The San Francisco call., 1904-11-03
HuIIInquestEndS
With Cautious
Verdict.
Witnesses Tell
of North Sea
Attack.

HULL, England, Nov. 2--"That
George Henry Smith and William
Leggett were. at about 1880 a. mi. on
October y, while out fishing with
traWlers aboard the British steam
,traWler Crane. with Board Of Trade
marks exhibited and regulation lights
burning, killed by shots fired without
warning or prOvOcation from certain
Russian war vessels, al a. distance Oh
about a quarter of a mile"
This Is. the. text of the 1ury's' verdict
al the COrOner's inquest on the fisher
men victims of the North Sea trag-
edy. At the request OF the Brush
Government represented by the Earl
OF Dysart, Secretary Of the Treasury,
this award was rendered by the first
court Of iRquiry preceding the ses-
sions Of the international tribunal
The Government asked the jury not
10 ind. verdict of Willful murder or
nlanslaughter because delicate nego-
tiatiOns are going on which should not
be made more difficult and ii is not
desired 10 let any one know they had
prejudiced the case before having
heard both sides"
COURT ADDS A WORD.
90 In consequence the jury set forth
.. the facts proved by the evidence of
physicians, experts on explosives and
the trswlers themselves. To the. YER
dict the Judge added the following
order:
%. "On this occasion, probably the
most mOmentous in the annals of the
British empire. the jury would record
their appreciation Of the efforts made
by the Governments interested to ar
rive at a satisfactory conclusion of the
matter, which, we fear has no par
allel IN the history of the world"
St Georges Hall. Large auditorium,
which has been especially fitted up for
the occasion, was quite inadequate TO
sCeolnmOdate the crowd that wished TO
listtn 10 the evidence. The interest waa
Intense 81 there vas some excirament,
but 10 d mcnstratiOn occurred. A great
number ii LeODle gathered in :he vlcin-
ity Il the building TO await the verdict
aII .he space inside the hall vas iilled:
The BRITISH Government, the Board of
Trace the owners of the Garleeock
fleet and the relatives Of the deceased
and wounded fishermen were represent
cd by counsel, but the Russian Govern
ulenI dii lot participate.
THOUGHT 1T A SHAM FIGHT.
The proceedings occupied only about
three hours. The testimony consisted
Of. medical evidence. by which it wzs
proved that the death of Smith and
1eggett was the result of shell and ma
chine gun wounds; then an expert iden-
tified fragments Of. shells by private
marks, which he said were undoubt-
-edly Russian and the captains and
mates Of the trawlers told their stories.
These latter related that while they
were engaged in their regular work the
ships Of the Baltic feet, in two squad
rOns, emerged suddenly from the haze
and throwing the glare of their search
lights on the GamecOck fleet without
warning and disregarding flare green
lights, the fishermen's signals, and
though then within actual speaking
distance of one vessel commenced a
cannOnade which the fishermen at first,
not realizing the danger, enjoyed;
thinking il was a sham fight. The fir
ing lasted a half-hour.
SAW No DORPED0-BOATS.
To each of these witnesses was put
the vitar question regarding the pres
ence Of a foreign vessel or torpedo
boat. Each with equal positiveness de-
clared that at neither time, preceding
or following the firing. was any Japa-
nese or any foreign vessel seen by them
or the accompanying fishing fleet. 1t
was also stated that there were no
japanese among the crews and that
none Of the traWlers carried arms of
any kind. One Of the shippers. replying
70 a question by the Coroner. said that
curing the five weeks he was in the
North Sea he had not seen any war
ships until that night.
ThiSciosed the evidence Counsel for