OLDEST
-- ' - "'
SOME student of prlon rforms
bar held tht capital punlshmnl
Dun tiara been preferable to a
cruis aa a convict aboard tb British
prison ahlp Success.
Admitting tbat moat of tba appalling
tilings ara troa tbat bar ben told of
Ufa aboard, to thousands visiting tba
vassal during- tna past faw days at
the foot of Tamblll trt. It would
aacm aa If tba unfortunates conBncd
thara would almost hav welcomed
death.
.Tat tba career of tba Success baa not
barn wholly .given to scourging and
killing of criminal. When she first
took the water, whlcb bar history fixe
aa In K0. tba ship waa tba pride of
her owners. Built at Moulmaln. Brit
ish Burmab. her start was made un
der the shadow of the old Pagoda.
which Kipling has ImraotarUed.
Coolie did the work, though they were
elected for their craft, and atudents
of early woodwork have traced as
sign and admirable fittings that at
test to the fact that those who con
structed the ahlp wera far from being
drrs serfs.
fihe Is built of teak throughout, and
so celebrated Is the wood of tha ahlp
that a piece was cut from her and
placed in tha Royal Museum at Green
wich. London, being marked "Timber
taken from the old Success. and ad
mitting tta superiority to that of Brit
ish oak.
Early Career HeaoraaJe.
Tba old convict vessel Is of tfS tons.
IIS feet long. t-fool beam, copper
fastened and thrse-nalled throughout
She la a stout and ataunch aa pon
derooe beams and hog Iron knees ran
make her. while further stiffening was
unintentionally added to be.r by the
rows of convict cells tbat run on both
aides of her two deck, the material
of these cells being thick enough to
form tha sides of a good, strong ship.
for W or It years after ah waa
launched the Success bad an honored
and adventurous career, sailing the
Indian seas, engaged In the spice.
Ivory and tea trade and carrying many
a Indian Prince and nabob, for the
tracee that remain to this day show
elaborate heraldic device. gilded
scrolls, quarter galleries decorated
with massive and artistic carvlnga and
escutcheons from stem to stern, all
going to show that sha led the way tn
th-fleet of that time aa en at for
kings. She then carried ber own gun,
for ring, portholes ana bolts ara atlll
show, and It la also on record tbat
sb resisted and beat off an attack of
a French ship. 1-a Rosa. In the Bay of
Bengal. Oreat shot marks near to the
water line show where tha Frenen
pirate's fir waa received. On another
occasion her Lascar crew mutinied and
tba captain signaled to Fort George.
Bombay, for assistance. The signals
wera mistaken, and Instead a cannon
was fired at the Success, which. strlk
In the mainmast I still In the ship
and showing where the shot struck,
brought down soma of tha upper spars,
wblcb fell en the mutineers, killing
two and wounding several.
Ship Last Casta.
Ia 101 tha Succesa fell from caate
nd became an "ocean bell." a devil
ship, which. Instead of harboring tba
blgh and mighty potentates of tha gild,
ed East, became the boma and the
acourae of England's worst criminals,
tha bora malefactor aa well as tha un
fortunate wbont s horrible penal sys
tem manufactured Into a convict and
aa outcast.
It waa then that theae rowa of
gloomy borror-haunted cell wera built
for the reception of ber human freight,
lo be -carried la thera without sunlight,
without ventilation, almost without
food, with the scantiest of raiment and
tba utmost Infliction of crueltlea and
depredation across tha lg.000 miles
that separated England from her
new colonlea In Australia. On an
average, and this fact la authenticated
by official documents. 32 per cent of
tha unfortunates embarking on tha
Success and her stster-shipa died before
anchor was dropped at their destina
tion ta Australia. Of those aurvlving
tba fearsome voyage few were strong
enough to go aahor unaided. With oc
casional Intarvala of more or less hon
est trading tha Success waa thence
forth regularly chartered by the Brit
ish government, when the pressure of
convicts la ber horn prison became too
graat. to carry tha unfortunate wblt
Slavs to tha Antipodes.
