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Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 323, 13 August 1868, Page 3

Cruelties at Sea. —Atrocities committed on. board the Lydia, the details of which are too revolting to be reported in full, have been investigated at the Liverpool Police-Court, by Mr Raffles, stipendiary magistrate. Ansel Larkin, chief officer of the ship Lydia, hailing from Nova Scotia, was charged, on May 26, with the wilful murder of Donald M'Donald, one of the crew, and Denis Foreman Schofield, the captain, was charged with being an accessoi y before the fact. He, Larkin, and Francis Carrol, the second mate, were also charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm upon several of the crew. In the course of his opening statement Mr Walter, prosecuting solicitor, remarked that in March last the vessel was at Black River, Jamaica, where she shipped anumber of coloured men as additional hands. She sailed for Liverpool on March 21, and when she had been about five weeks at sea the deceased and a Dutchman named Ellis quarrelled. Larkin came up at the time and struck M'Djnald violent blows on the face. In consequence oi this treatment he was unable to do his work. He was found lying undei a boat, and was dragged out by the chief-officer, who beat him about the head with a large iron belaying pin the captain being on the poop at the time, and stimulating Larkin in wha' he did. M'Donald died four day: after the assault was committed upor him. The man Ellis and Nathai Stephens, the under cook, were callec as witnesses. They spoke to seeing Larkin beat the deceased about th( head and face with a belaying pin knock him down, and kick him abou the head, face, and chest, in a mos brutal manner. They described th state the poor fellow was in just befor his death as awful. His head, face an> chest, were so swollen that he did no

look like a human being; he could not speak ; offensive matter was running from his mouth and ears; his mouth was so much cut that the lower lip hung down underneath the jaw, and the stench from his body was quite sickening. Other witnesses were examined who gave confirmatory evidence Some of them said they heard the captain call out to the mate, as he was beating tho deceased with the belaying pin, to " lay it on the son of a ." Another spoke to hearing the captain tell Larkin to fetch M'Donald out by the run, and that when the latter complained to the captain of the treatment he had received, the captain told him he had no pity for him—it served him right. They all spoke to the horrible state in which M'Donald was prior to his death. Mr Bradley, house surgeon to the Northern Hospital, who heard the whole of the evidence, had not the slightest doubt that the mans death was caused by the injuries described. Both prisoners were committed to take their trial on the charge of wilful murder, the magistral refusing to accede to the application of Mr "Cobb, who defended the captain, that the latter might be admitted to bail.