Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-01-13

lying to when she came up. The gang
Of convicts on deck was ordered below,
but we were flying the flag which told
every beholder what sort Of cargo we
carried. The Indiaman proved to be the
Black Prince, a regular liner, homeward
bound, and she dropped boat and sent
her mate aboard. His errand was to see
if we could give passage to the Cape to
a man named Thomas, who had been
picked up at sea two days before while
drifting on q raft. He said that Thomas
was an Englishman who had been
wrecked on a voyage to the Cape and
was very desirous Of continuing the run
in that direction. The mate was in q
great hurry, as his ship had been de-
layed by head winds, and he did not GO
into particulars. Captain Clark decided
that we would take Thomas, and a
quarter of an hour later he was on board
and the respective crafts swinging their
yards to resume their voyage.
1t was midafternoon before we got
Thomas story, and it was one to deeply
interest US. Only few days before our
sailing a ship called the Albatross had
taken out batch Of about 900 convicts,
half of whom were females. None of
them was above common criminals,
and for this reason they were not as
carefully watched as they should have
been. The ship carried only four pas
sengers, all men, and Of these Thomas
was one. He had an uncle at the Cape
and was going out in search Of adven-
ture. He felt certain there would have
been no trouble with the prisoners but
for the uncalled for measures enforced
by the doctor. He overworked and un-
derfed them and fogged men on the
slightest pretext By the time the AL
batross had left the Cape Verde islands
behind her two thirds Of the men had
been fogged and half the females had
been punished in some other manner.
When the crew Of a convict ship be-
trays open sympathy for the prisoners
because Of the cruel treatment accorded
them, one must be satisfied that those
in authority exceed the limits. Even
| the guards on the AIbatross condemned
the tyrannical conduct Of the doctor. As
I have told you, they were offenders
rather than criminals, and all had re-
ceived short sentences. They were sent
out more as colonists, and each one
would receive a ticket of leave after
serving for six months or year. 1t was
not until the doctor had repeatedly an
nounced that he would break the spirit
of every one in the gang or fog him to
death that the spirit Of mutiny cropped
out. The position of the ship was to the
south Of St. Helena when the climax
came. One of the women convicts had
transgressed some rule, and the doctor
ordered that she receive dozen lashes.
While he was making preparations the
convicts rose as one man and had pos
session of the ship in five minutes.
1t was a mutiny against the doctor and
three or four of his guards rather than
against the ship, and had the captain
kept faith with the mutineers it would
have been far better for all on board.
Two of the guards were killed in the
first attack. The doctor was made pris-
oner, and an hour later was hanged at
the yardarm. The convicts had no fur
ther grudges to satisfy, and simply ask
ed that they be landed on the Hottentot
coast. This the captain agreed to, but
during the night put the ship about with
the intention of making ST. Helena and
giving the prisoners up to the authori-
ties. His deception was soon discovered,
the ship held off to the east, and next
day the mutineers determined to rid
themselves of every one in the ship who
would not join them and share the dan
gers of their future. The captain, mates
and 10 sailors refused to join, as also
did of the guards and the 4 passen-
gers, making 81 people in all. The 3
cooks and the captains steward had no
option, but were compelled to join.
Two boats were lowered, plenty of wa
ter and provisions put aboard, and the
captain and his people were treated with
the greatest consideration.
Thomas was in the mates boat. Its
course was shaped for st. Helena, but
gale came on and blew them far to the
south. After week Of battling with
the elements it was decided to run for
the Cape, but in another gale the boat
was upset, and every man lost except
Thomas. He was lashed to the keel and
had been without food or water for
three days when picked up by the Black
Prince. As to the fate Of the captains
boat and the convict ship he Of course
knew nothing, but I will give the par
ticulars here as I learned them two or
three years afterward. The captains
boat hauled in for the African coast aft
er the gale spoken Of, and finally landed
with everybody badly used up and the
boat no longer able to float. There were
II men in this boat, and only 8 sur
yiyed to reach the Cape. Not single
person on board the convict ship knew
ANYTHING about navigation. The people
simply knew that the coast was to the
east of them, and they held for it
through all sorts Of weather. A due
east coast would have landed them in
Damara Land, above Walfish river, but
the point they did reach was Cape st.
Mary, on the Benguela coast, 600 miles
above.
With such batch Of convicts in pos
session of ship one might be prepared
to believe that drunkenness, fighting
and murder were the order Of the day.
Such was not the case, however. On
the contrary, good order and thorough
discipline were enforced. While all
were considered to be on an equality
and all were served with the same food