An American Captain's "Correction" of his crew.
--At the Arbroath Police-court, on Monday,
Capt. Samuel Colson,
Master of the American brig
Amos M. Roberts, was charged before Bailie Trial with committing an assault on his Second
Mate, John Smith, on board the ship in harbor.
The
Mate had been left in charge during the absence of the
Captain, who, on his return, found the man drunk, reprimanded him, and ordered him below.
Instead of going, the
Mate threatened to ‘"whip"’ the
Master, whereupon the latter seized a barrel stave and knocked
Smith down by a smart blow on the head, repeating the stroke two or three times.
The
Mate appeared in Court without bearing any marks of blows.
The Master's defence was that he struck the man in self-defence, and that he had a right to administer ‘"correction"’ to his men to maintain discipline.
The case was found proved, and the magistrate remarked that if any man in this country had struck a horse severely with such a weapon as he had used to his
Mate, he would have been punished for cruelty to animals.
Captain Colson was fined five guineas.
The
Amos M. Roberts is the first ship under the ‘"stars and stripes"’ that ever entered this harbor, and the system of discipline this case indicates has not favorably prepossessed seamen in this quarter towards the
American Merchant service.--
North British Daily Mail.