TRAGEDY ON BOARD A SHIP.

Waikato Times, Volume VII, Issue 343, 25 July 1874, Page 2

TRAGEDY ON BOARD A SHIP.

A communication from Smyrna bns the following :— A fearful tragedy at sea has just been brought to light here. On Sunday, one of the imall native coasting crafts camt dnsliing up against the Cerigo Quay at Smyrna, in a manner which led to the belief that she had been abandoned. On boarding, the dead body of an elderly man, who appeared to be the captain, was found on deck.* The body was much hacked about, the head being nearly severed from the trunk, and the clothes torn and in disorder, leaving the impreiison that a severe struggle had taken place. Near the remaini whs found a large hammer, smeared with blood. A little boy, under ten years, lay wrapped in a sail close by. He, was uninjured, but appeared to be stupified, and nothing intelligible could be elicited from him The craft was partly loaded with a cargo of melons, but no papers whatever could be discovered. The same evening the small steamer, on its way to Cordeho, fell in with another body at sea, fearfully mutilated. The public was si ill lost in conjectures respecting this strange event, when, on Wednesday morning*, a Kussian monk presented 1 * himself ut the consulate there,

„.,,... 1 ........ LM.MC li -«" ' lio.il (■!,.(. i I. ■! .it Sfu> lor Sum tv, in c- >p.i > «' 'i u P.MMin on hour! ucifntmi toh.ui.-k, in miird by t«oim-n with a 'iitic b.» 3 Some hour* hi-lorr iloubinm Point James CVlile, the monk <mrlif\ud «- fi.tniraitiou bet wee tn<* J-cr-«.n mH t! o uaptain. TJ.e Persian and th.it the monk had nY,,, him v ,,ril litimlie.l poun.ls in H''- 30n-e bank notes, un<l proposed th <t they s! ould mur..cr Lmi for hie purpose of obla.nmg po-s^sion of the money, the other nilor a, th- siim- Mir to be ,io r.d -t. The c.ipluin agreed, w.l it w is au.in.'P.i thnt the P^'W" »h add ro below to bed. oo »s to duert giupicion. The conver-ation look place in Turkish, but the monk is pei tot t ma-ter of six languages, and unJerstood all that was sold. He did not lose his presence of mind, but took up his position in a careless and in. ifferent way near the bows, divested himself of his clothes and said to the captain, who wis at the helm, that it was so hot ho would sleep on dock in prefoienco to going down belou. 'Sleep in peace,' said the skipper, 'I will take care and wake you when you get to Smyrna.' They were at the time not very distant from the coast, and tho Russian, availing himself of the ohance, slipped over the side and swam in sifcty to the shore. He landed at Ayou-Georgiu, TiHiL, and then made his way to Smyrna. The consul at once communicated this statement to the Turkish authorities, and on the police making enquiries at the Persian rendezvous Agen-Khan, they found that a Persian had arrived there from Scio on the previous day. On the monk being confronted with this Persian, he at oucp identified his fellowtraveller on board the cc a -ting-craft. The Persian of course, •nas arrested, and the stolen money belonging to the monk •was amongst his effects. He has since made a full confession of his crime, and his story is that, after waiting for BOtne time below, as arranged, he had gone up on deck and find- j ing the priest gone, believed the captain had facilitated Ins evasion. High words ensued, and the Persian murdered the captain with the hammer. He killed the sailor ulso and threw his body into the sea. He wrapped the boy round and round in a sail, thinking to suffocate him. lie then ransacked the vessel, and taking all the money he could find, including the laige sum found in the pocket of the monk, made his w«y to the slioie in a small boat which the coasting craft dragged in its wake. This story may read like an emanntion from the morbid fancy of an Edgar Allen loe, but it is in all particular* exact in its grim and liteial truth," — TaranaJci Herald.