Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-04-05
ON A CONVICT SHIP.
FROM ENGLAND 10 GIBRALTAR IN
COMPANY WITH $50 CRIMINALS.
How the Prisoners Were Guarded and Fed
and Their Efforts at Amusements-One
Intractable Convict Received Four Dozen
Lashes With the Cat.

II know something of life on a convict
ship" said a retired officer Of an East In
dian merchantmen. II was on the War
voyage to Calcutta, when the government
chartered her to carry convicts and troops
from England to Gibraltar. 1t was q most
interesting experience. We we're to take
convicts from three different prisons.
About midnight on Dec. 20, 1869, we left
the East Indian docks and dropped down
the river to Gravescnd, where the next aft
ernoon we took on 100 men of the Seventy
first highlanders-by the way, they were
all Ir~ishmen-who were to act as guard
for the convicts. Next tide we lowed to
Sheerness, near the North Foreland, where
we came to an anchor and waited for the
first installment Of convicts sent from
Chatham. They were brought alongside
on q small steamer. I shall never forget
how they looked to mel was young
ster then-in their yellow and black
stripes and with the short, fiat, brown ar
row, which is the English government
mark, stamped on their clothing. Having
got them aboard, we made sail for Ports
mouth, our next receiving station, where
we got about a hundred more. From there
we sailed to Portsmouth and took the bal
ance of $50 from the prison there.
1--WE lay in Portland Roads three or four
days on account Of storm and then started
for Gibraltar. While lying there an Incl
dent occurred which I can never forget.
Bit first let me tell you something about
the arrangement and discipline of the ship
on this voyage. A staff surgeon of the
roy,d navy was in charge of the ship, and
every one was subordinate to him. He
was absolutely an autocrat. We were q
full rugged iron sailing vessel of zoos tons
register, and we had now on board, with
convicts, wardens, soldiers, crew and am
lilies of some of the soldiers, about 1926
souls. So you can see we were pretty
thick.
The sailors, who usually had quarters in
the forecastle, had to give them up and
live in part of the after between decks. A
barricade was built across the ship at the
mainmast, both between decks and on the
main deck. The convicts lived between
decks forward and were turned up for ex-
ercise every day before this barricade on
the main deck.
"But while we lay IN Portland Roads q
convict named Sturgess, who was serving
a 30 years term, became intractable, and
on being reproved by one Of the wardens
threatened the latter's life when his sem
tence should be served. I fancy if what
followed should happen in one of your
p~enitentiaries a howl of denunciation
would go up all over the country, but
British prison discipline is very rigorous,
you know. Sturgess was Immediately put
il irons and thrust into the solitary con-
f1nement box for "a hours and sentenced
to receive four dozen at the expiration of
his confinement. He was stolid brute and
did not seem to mind, rcmarking he had
been flogged five times before and it would
ga hard with him if hc couldn't take an
other dose.
sit is generally the duty of the boat
swain to do the 1ogging aboard ship, but
tho night Waterman from Portland prison
was sent Off tc punish this fellow. With
tho exception of the women, every one
aboard was compelled to turn up to wit
ness the logging. All the convicts were
ordered up before the barricade, and each
one craned his neck to see the show and
anxiously watched Sturgess to see if he
were game. The thief's cat, with a knot
In each string, was the weapon OF punish
ment. The convict was brought up, strip
ped to the waist, his feet and knees Iashed
to two spars which were stood upright on
the deck, his nanQS were Cnalneu, ana q
rope passing under the chain triced them
up high above his head, and his breast
was pushed against an iron grating dashed
between the spars. The staff surgeon then
read the accusation and sentence, and the
night Waterman was ordered to do his
duty. + can SEQ him now as he ran his
hand among the strings of the cat and
then with a quick, sharp stroke brought
1t down between the convict's shoulder
blades. The chief warden, Donald Balm,
counted the strokes, One, two, three,
and after each stroke the convict counted,
too, and when he got to "a he said coolly:
"'Well, there's half Of thom.'
"When he received the forty-eighth,
without having once 1inched or muir
INJURED, the other ~240sconvicts set up a
cheer. But the staff surgeon turned on
them and t%hundered:
".If you do not keep silence, I'll fog
every man of you
"About their food? 1t was Of a better
quality than that furnished either tho sol
diers or crew. They always got .corncd