The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-07
A Japanese Crew Kill a
Shipmate.
BLOODY WORK ON A BARK.
Two Sailors Were Stabbed in
Their BunkS.
GAMBLING CAUSED TROUBLE.
The British Consul May Have to
Look Into the Mutiny on Board
the Millwall.

| The British bark MiIlwall arrived in
| port and dropped anchor in the stream
| about O'Clock yesterday afternoon. being
! 142 days from Rangoon laden with rice.
! She is under command of Captain Bren-
ner, who has frightful tale to tell.
| There was a battle royal among the
! japanese crew on November last which
| resulted in the murder OF a Japanese sailor
| named Joe Mats.
The officers of the vessel were all white
men, but the crew consisted OF thirteen
! JAMS, all of, whom, it appears, were ad-
dicted to gambling.
| Mats was more skillful than the others
and succeeded in winning not only the
surplus money of the others, but he sue
ceeded in even getting them to gamble off
| their clothes, which were afterward found
| in his chest.
The captain reports that few days be-
| fore the fatal ARRAY Seward Fisher sent
an empty sugar cask forward, and enc of
the Japs known as Oge was scraping the
sugar from it when Mats came along and
began to joke with him.
THIS led to a wrestling match, which
was notify contested and resulted in the
throwing of Mats. The latter struggled
10 ge up. but his opponent would not let
h,m. Both men were thoroughly angry
by this time. aud, to add fuel TO the flame
of their madness. Gordama. the bnats"ain
If the Starboard watch, came along and,
picking UP broOm-handle, DelabOreG
Mats.
The latter succeeded in getting to his
feet and grabbed Delaying pin. Gordama
n hn
furiously at each other. An effort was
made by two white sailors to keep them
apart, but in this thew we're unsuccessful.
Finally Mats staggered over the fore
hatch III an exhausted condition, throwing
his Delaying pin at his adversary as be
fell. The boatswsin responded with his
cudgel aud knocked Mats senseless.
AT this juncture The remainder of the
japanese crew jumped upon bis PROSTATE
form and beat him until they thought him
dead.
He was tough citizen, however, and
recovered when the captain placed him in
the apprentices apartments.
That night Mats crawled out and got
into his own bunk, taking with him huge
knife.
About 10 80 o'clock lie crawlsd into the
bunk OF tae boatswain where the boat
swain lay aud stabbed lin in he arm.
Then he turned his attention to Ogie, upon
whom he Inflicted similar wound.
They we're frightful gashes, the knife
going entirely through both arms in each
instance.
This so incensed the remainder of the
crew that they went after Mats with any,
| .,a.- coufJ oOnuouiaUgIu rio
! They were wrought up 10 frenzy of ex-
| element, and the sight of the blood of
! their victim only made them more demon
| like.
They literally beat the wouId-be muir
derer into a jelly before Stevens and
! Douglass. the first and second mates, had
reached the scene.
When thew had made the assailants
stand back Mats was breathing his last.
la a few moments he was dead.
The next day the mutilated remains
were buried at sea and there was no more
trouble on the voyage.
The vessel. however, lost the best sailor
among the japanese crew, as we'll as the
best gambler.
When the chest of the dead man was
opened the cause of the enmiiy OF his
cOuntrymen was clearly apparent.
He had all their best clothing stored
there. which he had won in the games of
chance that they were in the habit of
playing.
Ogje and the bostswain were placed under
no restraint after the killing. as the de-
ceased had been set upon by all hands. and
it was hard to tell who hit the fatal blow
The British Consul will probably make
an inves tiGation of the case to-day.
The only other mishap OF the voyage
was the loss of the ships cat, which was
a special favorite and had sailed with the
vessel since il was kitten. eight years ago