A STRANGE STORY

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 607, 30 May 1876, Page 3

A STRANGE STORY

A SUPPOSED SLAVES. The New Zealand Herald, of the 16th, supplies the following strange story regarding this schooner :—" We yesterday reported the arrival of a strange vessel, named the Vibelia, in charge of Mr Batzey, the mate, the captain being reported as lost with a boat's crew. The story given to our reporter by the mate appeared improbable, and, together with his extraordinary conduct, made it apparent that the schooner had not been fitted out for legitimate trading. She anchored on Tuesday afternoon off the Bean Rock Lighthouse. Yesterday Pilot James, in charge, brought the vessel up harbor in her crippled condition. On passing H.M.S. Barracouta she was observed to salute the British flag. On one of our staff boarding her, he found the Sub-Collector of Customs and Detective Jeffrey engaged in making a search and enquiries. The mate in charge appeared highly incensed with their visit, which he considered an intrusion, and threatened that if they did not desist from annoying him, he would run the vessel alongside the Barracouta, and claim her protection, Having, at last, got rid of his disagreeable customers —who, however, left a Custom house officer in charge—he then turned his attention to our reporter, who remained behind. After challenging him to single combat, and expressing regret that he had not 'settled' him the previous night when he 'borea' him, together with an outpour of vile epithets, which were meekly heme, the following information was

gathered : The vessel cleared out from Sydney with stores for Guam, under charge of Captain James Douglas Beezer, on the 13th of April. The hands engaged consisted of the master, Ratzey, the mate, a Scotchman named McGregor, who was styled •supercargo;" Mr Shervington, boatswain, (a cook and steward (a colored man, belonging to Philadelphia) ; and a crew of four fellows, composed of a Zanzibar native, an Arab, an East Indian, and a Malay, not one of whom understood seamanship, according to the mate's statement. One of these men, however (the Malay), had been to sea before, as our reporter recognised him as having arrived at this port a few months ago in an English ship, which fact the man admitted. The man did not sign articles at Sydney before the shipping master, but in some house up an alley (so they say). After signing, the men appeared to have demurred at joining the vessel, as it was mooted in Sydney that she was bound on a kidnapping expedition. Their fears were, however, allayed, and the vessel put to sea. The mate states that he only joined her the day previously, and knew nothing about her destination. He believed she was going on a pearl fishing expedition. The supercargo, according to accounts, was a middle-aged man, but was unable to write his own name. At sea the master is reported to have bullied his crew, and knocked them about, while he does not appear to have been on amiable terms with his mate. The vessel touched at Norfolk Island, according to the steward's statement, but which is denied by the mate. A schooner, believed to be the Stormbird, of Sydney, was lying off the island, and a suspicion was expressed on board that the schooner was following them. The captain supercargo, and two of the crew, went ashore there; but the purpose of calling at Norfolk Island appears to be unknown to those on board. As a proof that very little reliance can be placed on the mate's story, we may mention that he informed our reporter that the Vibelia was bound to Timbuctoo, and that Bhe had a fair wind across the desert. The steward, and such of the hands that could speak English, appeared to have nothing to conceal. The day previous to the vessel arriving at the island, which the mate states to be Sunday Island, the captain ordered the steward to place a long chain in the hold, reaching fore and aft, also to clear out a large iron boiler which had been stowed away. On the steward stating that he had saucepans enough in use, he was told to hold his tongue. Arrived at the island in question, the captain went ashore with the supercargo, boatswain, and the Zanzibar native. The party took with them a gun, powder, and shot, and two days' provisions. - The steward asserts that the object of their mission ashore was, according to th i captain's statement, to obtain water, but he adds that no water was required, as there was plenty on board. The mate, on being questioned, states that he believes the captain landed to see if there were any native women on the island. The boat parly did not return, and those on board came to the conclusion that their boat had been capsized in the heavy surf and the occupants drowned The mate therefore, after waiting for three days, brought the vessel to Auckland. Various are the conjectures regarding this suspicious craft. It is doubtful whether the captain did land at Sunday island as stated, for that island, it is believed, is now uninhabited. The vessel required no water, and even if she did no casks appear to have been taken ashore to procure it, while we learnt that the party went ashore armed, Possibly they landed on some island to kidnap natives, and were overpowered and massacred. This supposition is strengthened by the statement of the steward, regarding the chain and the saucepan. An inspection of the vessel as she beat up harbor yesterday, gave convincing proof that the Vibelia was nothing more nor less than a slaver. In her cabin were a stand of arms and a few cutlasses. She had fifteen kegs of powder on board and a quantity of shot (of this the mate denied all knowledge. In her hold was a large quantity of potatoes, maize, meal, biscuits, tierces of beef, water tanks, and other stores. The mate asserts that the vessel is unseaworthy, and that she makes water fast; and further, that at one time she had five feet of water in her hold, which was pumped jout. This statement is not borne out by the present condition of the pjtatoes, biscuits, and other stores on the ground tier in her hold. She is evidently a very ancient craft, and one that Mr Plimsoil would describe as a coffin ship. She is crank and apparently rotteD, and looks every inch a weather-beaten and delapidated old tub. Her deck is as uneven as the troubled water in which she floats, notwithstanding that it is bedaubed with a thick layer of tar, after the fashion in which our pavements are asphalted. She has to all appearances been employed previously in the coal trade, and it is stated that she was lately sold to Mr Kelly, of Woolloomoloo, her present owner, for £4OO. Mr Kelly is, we believe, owner of the Southern Cross and Escourt, schooners, both engaged in the pearl fishing trade, and also owaer of the smart schooner Jessie Kelly. It is extraordinary how the Sydney port authorities could have suffered such a rotten, antiquated old tub to leave the harbour on a voyage to ' Guain.' Now that she has reached this port in safety, the mate asserts that he will not go to sea again in her, and two of the crew yesterday afternoon complained of her unseaworthy condition to the Collector of Customs. On arrival on Tuesday, the mate telegraphed to the owner, and yesterday afternoon received a reply £»ving instructions to take the schooner on to Sydney. It is doubtful, however, whether the authorities hi ta will allow her to go to sea again, independent of her suspicious character, and she will, without doubt be condemned. One remarkable fact in connection with this affair is, that the mate states that he held the position of sub lieutenant in the Naval Reserve, and that he had been owner of the collier brig Briton's Pride, which he had lately sold to Messrs Turnbull, of Wellington, for £ISOO, while he admitted that Captain J. D. Beezer, had been ma9ter of her, and yet he shipped as mate of this vessel under Beezer, and was unacquainted with her destination. According to the ship's papers, when |the vessel cleared out at Sydney, on the 13th April, she had ten cases of geneva, amongst her stores, but on arrival here, the stock is reported to be reduced to two cases. This would give a consumption of about four bottles per diem since the schooner left Sydney. Again, while the mate appeared so well acquainted with the captain's christian and surnames, he was unable to give that of the supercargo, which information the stew-trd supplied. The steward, who appears to be a well informed man, states that he has lived in Sydney for

