Glasgow Courier. — 1853-09-27 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

CHARGES OF MURDER AGAINST AN AFRICAN  SHIPMASTER.  LIVERPOOL, TIIIIRSDAY.—During the past three days the magistrates have been occupied in the careful investigation of two charges of murder against Capt. George Alexander Lewis, commander of the ship Pvtho which was lately blown up with gunpowder on file /Mean coast. The first charge was to the effect that on the 14th June, while in company with the ship Abeona, commanded by Captain Davis, about GO miles up a river on the coast of Africa, near Old Calabar, a disturbance arose on board that yeasel, and Captain Davis ordered a seaman named White, whose death formed the ground of this charge, to go on to the poop. White resisted, and it was alleged that Captain Lewis, who had gone on board to render Captain Davis assistance, threw him overboard, and he was drowned. The defence was, that in the struggle White lost his balance and fell accidentally into the water. This case the magistrates did not consider proved, and they therefore dismissed it. The second charge which has been fully gone into this afternoon was of a more serious nature, as the following evidence shows:— . . . .  Thomas Armstrong Hall, steward of the Pytho in her voyage from Liverpool on the 9th of March last, on oath said :—On the 30th of June I and the rest of the crew were called to muster, the natives having given notice that some of the hands were on shore. It was then discovered that three of the crew—John Jones, the deceased, Robert Maceloy, and John Hall, were Missing. Captain Lewis immediately ordered the boats out to go in search of the men, saying, as they put off, that he would take d— good care that some of them should not come back. Soon after the boats had left the ship I heard a great noise of shouting by the natives, and I heard Captain Lewis say, The d— rascals. Then I heard a cry of Murder, murder!' followed by the report of several shots. They did not come on board that night. Before the shots were fired I heard a noise as if some one was getting a tremendous beating. When the captain came on board in the morning he had some cloth in his hand, which one of the natives said one of the men from the ship wanted to buy women with. I don't know that it was part of the cargo of the Pytho. I think there was a court-martial on .Macaloy and Hall. John Hall said, I was one of the men who left the ship Pytho on the night of the atth of June, when lying off Old Calabar; Macaloy and Jones were with tne. I recollect Captain Lewis and Captain Davis coming from the ship in search of on. Captain Lewis struck me on the head with a stick, and knocked me down, lie then asked me where the others were, and Captain Davis said, 'They are here.' The other two men were in the water. Capt. Lewis raced about thinking to take Jones, but he could not catch him, and then shouted, 'Shoot him;' and the natives then fired several shots, and I did not see Jones any more. dare say he was up to the waist in water at that time, and not more than 12 yards from where I stood. The water was flowing pretty fast In the river. I was charged, after us got on board, with Inciting the crew to insubordination, and was sent on hoard the Abeona. When we come to Liverpool I told a police-officer that a man had been shot by order of the captain. I never saw sheiks in the river, but I have seen alligators. Three other witnesses were examined, who gave similar evidence with the above. . .  The magistrate thought there was sufficient evidence to warrant them in sending the case for trial; and the prisoner (who is a gentlemanly-looking man) was committed for trial. .  llad was taken for his appearance at the assizes, his sureties being two partners in the firm of Messrs. Arnold & Lest, owners of the Pytho.