FWggiag Waa Casasaaaw
Tba barbarities practiced oa these
voyagea sero almost unbelievable. Of
ficial records and tba blatorlea of tba
time, aa preserved oa board tba Suc
cess, relate them la such a matter-of-
fact meaner that on caa only wonder
at tba callousness of tba mind to hu
man suffering.
.Flogging waa mora regular than food
oa the ucca. and the art of Haying
Ma brother man alive waa brought to a
fine pitch of excellence by the proree
aioaal flageltators, generally recruited
from tba convicts themselves.
Tha severity of the Infliction depend
ed upon tha separation of the tails by
tha fingers of the flagellator before
the scourge waa burled over hla bead,
and brought down with terrible pre
cision upon the back of tba prisoner.
Being equally dexteroua with either
band. II lashes were administered with
tha right and than 11 wltb tba left, ao
a to "cross tba cuts most cruelly.
If tba convict flagellator. from a
merciful feeling, tried to favor hla vic
tim by allowing the atranda to fall to
gether with a dull thud upon hi back,
tb pompous official, la all tba glory
of goid-bralded authority, standing
watch la hand, would shout. "Comb
your cats, my good man. comb your
csts. If the flagellator failed to do
o, another would be found only too
willing to nil tn ouwuw viuc na me
on who had given offense would be
triced to tha triangle, aa hundreds bad
t,a before him. and flogged for -Insubordination."
Official "returns from Hobart Town.
Tasmania, show tbat tb total aumber
SHIP AFLOAT IS
Built ia Burma in 1790, Sa's Began Remarkable Career as Proud East Indian Trader Mid Ended as Last of Infamous British Prison Fleet in Australian Waters. I
'A Vfe-
- - - I TIM -S-i
ioda.y
or lashea Inflicted during a period of
two yeara was 11.711. Mea were
flogged for Idleness and negleot of
duty; while eight women were flogged
- - ,k. anll.n And aail-
m . .it a - J ww
ore of the guard taking It In turna to
ply the awful "lash."
t-i. . t r nd trlanai
turn iivtt,l,B
now on board the vesse.1 ara tha "orig
inate that were usea. ana
of those who witnessed the revolting
slgbt of a struggling, shrieking crim
inal In tha throea of tha lash, usually
allowed that from tnat point -. -the
reformation of tba convict became
a distant probability.
An iota ok a iiogaiu -
the following description of an eye
witness: "One man wa sentenced to receive
100 lashes, an the method cf punish
ment was such as to make It most ef
fectual. Two men were appointed to
flog one a right-handed man and the
other left-handed. They stood oa each
side, and I never saw two threshers In
a barn move their flalla with more
regularity than these two man-klllers
did unmoved by pity, and rather en
joying their employment than other
wle. The very first blowa made tha
blood spurt from the man's shoulders,
and I felt so disgusted and horrified
that I turned my face away from tb
cruel sight. ... 1 could only com
pare these wreicnes to a p .
mt tn death of a hare: or
tigers who torment their victims be
fore they put taem to omul a
witnessed manv horrible scenes, but
tbns waa tha most appalling eight I
have ever seen. The day waa windy,
and I protest that, although I waa at
leaat IS yarda rrora tno eunerers, u
. . i 1. 1 a ei.H fiAw In tnv faee
BlUU'h IKIfl " - " -- . ' '
aa tha executioners shook it off their
cats. Tha man received tna wuoie
100. During the time h was receiving
the punishment be never uttered a
groan: the only words na eaia wsr;
- . i a . n n tellr m an the
neck.' The hapless wretch knew that
he might sue in vain for further mer
cies." ui Beeaasa la
another, a vooth of 10. was atao
sentenced to receive .100 lashes. Tha
kJa,.t wera lven on hltr Shoul
ders, and ha wa cut to the bona be
tween the ahoulder blades, wnicn were
both laid bar A The doctor (who had
glng) then dtrected the next hundred
to be Inflicted lower uown. -
. . .i . w ... ... r.K - lillv that tb
UUVFU 1U livau w 'j
doctor ordered blm to have tha re
maining hundred on tna caivee oi u
legs.
rf-tkW ksAana Kf4St1 svH tVITt fti A lit
V lllvl BS imgUI-a aa v B
flogging perfectly Inured to all paln-
It la re is I en oi one w"-
. i n uaianet of a
bundred lashes, thst ha bora hla flog
ging without wince or murmur.
