Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-11-22

ting there drinking coffee and the steward was
Ia the galley. I took the coffee pot and went
into the forecastle. Adams and Sawyer were
there.
81 went aft to relieve Coakley at the wheel.
and he said he was going forward 10 give the
COOK heis. In few minutes I cav Coskley
come back and be and the steward had some
words THIN he grabbed the steward. / saw
Hall the mate coming. and Coakiey turned the
cook loose, grabbed Hall and shot him three
| tires.
sawyer ran up and grabbed the steward. I
ran to the siarDoard side, and Coakiey was
throwing tho mate overheard. Sawyer fred
two shots l. 10 the steward. During this time,
Adams was wrestling with the engineer. When
coasiey and Sawyer had thrown the mate and
cook overheard, they came to Adams assis
tsEce. and each OF them fired once at the engi-
| neer. Then they threw him overheard.
III found pistol on the cabin and put 1t In my
belt. The three went forward, and I did not
see them until about half an hour later. when
Sawyer came back to the wheel TO relieve me.
when he relieved me said: Il am going into
the cabin to put the lights out wanted to see
II the captain was there, as had not seen him.
lie was not in the cabin. and looked around to
see ~ there was any blood, but did not see any
Everything was badly torn up"
Scott thsp told of the running of the
vessel during the day, The mutineers, he
said, suggested setting the long boat
adrift, to give weight to an invented story
that the crew had taken to the boat, which
had capsized, all being drowned except the
four who would say they swan back to
the vessel.
After supper that night, Scott said,
when he opposed the plan, the other three
men bound him with chains. He sue
ceeded in getting one arm free, and ''when
Coakley came back and saw me trying to
| get free, he struck me with club and
shot at me. Then pulled out the pistol
had found and shot him. Adams and
Sawyer tied me again.
Scott then told OF the sighting OF the
schooner Blanche ii. King, which put
crew aboard and sailed the Berwind into
Southport, N. c. Capt. Taylor, of the
King, and the men from that vessel who
first boarded the Berwind, testified as to
the conditions they found, substantially
as told in the story of the mutiny as
printed in THE AMERICAN at the time.
Scott was found bound, and the body of
Coakley was found on deck.
| STORY OF ADAMS AND SAWYER.
| Adams comes from the British West
Indies. He is bright mulatto, with
face in no way suggestive OF a criminal.
He said there was no serious trouble on
board until Get. 10, although he told of a
time earlier in the voyage when another
member OF the crew told him Scott had
struck the captain.
His story Of the day of the mutiny was
that after Coakley and Scott had gone on
duty, he and Sawyer had gone to bed.
The captain was then talking with the
engineer in the engine room. Continuing,
| Adams said:
about O'Clock Coasley came to tho fore
castle and woke up. saying there mad been
shooting aft. Soon afterward Scott appeared,
( and ordered US to stay In the forecastle or hs
| would kill US. He came back agaia soon. snd
ordered US TO make sail. He said be. did not
want US TO have anything to do with the affair;
that he was going to kill all the white men
aboard, then take the boat and go ashore.
III saw the engineer the weather side op
posits the spauker rigging. He was covered
with blood. and was leaning over the rail
Scott was walking back and forth on the
house with pistol In his hand. I heard Scott
tell the engineer he must jump overheard:
then heard q shot and q srlssn and the engi.
neer cry out ssteru.
Next heard the mate and Scott. and II
seemed as II scott was trying to put him over.
board. He was pleading for mercy. Sawyer
said he was going to him. and said was
afraid to go. Sawyer started and Scott drove
him back with the pistol The mate begged
Sawyer TO help him. Scott Aired two shots into
the mate and threw him overheard.
"a little while after this heard more shoot
ing. sounding as II below deck. and after =
while / saw Scott bring the cook out of the
galley and throw him overheard.
-sco,t then took command. ordering us about
with the pistol. He planned the scheme to set
the boat adrift. to give strength to the story
that 1t had been capsized with all the crew. and
che four had reached the vessel.
ave thought best to tie Scott II We could get
hold of him. while l was at supper ! heard
come one call out. and when went forward
Coakley and Sawyer had Scott down. We tied
him with chain. Soon afterward we saw
tight, and sawyer and went into the rigging.
When was nearly down. heard another shot,
and when got down. found that Scott had got
one arm free and shot Coakley.
"The light we had first seen was that Of a
steamer. which did not come to US though we
set signal. Soon we saw another vessel. ana
she came to u.s."
Sawyer, who is a native of Providence,
West Indies, is typical negro. He told
a complete and reasonable story; he told
of trouble between the captain and Scott
earlier in the voyage, when the captain
accused Scott Of causing all the trouble
aboard, and Scott said: II have never seen
a Nova Scotian that was any good" re-
ferring to the captain. Sawyer's story of
the day OF the murder corroborated that
OF Adams
| COMMENT ON VERDICT.
Commenting on the verdict of guilty
returned in the case of Sawyer and Adams,
the Wilmington Messenger says: