Lee, the first of the accused to enter the witness box, stated that last Wednesday the five white seaman tried to see the captain about leaks into their quarters in the forecastle, a puddle six inches deep from the lavatory and about their money. The captain would not see them, he said, but on Saturd morning they saw him when he said to "To hell with your debts." request "I went ashore on Sunday at the invitation of a friend, who seid that I could sleep in drier Quarters than the forecastle," he continued.
Cross-examined by Mr. M. Reader [Harris for the prosecution. he said that he had been at sea for 40 years and quite understood the seriousness of not obeying orders. He agreed to a certain extent that he had disobeyed orders but said that at the time the ship was partially dismantled.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.