The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-06-20

SAN FRANCISCO, June 19.-The British
bark Inverury. Captain Wilcox, arrived
today. sixty days from New Castle. \. 5.
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 Will
cox gladly took them on board as his own
wife needed the services of physician.
Abont two weeks ago at sea Mrs. Wilcox
gave birth to a child aud Armitage offlcl-
ated MS surgeon. He used instruments
in such manner that the child died, and
the captain, seeing he was unskilled. or
dered 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, aud the captain
after being 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 Drea out.
Armitage's real name Is Eustice Alexan-
der. He is said to have deserted his wife
and baby in Sydney, and fled to New Cas-
tie with another woman, where he boarded
the Inverury. The bark, crew and passen-
gers are now in custody OF the port warden
and the police made arrests this afternoon.
Captain Wilcox gave the following ac-
count of the troubles on board his ship:
While the ship was lying at New Castle,
\. 5. W., my wife suggested TO me that
she come to San Francisco on the Mari
posa and could join her on my arrival. l
accordingly wro'e to my brother in Ia
coma, and he was to come to meet her.
Before sailing time, however, Armitage
came 10 me with a letter OF Introduction
from agents of the ship and L agreed to
take him and his wife, whom he described
AZ a trained nurse After we had got out
fen hat ho fircf Tn
spent all the time he was on watch talking
to Mrs. Armitage, and when he was of
watch he spent the most of his time in
her cabin. This was going on
when Armitage would be asleep on
deck. | wrote to the mate
telling him that when he was off watch he
could do as he pleased. but when be was
on duty he must attend to his work and do
what he was paid for. Then the trouble
began. The mate and Armitage got the
crew TO side with them and the only men |
could depend on were the second mate and
the carpenter. Things got so that had to
put some of the men in irons.
Things were in this uncomfortable
state when my wife was taken sick on Fri
day, the Sth instant. She was not very
bad, but grew worse up to Saturday after
noon. On Sunday morning / sent for Ar
mitage against the wishes OF my wife. He
came and said he would have TO operate on
her. When | saw him handle the ins:ru-
ments | knew he was no doctor and told
him So My wife was then under chioro-
form aud could do nothing.
Then he began 10 butcher her, and
finally he gave it up and said there was
no hope. l was almost faiDting, so one of
them gave me small glass of brandy.
Whether it was drugged or not don't
know, but / do know that after drinking
it was raving maniac.
when l came to myself l was in irons
and cooped up in the forecastle. This was
noon they brought the dead body to the
door and held it up at the grating for me
TO look at. A few hours later they drop
ped it overheard. All this time my
wife was dying aud they would not
let ME out. With the aid of the
carpenter / managed to break jail
and made a rush for the cabin where my
the mates orders, and was put in straight
JACKET. l worked out of the straight
Jacket and with the aid of the second mate,
got out again. This time four men caught
me and the mate jumped on me and again
/ was irOned.
ION the morning of last Saturday they
came to me and said that if / would for
against them they would let me out. L
agreed, and at 10 a. m. they set me at lib
erty. / at once went to my poor wife.
What they had done to her while was
away do not know. but when | reached
her she was unsconscious. AT $50 Satur
day nigh, she died. The men have got up
all sorts of stories, but what / tell you is
the plain and unvarnished truth"
The sailors, headed by the first mate
have drawn up series O: 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. Second
Mate Jones Is equally positive. however,
that there is not one word of truth In the
charges.
The autopsy at the morgue this after
noon upon the body OF Mrs. Wilcox showed
that peritonItis caused her death The
coroner will have a microscopical examina-
tion made to ascertain the extent of the
malpractice, and an inquest. il decided
upon. will be held Thursday afternoon.
Alexander, or Armitage he now
claims himself, was never doctor, but
worked in a cigar store in Melbourne. He
and the woman with him are under sur
of the police, pending the result
of he innuest