The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-08
TRYING 4 DEAD MAN.
A Strange Proceeding in WrecIage
Cases Before the British Board of
Trade.
From the London Mail.


from the London Mail.
As surely as the GROWERS quest" fol-
lows on the heels If mysterious deatb ca
fol1or, t,,, 1,oon, -
nc ''0e'i" Vi nc aIiquliy Oh ANY
slea' ulsdsler al sea. IL is prosaical!y
named, perhaps, but no trial for murder
is half so enthrallina. as This in,estie,a tion
,,ba,, q aao,1 80, T., - -,
''i'-- IL O'i - -'4 III IIe si' IL
yer VI Huhofeds-Where the captain of the
ship, though lying fathoms deep with the
weeds of the ocean tangled in his hair
is yet arraigned before living Judge for
what he has dane
We are suppOsing that the disaster TO be
inquired into is the loss of a great liner
with hundreds of lives-one of those huge
floating castles to whose protection men
and women trust themselves as fearIesslv
as to that Of their own roof-trees has baen
flying Englandward with its load of bu
man lives, when came a shifting fog. a
crash, and a cry in the night. and disas-
ter
There is about this trial nothing Of tbe
impressiveness of an inquiry at the Grim
ipal courts There are no aldermen in
scarlet and fur, TO sheriffs in ruff1es and
sword. The judge in robes and wig. Is
replaced by three quiet men in frocl1 coats
They are the president and the two naval
assessors-both captains of the rovaI navy
The president is generally Mr.. Marsham
the magistrate at Westmfnster-a tan ana
dignihed figure, with the whitest hair and
the deepest bass voice in the world II is
he who conducts the Investigation ones
tioning the witnesses and generally direct
ing, while the naval assessors Sit with
arms folded on their desks, and Jerk in
a question here and there on some sr,o-
cially knotty point. The bench sits aIoft
below In the well are the counsel sans
persons interested. There is the manager
of the great line, ANXIOUS and preoccuniod
in manner Juggling at his rnustacba and
ready to go into the box and swear To
the trust and confidence reposed Inv his
people in the dead captain. Nav nerhans
even the white head of the chairman him
self baronet and M p NAV no saap
on the crowded benches. II is nerbans
the first disaster The line has sustained.
and he thinks with bitterness Of no
eclipse Of the arrogant boast that his line
has never lost a passengers life - Tr,llv
the ironic gods have made the braoqart;s
reward pressed down and running Overt
There are many bronzed ana ruddv
faces of seafaring men TO he saen-rnanI
heartrending quiet groups of people in deem
mourning, the relatives of Dassanenre In
a pen by themselves are the impassive re-
porters Messenger bows Of tbe various
journals and news agencies form, q wis
pering group en- the stems of the prase
box, and every now and then a great hun
die of MANUSCRIPT win be handed over The
partition aud seized bv IFS pronar Mercury
who straightwav disaDpears for a snace
Perhaps. if the disaster has occurred ar a
foreign shore. YOU NAV see one or two
dark faced men in resDlendent uniforms
coast officials courteouslv LEM bv tine for
eign government to give evidence
The first dav of an inquiry is eenara)l,,
given over to mans and charts Hnge ana
rustling sheets are oponed in the vitnsee
box. handed un 10 the bench and I.orod
over by counsel II is dreadfu1lv drv and
technical and gives the reporters little
to do. The counsel viii still he taIl,ing
bur nobody marks Them. There IL a Lie,
cohort of counsel-counsel re-presentino he
board of trade. counsel rspresentinr tho
line. counsel representing tbe survivine,
officers, counsel representing relatives of
the dead.
Interest revives somewhat +t, sao,,,7
day-the dead captain's character Is Ne
ing proved. The officials of the line cav
ALI they can. Rurlv. husky and ,I,ddfIs,.
than the cherry. into the box stems NE
skinner Of a small trarnn srear,ebir, ~