TRAGEDY AT SEA.

Patea Mail, Volume I, Issue 93, 1 March 1876, Page 3

TRAGEDY AT SEA.

A Magisterial investigation was held in the Newry Police Ollice, on October IS, touching the charge against Captain Ambrose Aarlsen, of the Norwegian barque Prinds (Oscar, for shooting one of his crew, named Pnhert Fisher, on the high seas on September 29. One of the witnesses, a seaman, mimed W IIHum Paine, told the story of the dreadful scene on hoard the I’rinds Oscar in the following language:—-“.I shipped at. Baltimore in the hanpie Prinds Oscar, hound for Newry with a cargo of Indian corn, on September 9. There were twelve of a crew, all told. We lost one, named Hubert Fisher, at sea. The captain shot him. This happened between one and two in the afternoon. 'Phis was during onr watch. There were four of un pumping the ship—myself, the last witness, an old man outside, and Koliert Fisher. When the pumping was over the captain told Fitzmaurice, the. old man outside, and me to ge below, and said to Fisher, £ I. want yon aft.’ Then we three went forward, and Poll went aft with the captain. Wo had hardly got forward when 1 heard the report of a revolver. I turned round ami saw* I>ob fall forward with Ills Lands on Ids stomach. .Boh reeled, and caught hold of the companion, and then looked at the captain, and uttered a groan, with a smile on his face. He was smiling all the time, lie tried to got up, and caught hold of a spar, luit the ship was rolling heavily, and lie had not strength to rise. He did not die instantly : he died on the fore hatch about twenty minutes after. Nothing was done for him when he was lying on the fore hutch. We asked the male to get a little drop of wine us the poor man’s throat was parched, ami we knew that lie wanted something to drink. The mate came on dock, saying there was no wine, hut he brought camphor, which we could not give him. After the shot was fired the captain went round on the lee side of the deck. Fitzmaurice and I were standing forward on the lee side, The captain presented his revolver at us, and said. ‘Come on, any of you.’ Fitzmaurice and I got a. piece of old canvass, in which we sewed Fisher up just as he was, with all his clothes and hoots on. We asked for water to wash him helore we buried him, hut we got none. The body lay under the forecastle on deck all night, and next, morning at six o’clock Fitzmaurice, Heed, and I buried him. The captain was not on deck. There was no funeral service or any kind of ceremony. He was just picked up, thrown over, and buried like a dog. After the shot, was tired I noticed that the captain’s eye was black. The captain went about the deck afterwards with a piece of sticking-plaster under his eye, but it never was cut. I saw a few drops of hloou on the front of the captain s checked shirt. Next day after Bob was shut I was at the wheel, and the captain spoke to me and asked me did the captain of the last ship I. was in kill a man ! I replied, ‘ No, not in the last ship, but in the ship I. was in before that a man was killed, not by the captain hut by his officers, and they were tried at Baltimore.’ Up to the 29th September the captain and hi? crew were on good terms with each other. I think we were about mid Atlantic when Boh was shot.” The magistrates having held a brief conversation were of opinion that it was advisable not to proceed further till they had ascertained the. law whether it devolved on them to hear the evidence fully or hand the accused over to the Norwegian authorities. If it were necessary, the magistrates would go through the case thoroughly; hut in the meantime they must wait till that was obtained. The inquiry was then adjourned.