The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-09-14
OFFICERS RELEASED.
seamen of the Ta1ofa Failed to Sustain
Their Charges.


banners, more specially of trumpets, in
connection with an assault on the high
seas, it may be said that for case that
started in with the waving OF banners
and the blast Of trumpets, as did the one
heard by Commissioner Bradley, yester-
day, the ending was very tame. The case
was as follows: Tuesday evening United
States Marshal Saunders arrested Capt
Reuben E. Fletcher, Eli Cobb, steward,
and Frank Fletcher, engineer OF the
"donkevn engine of the schooner Talofa,
lust arrived from Philadelphia. They
were charged with i'll treating seaman
named Matt Henderson.
AS brought out in evidence, after they
left Philadelphia one of the men,
Timothy McFadden, concluded that he
would decline to do duty, not wanting to
make the passage. Capt. Fletcher having
engaged the man and paid him his adj
vance, proposed that he should do duty,
and when he took him out OF the lore
castle, Matt Henderson interfered, and
told him to let him go. Thinking that
Henderson was the more dangerous man
of the two the captain turned his at
tention to him. and it was then that the
alleged assault was made, or rather
series of assaults for he complained OF
the captain, mate, steward and engineer,
in his i'll treatment. In proof that he
had been roughly handled, he may be
said to have put his face in evidence
for it showed that he had been in some
sort of a row with somebody or some
thing and was sadly marked, and will
remain so tor some time to come.
This was on the 9th of September, and
what followed was brought out in evil
dence at the adjourned hearing in the
afternoon, when Hon. Isaac W. Dyer ap-
peared for the government, and Mr..
Snow, of Symonds, Snow & Cook for the
respondents Henderson told his story
at the morning session, which agreed
with what was told by the other wit
nesses for the government, as far as the
material facts were concerned. Hender-
son said in effect that McFadden was not
willing to work, and that the captain
beat him. That he took his part, and
for doing that was badly treated general
~ by the officers, the engineer and the
steward
The first witness at the hearing in the
afternoon gave his name rs Alexander
Olympion He admitted that he could
talk but little English, but had clear
idea of what happened He said that the
1 d IL. IL aInA Iar,4
but not within this jurisdiction, and
therefore not under arrest, struck Hen
derson "all much.n He was below when
the trouble started, and heard the
captain call out Mate, mate, come here. !"
He saw the mate strike Henderson and
try to kick him.
Alex johnson, also Swede, was the
next witness called by Mr.. Dyer, he told
how the men came on board the schoon-
er, how he was offered liquor, but did
not take it, and how McFadden refused
to do duty, and did not come up when
ordered on deck. The captain ironed
the man who would not work, and the
next morning all hands were ordered on
deck to bend the mainsail. He saw Capt.
Fletcher go to the forecastle and say to
"the little man insiden as he called Nc
Fadden, "Will you go to work?" The
rest of the men were on deck, and had
had their coffee. To the question of the
captain McFadden replied No, sir" or
words to that effect. The next thing he
| noticed was that the captain had Nc
! Fadden out on deck, and had him by the
| throat. Henderson said to the captain
don't do that. 1t isn't right. If he
| won't work let him be punished after he
gets ashore" To that the captain replied
"You have nothing to do with it.
| Keep STILL" Henderson said it wasn't
| right to use man that way, and the
mate said: @It's just right" He saw
| the mate strike Henderson in the face.
He heard the captain say to the mate,
to work" He then heard the mate say,
"Now's the time to give it to him, we'll
have to pay for it anyway"
Timothy McF adden, who seemed to be
a very intelligent fellow, told how he
refused to go on deck, how the captain
! 1lduC I'LL w anu INV 1ASiloSioOu
| was beaten for taking his part. He said
| that all the defendants and the mate
were ON Henderson at once. when they
couldn't hit him they booted him. He
heard Frank say: Let's get him where
we can kick the liver out of him." He
said that he said to the captain, Let the
man alone, and I'll go to work" TIC
that the captain made no reply, but said
to Henderson, @Have you got enough?'
| Henderson said, "I'll show you when
get ashore" The mate then struck him
again, and then the man was allowed te
| go to work. Mr.. Dyer rested at this
point and Mr.. Snow called Capt.
| Fletcher, who told his story.
| 1t was necessary that all hands should
be called, for the donkey" engine had
broken down and just then every man on
board must work. McFadden said he
wouldn't work. He said, 81 propose to
go to Portlnd in irons" The capt ain
tried to reason with him, but he would
not do duty. He then took him on deck
| h oofad OF If bo Of ;,,,,,,,