Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1904-11-04
DEATH FROM
RUSSIAN SHOTS
Coroner's Jury Reports On
Murdered English
Seamen,
THE AWARD is CONSERVATIVE
Made So at Request Of British Gov.
ernment-All Fishermen Examined
Deny Presence of Foreign Torpedo
6oats-Details of Assault.

Hull Eng, Nov. 3.-"That George
Henry Smith and William Leggett
were at about 80 a. m, on October
%, while out fishing with travis
aboard the British steam trawler
Crane, with board Of trade marks ex.
hibited and regulation lights burning,
killed by shots fired without warning
or provocatio1 from certain Russian
war vessels at distance Of about q
quarter OF mile
This is the text of the jury's yer.
dict at the coroner's inquest on the
hshermen victims of the North sea
tragedy. At the request of the Brit.
ish government, represented by the
earl OF Dysart, solicitor of the treas
ury, this conservative award was
rendered by the first court of inquiry
preceding the sessions of the interna.
uonal tribunal. The government asked
the jury not to find verdict of wilful
murder or manslaughter because deli
cate negotiations are going on which
should not be made more difficult:
and they ought not to let anyone think
they had prejudged the case before
having heard both sides" In conse.
quence the jury simply set forth the
facts proved by the evidence of physi.
slans, experts on explosives and the
.rawlers themselves.
To the verdict the Judge added the
blowing rider:
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 feel has no par.
allel in the history of the world"
st. Georges hall, a large auditorium
which had been specially fitted up for
the occasion, was quite inadequate to
accommodate the crowd that wished
to listen to the evidence. The inter.
est was intense and there was some
excitement, but no demonstration oc.
cured. A great number Of people
gathered in the vicinity of the build.
ng to await the verdict, and the space
inside the hail was filed. The British
government, the board of trade, the
owners of the Game Cock fleet and
The relatives of the deceased and
she wounded fishermen were repre-.
sented by counsel; but the Russian
government did not participate.
The proceedings occupied only about.
;hree hours. The testimony consisted
Of medical evidence by which it was
proved that the death of Smith and
Leggett was the result of shell and
machine gun wounds; then an expert
identified fragments of shells by pri.
vate marks, which he said were IN.
ioubtedly Russian, and the stories Of
captains and mates of the trawlers
were told. These latter related that
while they were engaged in their re9u.
lar work the ships of the Baltic feet
n two squadrons emerged suddenly
rom the haze and, throwing the glare
IT their searchlights on the Game
Jock fleet, without warning and dis.
regarding flare green lights, the fish.
armsn's signal. and though within
actual speaking distance of one YES.
sci, commenced cannonade, which
he fishermen. at first not realizing
he danger, enjoyed, thinking it was A
sham fight. The firing lasted half an
Jour-
To each Of these witnesses was mt
he vital question regarding the pres
ence OF foreign vessel or tornedo
BOAT. Each with equal positiveness
ienled that at any time preceding or
Turing the firing was any japanese.
British or any foreign vessel seen by
hem or the accompanying fishing
1eet. 1t was also stated that there
we're no Japanese among the crews
md that none of the trawlers carried
arms of any description. One of the
SHIPPERS, replying to a question by the
coroner. said that during the five
weeks he was in the North sea he had
not seen any warships until that night.
This closed the evidence.
Counsel for the treasury then maids
the suggestion with regard to the ma.
ture of the verdict, with which the
coroner agreed, and without delay it
was so returned, with an added ex-
preston of sympathy for the relatives
and friends of the dead and injured
and of appreciation of the calm and
coura geous manner in which the fish,
Ing fleet remained at its details after