The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-02-24
TRIAL Of Twelve MEN 800 DEAD TSMPORTED
INVERNESS -SHIRES EVENTFUL
VOYAGE.
Fearful Accident to a Green Hand
Charges Against the Captain-Impor-
tant Points That are at Issue.

The story of the British ship Inver-
ness-shire was told at length yesterday
before the British maritime court which
is trying the ships sailors. 1t showed
that during the vessels trip from the
colonies to Honolulu there was much
! trouble. There was a fight on board,
a sailor lost from the rigging, several
exciting interviews between the cap
tain and members of the crew, and a
good deal of testimony showed that the
captain threatened on one occasion,
| when the men came forward in threat
ening manner, to shoot the whole lot
| If they did not go back to their quar-
! ters. The ships sail-maker was struck
and confined by the captain, and an
| other mans knife was taken away
from him, when he seemed to threaten
| the master. Altogether the Inverness
shire had an eventful passage, as she
| has certainly had an eventful stay in
| Honolulu.
The British court was in session all
day at the consulate, trying the case
of the twelve men charged with neglect
of duty on the high sea. A large hall
in the residence of Consul Hoare had
been fitted up for the trial and there
was a good attendance of captains OF
vessels in the harbor who were much
! interested in the case. The twelve
of the room and the spectators on the
other. To the twelve men conviction
means the loss of the wages of two
years hard work before the mast, and
then discharge, penniess, to ship again
and work two years more before they
get as well off as they We're when they
entered the harbor of Honolulu from
sydney. 1t was no wonder that they
pleaded hard and one after another
offered voluntary statements that they
thought would help to show that they
had had right to rebel agains the au-
thority of Captain Peattie, who sat by
his attorney, A. S. Humphreys
throughout the proceedings.
During the day nearly all the twelve
men were heard. When direct testimo-
ny was over the consul invited any Of
the prisoners who wanted to be heard
to make statements and several rose
at once. Their stories did not help their
case. Peter Alsoa told a long narra-
tive, in inimitable dialect of the sea,
that kept the stenographer guessing
all the time. But the captains com
posing the court understood his every
word He was telling of the storm Of
the l4th of December-a day when tnC
lnverness-shire was scuGdinF before .
2 high wind, when there was lively WorK
| for all hands in looking after the sails
= and when an unfortunate seaman fell
overheard, to be left far behind I'm a
5 few seconds, in the open sea. He was
a Frenchman, thirty years of age. who
2 had never been to sea before in his life
and who was sent alOft to help with
= the sails. He lost his hold, fell to the
rigging and after tumbling from line to
line and being horribly mutilated in
his downward course, dropped into the
choppy sea and in few seconds was fai
i i'm the rear of the ship, which was max
ing ten knots an hour and could no
-. 60,
= to convince the court that the captain
d was drunk on that day, but the log anC
v the testimony of three mates contra
S dicted him and it appeared that he go
n his idea from the fact that the captain
: gave orders which he thought were
t signs of poor judgment. Such criti
q cism of the cabin from the forecast,
could have little effect Other sea
: men told the court the reason the,
q refused duty was that they were afrai,
N of their lives after the captains threa
h to shoot and one said that he had mad
n a motion as if to draw a revolver
@ Against this was testimony that ther
d was not revolver on board and ther
l. was the fatal fact that the men ha,
IS been in port here for thirty days an
,r had not made any complaint to thei
d consul. The theory of the prosecuto
le was that the men had gone on strik
le to make trouble till the captain dis
~ 5000 each, when they could easily shi
,e again here for $50 a month, instead c
the $25 they had signed to work 70
,e until the Inverness shire gets back t
n England.
,r Attorney Davis made a hard figf
IF for the men. He claimed that they ha
10 had prOVocation and that the fact tha
ID they had offered their services to pile
> Saunders when the vessel was in daT
10 ger made them innocent of the chare
IA of neglect, Captain Peattie having II
fused their services. Attorney Hum
phreys argued that the offer of SO,
vices to the pilot was only another n
suit to the captain and he called al
. tention to the fact that the men ha
= Immediately afterwards refused to tril
IN ballast or cross jack, because they di
ISS not think 1t was necessary to save III
u vessel" In doing this they refuse
p duty at the very time that the vess
was i'm actual peril on the higa st
constituting themselves judges of VIII;
orders the captain should give. ri
lg order that the captain gave them, W.
ar to do work that would have aided hi
ne in leaving port, after he got back
anchorage.
At half past five the argument WI
concluded and the court adjourned [
r four o'clock this afternoon when a
y clsion will be given. There Is the grea
D. est interest in the outcome all aloI
W. the water front where the trial is r
garded as one that will have vel
Important bearing on the future rel
pc tions between captains and crews in Il
al harbor OF Honolulu. The twelve me
N. are confined in the Honolulu prlso
Marshal Brown holding them on r
quest of the British consul the latt
guaranteeing him against any loss
l., reason of such imprisonment
re pa FOR CAMARINOs' REFRIGERATo
Per s. S. Australia-Peaches, Grape
Oranges, Lemons, Lines, Celery, eau