Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-10-20
FEARFUL TALE
OF BUTCHERY.
MutinOuS Negro Sailors Tell of the
Murder of Ships Officers.

a speclai from Southport, N. g.
says the schooner Blanche II. King,
put in there bringing in irons three
negroes, all that remains of the crew
of the four-masted schooner Harry
a. Berwind, the captain, mate, cook
and an engineer, who did hosting
aboard, having been murdered in a
mutiny at sea, and their bodies
thrown overheard.
Captain Taylor, of the schooner
King, sighted the Berwind early
Wednesday morning about thirty
miles off the Cape Fear bar, and was
attracted to her by the manner in
which she was being steered, having
several times come very near running
down the King. A nearer approach
to the Berwind showed that she had
been practically abandoned. Captain
Taylor and crew boarded the vessel
anu placed the three negroes in irons.
1t develops from the stories of the
negroes brought in irons by the King
that the mutiny arose as the result of
a quarrel aboard ship early Tuesday
morning about some coffee that was
being brewed for breakfast. The
decks of the schooner were crimson
with blood, giving evidence of fierce
encounter. The berth of the mate
was spotted with blood, indicating
that he was butchered in bed. One
of the prisoners says the mate begged
piteously for his life, but the savages
athirst for blood would not restrain
their passion.
After the boarding party from the
King handcuffed the mutineers on
the ship, one of the negroes com.
planned the irons were too tight and
hurt him. When one of the board.
ing crew loosened the bracelet on the
negro's arm, the captive whipped out
pistol and shot one of his own crew
the presumption being that the mar
killed had signalled the King, against
the wishes of the three others. Tn,
total list of killed is four whites and
one negro.
The King left a prize crew aboard
the Berwin, which is still off the bar
LATER.
Her decks and cabins splotched
with blood from the fearful butchery
following the mutiny aboard ship of
the North Carolina coast, the four.
masted schooner Harry Berwind, OF
Philadelphia, was towed into Sout
port. Aboard were the prize crew o!
the New York schooner Blanche II
King, who came across and took
charge of the Berwind on the high
seas.
The three prisoners gave THEN
names as Robert Sawyer, Henry Scott
and Arthur Adams, all colored, and
under forty years of age. Sawyer
and Adams both charged that Scott
did the killing of the five men, with
the exception of Captain Rumill, who
disappeared before day in a manner
of which they knew nothing. Eacl
said he saw Scott shoot the mate or
the leeside of the ship and throw hi
body overheard. Then he killed tn.
engineer and went down the com
panionway. Very soon they heard
shots below deck in the galley, and /,
short while thereafter Scott came uE
again, bearing the body of the cook
small white man, in his arms
throwing it over the rail. The,
afterwards bound Scott and wer'
steering the vessel as best they coulC
until overhauled by the King, 81
their story runs.
Scott says all the seamen-foul
negroes-formed a conspiracy soor
after leaving Mobile. September 23d
the colored seamen feeling outraged
because of short rations. He saiG
that he killed no one except tn,
negro seaman found on deck, Coke]y
by name, and that he killed him il
self defence. He said he saw Uokely
shoot the mate, and saw Adams xii
the engineer. He does not know how
the cook was killed, as the shooting
was below the deck. Scott is q
mulatto, and is the most intelligen
of the four. Adams is also mu
latto, and claims to be a British sub
ject, from st. Vincent Islands.
Upon arrival in port the Berwint
had lost her foremast and topsail
her rudder was disabled, and she wa:
leaking slightly. She has cargo Of