River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-08-15

Il ten miles of a ship in the
II thirty years he had been at sea-
so 'elp me-" he declared to
the shipping agent Il bloomin' well might
ave sent to Lambeth work'us, an found
likelier lot! Biz me- if ] 'aven't 'arf a mind
to ship the ole bleedin' gang back werever
you got 'em from, an let you an them go
ang for your crew."
Only two of the ten men to whom he had
thus feelingly referred understood his re-
marks literally, for the crew was racial
composite that included four Turks, three
Creeks an Englishman an Austrian and
Dane
The master of the Lennie could scarcely
be blamed, from a seamans point OF vleW'
for Directing to the ncndescript ten as sail
Ors But the Lennie, which was of thou
sand tons burden and owned in Yarmouth
Nova Scotia, had been ready to sail for New
Orleans from Antwerp, with mixed cargo,
and as Captain Hatfield had been unable to
obtain crew in the port where his ship lay,
he had been compelled at the last moment to
telegraph to the shipping agent in London,
who had picked up the ten men for him along
Radcliffe Highway-the riffraff of their call
ing, small men for the most part, shabby and
unkempt.
The first and second mates of the Lennie
were Englishmen respectively Joseph Wort
ley and Robert Mcdonald. Captain Hatfield
made Green boatswain, Green being, despite
me name he gave as his own, Greek, though
able to speak and understand English, and
therefore able to act as interpreter for the
captains orders.
There we're yet two more nationalitles
represented on the vessels roster. The man
whose splendid heroism and daring ingenuity
in TIE face of death make the story OF the
Lenne worth telling was giant from Bel
GUM six feet and three inches tall, VINO was
G Nf and
whose name was Constant Won Hoydonck
He had shipped as steward, although he held
a masters certificate in the merchant ma
rine and he spoke English, French and Dutcn.
The cabin boy was Dutch, his name being
Henri Trousselot and he had been brought
on board by Won Hoydonck, to whose care the
lad had been intrusted by his parents.
The Lennie sailed from Antwerp with her
polyglottous crew the day after their arrival
from London and her cruise is memorable IN
the annals of the sea- 1t is story that has
not been made public since it was related in
an English criminal court by the participants
in the occurrence thirty-five years ago rive
European governments decorated the hero
of the exploit.
That Captain Hatfield, First Mate Wort
ley and Second Mate Mcdonald deserved the
fate that overlook them five days out from
Antwerp there is little doubt for all three
were cruel and brutal taskmasters, whose
method of getting the most work out of the
men under them was by means of curses and
blows
Whether the sailors had previously formed
conspiracy for the murder of the Lennles
officers or whether they turned on them ST.
simultaneously on being driven to desperation
is a question that was afterward considered
by an English jury. The tragedy occurred
early on the morning oe October 81, the Len
ME being then off the island of Oleron in the
Bay of Biscay. In First Mate Wortleys
watch. from midnight until four o'clock, were
Boatswain Green, Cargalis, Caludis, Kaida.
Ranken and Petersen. At three-thirty, Wort
ley gave the order to put the ship about and,
as a fresh breeze was blowing, all hands were
ordered to the work. Ranken, the English
man was at the wheel, and, while the others
were at the main braces, Captain Hatfield
came on deck and fell upon them with kicks
and cuffs.
eecit to work We -" he roared.
CargaIis suddenly drew big clasp-knife
from his pocket opened it and sprang upon
the captain, driving the point of the weapon
into his stomach In the fraction OF Sec
ond Caudis, the Turk known as big Harry.
had followed the example of the Greek, STAB
bling Hatfield in the forehead and side and
then Selling him about the waist and bear
ing him to the deck, where he proceeded to
to throwing him overheard, while two others
OF the crew hacked at their late taskmaster
with knives.
All these things had occurred in much less
time than 1t takes to describe them, and 1t
was not until the captain-who had had no
weapon with him, even if he had been given
the chance to use it--had been stretched on
the deck that the first mate realized what
was occurring He, too. was unarmed, but
he sprang to the side of Hatfield, who was
still alive, and attempted to drag him toward
the saloon. In flash. Cascaris drove his
knife into Wortley's heart. twice repeating
the thrust and the second victim fell dead
Is across the body of the first.
Reused by the noise of the struggle on the
deck, Second Mate Mcdonald at this moment
rushed from his cabin. Seeing the bleeding
bodies of his two superior officers and the
ferocious countenances and streaming knives
I of the crew, he ran to Boatswain Green, the
only one Of them to whom he could speak
English and putting his arms around his neck
| begged him to save his life. The Greek re-
sponded with thrust of his knife into the
others bowels.
The sounds of the struggle on the deck
over his head had wakened Won Hoydonck,