MYSTERIOUS TRAGEDY AT SEA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4311, 14 January 1875, Page 3

MYSTERIOUS TRAGEDY AT SEA.

An occurrence of a singularly tragic character was reported at Greenock lately, by Captain. Kidd, of the ship Alabama, which arrived at the Tail of the Bank from Pensacola, with a cargo of timber. While the Alabama was on her homeward voyage, on the 20th September, and while off the Island of Cuba, Havana bearing south by east, distant about thirty-five miles, the attention of the captain was directed to a small open boat which was observed drifting about apparently with no one on board. A small spritsail was set upon the craft, and an awning was spread fore and aft, but the sail was seen to be loose, and flapping about. The ship was at once steered towards the boat, and on closely approaching it the body of _ a man was seen lying across the beams. Captain Kidd at once ordered the ship to be hauled on the wind, and the second officer, Mr. Proctor, and a boat's crew had one of the Alabama's boats launched and picked up the little craft. On going alongside the occupant was found to be quite dead, and the body was becoming rapidly decomposed. A considerable quantity of water, deeply dyed with blood, was observed in the bottom of the boat, and on the seats and sides clots of blood and quantities of human hair were found adhering. The boat was brought alongside the Alabama, and on the body of deceased being examined it was found that he had been stabbed on the left side, below the breast, the wound being about four inches long. Several severe injuries were also observed on the head, and they evidently had been inflicted by some hard blunt substance. The body was stretched at full length in the boat, and underneath the head was placed several pieces of carpet, which appeared to have been originally used in the boat for sitting upon. On the person of deceased was found six. dollars in Havana paper currency, but no document or papers were found which could lead to his identification. Inside the boat were found two sheath knives stained all over with blood, two pairs of shoes, a hand lantern with one of the glass sides broken, a walkingstick made of iron tree wood, but minus the head, a sponge, &c. Deceased, who was a handsome and powerfully-built man, aged about thirty years, was dressed in a dungaree jumper aDd canvas pants. From the appearance of the body it was conjectured that the unfortunate man had not been dead more than forty-eight hours. The boat was about 16ft. keel, and on the stern was painted " F. — Rosita—lo 63." From the rig, outfit, _ and general appearance of the craft, it is believed to have belonged to a licensed boatman of Havana. Of course to account for its presence in mid-ocean, and how its solitary occupant met his death, is impossible, but taking into account the circumstance of two bloodstained knives being found on board, together with two pairs of shoe 3, &c, the supposition is that two persons at least must have originally occupied the craft when it left the shore. Both sides of the boat had been partially washed with the sponge, but a quantity of human hair clotted with blood was found sticking to other portions of it, and evidences other than the appearance of the body of deceased favor the supposition that a struggle between two persons had taken place on board. Captain Kidd is of opinion that the man found dead may have been a native Spanish boatman, and that, having been hired by a passenger who wished to be conveyed to some point on the island of Cuba, the two had quarrelled during the passage—the boatman having perhaps attempted to rob the passenger—when a struggle ensued. The hair of the man found on board was intact, and the color of that found adhering to the sides of the boat was different from his. It is therefore surmised that during the fight a portion of the hair of the Becond man may have been torn out, and that eventually he had been overcome and thrown overboard, but not before he had inflicted fatal injuries upon the man found in the boat. Finding himself so severely wounded, deceased appears to have tied a handkerchief round his body over the wound, in order, if possible, to staunch the blood which flowed, but finding himself becoming exhausted he had collected the bits of carpet, and placing them under his head had lain down to die. Both knives were lying apart from their sheaths. One of the weapons was a long sharp-edged stiletto, while the other was a kaife commonly used by seafaring men, and appeared to be of English manufacture. The body of deceased, after being carefully examined, was weighted with iron and consigned to the deep, but Captain Kidd has brought the boat and the various articles found on board to Greenock. A report of the circumstance will, no doubt, be sent to the Spanish consul at Glasgow, and inquiries by that official may eventually unravel a tragedy which at present is veiled in mystery.