TROUBLE ON A BARQUE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 490, 24 April 1909, Page 7

TROUBLE ON A BARQUE.

FIVE MEN BEFORE THE COURT. CHARGE OF DISOBEYING COMMANDS,' VDt TELEOBAl'll—i'ltr.S3 ASSOCIATION.] ■ - : Chrlstchurch, April 23. - Tho troubles of the British barque Cambusdoon, which put into Lyttdton in tress last .week, and which has been held up by tho alleged mutinous behaviour of somo of her sailors, were further ventilated beforo Mr. G. A, Lswin, J.P., at tho Lyt-, telton l'ojico Court this morning. Fivo ol the: vessel's men, who, after, lodging a protest on Wednesday, alleged that' the vessel was unseaworthy, took tho matter into their own hands, ;■ and declined to do any work. I , 'our.of-them left the ship yesterday morning, and spent their, time roaming round the streets and: spending what substance they had in. having a good time. The fifth was unable to go ashore, as he had been severely "dealt -with",' by one of tho "loyalist" sailors, who had "put: a head on him." .In company with' the other four, ho: stood in the dock this morning with two terrible black eyes and a bruised and swollen face, which had ■ been ; badly' pounded' by a. pair of hard and knotty u'sts. Tho men, whoso names were Wni. Baird,Alex. Erickscn, Jno. Goulding, • f| . Chas. Anderson, and Charles Holm, were charged, on tho information of Captain Howes, that being able seamen on the articles 9f the barque Cambusdoon, they did,: on April 22, at Lyttelton,'combine to and did disobey lawful'commands;.''.-'Tho five men wero also charged with haying, on tho spmo date,'absented - themselves without 'leavo from' tho vessel; Mr. -Hunt appeared for the. accused, and pleaded , ; "not guilty." : Mr. Beswick, who: appeared F for Captain Howes, outlined;tho cireumstanoos leading up'to; the case. ■' He asked that, the, charge against Holm, who had' been unable _to go ashore yesterday, , of '. ;being absent (Without leave, should bo >vithdrawn,: which was done. T. J. . Howos, master of the Cambusdoori, stated that yesterday morning,: when he was going to the ship, he met'-some of tho accused coming away from "'the■ ship. He asked Baird if they-woro' going to tunv to', ; and Baird replied "No," while the others hung their heads. ' Witness told them ho was going to take action against them, and Baird said that that was what, they Wanted him to do."

Sydney :Canham, second mate of the Cambusdoon, said he went to tho door of the forecastle yesterday morning arid .told them to turn to. They; refused, said they going to" see the rshipping master. - All the accused, with the exception of Hohn, went '.- They' did >;not' take their 'bundles ashore.: Some'of tho sailors in the forecastle said they were willing to turn to,but did not want to go,back on the others.',. Hol- said he would not:turn to'.as 'lie -was gbilig to stand by' the. others. ■>■;" , : -' ,/:: ' ; 1 .- -■ Samuel Waddell,:mate of'tho vessel, said ho did not give the accused permission to go ashore. The men had permission in the first'case from the captain to go and lodge their protest 'at- the shipping office on N "Wednesday. ; Witness ! gave them.no permission to leavo the ship yesterday-morning; ■::. Mr. i Hunt: /You had a rather troublesome voyaged from Sydney f{- arid it was ' snggested that you should bo-put-in command? ■■':'■ '. 'Witness -admitted'that that was. correct, but denied ..that ;the suggestion: came': from .him. :' : :.:;■;. ■.'/ . ; : ■' -■.-■ - ,: -. ■■■■.■•■•.•'■■.: '•.

■'■■■ Iri reply to furthbf questions, \ witness '. said that.'whentho ship, was'about fifty milosfrom Bounty Islands ho and the crow insisted that tho;ship should be brought to tho wind,:and this '■was done. '" ■■' : . .' ■■■. '■'■'.• ■ ; '"■-. . : '" ..

