Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-19
TOElNG THE SEAM.
Sailors Complaining Of Their Treatment
by Officers of the Enterprise.

At the McCalia court Of inquiry yesterday
several seamen who had made complaints
against the officers of the Enterprise were ex-
ahmed Jeremiah Shay's complaint related
chiefly to an occurrence at Cronstadt, Russia
number of the crew had left the ship for tar
get practice. Shay did not reach the ship on
bis return until an hour or more after the first
division had gone on board. When he came
on board he was accused by Lieut. Ingersoll of
being drunk and was ordered to stand on the
quarter deck and toe the seam until O'Clock
the next morning. Shay had worked hard
during the day and had become SO tired, he
said. that he could not obey the order.
He was caught by Lieut.. Mulligan leaning
against one OF the port guns. Mulligan, the
witness said got rope and triced him up in
the port gangway. He was not released until
shortly before O'Clock. He was then ordered
and go at work about the deck When Lieut..
lngersoH came on deck he was ordered to be
confined IN irons and was kept marching up
and down the deck for seven or eight hours.
ne was alloweda quarter of an hour for meals.
he was compelled to eat his meals with his
irons on. He was kept on the quarterback
each night from till O'Clock for a week. He
wasn't allowed the use of his hammock for a
week.
The story was confirmed by Coal HEAVIER
IL
KEPT STANDING ALL NIGHT.
j. W. Bittner, frst-class fireman, also told
about the Cronstadt incident When he re-
turned to the ship Lieut.. Ingersoll swore at
him and ordered him to stand on the seam all
night. When he was at work, after having an
hours sleep the next morning Lieut.. Inger-
soil came out and called him to the mast. In
gersoll charged him and Keve with having been
lnsolent while on the seam during the night.
They were ironed together and kept marching
two by two They slept under the forecastie
ironed together and were not allowed their
hammocks.
Lent Mulligan had strung him up by the
Jacobs ladder. He took couple of half
bitches around his wrists and hauled him up
over the upper rungs of the ladder. Mulligan
had once struck n man twice in the face when
he had pulled him up by the ropes half way
from the deck After these occurrences Com
mander McCalla had given the men permission
to write to Washington for their discharge, and
they had done SO.
MULLIGAN's MEMORY.
To these charges Lieut. Mulligan said that he
hadn't the slightest recollection of securing
either witness or Murphy. He did once. he
said, trice man up to the Jacobs ladder by
the order of the executive officer.
Michael keve testified to having been struck
IN the lace by Lieut.. lngersoll when called 20
the mast on the morning of the Cronstadt oc-
currence. He testified also to Lieut. Mulligan's
having tied bayOnet i'll his mouth and kept It
there for two hours. He had the orderly hold
his hands behind him while he did it.
A. &. NeilPs experience at Cronstadt was
much the same as that of the compliments who
had proceeded him. He stood toeing a seam
until his legs would not hold him up any
longer. He said:
when the ship was sailing from Elsinore
TO Lelth the boatswain's mate reported me to
the executive officer and was taken to the
mast. Then MIR. Ingersoll said to me, What
you want is to have your brains knocked out
He pulled Delaying pin from the starboard
rail and held 1t over my head l didn't move
so he put the pin back and struck me with his
fist. was put in the brig for five days on
bread and water and Mr. InSersoll never looked
into my case to see who was right and who Was
wrong. l told Mr.. Ingersoll ut the time that |
didn't shirk my duty, but WAS so thoroughly
dlsheartened with the ship that didn't care
how acted. For several months 1 had kept
the routine Of the ship and was as good a man
as any on the ship"
On cross-examination Neill said that Inger-
soils blow was hard enough to throw him
down on the ropes between the mainmast and
the rail.
IRoNED TO MAN on EACH SIDE.
J. NJ. Hughes, bayman on board the Enter
prise, told his complaint next. He said:
AFTER walking the biggest part of the day
ON the quarter deck when / came aboard at
Cronstadt was brought 10 the forecastle and
lroned to man on either side. We were kept
on our feet twenty hours out of the twenty
four and dldn have our hammocks for week
In the day time we got any job that would keep
us on our feet