Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-01-29
AN INHUMAN CAPTAIN.
Charges of Brutality Made by the Crew
of a Bath Vessel-The Men Starved and
Beaten and Made to stand on their
Heads for the Amusement OF the
Captain.
From the New York Herald.

warrant Tor the arrest or capt. ID. w.
| Barker, of the large schooner Ada Bailey,
which arrived last Saturday, ninety days out
from Rosario, Brazil, is in the hands of
! Deputy United States Marshal Holmes. The
captain cannot be found. The warrant was
issued last Saturday by Commissioner Shields
on the complsint of eight men of the crew,
who charged the captain with syste matte and
inhuman cruelty throughout the voyage. The
men said they had been beaten and starved
within an inch of their lives, and their sp-
pearances seemed TO confirm their words.
The crew consisted of NJ. S. Hanson,
mate; Alvin Small, cook and steward; Thos.
Ferguson, second mate II. Peterson, Charles
Buhring, Carl Johansen, Thomas johnson,
Thomas Tuite, Johan Williamson and j. T.
Pund, seamen. OF these the first mate and
cook did not join in making the complaint.
though the former was the principal victim
of the captains temper, according to the
story told by others. All the complainants
were found at H. Smiths seaman's boarding
house, No. so Market street, yesterday.
They were nearly all sick or crippled. One
of them, breathing skeleton, named Thos
Tuite. told the story of the voyage, while the
others listened with approving mods and in
terjections.
THE Bailey he said, sis large schoon-
Me-, and Captain Barker owns an interest in
her. Whan we shipped on her at Rosario he
told US he would give us full and plenty to
eat. We sailed on October 18th, laden with
hides and wool. As long as the pilot was on
board we got plenty to eat, but as soon as he
left the captain began to starve US. We had
an abundance of pork flour, bread, coffee,
sugar and molasses on board. but he gave us
only two slices of bread and half a pint of
coffee for breakfast the same with one or
two half raw potatoes for dinner, and bread
and coffee for supper. About once a week
he gave us bit OF pork. After we had been
a month out he reduced the rations TO two
buscuits and half pint of water barely col
ored with coffee and without sweetening."
Didn't you make demand for more?"
THE men from the mate down were afraid
of the captain. He was full of liquor all the
time, and if any man dared % complain he
was picked out for brutal treatment He
called every man by a vile nickname. The
lash was laid on at every chance and the
mates eyes were kept blacked by the awful
beatings he got One day felt would die if
didn't get something to eat, and | stole a
small piece of bread from the galley.
was caught and Captain Barker hit me sew
eral times in the nose and said that before he
was dCHe he would leave nothing in my rags
but bones. He tried to carry out the threat
He starved me until | was too weak to get
out of my bunk. For four days he did not
let me have bite to eat. 1SThen he said he
would doctor me. He gave me tin of
water with some -four in it. He said this was
good remedy for lazy men. Then he made
me swallow two doses of salts and | thought
should die. How managed to live don't
know. guess l shall get strong again, but
you see | am only bundle of bones now
Johan Williamson said Captain Barker
told me one day that if | didn't get enough to
eat to let him know. was almost starving
and told him like fool. He made me GO
without food for three days and then kept me
on half pound of bread as nv three meals
a day He made me stand on my head on
the poop every time he wanted to laugh, and
sometimes he made me carry two capstan
bars and march up and down the deck play
ing soldier for him. One day he kept me at
hard work for twelve hours without food and
without rest At last he got tired of the
sport and told the second mate to throw nv
overcoat into the sea. The mate did not
want to do it, and the captain whipped him
and forced him to do it. At last the captain
let me have a rest, and | got the same to eat
as the others"
Carl Johansen said that when the schooner
was passing Cape Hatteras, 2l days ago,
fearful hurricane struck her. Sails were
split and carried away and the vessel was
carried back to the Gulf Stream. 1t was in
tensely cold. Throughout this storm he was
kept at work, a though he was weak from
starvation. Finally his feet were frozen, and
he has not been able to walk since. He was
lying on a bench at the boarding house when
seen by the reporter.
After the vessel landed at Martins stores.
Brooklyn, the captain told the mate to re-
main aboard but at night, the sailors say,
he blackened the mates eyes, disabled his
right arm with a blow and forced him to
leave the vessel half clad. The captain has
not been on the schooner since the warrant
was sworn out, but as he is an owner it is
thought he will return. The men will be
paid off by the shipping commissioner. They
have over $1,000 coming to them.