Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-04-29
THE MUTINY ON THE THAYER

The story Of the bloody mutiny in mid
ocean on nourd The American ship Francis
n. Thayer has been mentionr" IN the GA
zETTE At midnigh: on Jan. ,, when the
| vessel was sixty-two days out from Manila,
two sailors fatally wounded both the mates,
stabbed the captain in three places aud left
him for dead, killed the carpenter and
heinsman and threw them overheard, and
after woundiDg several Of their shipmates
and driving them to the forecastle, securely
imprisoned them b: fastening tho doors on
the outside, and kept them confined for
nearly TWO days. Matthias Stahl, one of the
crew, reached New York last Friday. Stahl
is twen.y.onc ears Old and still bears traces
of the mutiunu:: fight His face is gsshed
across his mouth so that ne can hardly make
! himself understood, and his body is covered
with scars Of stab wounds The sailors sto-
| ry, told III his own words, is as follows:
II shipped aboard the Francis n. Thayer
| in Now York, for Shanghai, il the early
| part OF March, 1855. The captain was a
hard man OF IL, after we got to sea, and the
mates were no better We were half starry
c.i all the way out and when we arrived in
-
From Shanghai we went to Manila, and
took GU i cargo Of hemp for New York. We
filled out our crew in that port and among
the sailors were couple of Manilamen, or
coolies as we called 'em. We called from
Manila on Nov. l. The coolies couldn't
understand mucn English and the mates
| were always kicking and knocking 'em
about They were desperate looking coves,
| which, in my mind, is why they were put
| in different watches.
1T was five or six days aforc the butchery
| that the coule on the at&rboard watch was
giving hand bracing up the head yards.
The captain was standing BY and gave him
| the ropes end because he was not pulling
hard enough. The fellow did not say q
word. but he looked mighty wicked. When
we got below he drew his ,sheath-knte and
struck into his chest with a fearful oath.
| 'Caramba,' he exclaimed, waving his knife
about his head, IN the same way will I
put my knife through the captain went
| to the mate and told him to look cut for the
coolie aud ri! got for my pains was q slap
in tho face.
''The mutiny was started Just the time of
changing watches on Saturday midnight, so
that both mares were CD deck together for
a few minutvs.--tAe one watch turning
in rs the othc! turned out When l went
below both mates were sitting on the BOBBY
batch, passing orders for the night. | was
| hardly settled i:ci,ire the uate staggered in
like dead, covered with blood and holding
his inwards in both hands I'm stabbed, he
gasped, leaning against the bulkhead,' and
i every body ON tie ruop---is being butcher
ed Then he dropped forward on the
floor He was bleeding fearful, but before
we ha,l time tD look TO him one of the crew
rushed in with deep cash III his shoulder.
He had been on lookout on the topgallant
/ fo'cas ie when The lGate was struck down.
| He heard tile second Inate cry GU! for help
aud saw him stuck in the side by the second
Of the butchers de was making for the
fo'castlc when be was pounced upon him
| self. A sailor named Nelson and myself
made our way out on deck just as the vii.
lians were throwing the man at the wheel
overheard He had been cut and l reckon
was pretty we'll nigh dead One of the
fellows caught sight of me and came for me
screaming like wild man. Itwas SO dusky
l could not see whether he was white or
black, but / picked up n heavy pump
handle to defend myself. The man struck
Nelson down al my side and | gave him a
whack across the jaw that laid him out.
Come here, fellows sung out, I've got
one of 'em.' No one answered |
did not known what was going to happen
next and so l clutched my fingers in his
hair and began dragging him to the port
side. All the tins he was slashing at me
with q knifs in each hand. He made cash
in nv arm and gave me two slashes across
the face and we both went down together
As fell his shipmate came up alongside
and ran his knife in my back and they left
me for dead. The carpenter tried to drive
by 'em into his room but they gave him the
knife and dragged him towards the rail
screaming | tried to get up but could not
move. Then | was for singing out but l
could not keep my wind up because it went
out through the hole in my back. The man
was dropped over the rail while he begged
right before my eyes. Then the coolies went
aft to the cabin, and | managed to crawl TO
the fo'castle. The men had lashed the door
on the inside, but they got up heart enough
to open it and drag me in. Then they made
it fast again.
There were six we'll men in the cabin
and all of them had sheath.knives, but dur
ing tho night, with the mate dead among
'em and me breathin' through the hole in
nv back, they were in u great fright. At
daylight they began to get their courage W
and were thinkin' of turning out to kill the
coolies. when the black devils dragged out
the naintopmast staysail halliards and pass
ed it around the house, making both doors
fast. During the day the beasts brought 8
couple Of harpoons on deck aud began grind
ing 'em before our eyes. We were locked
up from midnight Saturday until about
O'Clock Monday morning, and all that time
had nothing to eat or drink.