The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1888-09-11
was only after q great effort that Il

was only after Q great effort that bs
said:
~ will have you triced up ami
logged to deathl Steward, put on the
lrOnslD
But the steward dared come no
nearer. The captain then ordered the
crew to seize me, but not a man
moved. The second mate was then
ordered forward, but he had the SENSE
to keep his foot out oft, and she 10.
piled:
'.If Castle has the law, let's hear It.
I've sailed twenty years without know.
Ing the rights of a sailor. and i want
no trouble In the courts.''
I saw captain and first mate look lat
each other, and prepared myself for a
rush. They were determined to do for
me, and as the captain handed his pis.
tol to the steward called out:
Men. you are my witnesses that 1
have not refused to do duty or obey
necessary orders. No captain has au.
thority to trice q. man up, and he can
be put In irons only for disobsdIence OF
legitimate orders. II they lay hands
on me, it is at their peril.n
They came with rush, but boil,
were knocked Off their feet inside OF
ten seconds. The mate was satisfied
with that, but the captain came at me
again, ana this time gave him. all he
wanted. Not o man raised hand or
voice, and gave the brute such a
drubblng that he did not get out OF the
cabin for five days. Then it was to
signal an English man-of-war. We
were boarded by an officer. / was given
IN charge as q mutineer, and four
months later was put on trial In Liver
pool. | not only received full ac-
quittal at the hands Of the Jury, but
was compllmented on all sides, and
captain and Anate were both suspended
from duty for a term. The affair
raised a great talk, as may be supposed,
and 1t was a seed which could have
been we'll planted. A few sailors did
profit by 1t to assert their manhood for
time, but after little things went
backward and became worse than ever.
To-day, despite the romance Of poets
and novelists, the average salt water
sailor is cringing coward. The law
gives him every right, but he dares not
stand up to single one. He has less
personal independence than a state pri-
son convict.
My second voyage, which had, TO be
made under another name, as all cap
4fom EiVsFp5 Is san faaS}sso 81 SfSS ssS
bark Enbhantress. just why captain
aud mates let me alone I never knew,
for others who did their duty as wsll
were grossly abused; but I was not
even threatened during the voyage
Before we had been week out tia
mate broke a mans nose with a belay-
Ing pin. Next day he cut open man d
scalp In terrible manner. On tile
third day the captain knocked two
men down, breaking several teeth for
one of them. The second mate, day
or two later, kicked sailor in the side
and broke two Of his ribs. When we
arrived at San Francisco took thlr.
teen of the men, all Of whom had suf-
fered personal violence and three of
whom had to go to the hospital, and
went before tho English consul. lie
sent for the captain and nllles. heard
their statements, and then dismissed
US, with the threat of sending us to
prison II we made any further ado. I
went to the United States authorities.
secured the arrest Of the officers, and
the captain was fined $400, the first
mate $3.50 and the second $3.50. And
yet. on the return voyage which was
with a new crew--every man was
beaten like dog, and the ship went
into Liverpool with half the crew un..
able to pull q rope.
| made third voyage before the
mast before taking berth as first
mate. This was on the brig Good In
tent, bound from Plymouth to the
Canary Islands. We left port one man
short, simply to save money for the
owners. Our bread was full OF weevll
and worms, and the pork 30 tainted
that an open barrel Of 1t scented the
whole brig. We had not the boats re.
qulred by law, and we had no medl.
clnes aboard--not even dose Of salts.
Within week the two first officers got
so intoxicated that they could not take
an observation at noon, and for three
days our position was unknown to
them. The captain, while drunk. up
set q lamp and set the cabin on fire, and
his chief officer, while in the same con-
dition, fell overheard and narrowly es-
capped drowning. We forfeited our in.
snrance no less than three times, and the
last 300 miles Of our voyage we ran by
sights, which took myself and worked
out. There wasn't day without Ito
brutal treatmentof the men. two OF
whom were fred upon by the captain.
and yet whBn we finally made port not
q sailor could I get to join me in o
legal statefoent. The brig, cargo ana
all our lives were In constant menace,
every right was denied to us, and mon
were never more brutally used and yet
the captain and his mates were per.