US SUPREME COURT DECISIONS

THE ANDROMEDA, 69 U. S. 481 (1874)

Subscribe to Cases that cite 69 U. S. 481

U.S. Supreme Court

The Andromeda, 69 U.S. 2 Wall. 481 481 (1874)

The Andromeda

69 U.S. (2 Wall.) 481

Syllabus

1. A vessel and cargo condemned as enemy property, under circumstances of suspicion -- spoliation of papers in the moment of capture being one of them as regarded the cargo and a former enemy owner remaining in possession as master of the vessel through a whole year, and through two alleged sales to neutrals, being another, as respected the vessel -- he alleged neutral owners, moreover, who resided near the place where the vessel and cargo were libeled, handing the whole matter of claim and defense over to such former owner as their agent, and giving themselves but slight actual pains to repel the inference raised prima facie by the facts.

2. A libel in prize need not allege for what cause a vessel has been seized or has become prize of war, as ex. gr., whether for an attempted breach of blockade or as enemy property. It is enough if it allege generally the capture as prize of war.

3. A blockade once regularly proclaimed and established will not be held to be ineffective by continual entries in the log book, supported by testimony of officers of the vessel seized, that the weather being clear, no blockading vessels were to be seen off the port from which the vessels sailed.

On the 20th of May, 1862, the schooner Andromeda, with a cargo of cotton and hides, was captured off the coast of chanrobles.com-red

Page 69 U. S. 482

Cuba by the Pursuit, a sloop of war of the United States. The schooner at the time was bound to Havana on a voyage from the port of Sabine, in Texas, where she had received her cargo. Being brought into Key West, she was libeled by the District Attorney of the United States as "lawful prize of war, and subject to condemnation and forfeiture as such," the libel, however, not stating for what cause she was seized, or had become "lawful prize of war" as set up in that document.

The manifest read thus:

image:a

The bill of lading, described Edmonson and Culmell as shippers of all the items of the cargo.

AS TO THE OWNERSHIP OF THE CARGO libeled, as mentioned. The master of the vessel, Ashby, admitting that ninety bales of the cotton belonged to him, set up that one hundred belonged to a certain Culmell, "a native citizen of Denmark," and for ten years resident in Texas, where he was in trade as a partner of one Edmonson, and that the remainder of the cotton and all the hides belonged to Messrs. Caro & Co., merchants of Havana, to whom they were consigned. Caro & Co. were French subjects. Culmell made the same defense as to one hundred bales. Caro & Co. gave a power of attorney to the captain, to claim for them chanrobles.com-red

Page 69 U. S. 483

as theirs, all the hides and the whole cargo, with the exception of the one hundred and ninety bales; but, notwithstanding that an order for further proof was granted to allow them to exhibit proof of their ownership, they did not themselves appear at Key West, nor take any more active measures to protect their interests thus by their answer set up.

Ashby himself, was examined in preparatorio. His answers were that

"he was born in New York -- now lives in Louisiana -- owes allegiance to Louisiana and the Confederate states -- is not a citizen of the United States -- is married, and has a family in Louisiana."

It appeared that he bought and took possession of the vessel in October, 1860, before the rebellion broke out; came soon afterwards to the Gulf and New Orleans, in which city he was when the war broke out, and which he left soon afterwards on the vessel (now, according to his account, sold), as master, and had been sailing since chiefly in those regions on her.

Just after the vessel hove to, and before the capturing officers from the Pursuit came on board, the steward, one Monsell, by order of Culmell, who was on board, and at the time with the captain, in the cabin, threw over a package of papers. The captain swore that he did not know what they were; the steward said that he supposed they were newspapers. Culmell swore that

"the invoice and bills of lading of the portion of the cargo owned by himself were thrown over; he did not know who threw them overboard, but he gave them to the steward on the day of the capture with orders to have them thrown overboard."

The vessel had left Havana on the 8th of March, 1862, under the British flag, but with the American flag on board, her destination having apparently been Matamoras. Her cargo consisted of coffee, soap, oil, salt, candles, shoes &c., and running the blockade, legal or ineffective, then established by our government, she arrived at Sabine, March 16. This cargo was delivered to Messrs. Edmonson & Culmell, who received and sold it "on account of the schooner chanrobles.com-red

Page 69 U. S. 484

Andromeda," and their account showed a large balance "due the schooner on the cargo."

