Morning journal and courier., 1886-01-02
4 WILD AND DREADFUL STORY.
The OutraSes of Chinese Troops on
 Board an English Vessel.


 From the St. James Gazette
 A mutiny and some terrible scenes oc- cured some weeks ago on a ship belonging to the British mercantile marine, which has been doing duty as Chinese transport in the Chinese seas.
 The story is contained in a long letter to Dublin gentleman from the chief steward on the vessel on which the mutiny occurred; but as every effort has been made by the au thorities in China to prevent the affair from becoming known, he desires his name and that of the ship not te be given. He, how ever, is a highly respectable man, and the truth of the remarkable story he tells cannot be doubted. His steamer was chartered by the Chinese for ten thousand dollars to take to Hankow from Annoy, six hundred miles, twenty five hundred Black Flag troops who had been disbanded from the Tonquin war On their march to Annoy they had commit ted fearful murders and atrocities, and the government were very anxious to get them from Annoy where they were a terror. At the authorization about one thousand were disarmed, but they crowded on board too fast, and the work of disarming had to be abandoned. Many of them were drunk and carried liquor with them and were fit for any mischief.
 The ship was crowded to excess, the bridge, poop, forecastle, between decks and lower holds being packed. After getting under way with great difficulty the Black Flags commenced gambling, having plenty of mon ey about them and were all night quarrel ling, fighting and murdering each other. Numbers were thrown overheard alive or dead. Some were stabbed, others were strangled and not one of the ships crew dared interfere. The writer himself saw three murdered men pitched overheard dur ing the night. When morning came dozens of dead bodies were thrown overboard some of them having been smothered, squeezed to death or having died from want of water. A party of the Black Flags seized the water on board and guarded it, refusing any to the crew. A fearful crush followed on the other Black Flags trying to get at the water. The heat was fearful and many died from thirst The Black Flags destroyed all the food threw the rice overheard with the cooking apparatus and threatened to kill the cooks They began to drink sea water.
 The sailors, who were fearfully parched, crawled down to the engine room and got condensed water and drank it, though it was quite hot. Things became still more seri- ous and the Black Flags threatened to kill the crew, drawing knives across their own throats to convey to the sailors their mean ing. They succeeded in getting hold of the captain by the beard and held knife to h1s throat. Eventually the vessel was put back to Annoy, where a British ship an chored The commander of the latter pre- pared to sweep the vessels decks with his Gatlings and eventually boarded her. The mutins CTS were then standing on deck with black flags hoisted on spears. Two Chinese gunboats subsequently, arrived and took off the Black Flags, those refusing to leave be- ing thrown overheard and left to get to land as they could. Six of the mutineers were at once beheaded and one hundred bastinadoed. Five dead mutineers were afterward found in the lower hold, having been crushed to death.