The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-10-01
PEACE ON GOAL VESSELS
EFFECT OF A UNITED STATES
PROCLAMATION.
No More Cases of Cruelty to Seamen.
Captain Wallace Leaves While Under
$500 Bonds.

BY publishing in all the ports of the
world the fact that the United States
District court of Hawaii has been con-
Victing and sentencing sea-captains for
cruelty or assault and battery on the
nigh sea, the government at Washing
ton seems to have put a stop to ocean
troubles in this part of the world be-
tween seamen and masters. At the
time of the conviction of Captain Sober
gren, the Department of Justice sent to
ports all over the world a large poster
calling attention to the fact that there
was a United States court here, and
that it had found a captain and two
mates guilty of assaulting seamen and
had imposed heavy sentences. Sober
gren got six months. His case is under
appeal.
After the case of the bark Hesper. of
which Sodergren was master, there
were in quick succession others. They
were from Newcastle, and all were on
vessels that left there before the United
States government proclamation was
posted up. Lately there have been
none. 1t is many weeks since the crew
of any vessel arriving here has had
kick to make about brutality at sea,
whereas such complaints were formerly
of common occurrence. No sailors have
crowded the office of the United States
District Attorney recently with charges
against captains, and in the coming
term of the United States District court
there will not be a single case of the
kind to be tried, unless another should
come up in the next two weeks. except
those in which the charges were
brought two or three months ago. In
these cases the witnesses are still in
Oahu Jail, and the accused are there as
well, except those who have been adj
mitted to bail.
Captain Wallace, formerly of the
bark Sea King, has left the country,
though he is under $500 bonds to appear
in the United States court two weeks
from today. His was one of the earlier
cases. He was charged with ill-treat-
ment of a sailor, and both his mates
were charged with him. He was at first
released on $1,000 bail.
About two months ago Wallace made
a petition for reduction of bail to $500,
stating that a thousand dollars was
more than he could keep up. Judge
Estee consented to a reduction. it being
stated that Wallace could get that
amount from friends here, and would
be on hand on the day set for his APP
pearance. The bond was duly filed,
and Wallace left the country soon after.
1t is stated that he has had an offer of
another ship and may not be back.
The fact that there are no complaints
now from sailors who come here from
Newcastle is attributed by those con-
nected with the United States district
court to the effectiveness of the pro-
ceedings against the first men accused.
Nearly all the cases of trouble on the
high seas reported in Honolulu have
been between Newcastle and here. In
the Australian port the shipping bust
ness is on a low basis and the charac-
ter of men dumped on vessels by the
shipping masters is such as to give
to masters and mates to use
the old time Delaying pin, and use it
they did. But the fear of an American
Federal court is no light caution, and
peace seems to prevail on the vessels
coming here now.