STABBING AFFRAY ON THE HIGH SEAS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2457, 20 November 1886, Page 2

STABBING AFFRAY ON THE HIGH SEAS.

THE CHIEF OFFICER OF THE TIMARU WOUNDED.

On the arrival of the Ship Timaru in harbor yesterday morning, the master, D. Fullarton, came ashore and telephoned to the police to send a constable ashore to arrest a man named W. Williams, one of the crew, who was in confinement, having on the Bth of November Btabbed the mate, Mr Bowling. Cenßtable Steele was accordingly despotohed at once by the s.s, Mana, and brought the man to the Police Station, where Captain Fullarton had laid the necessary information, The entry in the log is as follows: " November 1886. Monday Bth, 7.30 a.m. lat. 42-28 S., long. 174'46 E.,'Pencar.ow bearing N.E, true 07 miles. While hove to during a gale I gave orders to the Chief Officer tohaultightthe weather braces, and he proceeded to do so. The watch came along promptly and hauled tight the weather braces, After doing so, the Chief Officer, finding that W. Williams,' A.8., was absent, and knowing that he often remained in the forecastle loafing when others or all of his watch were at work, he, Mr Bowling, went there to find him, and onaßkinghim why he (Williams) did not come out to work with his watch, Williame with oaths replied that he could not until he had shifted Wb clothes. Then the Chief Officer ordered him out. He rofused to do so, when the Chief Officer tried to pull him out. He resisted, arid then the Chief Office went out and put off his coat, the better to enable him to take him out. J, Moore. A.8., who was taking breakfast, saw the man Williams go to his bunk, and from a rack there take a sheath knife. Williams having previously threatened to use the knife to others, Moore fearing he was going to ! use it on the Chief Officer, called out to the Chief Officer to beware of him, as he had a knife in his hand, and in case the Chief Officer had not heard him, he was just going to run out by the leo door of the forecastle to Warn the chief officer, who coming in at the weather door did not give J, Moore timo to do so, The chief officer seeing Williams with a knife in his hand in a threatening attitude, grappled with him to take the knife from him, when a scuffle ensued, and Williams'stabbed the chief officer in the right side, and was endeavoring to do so again when J. Moore caught his hand'arid prevented him from doing : so, Ihe chief officer then ran aft, and . just succeeded in doing bo, shortly after, i being unable to move without suffering ' great agony. On sending the petty i officers an hour afterwards to apprehend ' him, he threatened violence, but on i tojd that if I, the master, had to come to i him and lip offered violence 1 would shoot <

him, he then submitted to be handcuffed, swearing meanwhile that he would have killed the chief officer, or cut off his hand if the watch had not prevented him from doing so, and that he was not sorry ho did what he did. 1 then put him. in the engine room, and shortly afterwards the carpenter opened the door of it suddenly,

and found him trying to break off the point of the knife between two pieces of the engine, On seeing the carpenter he was evidently diaconcerted, and dropped the knife suddenly, remarking that the captain would want it. The carpenter took it up and brought it to me. As our supply of water was almost done, and fully expected to have to rely on a supply of it from the condonßer, 1 was afraid to leave Williams iii.the engine room in case in his excited. state he might do serious harm to some of the condensing apparatus, thus rendering r) useless, and having no safe place into which I could I could put him at once, a water-closet was cleaned thoroughly, and he put in there till 4 p.m., when the carpenter's shop having been cleaned and arranged for his reception, he was put there, and his bedding given to him. While in the closet he broke the handcuffs, He (Williams) had threatened to use his knife to F. Ruse, A.8,, onapreviousoccasion, and several of the crew and passengers saw a revolver in his possession on several occasions. On Saturday, the tifch, while blowing a gale of wind, the bo'sun had occassion to reprimand liira for remaining in the forecastle during an emergency when all hands were at woik, when ho said he would not come out for Jesus Christ until ho had his oilskins on. On the bo'sun expostulating with him for hanging back, Williams, apparently thinking he was going to be taken out by the bo'sun, put his hand on or grasped his knife, when the bo'sun dosiroiis of not, or fearing to, provoking a breach of the peace, went out of tho forecastle, The entry was read in the presence of each of the parties signing it, and was in the details of it seen by each of us either in part or m whole." Here follow the signatures of D, Fullarton, master; J. Geach, second officer; A. J. Coleman, 3rd officer; George Frasor, bo'sun; Hugh Crawford, carpenter; John Moore, A.B. j Frank Edwards 0 S.; Thomas Rose, A. B. On Friday, November 19th the entry was shown and read to W. Williams, who replied that it was a little truth and a great deal of lies, and on being asked if he had any reply to make, said he would do bo in Court. The Prisoner, who states that his real name is Thomas Power, is a fine intelligentlooking man, and a native of the Emerald Isle. The wound of Mr Bowling was dressed and attended to by a passenger named W. Charles rney, and this morning a doctor was sent.for, as the wound was affecting the breathmp of the injured man,—Press.