TERRIBLE VOYAGE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10291, 28 May 1919, Page 3

TERRIBLE VOYAGE

STORY OF THE SEA BOY TELLS HORRIBLE TALE 01? CRUELTY. Annals of the sea contain few more horrible tales of cruelty than the story told, by Leonard Alexander Smithson of his trip from Vancouver to Capetown with “Hell-Fire” Pederson and his Wo sons, in charge of the barquentine Puako,. which ended with the arrest of tho captain and his eons, who' acted as his mates, on a char ge of murdering the cook. Brought back to the United States, “Hell Fire” anti his hopefuls are how facing a capital charge at Now” York. The Puako loaded at .Vancouver when the schooner Laurel Whalen, now in Now Zealand waters, was picking up her cargo. Young Smithson, ambitions to be-come-a-sailor, signed on for a trip to the Cape. Captain Pederson took a fatherly interest in him, advising him against the evils of _ drinking and smoking, and admonishing him to live a virtuous life—while the ship was in port.. . .When at last Pederson was able to* induce a crew to put out to sea. the paternal interest in the young boy, who acted as second cook, changed, and instead of being given kindly advice,., the hid . says ho was daily beaten until he was black And blue. His nose was broken, and _ his head laid open. Four times' during-the voyage did ho edrry twin black eyes, the gifts of “Hell Fire” and his sons.. In a letter to his mother from Capetown the lad gives his story of the voyage and the death of the cook, in connection with which the; captain is now in jail, charged, with- murder. Ho declared. that .he . was. a witness to the. death of the cook, and when ho told the captain, in answer to a question, that he would toil the truth to the American Consul,; he was* xiummelled and. beaten. . . .

The story, as contained in thb letter to his parents, reads as follows; —“ “Dear Mother and Father,—Just a Una to let you know I am still living, but not too "well, as I'have' been so beaten and starred ntboard the ship that I look like a skeleton, but a m starting to pick .up now. Well; mother, this has been the worst five months I ever put in in my Ufe, but not only me, the, whole crew. When wo cams . ashore , every one was black - and blue all over the body, and all had blao^eyes.

“The captain and mate are up : for manslaughter, as the cook was driven over on May 23rd. The reason'' he jumped vvas that every moat' he booked he. was bailed in the cabin and beaten and out, and, then i would get the.saine, fordoing, nothing,, only the captain, was always drunk, and half crazy, and his sons were, the two mates, and everything he said they would beat us. • - - - “The cook got about the same-for everything; ho did until he was driven crazy, till one morning he was working, and the mate called him ’ana beat .him till he fan for the-side* and jumped. Just as he got to the side the mate kicked him and made’ him go, - but when he came to his senses in the' water he grabbed the log-lino in the hack of the ship, "and called ,‘Hejp, help,’ .but when. a fallow named Rdely tried to save him, tlie captain; said, ‘CI-et away from that line and ' go forward, yon,’ and the mate shook the man oh the log-line, and let him ,drown, and .when ho . saw 1 was wafoohing,- said, ‘.What good is he? Hot the “Then that aiternoon he asked mo what I was going to tell the American Consul about it, and I told him I was going to tell bun the truth.,. At that he went pretty near crazy, and said: ‘You ‘ • going to 1 tell the truth?’ Then‘he’beat me again kind broke my nose, and put tnree cuts in my head and gave me a sot of black eyes. That was only one, set, but I:had; four sets on the trip. “Well,’.the whole crew are in the detention camp, and are held as .witnesses, but the captain and mates are in gaol, held for murder, and Lord knows when ; the trial will be over. It may last two months, or it may last a year. But, anyway, 1 am safe ana getting fed good, and have i good place to sleep. • “\Voll, we ; sure had a. long trip. TV' O were over i 130 days, about 140 days. That’s 50 days late, and we were tomake it in’, 9o days, so 1 just got your letter to-day.” . The authorities ,at Capetown handed the Pcdoraoas over to the United States, aud the prisoners and the crow are reported to have arrived at blew fork on the American cruiser Charleston. ; ’ ■■