THE CONSULAR INQUIRY.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 135, 11 June 1886, Page 2

THE CONSULAR INQUIRY.

Thursday's Proceedings.

Marion Suaz, a Portuguese, deposed : Whon at the wheel one night after wo left Fayal, the captain hit me on tho noso boeaueo I did net understand steering. On another occasion tho captain kicked, hit me on Uig not-o with his fiet, and tiiod to choko mo, for not working the foretopsail tnck proporly. He also beat liio at other times, but not severely. Once tho iiret niato kickod mo in tho eye and nose bocauso I slipped nay footing when hauling tho main brace. Tho mate also knocked mo down and hit mo for not keeping the ship steady whilst at tho wheel.

Suitz, cross-oxamined by Captain Reed, admitted that ho had boon told to do things two or three times beforo ho was puaibhed. Ho did not then understand what ho was wanted to do. Saw tho captain K'vo modicino and provido broth for tho sick men. Saw tho captain eomo out of tho galley with a bucket containing beof, pork, groaso, and rinds, and throw it overboard. That was whon Thomas Cook was in tho galloy. Examined by Mr Foley : You wero not a bad man. You beat tho men, and wore good to them immediately afterwards. You obtained clothes for rive of them in cold weathor. You told mo to scrub the cooper oasily. Tho cooper crcatod trouble. Examined by second officer : Did not soo you striko any of tho men in your watch. To tho Consular As*ont : Did not complain to tho Consular Agent because I was afruid of Captain Keed. Only knew that Captain Webb had beon horo after ho had gone. Mad I known,l would havespoken to him. Was pieeont when Lake was drowned. Luko wont over tho port side becuufo at this time no ono was allowed to go into tbo roundhouee. Tho veseol dipped, Lake was washed off, and drowned. Do not know who gave tho order about tho roundhoueo. Doivit remember seeing any marks on Lake's body. Saw tho coopor's body when it waa fawn in canvas. The faco was black, and had cuts on tho forehead and noso. Charlos Jones (Amorican negro) deposed : 1 have a bad pain now on account rf the ?°pta!iu^ttJi;s!£i Kissel ftus^rV.o^ tain kicked mo two or three timoa on the ribs, when 1 »an not doing anything wrong The captain threatened tho other morning

whuthe would do it ho got me out to sea,

Examined by Captain Keed : The men had ton, or coileo, sucli oh it was, morniug and night. Heard you say you wanted them to havo enough to eat, but nothing to waste—that you wanted tho food cooked in a proper loaunor. You hit tno and kicked mo because food was not ptoporly cooked Havo boen with you beforo tho present voyugo, and I camo this time because 1 wanted to. I did not draw v kuifo on a boy, or knock him about the . uhip. Remember that I nluppud Thomas Cook. You told tno that if anything tnoro of thut kind hupponod you would (>ut mo in irons.

Cross-examined by Mr Foloy : You havo bcon good to mo and to tho crow. You huvodononio favours. Prevented filtliinoes and lighting. You wore good to tho coopor at times. Did not hoo you hang tho coopor by tho neck with a rope, Novor heard of you rubbing him with biick, sand, and canvass rid not hoo you treat him brutally. Did not pco you cut him in tho faco with a knifo. Hoard tho crow nay thuy .iked you and respected you. You never forced anyono to work when thoy wore eick. Komonibor when you sontmo to wash Herbort Liiko's hands. His hands wore lillhy. Did not hoo any brick and Band rubbod on him. Novor miw tho cooper scrubbed with v brick. Uourd tho captain Huy it was no u»o making uny complaint to tho Consular Ayont hero. In my sworn statement to Mr fcjtophonson 1 suid that I did not hear Captain Keod suy this. What I cay now is correct,.

Tho witness appeared somewhat mixed up on this point, and asserted lie told the tenth in both.

Manuel Gonzales, third ollicer, deposed: " Tho captain told mo to take a haruinor or handapiko when a man did not mind what I said. One day the captain told mo if 1 did not 'go for' a man, ho would 'go for' mo. Ho told mo I was? not fit to bo an officer, bccaußo I would not be at the men." Witness decribed tho treatment of the coopor, lidding—'' "/hen 'ho cooper was in tho sail pen, Mr Foley gave tuo the key to see if the man wanted anything. I saw tbo captain kick the coopor in tho faco after we left Faynl."

Cross-examined by the captain : Remembered telling you that sovoral of tho mem had argued for half-an-hour about furling a sail. You told mo when you left mo in charge of tho ship at night, if the men refusod lawful commands to knock them down. I saw you kick the cooper In the faco when he was at tho grindstone. Crosaexumined by Mr Foley : Did not eeo you hurt any of tho men. You gave thorn good advice, and forgave disobodionco. You were a good man when wo left home, but a month after I found different.

Suaz, boing further questioned, said : Hoard Mr Foluy order tho coopor into tho forohold to bo scrubbed. Mr Foley pulled tho cooper's whiskers out, shoved him in a tub of water, and sent (the Fijian to tho mast-head. Tho Fijian did not understand tho instructions, and Mr Foley went after him with a stick and struck him on tho head. I saw tho captain pull the cook out of the galley and beat him with his fiat.

Antoni ;Simmons deposed : I wont to the captain for medicine, and he knocked mo down and kicked mo. After this, the captain hit me on tho head with a bit of wood till tho blood flowed. Mr Foloy hit me on the head with a seaboot because I ask^d him the timo. I saw the captain boat tho cooper and kick him on the nose. Tho first mate took tho cooper down the forehold and boat him with a knotted rope throo times. He also cut tho cooper.'s lip with a knife, shoved him into a tub of water, and pulled his whiskers out. 1 very often saw the captain beat the cooper till hojeried.

Cross-oxamined by Mr Foloy : You havo troated mo well. I said I liked you, so that you would not beat me. You gave good advico in tho forecastle, but that did not prevent you beating ua. You took a knife from the cooper and cut his lip. Examined by Mr Stophoneon : When tho captain kickod tho coopor ho woto loathor fchoe?. I did not complain to the Consul at Ruasell, because I wns afraid. The cooper's face, after ho died, blaok, apparently from blows. To-day's Proceedings. Tbo inquiry ia proceeding tlonly, aud half of the crow have yot to bo hoard, Mr Foloy showed mo ,a copy of a letter which Jie Btiya ho cent to Captain Webb, malting j reference to the inquiry by Mr.Stophonson, \ and asking for tho fullest publicity in open ' Court. He says he afterwards receivod a

telegram from Captain Webb, offering h m the poeition of second mate on the barque Thomas A. Goddard. at Auckland, and ready to sail for New York, but he declined tho offer.