MORE CARL OUTRAGES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 270, 3 April 1873, Page 5

MORE CARL OUTRAGES.

(Abridged from the Sydney Morning Herald. )

At the Sydney Central Criminal Court on Friday, 28th February, before Mr Justice Hargrave, Joseph Clancy was indicted for that be, being one of the crew of the Carl, did kill and murder a man whose name is to the Attorney-General unknown. The prisoner was defended by Mr Buchanan, instructed by Mr W. Hellyer — those gentlemen having been assigned by the Court for the defence. The Crown prosecutor stated the case for the Crown. John Bennett being sworn, deposed : I was on board of the British ship Carl during her last voyage. Clancy was on board as an able seaman. In the month of February, 1872, I was on board the Carl off the Caroline gronp. I was then at work as a seaman. I remember a canoe coming off — there were several. I do not remember natives then being brought on board in a dying state ; they were brought on board in a dying state when we were off the Mortlock group. In the early part of 1872, we were at the island of Apii, in the New Hebrides. Dr. Murray then came on board. I remember some women being brought on beard at Line Islands, and that there was one woman brought on board at the Carolines. Ido not recognise the native girl now produced in court. I remember a girl being brought off at Strong's Island. I now recognise this girl ; a wounded man was brought on board after this girl was brought on board. I saw him carried aft by Dr Murray and a seaman. I heard him afterwards thrown overboard. I heard him splash, and when I came on board I saw his hair floating in the water with the face down. We were then a mile and a-half from land. There were native boats about cut adrift. The island we were off is called Williams Island. I know it by no other name. The body when I saw it was floating in the water without any motion of life. Cross-examined: Witness deposed that the Carl belonged to Dr Murray, and that Clancy was very attentive to those wounded men who were brought on board. The girl came on board with her supposed, husband, the steward (a white man), at the Island of Ascension, but she was a native of Strong's Island. It was off Strong's Island that the wounded man was thrown overboard. I never saw Dr Murray shoot a man, but I have heard him say that he has killed hundreds. Woods, a seaman, went aft with Murray carrying the man before he was thrown overboard. I heard Murray say " Lend me a hand." Woods answered " I'll see you first ; do your own dirty work yourself." Then I soon afterwards heard a splash, and the man was thrown overboard. I heard Woods say "You might have let him die first ; I would not do that to a dog." I came on deck and said " Halloa, what's up ?" A Tanna man near me said, " They bin shoot the man." The woman lived with the steward in the cabin, and was said to be his wife. By the Crown prosecutor : We got many natives of the islands on board. We stole them on those occasions. Some we always kept below, but the majority were allowed on deck in the day time. The captaw was ordered about by Dr Murray,

A native girl named Kate, a native of Strong's Island, was placed in the box — an intelligent lad named Arthur Harman acting as interpreter, from English into Fijian, and from Fijian into English. The girl having been, for some short time, a resident in Fiji, spoke the language of the country pretty fluently. Kate's evidence was in effect that the prisoner had fired at men in the water with a pistol. She also stated that she had been in the service of Mr Consul March, the British Consul of Fiji ; that she had been stolen away from the service of Consul March, ami that Consul March had sent a man to find her. and paid that man for bringing her back to him. Witness also said that Mr Consul March had told her t« say what she was saying here now. That Consul March had taught her to do it, and had sent her up here for this purpose. All that witness was now saying was true. She came up with Mr March, the British Consul for Fiji, not with Dr Murray. George Woods, seaman (how under sentence in Darlinghurst Gaol), deposed that he had been a seaman on board the Carl. V\ hen the Carl was off Williams Island, saw Murray on deck often. Was on deck when some wounded men were brought on board. Murray fired, and witness was about to fire when Clancy sung out not to fire. Murray shot one of the natives in the water. The wounded man was brought on board, and was carried forward. Witness was helping to carry him forward when he laid him down by the wheel. Murray said that witness and those with him were " cowards," and told them to heave him overboard, for that he was "cooked." Witness angrily refused, saying "You might let him die, I would not heave a dog over before he was dead." Murray said, "I have shot dozens of them," and i showed an arrow- wound on his arm. Witnesss said, " I will have nothing to do with it," and another man on board also refused in similar terms. The man who was wounded at that time could speak. He was thro\vn overboard very shortly afterwards, but witness could not say by whom. Murray fired the shot at the time that the man was wounded who was thrown overboard. Will not swear that it was Murray's shot that killed the man or injured him so seriously ; but Murray thought it fit to throw him overboard. The jury retired at six o'clock, and on reappearing in the Court, soon after nine, returned their verdict. The foreman of the jury said :—": — " We find the prisoner Clancy guilty. At the same time we wish to recommend him to mercy, as we think he was coerced by Dr Murray ; and we are not fully satisfied, from the evidence, that it was the shot fired by the prisoner which caused the murder of the man who was killed." Being called upon to say why the sentence of the Court should not be passed upon him, Clancy ma^e a long exculpatory address, throwing all the blame upon Murray, whose revolting cruelty he described in very significant terms. He was altogether innocent. The girl had been tutored by Consul March. The girl was not on board at the time of the supposed occurrence — when the Carl was off Strong's Island. The judge said he believed that the prisoner had. been most justly found guilty. He fully concurred with the verdict, but he could not himself hold out any hopes of mercy. That would rest with the Executive. The prisoner had been clearly proved to be j guilty of a most revolting and cruel murder. His Honor then passed the sentence of death upon the prisoner. Clancy again attempted to address the Court, but was removed.