The morning call., 1894-07-29

| give him no excuse if possible for findinl
any fault with anything. and for many
| days nothing occurred. The captains de
meanor was about the same though.
"On MAY 2 the trouble began. l was on
watch at night, and it was about l O'Clock
in the morning that | detected a strong
smell o. oil as 1 stood upon the forward
deck. Thinking that something must have
happened 10 our OiltaDks, | hastened to
the place where they were stored and dis
covered that some one had tapped them
and that the oil was running over the
deck. In one of the tanks the paint oil
was stored, aud in the others paraffine for
lighting the ship. Nearly all the paint Oil
had run cut, but the paraffine did not run
easily, and but small quantity of that
was lost.
81 Immediately called two of the sea-
men to witness the state of affairs. In the
morning, when told of it, Captain Sauter
was furious. He mustered the crew aft
and made strict inquiry as TO the oil leak
age. But he learned nothing. He spoke
to me several times atterward about the
oil and said he had his suspicious as to
W ho had done the work. He wanted me
to tell VIII ON | suspected, but while had
my suspicious | did not want TO say any
thing unless l had proof and l so told him.
He didn't like that
'WelI, on May 90 we encountered a gale
7.
On the day following. while repairs were
being made, the captain ordered me aloft
to overhaul the fore tOpsail. That is not
an officers work, but not desiring to re-
fuse to obey the order | informed him that
l had rheumatism and could not 90 aloft.
Ion, indeed he snapped, well, then,
suppose you go to your room and stay
there
He then locked me up in cubby-hole
of a room, where l could get no fresh air.
and for four days by his orders l lived on
bread and water. On June 4 he visited
me and told me l could have the liberty of
the ship from o'clock in the morning
until sunset, when | would have to return
to my room.
''For two days this was kept up. and
then, when | offered to lend a sailor my
sextant, he once more turned on me. and
this time displayed more viciousness than
ever. Not only was | placed in close con-
fnemeni. but my diet was again made
bread and water.
Captain Sauter came to me every day.
and when | asked him the reason for such
brutal treatment he said that he had
learned that | knew who had turned the
oil on and was responsible for the waste.
He also accused me Of getting on friendly
terms with the crew for the purpose of
turning them against him. Instead of bis
anger against me aDating it seemed to IN
crease, and he had the irons put on me as
further indignity.
my position was terrible one. and l
suffered more than | can tell you. At
last the cook went to the captain and told
him that | was not responsible for the
loss of the oil, but that boy on the ship
was the guilty party
"The captain made note of this infor-
nation in his logboOk. but he did not re-
lease me uEti three days ago-last
Wednesday. This was eleven days after
the cook had proved my innocence to him.
Notwithstanding that the captain accused
the boy of the oil affair and looked upon
him as guilty he still maintained that |
was responsible for it. l am convinced
that he put me in irons solely for spite, as
[ learned afterward that he had said he
would put up job on me.
IF there is any justice TO be had by an
investigation | am going to have it," said
the mate in conclusion.
Mate Jones told his story with an air of
sincerity that almost carried conviction
with ii, and 1t is corroborated by the men,
hers of the crew. 1t Is said that the third
mate assisted the captain in his oppression
of Jones.
Captain Sauter, who is Swede, is not
popular man among the seafaring COM
munity, and he has never had mate W ho
would make second voyage with him. A
year ago next month Captain Sauter ar
rived from Swansea with two mates who
had beer in irons up to a day before enter
ing port, when he released them and tried
to soothe their injured feelings by smooth