A TERRIBLE SCENE AT SEA.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 258, 9 February 1889, Page 3

A TERRIBLE SCENE AT SEA.

A MAD COOK'S CAPERS. DESPERATE SHOOTING FROM BEHIND COVER. HS IS SHOT DEAD BY THE CHEW. Sydney, Jan. 30, On the arrival of the American ship Southern Cross from New York yesterday, |t was reported that the life of the oook of the vessel had .bean taken by the captain and chief officer under remarkable circumStances, and in what is alleged to have been self-defence. The story of the chief officer is that Hi Yu, a Chinaman, was shipped as cook on board the Southern Cross last October. He proved to be a quiet, inoffensive man, and an excellent oook. On the voyage nothing particular occurred, excepting on one occasion, when the mon forward (the crew) had a few words with him, but nothing of consequence, only that the chief officer forbade any of them to In any way molest him, The only person on board who made a companion of him was his own countryman, the steward of the ship. These two men appear to have shipped together at New York, and, it is said, had previously made voyages together. The steward still remains on board. The voyage was drawing to a close, but during it the eook and steward had been frequently observed indulging In their favorite vice of opium-smoking at night within their cabin, which abutted off from the galley. The cook, Hi Yu, was specially addicted to the use of opium. About a fortnight before the ship made the port, Hi Yu became very strange in hie manner and notions. Hitherto he had carried into the galley the meat and fuel from the storeroom, but at this time he would not leave the galley-house at all, or for any purpose whatever, and he prevailed up<sh his friend, the steward, to bring him what he required. During the latter part of last week he kept the place half closed up. Tbi building which contains the galley is sjtdete in the fore part of the ship, just forward ol the main hatchway. It is sn ordi-nary-looking wooden-built, white-painted, low-roofed structure, the chimney of the galley stove protruding through the roof, and a square-cut opening above in the roof for a ventilator. Off the galley, under the one roof is a store-room, and the cook and steward's sleeping-room, containing two berths ; also a sorts of ship’s boatswain's store-room. There are three doors to the deckhouse. On the the two sides and rear are altogether'five small windows looking out upon the deck. For afew days prior to last Sunday morning Hi Yu had partly barricaded these windows and the doorways to the house. Of course, this was regarded as eccentric, but no notice was taken of it, the ship being near the dose of her voyage. On Saturday, however, Hi Yu refused to cook any more, and defied admission to his culinary domain to all and sundry. No food for crew, from the captain down to the rousabout forward. On Sunday morning last at nine o’dock one of the most exciting acenes oocured. The captain went forward and demanded admission to the galley. Hi Yn refused, and the captain threatened to smash in the doorway. It was then seen that Hi Yu had nailed strips of boards across the doorway inside, so making an inner and outer door. Through the chinks or nitches be- » tween these boards he could see the approach p of what he deemed, no doubt " the enemy, ” bwithout the latter being likely to approach r close enough to discover his exact whereabouts in the building referred to, ' which, taken together, is a large one. It

was also seen that the same cross boarding of the windows on the inside had been carried out. Immediately the captain gave orders to break down the doorway, a bullet from within came whizzing through the window, followed by one or two through the doorway itself, and fore and aft, and- all round earns bullets. The crew naturally declined, to go on with the attack against the heavy odds of powder and lead. The captain and mate appear then to have engaged the Structure, and reconnoitred the premises. The mute risked looking through ths window in the port side of Jia galley, with a view to getting a ‘fair shot’ at Hi Yu, but he speedily retired on hearing the snap of the revolver, and he afterwards discovered that an inch or two more to the right the bullet would have passed through his body. It being Impossible to absolutely know in which part of the house the Chinaman was, it was decided to put bullets through all

round the building, high and low, When the captain's ammunition gave out the mate went aft for more—a journey he had some aversion to, seeing that it exposed him to the 'rakingfire’ fore-and-aft of Hi Yu, through the back window of the house. A bullet is now to be seen close to the entrance to the cabin aft, embedded in the break of

the poop, and which was, no doubt, intended for the chief officer during his journey to the saloon. After many shots, how many could not In ascertained, but the dears, walls, Windows, roof, and even the galley smokeStack or chimney bear terrible witness to the number, tbe oook was hauled out dead. He Is said to have fired four or five rounds (25 shots), and this is not improbable judging by the appearance of the place. Yesterday, upon licking over the scene of the tragedy, it was seen where the poor wretched being had crawled or crouched down under a bin Or cupboard in the narrow storeroom of the ffiUay, seemingly right in ths centre of the building, probably after his ammunition had given out, there hoping to be in the greatest security from the firing outside. The blood, In patches on the walls and on the floor, was still unwashed, and smeared about the place. During the voyage Hi Yu had occasionally given a hand with the foresheet when asked to do so, and it is alleged that upon the last occasion, on Sunday morning last when he was so asked, he point blank refused. The mate, it is said, thereupon remonstrated with him, and without warning, Hi Yu fired at bins. This is stated on board to have been the first of tbe trouble, which culminated in tat soene described above. Captain Bailey ftps the depositions of the whole of the ttaw corroborate his own and the chief statements of tha affair, and that the Mwrioan Consul having road the whole of •WHUnatamants, hat Moaafated him frftia