The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-02-24
A TALE OF WOE.
SAILORS ACCUSE THEIR
CAPTAIN OF BRUTALITY.
The Captain Replies and Says
SeveraI ".Sea Lawyers" have
Caused Trouble.

Yesterday morning about II 80
o'clock launch belonging to one
of the American warships in port
landed at Brewers wharf with five
sailors under the guard of some
United States marines. The men
were handcuffed end manacled,
and while in that helpless condi-
ton they were taken to the Station
House and locked up.
1t was soon learned that the
sailors belonged to the whaler
William Baylies, which arrived off
port on Wednesday, and is now at
anchor outside of the harbor. The
men were brought ashore by an
order of United States Consul
General Severance, who was in
formed by Captain Porter, of the
vessel, that the men refused duty.
The five men are named respec-
lively, James Storey, E. Mitchell,
d. II. Stanton, Richard Manning
and w. Driscoll. The first three
named are citizens of the United
States, while the other two are
British subjects. The men appear
to be superior to the ordinary run of
sailors who 90 to sea on whaling
vessels.
CHARGE OF CRUELTY.
When seen yesterday by a re-
porter of the ADVERTISER, they
: told story of life on a whaler,
which would enlist the sympathy
of the most cold-hearted person.
They make serious charges against
the captain, one of which is that
he drove a member of the crew in
sane by his brutal treatment. The
unfortunats's name is Carl Hen
dryk, native Of Norway, aged
about "a years. The young man
was brought ashore on Wednes-
day, and after being examined by
Drs. McWayne and Peterson, he
was committed to the asylum.
The story of the men in sub
stance is ,as follows: The vessel
left San Francisco ON December
18th last on whaling cruise. On
the 18th of January, about 1 80
o'clock in the morning, the young
man who has been declared in
sane was at the wheel. He was
approached by the fourth mate,
Portuguese, named Joe Baptisto,
who gave an order of some kind to
Hendrix. The order was not un-
derstood by the latter, for the rea-
son that he knows but little of the
English language.
STRUCK THE SAILOR.
His delay in obeying enraged
the mate to assault him. He then
dropped the wheel, pulled out his
knife and made several wicked
lunges at his superior officer. The
mate was wounded in several places,
the most serious cut being in his
right shoulder.
The Captain was notified of the
ARRAY at once, and as soon as he
came on deck, so the sailors say,
he started in to assault the sailor
himself and did not stop until he
laid open one of his eyes and 9th
erwise maltreated him. The sailor
was then handcuffed and manacled
and was lowered to the run, or laz-
arctic, which is situated under the
cabin of the vessel. The man was
kept in close confinement in the
dark and unhealthy hole for a per-
iod of 81 days. During this time,
according to the statement of the
men under arrest, the unfortunate
was beaten every day and when he
asked for something besides bread
and water, he would only receive
an oath and blow for his pains.
RANDcUFFED AND DRAGGED.
This performance was kept up
for the number of days mentioned
when the prisoner was brought Oh
deck. His handouts were removed
and he was put to work scraping
the deck. The following day he
was brought up to work again, but
instead, as soon as he was free, he
made for the forecastle. He was
handcuffed and dragged aft and
placed in confinement again.
On the 10th inst, twenty-five
members of the crew walked aft
and through spokesman, they re-
quested that Hendryk be allowed
better food and more pure air, or
else they would quit work. The
Captain answered them by order
ing eighteen of the men placed in
irons which was done at once. The
sailors were then joined together
with rope and the blubber room
was assigned them as their quar-
tiers. They were fed on bread and
water for fourteen days until yes
terday, when the five men were
brought ashore.
THE CAPTAINS SIDE.
Captain Porter of the vessel was
seen last evening by an ADvER-
TIsTR reporter, and when told of
the sailors story he emphatically
denied it and said it was false.