twelve years previous to shipping on board the Vibelia. He believes the vessel was, according to his own words, bound " pearl fishing if you can, if not, then black-bird catching.' He thinks that her first destination was Tahiti, and that after leaving Sydney she would keep well to the southward until passing Sunday Island, when she would have caught the trades for Tahiti. Arriving there, he believes the captain would have got rid of the crew and shipped fresh hands, when she would at once have gone into the kidnapping trade. In course of conversation, one of the hands admitted that there had been a large ventilator on board, for use down the after hatch, but which had since been thrown overboard. Goodness knows how many other proofs of the villainous trade for which the vessel perhaps was intended have shared a similar fate. The mate denied all knowledge of the ventilator, and permitted himself to get into a towering passion when interrogated on that point. Captain Stevens, of H.M.s. Barracouta, has, we believe, been made acquainted with such facts in connection with the case as we have gathered by the Customs and police authorities, and whether he will take any action in the matter remains to be seen. We would recommend that the Barracouta should call at Sunday Island on her way to Fiji, in order to ascertain if there are any traces of the men reported as missing there. There is one thing to be said in favor of the vessel, and that is, her papers are correct, and everything is compatible with her starting on a pearl fishing cruise; but the admissions, prevarications, and extraordinary statements both of her chief officer and crew, woald lead to the impression that the steward's views are correct —' pearl-fishing if you can ; if not, then blackbird catching.' The question that remains is, where are the missing boat's crew, including the late master, but once servant of the present mate ? Have they been drowned at Sunday Island ? Are they murdered by natives whom they wished to enslave ? Have they been left behind in some island after a quarrel in their cups, or what ?"