St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-06-10
Cruel Murder Of the Brave
Captain and Maroon Of
His Wife.
Her Sad Experience on an
Island Before She Was
Found.
How a Gang Of Fierce Des-
peradoes Hunted Each
.i1- Other to Death.

NC" 1Ofh Ouu. Ills ffBHG lcB ccCuio W
be attached to his body with view of
walking sideways instead of the usual
fashion. At the first glance you would
call it natural deformity, but If you
followed him for 100 feet you feel quite
certain that some accident had hap
pened to him and that he owed his con-
ditiOn to the ignorance or careleSsness
of those who practiced surgery on
broken leg. / will call his name John
Lee. and will reel off his story as he
! told it to me not fortnight ago.
I In the year 1868, after the govern
| ment of the Japanese islands had put
down the rebellion which had been in
existence for two years, many heads
We're Topped off, and many rebels were
banisned from the country. Among tbs
latter were a score or more of advent
urerS who were not natives but Europe
ans. Some had gone In with the rebels
for the sake Uf adventure and plumber.
and others had been forced to join by
circumstances. The fear of being in
vOlyed with other governments decided
the Japanese authorities to spare the
lives of these foreigners, and at the
anne time rid the island OF their pres
ence.
There was in the port of Yokohama
the Robert May, commanded by Capt.
Henry WelleS, ard she was chartered to
take fourteen of these raScally advent
urers to the south and land them upon
any one of the islands of the BONN
group which should prove the most con-
venient. As all OF them were looked
upon as desperate men, the Japanese
government was willing to pay good
price to get them out of the country.
There must have been money In il, or
the brig or the captain would not have
meddled with such a dangerous cargo.
The brig had an English crew of nine
men and boy, and the captains wife
was with him. John Lee, the sailor
with the twisted leg, was one OF the
crew. The brig had part of cargo of
tea, and space in her hold was fitted
up under her main hatch to receive the
prisoners. A dozen muskets were
brought aboard, the prisoners guarded
the same as c0nvietS would have been,
and Capt. Welles set sail in full eXpec-
tatiOn of landing them according TO in
struetlOnS.
He was not the man to deal with such
rascals, however, as events speedily
demonstrated. Every man In the pen
knew where he was to be landed, and
that without shelter or provisions, and
from the first going aboard there was
determination to rise OH the crew and
take the brig. 1t was on the night of
the fourth day out. and during Squall
which came near diSmaStIng the brig,
that the plot was carried out.
There are MANY things to be said in
favor of the desperadoes. They desired
ste capture the brig without bloodshed,
and but for the logged Obstinacy of the
captain this would have been done. He
called upon the crew to rally, and when
he found himself unsupported he fought
the gang alone and single-handed until
killed by musket bail. He was the
only one killed, though some of the
crew were wounded in the FIRST rush.
John Lee was alofJ at the moment, and
in his fright and confusion he met with
a fall which broke his leg. The mu-
tineers set it and gave him careful at
tention, but in the setting they twisted
it around and the bone knit and left it
in its present shape.
- Having got possession of the brig, the
deSperados were for time undecided
as to what should be the next move.
They had had enough of Japan, and no
one had any idea of turning pirate in
waters where a man-Of-war was to be
met with two or three times week. 1t
was finally decided to run to the south
west and land upon some uninhabited
island above FOrmOsa, and enjoy a free
and easy life for season. To this the
crew Of the brig agreed, some pleased
with the prospect of such life, and
others realizing that opposition would
be of no use.
Mrs. Capt. Welles was woman about
thirty years of age, full of energy and
resolution. Her treatment by the mu-
tineers did more than anything else to
h e. fh.arr 10 tlrn
fellows were led by an Engiishman
thoroughly bad man, but in this case he
should be accorded all due praise. On
the morning after the capture of the
brig Mis-. WelleS was interviewed i'll
the cabin. She was told that the men
had possession, and that it was pro-
posed to get her out of the brig and out
of harms way while they were yet
under control.
They dio not dare speak a ship nor !
land her at any port. but set her ashore |
On some island and provide her with |
means to take care of herself. She !
agreed with them that this was the best |
they could be expected to do, and for
the next two days and nights she was
left entirely undisturbed in the cabin.
Thore was plenty of rum aboard, but
between the mate. who was now acting
as captain, and Tom Jones, who was
leader. nothing like drunkenness had
occurred. The good times" were being
put off until they could find a safe
haven somewhere. John Lee was lying
in his berth with broken leg, but was
kept posted as to what was going on
forward and aft.
On tine afternoon of the third day the
brig reached the island of Shangwen,
rr hn 7 md hno
was lowered and pulled ashore to in
vestigate. 1t was only small island, |
nearly circular and about three miles |
across, and was found to be uninhabited. |
John Lee says he begged the captains
wife to take him along, but she prob |
ably either feared that he would prove |
q serious case on her hams or become |
menace to her safety If he got well. aud |
she decided that she would rather go |
alone. |
The boat which set her ashore carried |
all her clothes and the personal effects
Of her husband, with beef, pork, bread,
books, and In fact whatever she asked to
be allowed to take. Jones and three
men went ashore with her, and they
not only found good spot for camp,
but constructed a shelter for her and
put all her goods under cover. No
woman could have fallen into the
hands of more desperate men, and yet
no woman could have been more ten
derby treated. The brig sailed away
just at shutdown, and she was left to be-
gin her CruSOe life.
The island had scarcely been left be-
hind before the men on the brig began
their carouse. Two days later they
beached their vessel in cove on one Of
the Borodine group of islands, and for
many months peace and war reigned by
turns. From the very hour of laneing
dissentions arose, and it wasn't week |
before the crowd split into two parties |
and lived apart in fear of each other.
John Lee, according to his own state
ment, was no better and no worse than |
any of the others. There was nothing
to do but sleep and eat and drink. The |
brig was plundered at will, and as pro-
visions began to grow scarce, there was
more drinking and less eating.
The first man killed was the mate.