Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-10-04
IS IT RIGHT?

Captain Dudley, two of lis men and a
cabin boy were cast away, their yacht the
Mignoneue, being lost They were in an
open boat al sea foc weeks, and submitted
to agonies Of starvation incapable of de-
scription. Let us take up his own story:
oar situation was a terrible one and it seems
now miracle how the dingy kept atoat i'll such
q sea On the fourth day we succeeded in catch
ing iair-Sized turtle We drank his blood out
OF the chrOnometcr box, and afterwards clit up
the whole of the flesh into strips and hung il
round the boat. So overioyed were we at this
find that we ate our second tin of turnip. bay
AFTER day passed and on the eleventh day we
had finished the turtle, and had nothing ieft,cX-
cept the two fins, but We ate every portion. even
the bones. The fat of the turtle proved very
nutritious. and We got water a few times when
there were showers, catching the rain
in our oilskins, though sometimes, when
we had Il Little drop sea broke into
aud spoiled it so that We had to throw L away.
We went on from the fifteenth TO the twentieth
day without any food ut all drink, and by
that time we had begun 90 look each other i'll
the face very black. The boy, who had drank
some sea water At night had said, We shall all
die and ! remarked, We Will have to draw
lots, boys This was ignored by them, and
they said, We had better die together" TO
which | replied. so let Il be but it is hard for
louT 20 die when perhaps one might save the
rest day or two before suggested that we
should try and make some Kind OF sail which
we did with our shirts rugged on an oar fo: a
mast and strand OF the painter for shrouds
aud stays. Things now looked AZ bad rs they
could. Oh either the nineteenth or twentieth
day the hoywaS lying in the bottom of the boat.
where nc had been for two days gasping for
breath and nearly dead. At about 3 a clock in
the morning | said 10 the mate What Is TO be
done? believe that boy Is dying. You have a
wife and five children and | have Il =, lie and
three children" ! said that human flesh had
been eaten before. Stevens replied . See what
daylight brings forth" Brooks took his watch
at o'clock. and We made motions 10 esch other
Brooks said he could not do IT, and Stevens said
he could not 10 it, ! told Brooks TO 90 forward
! which he did. then took hold of the sllrouds
ana had !. last look round 10 see II anything was
| IN sight bat there was nothing. offered up
prayer D,oSt icrycntly that God above might for
give Us for such an act. and then kjlcit down
iiy the boy and said. e Now, Dick, nay boy yuur
tine has come He murmurcd, Whit, me,
Sir!' put the penkEi.e in his threat, and he
was dead instantly.
The men lived upon the flesh of the lad
half a week longer, when they were picked
up and taken to their own country. Eng
land Dudley, who is devoat man. of
high character. s;raightway went forward
and told the whole story, concaaling moth
ing and when it was written down, he
was sworn 10 its truth, and signed the all
davit. Now the Falmouth authorities, on
this mans own statement, have arrested
him and he IS charged with murder
It is cruelty. These men might easily
have concealed the facts, and no earthly
power could have discovered them. II any
Others in like plight and acting in like
manner have ever been held 10 answer, we
have failed to find record OF the cases.
Now, no one viii attempt TO justify canni-
bal;sm before the law, nor yet any murder.
But we may widely differ as 10 the con-
stituents of unlawful homicide, knowing
that justifiable killing is no murder.
We are not disposed, however. TO
now consider at any length whether
Dudley act was iustihablc whether it is
ever right to do wrong; at what point
moral obligation ceases to claim its own, if
at all.
Nor are we prepared to question the