-1 . !.! Ka nil m YMf nf
vv o nivuimi --
each lash, and at tha last ona coolly
cried. "Domino." Another. who
boasted of a record or tovu lasnes in
w i ...!. m -ti.Aji tA tna fr1snele-
U 12. lliri llliv. rwmm . i . - " - " .
. . i i ... . . .I.... with In IssK.
On being released, be confronted the
officials defiantly who. ow an
fight tha best man amongst you!
f .j,.ti. nn hnl rA had under-
Ill" " . - - - .
gone from to 109 lashea. and mora
than ona could ooasi oi aa mui mm
1500.
In regard to the'orlglr.al flogging
triangle on board It Is said that It waa
discarded In favor of the flogglng
w .hnarnl aa It was found
that the convicts used to batter their
heada against tn post to rvnuer
themselvea lnsenalbl to the punish
ment. Doctor Describes Rarrara.
la aa official paper Issued by Dr.
Vnite. a government physfclaa of
iSvdney ta a description of the condi
tion of the Success and Its Inmates at
the close of the voyage. He said tbat
. . - wn ah hoard be found dead
bodlea atlll In Irene below amongst
the erowos oi "
... itmhar nf them wera t v .
In
ig. some half and others quite naked.
i.ik,.f Atther bexldtng or unable to
turn to help tbemselvea. The amell
.ff.n.it. I could hardlv bear It.
Soma of the unhappy people died
&fAr the Snip cam miw f mi uvi ,
before they could ba taken on shore.
Part of theae had been thrown Into
the harbor and their dead bodies cast
III ' ii Hill Sj " ' I ;T?t J Mil ; V. .31 '"-J It' ! '-" XX. SH. . VTS iti -: II
-.I'M f III tSfml h fh fv.l 3t aWWT -2 ! . .. .;ar;: If Jfei rj "T"..i,iJ?i IZ1
a., . , - -a -v iA' ar Ov . '--e-' 1 - I'll., ,rr
fgx ;-'.p . t
ki,W l - '
a; it . .
ML
upon tha shore and were seen lying
naked upon the rocks. The .miser? I
aw amongst them la Inexpressible."
The ship continued Its career of In
famy without change until 18S1. when
swifter vessels were employed In the
transportation of convicts. She was In
that aar rationed at Fort Williams-
town, about nine miles from where
Melbourne was then beginning to
grow, aa a "hulk" or floating prison
for the convicts engaged in building
that fort Even then she was a horror
and plague spot of iniquity. The
regime of her sailing dajs waa in no
way Improved; if anything mora re-
n . . . i i ..rn.ir.t.il Far
uuvu i uni lie. ... -
example, tha cleanliness snd health of
ins prisoners were oexter twc aivc.
They were then valuable as labor, and
consequently the "compulsory bath"
was Installed, and Into thla wretches
fresh from a flaying at the triangle
were flung and blttng salt water
scrubbed Into the gaping gashes on
thslr backs with hard - bristled
brushes. The Success had ber comple
ment of "refractory" prisoners who
were Immured throughout tha long
days and nlghta In the noisome cells In
tha dsrk depths of the lower hold, ex
cept for a few brief moments dally
whea they were allowed on deck fully
Ironed and dragging a 71-pound pun
tehment ball aa a deterrent to their
Jumping over tha aeven-foot bulwarka
and ending their miseries In .the
waters of Melbourne Bay.
Ceauaaader Ia Aasasslaated.
The Infamous John Prince. Inspector
Oeaeral of New South Wales, became
commander of the Success, and so
fierce wera tha horrors that he piled
upon the miserable wretchea under bis
charge that tha culmination was In his
ssxasslnatioa and the subsequent abo
lition of the transportation aystem.
The usual method of boarding tha
hulk was by an ordinary gangway lad
der, and on stepping over the water
ways the visitor would ba challenged
by an officer stationed to guard the
entrance to the commandant's quartera.
