Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1884-03-29 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

CHARGE OF MURDER ON THE HIGH  SEAS.  Domingo Velarines, 3-4, a Spaniard, woe lately indicted tithe Central Criminal Court, London, before Mr. Justice Day, for the wilful murder of a coloured man named Louie Buonaparte, upon the high sem' and within the jurisdietion of the Admiralty of England. Mr. Poland and Mr. Montagu Williams prosecuted for the Pdblic Prosecutor : and Mr. Digby Seymour, Q.C., and Mr. Warburton defended. From the opening statement of the learned an Inset for the prosecution, it appeared that the prisoner was the captain of a vessel called the Alice Holden, toiling under the British Mg. The deceased joined the vessel at Surinam, and was engaged as cook and steward on the voyage from the east Indies to London. The Alice Holden sailed in the month of November, and it very soon afterwards became apparent that the cook did not perform his duties in a satisfactory manner. He then became the object of illfooling in the vessel, and the primner in particular ; exhibited grmt animosity towards him. He assaulted him on several occasions, and was heard to say on one or two °maxims that he would kill the deceased before the vessel arrived M England The offence imputed to the prisoner was alleged to have been committed on Jan. 10, I on which, day there was a gale of wind, and the crew were engaged in the operation of what is termed, in nautiml Language, 'wearing the ship : " and as the i whom of theorem were en employed the prisoner took charge of the wheel. At this moment the deceased appeared to have come upon deck with some meat, and the prisoner was represented to have iesen angry with him with regard to the quantity he had cooked, and after making use of some violent language, he was reprmented to have seised the de• ceased by one leg and to have thrown him overboard. The only witness to prove this fact was at seaman named Thomas Coker, who had died einee • Isis examination at the police court. The evidence of this man was read, and it was to the effect above stated, After the oiscurrence, the prisoner made on entry in the log to the effect that the deceased had been washed overboard. The witness Coker said that the decemed could have been saved if a boat had been put oat, but no effort wee made to save him. In cross.examination it appeared that this witness had stated at the policemen that deceased never offered reeistance to the prisoner, but always tried to get away frons him. He admitted alto that he had nigned the entry in the log, , that represented the deceased had been washed over! board by accident, and he Aso said that he did not make the statement about the prisoner until after he , had been discharged from the vessel. Several seamen I on board the vessel were examined, and they spoke I to acts of violen, e having been communed by the ' prisoner upon the deceased, but at the sante time it was admitted that the deceased was • very dirty, that he wasted the food, and the crew were • that toe ineptly compelled to go without their proper rations. It wan also stated that upon one occasion the deceased was tied up in order to prevent him from committing suicide by jumping overboard. Some of the witnesses, gave contradictory statements with regard to the articles used by the prisoner in beating the deceased, It being alleged by mme that a stick wan uses!, by others • bamboo cane, and others stated that the prisoner used to beat the deceased with a rope. All the witneasm who were summoned stated that they signed the entry in the log-book representing that the deceased had been accidentally washed off the vessel. Mr. Digby Seymour, in his address to the juty for the prisoner, said he fully admitted that seamen ought to be protected by the law from the violence and brutality of the captains of veseels, but he at the same time considered that it ought tot to be forgotten that the captains of ships were under a deep responsibility for the safety of the vmsel and the lives of the men who were under their command. He then went on to argue that the evidence onto the brutality of the prisoner bad been very much exaggerated, and that the prisoner ought not to be convicted of murder upon the testimony of the man Coker, who was the only witness that more to having seen the prisoner throw the deceased overboard. A man named Dupes, who sailed as boatswain on board the vessel, was allied as a witness for the defence, and he contradicted portions of the evidence given by some of the witnesses for the prosecution. Witneses were alm called who gave the prisoner an excellent character, both for good seamanship and humanity. At nine o'clock the jury retired to consider their verdict, and after twenty minute.' deliberation found the prisoner not guilty. There was applause is court when the verdict was delivered.