■'.''•'To'-Mr.' Beswkk: Tlio cre\v demanded that tho ship should be put back into, port; but the captain was against'this being done. Tho ship had been surveyed;and provisioned.'nb'solutely seaworthy, arid'this had justified tho opinion of Captain Hunt. Tho r _vesselw&3 ; in great peril 'as her cargo.had shifted. . - ,: Counsel: And you liad to throw :a lot of grnin overboard and put back to.port.to put things:rightPv,:.,/.:,."',..'';:- :"'■ r■ - : ;,''" . \\ Witness said ho_could not say that; .but tho> ship .was not'.then': fit to .proceed to; England.. He had not sided with the men,- but.l'O-saw nothing tiTong ; in; '. bringing:. her to Lyttelten.. :, ".".'Mr.- Hunt,submitted that '.'tlie-'base;.was a trivial ,'oriei' and - asked' the Berich.to: dismiss; ■it. Ho did not propose.to-call evidence, but ■ ht. the suggestion of the' Bench Baird was put into tho box; Baird stated that beforo breakfast yesterday morning he- and-the crew were told-to turn to, biit they .declined as they wanted to'see the shipping /master... They had, not besn officially, told of ,tho result of the: survey, and knew nothing about it. Ho admitted that the. authorities would not allow the- ship to proceed.if she wero -uriseaworthy.':': Tho whole crowd wore .'discontented and ■ had., discussed., matters! a'niojig/ themselves, and had agreed not. to go "in tho. ship. With the exception of- himself and tho ]. other four: accused : all-:the crew had gone back, on 'that 'decision.■;' Ho; and, his four; mates:,had gone ashore in the morning te; see the shipping master. Ho denied that they, went to a second-hand shop to sell their clothes. They had not -gone to. the; shipping office, but had a walk.'round the, streets, and in theicourso of their rambles.had a number-of drinks. They did not return to the ship, and were arrested in the'afternoon.- Witness admitted that: they.hnd asked to'.bq allowed.to:havp another drink before they were taken-to tho lock-up... .When further- questioned witness admitted that ho 'ami his mates-did not want. to, go away, in tho ship. \ ..-.:- . ; .. : ■. ■ Tho Bench: convicted and fined accused on the charge of .disobeying; lawful commands, and Bentence'd them to one month's imprisonment, and ordered them to bo put on; board the,barque when-she'was ready.to.sail. They wore convicted; and discharged on the charge of being' absent without • leave, ■ and. were" ordered to;pay-costs.;.-.-•,-:•.• ■■ -,-..' < ■.^'■[:-.i\ '.-•"■'.

.:'lt -is: expected, that. the Cambusdooii will leave, the'wharf .'to-morrow,: and. will resume her.'interrupted passage to Falmouth with the first fair.wind. ■.;:, ■■'■"'" ■'.. . ' 'v' . Vrappinqsin^a grave; ' . BODY EXHUMED IN A VILLAGE ;■•:'■■. CHUKCHTAED. . 'An extraordinary: narrative' of a graveyard incident comes from; the village of Leigh, near Uttoxeter, Nortii Staffordshire. : My. Charles Blood, of Bouts Farm, ; Leigh,' who' was sixty-five years of age, was buned in the village churchyard, i the cause , of death being certified as heart trouble. After the funeral service was concluded and tho mourners had dispersed the grave-digger ;was en-, gaged in filling in the: grave, when, he states, he was startled to hear a distinct knocking on the coffin below. ' "'.':'. '■' .-• . ■' "I called the attention of my brother Harry," said the sexton, Edward Alcock. "After hearing the peculiar tap, tap, ho said, "This is'astrango thine;-I do not know what to make of it. , . "Ho ■ suggested that we should fetch the undertaker, who, fortunately, happened to be near by. The undertaker came, and expressed tho opinion-that the man was not dead. As tho tapping continued, wo decided: to get the coffin .up and examine the body. The coffin was recovered' with tho greatest difficulty, owing, to the weight of tho deceased.". 'The coffin must come open,' said the undertaker. Suiting the.action to the word, ho unscrewed tho liu. Several of the mors' tiruid' onlookers •stepped back us the undertaker hastily prized the lid open and exposed the body.";' _ . Henry Alcock, the sexton's, brother, ' also said he heard strango sounds, proceeding apparently from the coffin. Hβ denied!that there' were marks on tho man's forehead, whore,: it had been rumoured in the village, tho man in his struggles had bumped his head against tho coffin-lid. If there was any blood on tho face, as hnd been stated, he did not see it. Samuel Hqllins, the undertaker, suid: "When I took the lid'off 1 found things wero as when I screwed the lid down. . Fortunately . Dr. Smith's' assistant, of Tean, was motoring through the villnge. Ho turned back nnd made n thorough examination of the body in tho church. He said there were no'signs of life, and expressed tho opinion that life was'extinct .when., the bQdy was placed in the coffin. The'curious part about, the whole affair was thnt after we had got the coffin back into the grave tho sounds were repented." :...-. ■