Tb warders gained access from deck
to deck by means of Iron ladders fixed
vertically, hut the prisoners, encum
bered by the weight of their Irons, had
to be raised and lowered In batches of
five at time often quarreling and
fighting In a rough lift, which passed
from the lower to tha mala deck
through tke forward hatchway. The
wooden wheel wltb an endless rope
and the Ingenious chocks thst formed
the raising apparatus of this lift still
hang above tha Iron-barred hatchway.
In order to completely Isolate the
Success, and prevent the escape of any
prisoners, there was a cordon of buoya
moored round the yellow-painted hulk
at a dlstsace of 71 yards. Any person
entering tba circle without proper au
VISITING
- .W; - . fir
- aWss - - A. w
thority or not being possessed of the
countersign, rendered himself liable to
being shot at sight.
Only the prisoners of better behavior,
who were confined in the 'tween-deck
cells, were taken off every day to work
at the quarries, from whence came the
stone with which the pier waa built, a
lasting monument of convict labor.
On tha lower deck wera the abso
lutely hopeless characters, men who
were considered utterly irreclaimable,
and who wera confined in separate
dens. Here, too. were the condemned
ceils, in which those who were doomed
to die passed tha brief Interval in a
chamber of darkness, from which even
death must have proved a welcome re
lief. Darkness Ruined Bight.
Tha "unsafe 60" prisoners were never
allowed on shore under any pretext.
Their only exercise and opportunity of
enjoying a breath of fresh air was re
stricted to one nour in averr when
they were marched from stem to stern
upon deck. Exceptionally high bul
warks prevented them seeing aught but
the strip of blue Australian aky direct
ly overhead, tha white-winged gulls, aa
they glided over the vessel, seeming to
mock the prisoners in their heavy
chains. From long confinement In the
dark cells the eyesight of tha convicts
was generally ruined. The sudden
trsnsltlon from their black dens to the
dazsllng sunshine. In their hour's
respite, waa mora bewildering than the
sensation experienced by the miner on
emerging into daylight after some
hours' sojourn in the bowels of the
earth. x
Tha sight of the prisoners at ex
ercise waa aaddentng In the extreme,
each man half stooping beneath the
weight of tha llnka with which he was
encumbered. The -marked despsradoes
were closely watched by apeclal war
ders and marched atralght up and
down, whilst tha othere made the
round tour of tha ahlp by crossing over
to the opposite side on reaching the
fence at either end. The course they
followed can atlll be perceived by trac
ing the grooved pathway worn into the
original planka of the deck.
As they paced the deck during this
hour 6f comparative relaxation It was
no uncommon event for one of the
prisoners to make a bold daeh for free
dom or death. They scarcely expected
to get beyond tha cordon of buoya, but
they were reduced to such a state of
desperation that they preferred a
watery grave to-the treatment they re
ceived on board. When one of theae
"rushers" was overtaken In such an at
tempt ho was Invsrlably punished by
having a heavy ball of Iron weighing 71
pounds attached to his belt by a chain.
This "punishment ball" Is still pre
served on board. Ia spite of Us weight
:. v:-:. - :- ... f !m a
IN PORTLANDS
J - : .
fl ararakfakT-STSTSTSTsTgaTsTsTl
fm gaBaTaTBBTBBBBBTBBBBBBBBS
some of the convicts gained a wonder
ful dexterity In swirling It round them
tn a semi-circle at their feet and would
nimbly step over the chain by which
It was attached to the iron waist-belt,
and could thus move from one part oi
the deck to the other with comparative
ease born of long practice.
Convict Forged Irons.
As an additional punishment tha eyes
of the refractories on parade wera
Some times bandaged, and gagging Is
shown to have been resorted to by
the authorities, who appear to have
exercised a fiendish ingenuity In the
invention of means to break the con
victs' spirits. The "black gag" fcon
Blsted of a wooden bit In a leather
bridle, the straps buckling around the
convict's head and neck, and a perfora
tion was made in the mouthpiece to en
able him to breathe.
