The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-06-20
MUTINY ON A VESSEL
STORY TOLL BY CAPTAIN WILCOX
OF A BRITISH BARK.
Put I'm Irons by the Mate and an Al
legged Doctor While His Wife
Was Dying.

SAN FRANCISCO, June 19.-The British
bark Inverine. Captain wilcox. arrived to-
day, sixty-four days from New Castle, n.
S. W., with a most remarkable story of
mutiny and crime. just before the vessel
left New Castle a man calling himself DIR.
Armitage applied for passage for himself
and wife to San Francisco. Captain Wilcox
gladly took them on board, as his own wife
needed the services of a physician. About
two weeks ago, at sea, Mrs. Wilcox gave
birth to a child, and Armitage offlciated as
surgeon. He used instruments in such a
manner that the child died, and the Cap
tain, seeing he was unskilled, ordered him
away from his wife. Armitage appealed to
the crew, telling them that the Captain
was killing his wife. The crew. led by the
mate. mutinied, and the Captain. after be-
ing drugged, was locked up. He managed
to get out just in time to see his wife die.
Several times he was imprisoned by the
crew, but he managed to break out. Arm
itage's real name is Eustace Alexander.
He is said to have deserted his wife and
baby In Sydney and fed to New Castle
with another woman, where he joined the
Inverine. The bark, crew and passengers
are now in the custody of the port warden,
and the police made arrests this afternoon.
Captain Wilcox gave the following ac-
count Of the mutiny: After we had got
out a few weeks 1 found that the first mate
spent all the time he was on watch talk
ing to Mrs. Armitage, and when he was
off watch he spent the most of his time in
her cabin. This was going on when Ar
mitage would be asleep on deck. 1 told
the maze that when he was off watch he
could do as he pleased, but that when he
was ON duty he must attend to his work
and do all he was paid for. Then the trou-
BILE began. The mate and Armitage got
the crew to side with them, AMI the only
men 1 could depend on were the second
such a condition that / had TO put some of
the men in irons. Things were in this I'M
comfortable state when my wife was taken
i'll on Friday, the Sth inst. She was not
very bad, but grew worse up to Sat
urday afternoon On Sunday morn
ing / sent for Armitage. He came
and said he would have to operate on her.
When 1 saw him handle the instruments
/ knew he was no doctor, ami told him so.
1 could 90 nothing, and after he had butch
cred her they overpowered me and pu; me
in irons in the forecastle. This was on
Monday. the 18th inst. In the afternoon
they brought the body of the dead haty
to the Coor and held 1t up at the grating
for me to look at. A few hours later they
they came to me and said that il | would
forgive them and promise to make no re-
port against them they would let me out.
/ agreed and they set me at libe.ly. l IT
orce went to my poor wife. When 1
reached her side she was unconscious, ard
at $50 Saturday night she died. The men
nave got up all sorts of stories, but what
1 tell you is the plain and unvarnisned
truth"
The sailors, headed by the srst mae.
have 6ra,. n up a series of charges against
the captain. which they say they will lay
before the British consul. They say that
he drank to excess during the voyage and
abused them on various occasions. Alex
ander, or drmitage, as he now calls him
self, was never a doctor, but worked in Ii
cigar store in Melbourne de is under
surveillance of the police pending the in
quest.