of their own safety. resolved To shoot the
ringleaders on the first opportunity. Ac-
cordmgly in the afternoon the captain
and mats went forward, armed
each with gun and revolver.
The matches were raised and the
mutineers were ordered to come on