Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-02-27
An English Convict Ship Has Some
Remarkably Thrilling Exper.
fences on the Sea.
The Prisoners and V SSels, Crew Form
a Conspiracy and Capture the
Ship.
They Afterwards Turn Pirates and
are Soon Captured by Big
Man-Of- war.

! letters once a month, and visits now anu
then from friends. He is therefore quite
satisfed-as satisfied as one Who loses his
liberty cJn be.
In former years, before penal colonies
were abandoned. transportation meant
everything that was vicious and horrible.
A man would have done better to die be-
fore going aboard the ship which was to
convey him to Australia. and a great
many did commit suicide 1t meant IN
! every sense of the word that the man was
to be used as a dumb brute of the lowest
order. He was to be underfed, oVerwOrk
ed. kicked, cuffed. Aogged and driven to
some overt act for which he could be shot
! down. Hhe idea was to strike terror to the
| heart Of the criminal classes, but 1t acted
Just to the contrary. Although the courts
| inflicted the severest sentences, crime
steadily increased. | did not set out to
discuss the policy, however, but to tell
you an adventure.
| When fifty or more convlcts were ready
for Botany Bay the government would
| hire sailing vessel to transport them. /
| have seen them 90 by ffties, and | have
seen 2l5 on board of one ship. A trans
rort ship was fitted up between decks as a
prison, the space being divided off by
IRON gratings, and every twenty men were
! in charge of a Captan-One OF their own
number. The lot were in charge of Il
surgeon appointed by the government to
| 90 with the ship. In all matters affecting
! the convicts every man on the ship was
bound to obey the surgeon. The crew had
MUsKErs AND CUTLAssEs
dealt out to them, and a certain number
had to stand guard as the various gangs
were brought on deck to be exercised. If
the surgeon was a thorough man he got
his consignment through in good order.
! but if he was not, there was sure to be an
| outbreak of indignant type. which some
| times carried of half the lot. | knew one
ship to lose fOrty-seven conyicts out of
! sixty-fve aud with them eleven of the
| crew.
The ship Silver Queen, Capt. James, had
contracted to carry out l28 Botany Bay
convicts, and this wa my second year
aboard of her as an apprentice. day or
two before we left England | reached my
fifteenth year, AMI was pretty solid lad
for my age. As | remember the lot,
about fifty were sentenced for man
slaughter. the same number for robbery
and burglary, and the others weie made
up OF forgers, embeZzler5, IncPndlarIes
and so on.
There were two in the lot who had ecap-
ed fron the Bay, and finally found their
way back to be recaptured. Taken rs a
whole. the lot was said to be the very
worst eyer sent out and the ship carried an
extra officer and four extra hands. The
prison part took up one-half the space be-
tween decks. Every morning and even
ing, when the weather would permit,
tsenty men at a time were allowed to
come up Tor ten miuutps' exercise it'S.sH-
were six gangs, and every man OF them
had leg chains on. There were temporary
ladders to decend through the hatches,
and at the foot of each ladder was a pen
in which a sentinel was statIond day and
night. Thus the convjcts were always un-
der a watchful eye,
Boylike, my sympathie5 were with the
convicts. No matter what they had done,
the idea that they were going off t. a liv-
ing death settled the matter With me.
The discipline of the ship was very strict,
but found several opportunities to show
my good will. When on duty below |
passed them tobacco, gave then the news
from above and winked at their diSobedl-
enCe Of rules.
EVERY CONVICT GANG
had its leader The leader of this one
was man named Harry Small-one Of the
escaped BOTANY Bays who was being re-
turned. He was a quiet fellow, intelligent
and crafty, ana when he saw that | leaned
his way he one day asked me for pencil and
paper, | gave them to him, and he wrote
a note which | afterward delivered to
sailor before the mast. did this all out
or pure sympathy, having not the slightest
Idea that there was any wrong IN IT.
Nothing whatever occurred on the voy-
age to the Cape of Good Hope. All the
officers were agreeably disappointed in
behaviour of the ConYicts, which was so
exemplary that not a man had been fog
ged or imprisoned in the black hole. |
heard our captain say 1t was almost as
fine as making a regular trip. | said moth
ing whatever occurred. | meant among
the cCnYlCtS.
1t afterward transpired that there was
an excitement among the crew forward
The silor to whom | delivered the note
secret ly declared to his mates that surgeon
had predicted an outbreak of fever after
leaving the cape. The consequence was
that seven Of them deserted at Cape
Town, and the same number of new hands
were shipped. ! could never see where
the sailor had any hand in 1t, but we Ger
tainly lost by the exchange. We lost
seven Euglishmen, while <those who filled
their places We're Portuguese ard hall
breed Dutchmen, and as dirty a set a. ynu
! ever saw on board a ship.
In leaving the cape we stood to the
southeast for a hundred miles, and then
laid the course straight for Point Davy,
on the southernmost end of Tasmania
Land, this course being only two points
due east. In this run clear across the
Indian ocean. Se should pass a hundred
miles to the south of the Island of St
Paul That and Amsterdam island are
the only two within 500 miles of the
course.
| was on guard below for four hours
every other day. On each occasion Small
asked me for the run of the ship. | could
nearly always give il TO him, as | heard it
from some Of the officers. We had been
out week when he asked about the
Island of St. Paul. had an old chart on
which it was put down as uninhabited.
He asked how close We would run to it,
and that l find out, if possible, when we
were at the nearest point. Had been
older should not have been deceived.
was only lad-and a green one at that
and, as told you before, | felt deep
sympathy for the Convicts.
IL was on Z ueSudY night ILdl over
heard the captain say to the surgeon that
| if the wind held we should be opposite St.
! Paul by noon the next day. The wind did
not hold and at 10 clock the next after
noon went on duty below. and at once
| gave Small the news. Il was Just an hour
! latter when fight broke out among the
men, and there was row 10 disturb the
whole ship. The orders of the officers
/ were set at defiance. and, as a consequence,
| when they did succeed in commanding
1 obedience. it was deemed best to do some
/ dogging too.
| oYERAwE THE CONyICTS-
-Four men. who were supposed to be
ringleaders, were singled out, the entire
| lot were mustered ON deck, and pretty soon
No. ! was lashed UP to the gratings Tor
! punishment.
The first blow struck was a signal, and
every convict uttered shout and sprang
for a weapon. 1t WIS complete surprise
to the officers, but it was quickly seen
| that there was also a conspiracy. Not one
| of the seven new sailors would fire shot.
| and the guns Of four or FIVE others were
found to have been iampered with. The
| fight lasted about ten inmates, during
which time the surgeon. first and second