THE CARL ATROCITIES.

Evening Star, Issue 3068, 18 December 1872, Page 2

THE CARL ATROCITIES.

COMMITTAL of mount and morris,

The following particulars relative to the Carl atrocities, and the committal of William C. Morris and Henry C. Mount, at the Melbourne police court, on the charge of wilful murder on the high seas, are reported in the Age of the 6th inst;— Edward Binsted, cook on board the brig, said, that on the voyage from Melbourne to Levuka, Mount and others practised with revolvers, and that on one occasion he was informed that it was the intention, after leaving Levuka, to visit the islands, blackbird-catching. There were rifles, two large guns, and some bayonets on board.— George Heath deponed, that after visiting several islands, the brig arrived at Mallicolo. The boat went ashore there. There were in the boat the prisoners, Dr. Murray, the mate, Mr Scott, and two of the crew. As the boat was coming back to the ship, canoes left for the shore, and they were fired on by those in the boat. We could not see from the ship who tired. Some of the natives in the canoes got into the water, and a large boat from the Carl left to pick them up. The natives were picked up by both boats, and brought back to the ship. About ten of the natives were put down the hold. At the Solomon group several natives were captured, some by sinking the canoes when alongside, and some by other means. Many of the natives were struck down when they resisted. After leaving Bougainville, the hold was full of natives, and Dr Murray was engaged in keeping them down. During the first night, after leaving the island, there was a noise in the hold. Mount was on watch at the hatchway at the time. All hands were called up, but no shots had been fired up to this. A shot was then fired over the main hatchway by Mr Scott to quiet them.' The natives kept on fighting; they armed themselves with poles which had been got <at l Api and fixed up as bunks. They were trying tq force the main hatchway up with these poles. All commenced firing down the hatchway. ‘ Tlje prisoxjep Mount had his own revolver, and I saw him tire down the main hatchway. The prisoner Morris was in the cabin, loading the muskets as they were passed down to him by the crew and the hands on board. I saw him loading the muskets. The night was pretty dark, but there was a light in the galley, and Mount had a light belonging to the prisoner Morris. The light that Mount had was a hand lantern, with a bullseys that could be shut off and on. Mount was using the lantern over the hatchway to throw light into the hold. There were four crosspieces over the hatchway, about a foot apart. It was through these openings Mount was showing the light down the The fifing went on, off and on, from halfpast ten till daylight. In the morning Mr Scott tried To go down the main hatchway. He went part of the way down, and wis repulsed by the natives with thp poles. He came up, went aft, and Dr Murray came forward and went down into the fore-cabin, At this time the prisoners were on deck. The mate, a man named Lewis, and others then fired on the natives through air-holes in the bulk-head. They came up on deck in about half-an-hour, and Dr Munay went aft in the cabin. Dr Murray next came forward to the hatchway, and the natives were brought up on deck. A ladder was let down into the hatchway between the cross-pieces, and those natives who could come on deck came. All who came up were more or Jess wounded. Those who could not come up were pulled up by ropes. I can’t say how many came up alive. Those pulled up by ropes were more dead than alive ; some were quite dead. Dr Murray picked out ten of the natives, and ordered them to be kept to Oe taken on to Levuka ; these were slightly wounded. The others he ordered to bo thrown overboard. The others were all thrown overboard, but I can’t say by whom. Some could stand, and some could talk. After some were thrown overboard, others, from fear, jumped through tho ports of tfi.cir own accord. Some of those who wero thrown over were tied. After this, the hold was whitewashed and cleaned out. 1 went down. All tho native* who were taken on board before wo got to Bougainville were all right. During the light in the night they came up on deck. Tho other natives who were in tho stern under tho cabin, out of the way of the tiro. The Bougainville natives, who wero under the main hatch, were the only ones shot. Nothing more occurred until on tho voyage back we were boarded off Api by tho Kofai io. A lieutenant came on board and wont aft, where ho talked to Dr Murray. I believe he also saw the ship's papers. He looked down the hold and left the ship, telling either Dr Murray or tho captain not to go until ho had reported to tho commander of the Rosario. Wo then went to Api, wheie Dr--Murray went ashore with Mr Scott. He took some natives ashore with him—not the Bougainville natives. The ten wounded got all right and were taken onto Levuli;i, .Murray and Scott tcinaintd at Api. Wc arrived at Levuka in December, IST 1. When the boats went off to capture the natives they sometimes had firearms in them. To my recollection, I never saw any of the passengers assume any peculiar dress,’ but I was not always ou deck. When wo were in close to the islands all bands came on deck. Never saw either of tho prisoners assume any peculiar dress. I saw a Chinese umbrella in Mount's cabin. Never heard Dr Murray suggest to cither of the prisoners to assume any peculiar dress. I had not the same opportunity as the cook to hear conversations between Murray and the prisoners,-i ,

To the bench :~When the natives were brought up from the hold I heard no conversation between Murray and the prisoners. I believe they had a consultation aft. The prisoners might have remonstrated againrt throwing the natives overboard, but being forward I could not bear them. There appeared to be a consultation going on between Dr Murray, the captain, the mate, and the passengers. Most of the natives went overboard of their own accord. Some of the Bougainville natives were thrown over by the other natives. The prisoners could not help seeing the natives thrown overboard. I heard an Irishman called Mick say it was not right to throw them overboard. I believe Dr Murray was the instigator of the vessel leaving Levuka; it was all done for his benefit.

Matthias Devescovi, a seaman, described the progress of the voyage, the particulars diflering in no material respect from those given by last witness. He went on to say that about seven hours’ sail trom Api, Dr Murray suggested to those in the^ cabin that they should diess up as missionaries. _ They did disguise themselves. Iho captain got the mate’s monkey jacket and turned it inside out and put it on. '1 he inside was red. He also put a hook under his arm. The mate was also disguised. Dr Murray put a rug over Wilson’s shoulders. Mount put on a red dressing-gown, a smoking cap, and carried a (’hlne/e umbrella; he also put a book under his arm. One of the seamen, Mick, disguised himself in white pants and a bine serge coat. Two of the Kanakas then pulled the captain, the mate, Wilson, and Mick ashore. I saw them from the ship, which was about 300 yards from the shore, distribute amongst the natives leaves (tracts) torn out of a hook. Some of the natives came on board while the white men stayed ashore. They then wont ashore again, and the captain and the others came off. We got no natives there. At Mallicolo 1 saw Mount go ashore dressed in a red coat. One of the natives got wounded in the groin at Mallicolo, and Dr Murray proposed to throw him overboard, but Mr Mount would not allow it, and he and two others put him in a canoe that was drifting ashore. Dr Murray got wounded at Mallicolo by an arrow/and gave Mount charge of one of the boats after that. Atone of the Solomon Islands when the canoes were coming off, Murray watched them from the quarter deck, and said to the captain, “.Now, when I give the signal, down with him,” When the canoes came up they were upset by the boat on the starboard side being lowered on them. One of the natives, seeing the boat coming down on his canoo, aimed an arrow at the mate, who was on deck ; but the mate pulled out out his revolver and wounded the native.

The remainder of the evidence was corroborative O' the above. The prisoners were committed for trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court. The Court was crowded during the hearing of the case, and horror was depicted on every face as one bloody act after another was described with the utmost coolness and nonchalance by the narrators. Mount, whose father sat all day in Court, is a rather handsome, well-built young fellow, displaying quiet, gentlemanly taste in his dress, and looking generally the very opposite of a man who could commit such crimes as those with which he is charged. Morris is not so prepossessing in his appearance. Mount looked extremely anxious all day, hut calm and collected ; Morris, on the other hand, was restless and excited.