Henry Dowsey and the Zero

[Calico Jack]

Ahoy, folks. Whilst most of William Crooker's books are reiteration of materials available elsewhere, he seems to have done some solid reseach for one of the stories in his "Pirates of the North Atlantic" [iSBN1-55109-513-0]. Here's the story [in summary, so as not to 'pirate' the chapter whole from Crooker's Book - check yer local library]:

"The story of piracy and murder to unfold here took place off the coast of Nova Scotia, but it sprouted from a seed planted in Jamaica in or before the year 1865. An experienced white mariner, John C. Douglas, and a black cook, Henry Dowsey [...]"

Douglas and Dowsey worked together in 1865 aboard the mail steamer _Montezuma_ to New York.Douglas then found a berth aboard the brigantine _Zero_. The captain was Colin Benson, from New Brunswick, planning to pick up a load of coal in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and deliver it to the USA. Benson refused to hire Dowsey while in port in New York, claiming a preference for an all-white crew. Before the hiring was finished, Benson fired his cook. Douglas slipped out to the boarding house where Dowsey was staying, and told him he could ship aboard as cook. By the time Benson found out who the cook was that Douglas "could provide" it was too late to change, and Dowsey shipped out aboard _Zero_ as cook. Benson's only comment was "So you are going with us after all," and he let the matter stand.

Over time, Benson grated on the bulk of the crew, and especially Douglas. Part of the crew deserted, and Benson kept pulling the rug from under Douglas' aspirations to move up the ranks aboard the ship. Finally, Douglas determined to mutiny. First, he determined to steal a small boat from aboard, and make off, deserting with minimal supplies. Dowsey and another crewman agreed to ship out with him, but they were caught in the act by Captain Benson. Benson argued persistantly to get them to change their minds. Eventually they gave in.

Douglas and Benson remained antagonistic, and Douglas began to scheme with the cabin boy of how to take the vessel. Douglas convinced himself that doing in the captain was the only option left him, and he crept below one evening after trying unsuccessfully to convince the rest of the crew to mutiny (they were self-admittedly afraid of failure, and no one wanted to be the first to agree, in case the rest did not). Douglas struck Benson with a metal belaying pin, knocking him out and thinking he'd killed him. Douglas convinced Dowsey and another of the crew to move the corpse overboard - blood was apparently pooling from Benson's head, but he mumbled awake whilst Dowsey and the other crewman were wrapping him in a blanket and hauling him up on deck. Together, the two pitched the "corpse" over the rail.

Finding the ship's papers more complicated than he expected, Douglas discovered that he could not pretend to be Benson, as was his plan. The ship would be missed before they reached the West Indies, and the authorities would be looking for it. Instead, they burned the papers and the captain's clothes were distributed amongst the crew.

They drilled holes in her bottom in an attempt to sink the _Zero_ and boated ashore to an island at LaHave Head [in Nova Scotia]hey were taken into custody by the magistrate in Liverpool. The ship had continued to float, despite the mutineers' efforts to sink her (which means their story of having had to abandon ship didn't float). Douglas accused Dowsey of murdering the Captain, Dowsey, the cabin boy, and the rest accused Douglas. Dowsey admitted his guilt.

John Douglas was sentenced death, but it was immediately commuted to "life in prison and hard labour." The rest of the crew were acquitted, except for Dowsey, who was also sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead. Some four thousand people signed a petition demanding the same sentence for Dowsey as for Douglas. Dowsey was a Catholic and Douglas a Baptist, Douglas white and Dowsey black; but the government refused to intervene. After all, they said, it was not the blow to the head which killed Benson, but rather being dumped overboard, wrapped in a blanket, whilst still alive. Still, the petitioners were certain that Dowsey was being penalized for his religion and his colour.

In the end, Henry Dowsey hanged, the last "pirate mutineer" hanged in Canada.

Calico Jack