AS TO THE OWNERSHIP OF THE VESSEL. The vessel was American built. Prior to the rebellion, she had belonged confessedly to Ashby, her now captain, who first saw her at Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1860. Soon after the breaking out of the war, he sold her, in May, 1861, at New Orleans, according to his own sworn statement, to a certain Richard Alleyn, described in the register as "of Baltimore, in the County of Cork, Ireland, residing at the time in New Orleans," a British subject; and documents, attested by the British consul at New Orleans, one Mure, showed that various forms, indicative of a bona fide sale, had been gone through with great regularity. Alleyn sold her in March, 1862, according to the account, to a certain Gerald Thomas Watson, her now claimant. Watson was asserted to be a merchant of Havana, and, like Alleyn, a British subject. He was no doubt a British subject, but where he lived was not so plain. In one consular paper he was described as of "No. 52 Cornhill, London." Ashby remained all the time in command of the vessel. In reply to a question under an order allowing further proofs, he gave, under oath, a narrative, substantially as follows, showing the motives of the transfer, and the causes of his own continuing possession of her.

"To the fourth interrogatory the witness answers: At the time of the purchase by Alleyn and her transfer to the English flag and register, a blockade of the port of New Orleans was expected to be laid in a few weeks. Alleyn resided in New Orleans. He intended to send the vessel to sea in order that she might not be useless property to him during the time the blockade should exist. This witness was appointed to her command by Alleyn, because he, the witness, was a person of some property, and would be responsible to Alleyn in case of a mismanagement of the vessel. On account of the blockade, no owner could expect to communicate with the vessel for a long term of time, and would have to suffer her earnings to accumulate and remain in the hands of her master. The witness, as master, sailed the

Page 69 U. S. 485

schooner for Alleyn upon a contract, by which the witness was to have entire control and direction of the vessel; pay her entire expenses; engage her in the most profitable trade possible, and receive one-half of her earnings as a compensation -- a common rate of contract and compensation for masters sailing vessels of her class. Under this contract, he sailed from New Orleans with a cargo to Matamoras, in Mexico; remained there about a month; discharged her cargo; and there being no freight for vessels there at that season, he sailed in ballast to Havana, in Cuba, and endeavored to obtain freight there, but was unable to do so for three months, at the expiration of which time he obtained a cargo of sugar and molasses for New York, at low rates for freight, with which he proceeded to New York, where the schooner was seized by the federal authorities under the allegation that she was liable to confiscation under the provisions of the Act of Congress of July 18, 1861, but was soon afterwards released. The witness returned to Havana with a general cargo of merchandise, and was unable to procure another freight for a long time. The expenses of the vessel thus accumulating rapidly, and she earning nothing, induced the witness, on receiving an offer of purchase from the claimant Watson, to accept the same, which course he believed was for the interest of her owner, Alleyn. One of the conditions of the sale was the witness should be retained in command until the new owner should find some person who would sail her at lower rates of compensation. This stipulation was attached because this witness was cut off from New Orleans by the blockade, and had no remunerative employment, and for no other reason. In accordance with the stipulation, the witness took command of the schooner, and was to receive for pay five percent of the entire and gross charges for freight upon cargo carried by said vessel while he remained in command."

The log book of the vessel was put in evidence and the entries read from March 8, 1862, to the date of her sailing from Sabine, 10th of May, and indeed till the capture. Constantly throughout the log, with entries of "the pumps now working well," or the reverse of it; how the day "came in;" and how ended "these twenty-four hours;" that the ship "kept the Sabbath" on Sundays, and "took in cotton," chanrobles.com-red

Page 69 U. S. 486

"took in hides," during the week -- "lower hold full" -- were entries like these during the time she was in the harbor of Sabine -- a port which commands a view of the ocean:

"No blockade in sight, fine weather. . . . No blockading vessel off. . . . No blockade off, clear weather. . . . No blockade off the bar, fine and pleasant day. . . . No vessel in sight, clear day, wind from south. . . . Day commences with fine weather, no blockading vessels in sight. . . . Saw no blockading vessels, clear, with breeze from south and southeast. . . . No blockade in sight, pleasant weather."

And Culmell and Ashby and the steward Monsell alike swore that they saw no blockading vessels at any time, and that the vessel had not attempted, so far as they knew of, to go in or come out of any port when it was blockaded.

Noting that Caro & Co., though of Havana, had taken no further interest in the proceeding at Key West, near to them, than to sign a power of attorney to Ashby, the district court considered that the claim set up by or for these persons to the bulk of the cargo, "was an attempt to cover up hostile property by the use of neutral names," and that the whole cargo, except the portions claimed by Culmell (plainly confiscable), belonged to Ashby; that Ashby too was owner of the vessel, of which "his all along continuing in the command, notwithstanding the alleged sale by him to Alleyn, and by Alleyn afterwards to Gerald Thomas Watson," was a pregnant proof. That court accordingly condemned vessel and cargo. The question before this Court was whether the condemnation was warranted. chanrobles.com-red

Page 69 U. S. 487



























chanrobles.com



ChanRobles Legal Resources:

ChanRobles On-Line Bar Review

ChanRobles Internet Bar Review : www.chanroblesbar.com

ChanRobles MCLE On-line

ChanRobles Lawnet Inc. - ChanRobles MCLE On-line : www.chanroblesmcleonline.com