The morning call., 1890-11-10
JOHN AND WINTHROP.
A Whaling Bark That Brought
Disaffected Crew.
Story Told by Patient in the Marine Hospi
tal-The Captain Gives His Account OF
the Trip-To 60 Into Court.

Since the arrival Of the whaling bark John
and Winthrop in p rt number OF charges
OF cruelty have been made against the cap :
| tain, John A. Cook, by the seamen. The
truth OF the matter will probably be devel-
0ped before the United States Commission er
This morning. before whom the captain will l
appear to answer to a charge made by Joe
King, who shipped on the bark as a boat
steerer and returned as an ordinary seaman.
A reporter OF THE CALL Intercepted one
of the crew of the bark at the Marine Hos
pital yesterday afternoon. The ticket at
the head of the patients cot read as follows:
mo. 37-Charles Black; age, So: native of
California; compound fracture both bones
of right leg; admitted November 9Th"
Blacks story was to the effect that he
had shipped on the John and Winthrop as
blacksmith and seaman. leaving this port on
December 18th last. On the afternoon of
August 4th he was one of crew of boat
in charge of the second mate that lowered
after whale. He was surprised at being
ordered to co. as it is not customary to send
the blacksmith when there are plenty of
seamen for duty. He also wondered at only
one boat being lowered. when the custom is
to send at least two.
CAPSIZED THE BOAT.
When the whale was struck it stove in
and capsized the boat. The mate and him
self chung to the wreck and the rest of the
crew, numbering five, were in the water.
The captain lowered boat and went after
the whale, failing to strike it. The whale
attacked the wrecked boat and broke my
right leg with its tail. The captains boat
came back and picked US all up, except
Charles Collins, whose breast was injured
and who sank. Another boat was lowered
and the whale was captured.
Black said that the captain had treated
him well during the voyage He corrobor-
ated the articles published against the cap
tain charging him with bad temper and
cruelty, and without being directly respon-
sible for the death by drowning of the sail
or, Charles Collins, in failing to rescue him
Instead Of continuing the pursuit of the
whale which wrecked the second mates
boat The cruelty alleged consisted of
tricing up seaman named Walter and be-
laboring some of the crew with handspike.
THE CAPTAINS STORY.
Captain Cook was also seen yesterday
and questioned about the charges made
against him BY his crew. His account was
as follows: ION the night Of April 7th my
ship was on fire. We put out the fire and
| then l crawled below and found five pound
| meat tin filed with tar-oil and wrapped in
tarred rope. We were then in the Japan
| Sea. The next morning L ordered all
hands on deck and made an investigation
into the incendiarsm. Suspicion fell upon
| four men, two of whom, William Richie
| and Lewis Ii. Kilbourn, convicted them
| selves by confeSsing their crime during the
| day. l then discovered plot to scuttle,
| burn or take possession of the ship, and it
| did not take me many minutes to impress
| my crew with the fact that had taken the
| bark out of port and intended to take her
| back. put Richie and Kilbourn in irons,
| but it was not long before they were again
| on duty after promising good behavior. l
| gave them no chance to fraternze with the
| crew during the remainder of the voyage
| According to their testimony James Metre
| gor was the ringleader, but | could not
| prove the charge.
| DESPERATE CHARACTERS.
| ''My crew was made up of desperate char
| acterS, who regarded my kindness toward
| them as an acknowledgements Of my inabil-
| ity to command them They drove me TO
| the wall, and then became aware that they
| had captain who could and did conquer
| them.
Il have read the charges against me in
the articles published, and deny every one
| OF them most emphatically. Ii there was
| any truth in the absurd statements made by
| the mutin0uS Seamen [ could not have
| shipped all my crew aft within forty-eight
| hours after my arrival in port. Every one
| of that new crew have sailed before under
| me.
THE complaint upon which l have been
| arrested was made by Joe King, who shipped
as boat-steerer. He was quarrelsone. in
| competent and l caught him numerically
| beating a boy. On account of his ill-temper
| had him put in irons for twenty-four hours
| and took away his position as Doat-steerer.
Stewart. the boy who told the yarn about
| me, has gone East. He had run away from
| home, and his mother sent him money to
| take him back to her.
Il will give any Of my crew chance to
| make their statements against me when my
| trial comes on before the Commissioner, and
| feel perfectly confident that | can make
them all perjurers before the trial termi-
mates"