The prison dress was always plainly
branded with broad arrows and dis
tinctive numbers The hair of each
prisoner was clipped at frequent in
tervals, and they were always kept in
Irons. The blacksmith's forge was un
der the fo'c'sle head, where a convict
son of Vulcan forged the fetters for
his comrades lr crime and fastened
their clanking anklets with red-hot
rivets. Examples of these chains are
on board, varying. from eight pounds
to 71 pounds in weight.
White's "Conviot Life in New South
Wales" (which was compiled from
government records and Is considered
a textbook on this subject) In refer
ring to the leg shackles of the con
victs says: "They were not removed
when they went to the hospital, and
not always when they went to their
graves."
"Black Hole" Dreaded.
The corner cells on either side of
the lower deck are the dreaded "black
boles." in whjch prisoners who had
been guilty of some breach of dis
cipline or fractious conduct were pun
ished by solitary confinement, lasting
from one to 100 days, according to
the gravity of the offense, and per
haps according to the state of the
gastric Juices of the Inspector-general.
These small and ; tapering torture
chambers measure only two feet eight
inches across. The doors fit as tight
as valves snd olose with a "swish,"
excluding all air except what can fil
ter through the perforated iron plate
that was placed over the bars above
the door in order to make the hole
as dsrk and oppressive as possible
A stout iron ring is fastened about
knee high In the shelving back of the
cell, and through this ring the right
wrist of the prisoner was passed and
then handcuffed to the left hand, the
consequence being that he was thus
prevented from standing upright or
lying down, but was obliged to stoop
or lean against the shelving side of
the vessel as It rolled to and fro at
its moorings. ,
One hour's exercise a day was all
that the .prisoner of the "black hole"
was granted, and the offenders under
went their sentences in an attitude
that wos of Itself a refinement of tor
ture. Starved, beaten and abused as
they were, the wonder is that so many
of even those hardened villains were
able to endure punishment as they did.
Death Had Jie Terrors.
That the majority of them were cal
lous and irreclaimable more like wild
bests than men is possible; but the
treatment they were shown to have re
ceived on board, by the evidence given
at a government Inquiry, was such
as to drive any man to desperation
and despair. Constant application of
the "cat," imprisonment In the "black
hole" and other punishments were the
EXPEDITION TO ISLAND
OF CANNIBALS RECALLED
V I a ' -
Topographer in Forestry Office at Portland One of Few Men Living Who
Visited Strange and Savage Land in Gulf of California.
WILLAKD D. JOHNSON, topogra
pher in the Portland office of
the United States Forest Serv
ice, who has seen 36 years of scien
tific service for the Government is
one of the few men living who has
visited the island of Tiburon. In the
Qnlf of California, the strangest
island in the world on acccount of be
ing inhabited by the Serl Indians, the
only cannibals in North America,
-Although it was in 1886 . that Mr.
Johnson, as geographer in an expedi
tion, was sent out by the Smithsonian
Institution, his account of that Isolated
island, only 32 miles in length, is as
interesting and unusual as If it were
yesterday. 'Eighteen years have .not
affected a race of people unchanged
by the thousands of years that pre-
"A few years before the United
States Government decided to Investi
gate the Serl tribe on Tiburon Island
a German expedition, imbued with a
feeling of sympathy and kindness to
ward the poor, neglected and abused
Serl Indians, landed on Tiburon and
proceeded forward without guns,
said Mr. Johnson. "The Seris. unac
customed to such gallantry, dropped
their bows and arrows and thus gave
the Germans confidence In their Judg
ment. After the Germans bad ad
vanced sufficiently from the hr. to
make their retreat somewhat difficult
unless assisted by wings, the Seris
picked up cobble stones and stoned the
scientists to death. ....
"The Mexican government thought
that it was time to Investigate tneir
colony in the deep, blue waters of the
gulf and sent a Mexican naval expedi
tion. The naval officers had heard
of the fate of the Germans and couldn t
find Tiburon Island, so the Mexican
government sent a land expedition.
"The land expedition, nobody
doubts, was sincere In it efforts to
accomplish Its purpose, but there were
so many deserts to be crossed before
reaching the shore oposlte Tiburon.
which was a few miles off, that the ex
n edition got lost and finally came back
without having visited anything wor
thv of mention.
