An Amusing Trial: Striking, Biting and Wounding Proceedings in the U. S. Commissioner's Court last Friday were abruptly terminated upon receipt of the news of President Harding's death when the Court adjourned as a mark of respect. The case which was being tried, was that of the U.S. v. seamen of the str. Jadden, of the U. 8. Shipping Beard, T. J. Howe, A. Howe, Peters, Gonzales, and Backlund, on charges of drunk end disorderly conduct and having assaulted their superior officers, will be continued this morning at nine o'clock, before Mr. N. E. Lurton.
Acting as special Assistant District Attorney, Mr. H. R. Snyder conducted the case for the prosecution and Dr. George Sellett appeared for the defendants. Before the witnesses were called Mr. Sellett stated that the defendants claimed that they had-already been tried by U. 8. Consular authorities in Kobe,. that penalties hai been set, and that they could not be tried again for the same offence. Mr. Lurton ruled that since there was no extraterritoriality in the Japanese Empire there was no consular authority to act in this matter which he could.c20gnize and that the case should be heard.
The master of the str, Jadden, John M. Dunn, told the, story of the breach of discipline, stating that while lying outside the harbour of Yokohama, on his return to the ship on the afternoon of July 26, he was informed by the second officer - that. the mate had been overpowered by drunken members of the crew who had refused to go to their quarters, had resisted being put in irons, and had struck and bitten the mate. On that the witness armed himself with a revolver, went to the men and told them to go below. They obeyed! and he placed them in confinement in irons in the steward's room. Being under the influence of liquor, one of the defendants, A. Howe, tried to force his way out and struck the second mate, and Gonzales got out through a porthole and freed himself from his irons. Finally the men were released in the belief that they would quieten down sooner in their own quarters, but before they were let out considerable damage was done to the steward's room.
The next morning the boatswain, Peters, came on the bridge still under the influence of liquor, and abusive. When ordered to go below he refused to move and was finally forcibly removed by the witness and first mate to the lower bridge and taken to the captain's office. When they attempted to put irons on him he struck the mate and attempted to strike the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.