Captain Bullock at the office of Fraser, Trenholm & Co., herein before mentioned. I have not the least doubt about the matter. CLARENCE R. YONGE. Sworn before me at the custom-house in Liverpool, this 6th day of April, 1863. J. PRICE EDWARDS. Affidavit of John Caren. I, John Caren, of Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, seaman, make oath and say as follows: 1. In the latter part of June, 1862, I was looking out for employment on a ship, and a friend of mine, who was working for the boatswain of the vessel then known as No. 290, and afterward as the confederate cruiser Alabama, told me that men were wanted for this vessel who had been on board of men-of-war, and who knew something about a gun. I had been on a British man-of-war, and my friend told the boatswain of the said vessel so, and the boatswain accordingly sent me a message, by my friend, to go down to the ship in Messrs. Lairds' wet-dock at Birkenhead. 2. I accordingly went the following day to Birkenhead, to Messrs. Lairds' dock, and there saw the said vessel and the boatswain on board of her. He was an Englishman. I saw no one else that day. He asked me if I had any papers. I showed him my discharge from the man-ofwar; when he saw it he said I would do; I was just the kind of mau he wanted, and asked me to go down to work on the said vessel on the fol lowing Monday morning. I understood from what the boatswain said to me, that the said vessel was intended for a man of war, and it was evident from her build that she was so intended; for instance, there were places prepared on her deck for gun-carriage tracks, and there were also iron shot-racks fitted to the bulwarks, neither of which are ever on any vessels except men-of-war. 3. I went again to the said vessel on the Monday morning following my said interview with the boatswain, and at once commenced to work on board her. She was then lying in the dock at Birkenhead, belonging to the Messrs. Lairds. She had been launched, and was rigged and fitted with engines and boilers, and all of her fittings ready for sea. 4. I staid working on board the said vessel in the same dock for two weeks, and she was then moved into another dock at Birkenhead, a public dock, and I staid working on her in the said last-mentioned dock two weeks longer. 5. During the said four weeks the said vessel was painted, her decks cleaned, and she was otherwise finally prepared for sailing; provisions and coals were also taken on board. 6. During the whole of this time a great many people came to see her, nearly all of whom appeared to be Americans. There were some in particular who came nearly every day; these were all Americans. 7. During this time the only officer belonging to the said vessel, whom we saw, and with whom we had communication, was Mr. Low, an American, who was her chief mate, and afterward a lieutenant on board her. He was always on board and in charge of her during the whole time I was on board of her in Birkenhead. Besides him, I frequently saw another American gentleman, a Mr. Young, who went out with us as our purser. S. Very soon after I first went on board, I knew from my own observation, and it was understood by all on board, that she was intended for a cruiser. Indeed, as soon as I saw her, I could tell that at once. Some one suggested that she was intended to run the blockade of the southern ports of America, but it was perfectly evident from her appearance that that could not be so, but that she was for war purposes. I frequently heard others say so as well. 9. During the course of the four weeks aforesaid, fresh men were constantly engaged, like myself, until between thirty and forty were on board. Most of these men had previously been on board men-of-war or belonged to the naval reserve, and to my knowledge they were engaged on that account. They told me so. Everybody in Birkenhead who who came about or near the ship knew this fact, and also that it was Americans who had her in charge. It was made no secret of that she was intended for a war vessel for the confederate government. 10. A vessel of the same class and tonnage, intended for the merchant service, would not carry more than ten or twelve seamen at the most. 11. During the time we were working on the said vessel at Birkenhead aforesaid, I and the other men received board-wages weekly, which were paid to us by the said Mr. Low. At the end of the four weeks aforesaid, I, together with the other men, who had been engaged on board, signed articles. It was Mr. Low who presented the articles to us. He told us the ship was going to sail, and he wanted us to sign for four pounds ten shillings a month, to go in the said vessel as a merchant steamer, called, as I understood, the Eureta, to Bermuda, or any other intermediate port in the West Indies. We all signed articles to that effect in Mr. Low's presence, and were paid half a month's wages in advance; these payments were made by advance notes payable at Messrs. Fraser, Trenholm & Co.'s, in Liverpool. This took place on the evening of Monday, I believe, the 28th July, 1862, and we were told that we were to sail the following morning. 