The Nuneaton Times. — 1875-07-17 (Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England)

ALLEGID MURDER ON THE HIGH SEAS.  At the Central Criminal uoart, Frederick Monsen, 21, a good-looking young German, described as a Beaman, was indicted for the wilful murder of George :Nathaniel Beattie. Prisoner was a seaman on board a British vessel called the Barbadien, belonging to Greenock, and deceased was the chief mate on board the same Teen% She sailed from Greenock on the 13th of April, the crew consisting of sesenteen persons, and she arrived in due course at her port of destination, which was Buenos Ayres, with a cargo of railway iron. The cargo was discharged, and the Barbadian then proceeded to Jaya in ballast, and arrived there on the 4th of September, on which day the melancholy occurrence took place. It appeared that the crew had beet engaged in discharging the ballast, the prisoner being one of the men so employed, and they finished their job at about six o'clock in the evening., the whole of the men being very hot and tired. After the ballast bad bee e discharged, the prisoner was told to lay out the chain of the anchor and assist in sloping the awning, and.he appeared to have been annoyed at this, andLmade some objection, upon which the deceased gave him a push, and made use of the expression to him, -"Let us have none of your jaw." Immediately on this the prisoner appeared to haye drawn a knife, and rushed at the deceased and stabbed hint in the shoulder just below the collar bone. The wound was a very serious one, five inches deep, tad the decanted bled profusely, and before any assistance conll be obtained he died. Directly after the sad affair had taken place the prisoner expressed his sorra* for what had happened, and said he could not tekhew he came to do such a thing, and added that he ninat have been mash There did not appear to have teen any previous quarrel or ill will between the prisoner ad the deceased, and it was elicited, in the came of the case, that the deceased had threatened to Enke the prisoner if he did not hold his tongue, and that tbe effect of the push he gave was to cause the /sisals, to fall down on the dock, and that he was in the act of going towards the prisonor as though he was about to strike him at the time the fatal stab was given. It was also proved that the prisoner was not possessed of a knife until the day in question, and that be had purchased it on the very morning that it was made co deadly a use of. The evidence went to ehow that the prisoner was, ordinarily, a good tempered, well behaved young fellow, and the act was no doubt committed under the influence of ridden passion at being set to do a fresh job after a hara day's work, and being at the same time pushed and threatened by the deceased. Mr. Justice Denman bayir,g summed up, the jury retired, and after being in deliberation nearly an hour, they found the prisoner gnilty ei Wilful Murder, but added to it a strong and ;mammoth recommendation to mercy. The learned Judge. ill passing sentence of death, laid he should forward the recommendation to mercy to the proper quayser, and, he added, that if he was appealed to Is. should not in any way prevent 'that recommendation irons laving its full effect.