DEADLY ENCOUNTER ON BOARD SHIP.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1036, 28 November 1882, Page 4

DEADLY ENCOUNTER ON BOARD SHIP.

According to American papers just received, a fatal fight betsveen sailors with knives occurred on board the British ship Orialla, while on the passage from Liverpool, and extra duty had to be imposed upon the crew. A sailor named Kehoe complained to the captain of the arbitrary manner of the boatswain, Murphy, who threatened to 'get even' with him for it. When the vessel was about 10 miles from the American share, J-'urphy ordered Kehoe af c to attend to some rigging, and the latter retorted 1 hat there was nothing to attend to in that quarter, The two then stepped back a fe/v paces, drew knives from their waists, and met in a deadly encounter. Murphy's blade sank into the left side of Kehoe, directly under the arm. Kehoe forced his blade into the fleshy part of Murphy's thigh. Kehoe, fell dead on the deck, stabbed through the left lung, while Murphy bled profusely. The tight was so brief that the man at the wheel did not think they were in earnest. The offence being committed slightly over nine miles from the American shore, there is a difficulty with reference to jurisdiction, as outside that distance is deiined as ' open sea,' and an offence committed on board an English ship on the high seas is tried in England. The prisoner was brought up before Mr Commissioner Shields, and alleged that he committed the murder in self-defence. Considerable time was spent before any action could be taken, no application having been made by the British Consul for the extradition of Murphy, but on his snibstqucnt arrival the necessary order was granted.