The United States was interested
by this time and W. W. J. McGee. di
rector of the bureau of ethnology,
Smithsonian Insttiution was ordered to
make up an expedition. -
"We started from Tucson, Arlx., and
visited various ruins and other places
until we arrived at Hermoslllo; there
we flttted out for our goal, Tiburon.
"I Juilt a boat, the only one we had.
and e set sail up the coast, landing
opposite the Island on the mainland,
a narrow channel, known as Infernal
Strait, dividing the island from toe
mainland.
"Our advances wer looked upon
L. " i A Tit--) A
Instruments relied upon for producing
a reform. Xo vronder that the scaf
fold on shore, had no jrror for these
men. Death was a welcome release
from the cruelties practiced on board
the Success.
As an additional, punishment on tha
prisoners a heartless practice was in
itiated during the reign of Inspector
Price. Rations having been stopped, a
steak was at times cooked at the end
of the corridor on the deck, so that its
appetizing odor could rind its way
through the bars over the doors of the
convicts' dark cells and make their
mouths water for the succulent meat,
to which their stomachs had been
strange for so long a time. Another
fiendish Invention was the cayenne
pepper mill, which was worked as a
special punishment by a prisoner,
whose nose and eyes suffered severely
from the pungent, burning dust. It
would appear tha Instead of seeking
to reclaim the convicts, the officers in
power utterly destroyed all chance of
reformation, and by their revengeful
treatment eradicated any lingering
germ of better nature that is generally
to be found in even the most hard
ened ruffians.
In the larger cells on either sloe or
the corridor the floor Is worn into
hollows and grooves close again6t the
doorway by the constant jangling and
friction of the prisoners' leg-irons as
they stamped impatiently, waiting for
the stroke of the bell that marked th
tlme for meals or. exercise a sad and
silent testimony to countless hours of
miserable endurance.
with suspicion by the Seris. for we
carried everything to defend ourselves
short of artillery, and this Impressed
our new acquaintances. Piles of lit
tle mirrors and baby dolls left in con
spicuous places by us were greedily
picked up by the Seris when we re
tired from the island, but the Seris
simply wouldn't make friends of us.
"In their villages we gathered rude
pottery, crude baskets and some mag
nificent specimens of coats made of
beautiful feathers from flne-plumaged
birds. But tha, gem of the Smithsonian
collection was" a native boat such as
they used. It is called a Balsa boat,
and is made of-reeda worked together
Into two parallel cigar-shaped rafts.
The reeds are held together by
fibrous twine.
"To get one of these boats was not
easy as they would haul them over
land when we approached. Finally we
came across a family fishing from 6ne,
and cut off their retreat from shore.
After firing a few shots in their di
rection, the family dived Into the syrf
and scattering like ducks, swam to
shore. We confiscated this boat, which
is now at the Smithsonian Institution.
"But it was impossible to make the
expedition a complete success. The
Seris wouldn't let us get near them,
so that we had little opportunity to
study their marriage and other cus
toms. We had to gather our Informa
tion from conjecture or do without it.
"One night a man named Mitchell
and I decided to visit Tiburon and
started to accomplish our purpose, but
the wind blew us south to Alcatraz, or
Pelican Island. 20 miles down the gulf.
A heavy breeze carried us along and
all we hoped for was to escape alive.
."Approaching Alcatraz Island, we
observed through the darkness phan
tom forms, tall, white, ghost-like ob
jects which disappeared and reap
peared. We didn't know what to ex
pect but couldn't do anything but go
right with the wind, which bore down
toward the "ghosts."
"It didn't actually take long, but it
seemed an age. before we made out the
ghosts to be geysers of water and
spray, which shot up the grooves of
the perpendicular strata as the waves
dashed against the rocky cliff at Its
base. Between these two sentinels we
shot and landed safely on a small
beach, completely inclosed by perpen
dicular rock walls 100 feet high. The
boat was turned over and over in the
surf and the mast snapped with the
first revolution, but we were not in
jured. "On the following morning we made
our way painfully back 20 miles, being
obliged to paddle and trek all of the
distance against a current After
three weeks' exploration on the island,
the expedition returned to Washing,
ton."
PCI 1 1 0.2