Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1885-12-12 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

TERRIBLE MUTINY ON A BRITISH VESSEL. HORRIBLE SCENES.  A Dublin correspondent telegraphs :I am able to telegraph you the particulars of a mutiny and ware horrible scenes which occurred some weeks lAA on a ship belouging to the British Mercantile Mariue, which has been do log duty as a Chinese transport in the Chinese Seas. Tile narrative is contained in a tong letter to a Dublin geoid -man. The writer is chief steward on the vessel on which the inutiny occurred ; but as every effort hits been made by the authorities in China to prevent the affair From being known, he desires his name and that of the ship not to be given. He, however, is a highly respectable man, and the truth of the remarkable story he tell, cannot be doubted. The writer states that his steamer was chartered by the Chinese for SlO,OOO to take to Hankow from Amoy 600 mules and 2,500 Black Flags troops, who had been disbanded [rem the Touquin war. On their march to Amoy they had committed fearful murders sad atrocities, and the Government were very anxio s to get them from Amoy, where they were a terror. At the embarkation about 1,000 were disarmed, but they crowded on board too fast, and the work of disarming had to be abandoned. Many of them were drunk and carried liquor with them, and , were fit for any mischief. The ship was crowded. to excess, the bridge, forecastle, between decks, and lower holds being packed. After getting under weigh there was great difficulty. The Black Flags commenced gambling to a great extent, having plenty of money about them, and were all night quarrelling, fighting, and murdering each other. Numbers of bodies were thrown overboard, alive or dead. Some were stabbed, others were strangled, and not one of the ships crew dared to interfere. The writer himself saw three murdered men pitched overboard during the night. When.mort.ing came dozens of dead bodies were thrown overboard, some of them having been smothered, squeezed to death, or died for want of water. A party of the Black Flags seized the water on board, and, guarding it, refused any to the crew. A fearful crush followed on the other Black Flags trying to get at the water. The heat was fear :u1 and many died from thirst. The Black Flags destroyed ell the food, threw the rice overboard, and threatened t kill the cooks. They eventually began It drink sea water, and resorted to extraordmery mer is to satiate their thirst. Sailors who were fear:u ly parched crawled down to the engine room and got condensed water, and drank it, though quite hot. Things became still more serious and the Black Flags threatened to kill the crew, drawing knives across their own throats to convey to the sailors their meaning. They succeeded in getting hold of the captain by the beard, and held a knife to his throat. Eventually the vessel put back to Amoy where a British warship was anchored. A commander of the latter prepared to sweep the decks with his Gatlings, and eventually boarded her. The mutineers were then standing on deck with Black Flags hoisted on spears. Two Chinese gunboats subsequently a, rived and took off the Black Flags, those refusing to leave being thrown overboard, and left to get to land as they could. Six of the mutineers were at once beheaded, and one hundred bastinadoed. Five der d mutineers were afterwards found in the lower hold, hay.ng been crushed to death.