The Portland daily press., 1886-06-05
HIGH HANDED PROCEEDINGS.
Rough Treatment of Mr.. Charles w.
Willard.

Much excitement prevails in the usually
quiet village of Willard in Cape Elizabeth,
over the arrival home of Mr.. Charles W.
Willard, son of Capt. Henry E. Willard af-
ter an unusually eyentful voyage.
On the 18th day of last March, Mr.. Will
lard shipped on board the schooner Laura
Belle, owned by Mr.. James I. Speaker of
New York and commanded by Capt. Arthur
G. Brewer of Southport. The crew consist
ed of sixteen men all told, and on the 10th
of March the vessel sailed on mackereling
trip south.
April 10th the schooner was lying to, to
fish, forty miles from Cape Henlopen. The
wind was blowing six or seven knots. The
weather was thick and the fog-horn was
kept blowing. at 5.30a. m, Captain Brew
er of the Laura Bell, saw approaching, head
ing northward, vessel, afterward ascer-
tanned to be the italian bark Alfredo,o of Gen
GA. The Laura Bells helm was put to star
board. The approaching bark struck the
schooner on the starboard quarter aft the
beam, raking her mainmast, tearing her
mainsail and foresail, cutting her running
rigging and staving in her bulwarks and
planking.
The schooner was on fishing grounds,
which she had reached after passage of 2S
days, and her crew were interested in the
catch, in lieu of wages. After the vessels
came together, eight of the crew of the
schooner, thinking she was going to sink,
jumped ON board the bark. After the YES
sells had separated, Capt. Brewer sent his
boat alongside the bark to take the crew
Int Of +ba horIr 81
lowed only six men to return, holding the
other two, Mr.. Chas. Willard of Willard, and
Mr.. Parker Young of Southport, as prison
ers, and the utmost entreaties on the part of
the two imprisoned men did not have the
slightest effect upon the italian skipper. By
reason of the injuries to the schooner and
loss of two men, who were absolutely essen
tial in throwing the seines, the vessel put
into Philadelphia.
The bark registered 1900 tons and carried
% men before the mast, and any attempt to
escape was out of the question, SO the two
imprisoned sailors contented themselves as
best they could. After a passage of nine
days the vessel arrived at Staten Island
where Parker tried to escape, but was de-
tected and locked up in the lazaret, where he
Before he and Willard were allowed to go on
shore they were required to sign document.
During their stay on board the bark, they
were compelled to sleep where the wind
whistled about their heads, and resulted in
Mr.. Wizards taking severe cold, settling
in his eyes, and he was at the New York
Eye and Ear Infrmary for the past two
weeks under treatment.
The captain not being satisfied with his
document prepared ON shipboard, took the
men on shore under threat of having them
both arrested, to the Italian Consul, and
made them sign another lengthy document
generating the bark from all blame in the
matter of collision. Messrs. Willard and
Parker, upon being released, at once en-
ployed Messrs. Goodrich, buddy & Goodrich
one of the best law firms in New York, who
at once commenced a suit for $4,000 damages
each, against Rosco Rossi, of the Alfredo,
alleging that Capt. Rossi imprisoned them to
compel them to make such a state
ment as to the collision of his
vessel withthe schooner as he saw fit
to dictate, and that they were compelled to
sign such statement before they were re-
released. An order of arrest was granted
by Judge Benedict, and Capt. Rossi was ar
rested in each action by United States
Deputy Marshal He gave bonds and was
released. Coupled with personal suits for
damages are suits for damages to the schoon-
er amounting one to $1,000 and another to
$500 for loss of trip by carrying away the
two men.