The Sun. — 1860-01-12 (London, England)

ATROCIOUS MURDERS AT SR.].  The first and. second mates of the American barque Anna, of New York, have boon brought this week before the magistrates for the Isle of Wight, on the information of John Thomas and Abraham Rock, seamen on board the vessel, on a charge of having murdered. John Turtle and several other seamen during the voyage from Legona to England. The information of the dreadful circumstances was communicated to the police on the vessel arriving at Cowes. The names of the mates are Edmund Lane and George Hires. It appears that the vessel first sailed from New York to Mobile in June last, with a crew consisting of eight men betides the captain and officers, and they included 3 elm Turtle, a man known on board as Frank, William Johnson, David Pagins, James Armstrong, and William Pomeroy, who are now dead. At Mobile Lane struck Armstrong on the right eye with a mallet, felled him from the forecastle to the maindeck, and knocked out his eye. He was then sent by Hires to do something to an "ear-ring" under the bowsprit, but being unable to do so he was dragged along in the water until Abraham Rock went to his assistance, when Lane exclaimed, "Don't haul the nigger in ; cut the earring and let him go !" In two minutes after Armstrong let go his hold and was lost. The ship sailel from Mobile to Legona, in South America, and from thence to Cowes. On the voyage Hires accused Turtle of stealing rum from his cabin, and as he was obeying one of the mates' orders Hires caught him by his head, hauled him down upon the deck, stamped on his head, and kicked him with his heavy sea-boots. Turtle's head and eyes were observed to be bleeding, and he went to his berth. Hires said to a seaman, Thomas tell him, " If he don't come out and get on to the pumps, I'll murder him." The unfortunate man's reply was, " I can't get up if they kill me." Hires went to him, pulled him out of the bunk by his ears, threw him down in the forecastle, and stamped upon him heavily. He was laid by Thomas in the forecastle. In a few minutes Hires said, " Tom, is that old nigger dead yet ?" He was then dying, and expired the same night. His body was sewn up and thrown overboard two days afterwards. While he was being sewn up it was seen that the bone of the forehead was broken in the " centre. The same morning a scuffle was heard in the sail-room ; it proved to be Hires holding Johnson down on the tool chest, with both hands to his throat, choking him. There was blood issuing from his mouth, and he died at six o'clock the same day. He said, previously to his death, " Jack, I feel very bad, and am dying—the mate has choked me to death." His tongue was hanging out of his mouth. The man Frank died about seven days before the arrival of the vessel at Cowes, after having been severely beaten by the chief mate, who said, while the man was at the wheel, " If you go a quarter of a point off your course I'll murder you." Directly after Lane struck him on the head with a belaying pin. This took place off the Start Point. The man cried " Murder" twice, said " Oh, God!" several times, and called once for the captain. The unfortunate men who fell victims to the brutality of their officers were men of colour. The prisoners have been remanded.