Two Tins of Turnips, A Turtle....and A Cabin Boy......

In 1883, John Henry Want, an Australian lawyer, purchased an English yacht named the Mignonette.  The only practical way of transporting the vessel from England to Australia was by sailing her there.  However, she was a small vessel, and it took some time before Barrister Want could find a suitable crew capable of making, and willing to make, the 15,000-mile voyage.  She did finally set sail for Sydney from Southampton on May 19, 1884 with a crew of 4:  The captain, Tom Dudley; the mate, Edwin Stephens; a crewman, Edmund Brooks; and a cabin or ship's boy, Richard Parker (no relation that I know of to our dear Linda Parker).  Parker was only 17 years old and not an experienced seaman.

The voyage went rather uneventfully for a month and a half, but on July 5, 1884, things changed.  Though the weather was not extreme, and the vessel was not in any difficulty, the captain gave the order to "heave to" so the crew could enjoy a good nights rest.  As Parker went below to fix tea, a wave struck the Mignonette and crashed through the lee bulwark.  Realizing the yacht was doomed, the captain ordered the single 13-foot lifeboat to be lowered.  

The Mignonette sank within 5 minutes of being struck.  The crew escaped with a few navigational instruments and two tins of turnips.  The lifeboat was of flimsy construction, with boards a mere 1/4" thick.  The very first night, the crew had to fight off a shark with their oars.  Historical accounts indicate that they were about 700 - 1,000 miles from the nearest land.  The captain saved the first tin of turnips until July 7th, at which time its 5 pieces were shared among the 4 men.  Two days later, Brooks spotted a turtle, which Stephens dragged on board.  The men devoured the turtle, bones and all, but would not drink its blood since the blood had been contaminated with seawater.  The turtle, together with the second tin of turnips, lasted the men until July 17th.  However, they were unable to catch any rainwater and finally began drinking their own urine.  Young Mr. Parker, however, could not resist the temptation of seawater and became quite ill.  By July 20th, he lay helpless at the bottom of the lifeboat, drifting in and out of consciousness.

On the 18th day adrift - after 7 days without food, and five without water - the captain proposed that lots should be drawn so that one of them could be sacrificed to feed the others.  Brooks rejected the proposal, and Mr. Parker was not consulted.  That night, the captain again raised the matter with Stephens and pointed out that young Parker was probably dying, and that he (Dudley) and Stephens had wives and families.  They let the matter alone until morning.  But morning came, with no prospect of rescue in sight.  Dudley and Stephens silently signaled to each other that Parker would be killed.  (Killing Parker before his "natural death" would make his blood more suitable for drinking.)  Dudley said a prayer and, with Stephens standing by to hold the youth's legs should he struggle, Dudley pushed his penknife into Parker's jugular vein, killing him.

All three of the remaining crew - Dudley, Stephens, and Brooks - fed on Parker's body and drank his blood in the days to come.  The crew finally did manage to catch some rainwater off their parkas.  Four days after the killing, the three survivors were spotted by a German vessel, picked up by it, and ultimately returned to England.

All three men were eventually arrested and charged with murder.  The charges against Mr. Brooks, however, were ultimately dismissed, and he was called as a witness against the other two.

Now what say ye....are these two men guilty or not guilty of murder????  As ye ponder, I will tell ye that it can be assumed that, had the men not fed on the body, they probably would not have survived to have been picked up and rescued, but would have, within the 4 days, died of starvation.  Also, it may be assumed that the boy was likely to have died before them.....

***********************************


I'm deep in it and, as you can see, my mind wanders terribly....but this is, in fact, a real case that will be discussed in this week's class....Thought you might like to know what I've been up to.....   (Yes, I'm teaching business law....but we have to keep things interesting, eh?)

****************************************

 I miss ye you all horribly.....I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive my scarcity and silence.....