12. On the following morning, before we sailed, a number of gentlemen and ladies came on board, very nearly all Americans. Captain Bullock was one of them. 13. About the same time, or on the previous evening, I am not sure which, five fresh seamen came on board. They were all Americans and belonged to Savannah. They were, in fact, Savannah pilots. I worked with these men as soon as they began to work, and they told me that the vessel was going as a confederate man-of-war. They told me that they had run the blockade out of Charleston to Liverpool, and when they wanted to return, they were asked by a gentleman who advanced them money, and gave them anything they wanted, and to whom they applied for information, to stay and go out on a vessel which was being prepared to go out as a confederate cruiser. They also told me that a vessel was to meet us at a certain place where we were going to, with officers, and guns, and stores for us. 14. On Tuesday, the same day that the gentlemen came on board as aforesaid, we sailed out of the Mersey, and at first steamed a measured mile to try the engines, and then we steamed to Point Lynas. All the gentlemen who had come on board in the morning, including Captain Bullock, staid on board until we reached Point Lynas, which we did in the evening of the same day. 15. We anchored in a bay near there, called Moolfra Bay, and there received, by a tug-boat from Liverpool, a number of fresh men, and some men who had been previously engaged and had been left behind. 16. We steamed from Point Lynas to the Western Islands direct, and arrived there on the Sunday after we sailed. When we made the Western Islands, we went into a small bay, about two hours' sail from Fayal, quite a solitary, out-of-the-way place, and lay there at anchor doing nothing until the following Sunday. 17. On that day the bark Agrippina hove in sight and anchored near to us. The following day she came alongside of us, and put on board of us a large quantity of coals and ammunition, including powder, shot, and shell. 18. Before we had finished taking these on board, the authorities on land ordered us away, and we finished the transfer of the coals and ammunition at sea. All the men on board of us worked at this transfer. 19. The Agrippina came from England-I believe from London. Her cook joined us, and told me this. 20. When we had finished with the Agrippina, she went into Fayal, and we remained outside; and a few days afterward a large steamer, the Bahama, came alongside of us, and put on board our officers, namely, Captain Semmes, and all the lieutenants, and we took out of her heavy guns and clothing. The sea being heavy, we went into the port of Fayal, to finish the transfer to us of the guns, and finished it in the port. 21. The Bahama came from Liverpool. Some of her crew told me this, and I knew some of them as Liverpool men. 22. When the transfer was completed, and the ship ready for service, Captain Semmes formally took command of her, and we started from Faval immediately. 23. After this I remained on board of her the whole time until she was sunk at Cherbourg. 24. On one other occasion, after we left Fayal, namely, when we were at Martinique, the Agrippina came to us and brought us coal. JOHN CAREN. Sworn at Liverpool aforesaid, the 19th day of August, 1871, be fore me. THOMAS C. RYLEY, Affidavit of Betsy Allcot. I, Betsy Allcot, of Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, wife of Henry Allcot, of the same place, sail-maker, make oath and say as fol lows: 1. I am the wife of Henry Allcot, of Liverpool, aforesaid, sail-maker. The said Henry Allcot, my husband, was acting sail-maker on board the vessel originally called No. 290, and subsequently known as the confederate cruiser Alabama. He was engaged on board of the said vessel at the time she was building in Messrs. Laird & Co.'s yard at Birkenhead; sailed on her from Liverpool in July, 1862, and remained on board of her until she was sunk off Cherbourg, in 1864. 2. During the whole of that time I was living with my parents in Liverpool. When the said Henry Allcot sailed in the Alabama, as aforesaid, he left with my mother, Mrs. Rose Hicklin, the half-pay note for his wages, and either myself or my mother received his half wages during the whole time that he was on the Alabama. 3. The said half-pay note is now produced and shown to me, and marked A, and is in the words and figures following, namely: i "No. "I, Henry Allcot, sail-maker on board the Confederate States vessel of war Alabama, commanded by Raphael Semmes, esq., do, by these presents, allot six pounds ten shillings per month of my wages for the support of my family, and I do hereby appoint Mrs. Rose Hicklin, my attorney, to receive for that purpose from Fraser, Trenholm & Co., at the port of Liverpool, in England, the said sum of six pounds ten shillings monthly, for the term of twelve months, the first payment to be made on the 30th day of September, 1862. "In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 24th day of August, 1862. "In presence and with the approbation of "£6 10s. "Registered by "CLARENCE R. YONGE." HENRY ALLCOT. "R. SEMMES, Commander. 4. The said half wages were paid to us by Mr. Melchior G. Klingender, an English merchant doing business in Liverpool, at his office in Liverpool. On going to the said office to receive the half wages, I very frequently met numbers of the wives and friends of other men on board the Alabama, and conversed with them, and saw them get their money. It was well known to myself and all those with whom I so conversed on meeting them, that the persons who paid us the half wages were regularly paying the wages of all the seamen at the time serving on the said vessel. I often heard this stated by these persons, and it was commonly understood so among us. 5. Before the said vessel sailed, I learned from my said husband, and it was commonly understood among our friends and acquaintances, that she was going out as a cruiser for the government of the said so-called Confederate States. 6. After the said vessel was sunk, as aforesaid, my said husband was engaged in Liverpool to go out on board the confederate cruiser Shenandoah, and between the time of the sinking of the Alabama and his engagement for the Shenandoah he was in Liverpool, and received home wages, as if he was belonging to the navy of the government of the said so-called Confederate States. These home wages were paid by a man of the name of Smith, at his office in Cook street, Liverpool. 7. My said husband sailed from Liverpool in order to join the Shenandoah, with a number of her officers and crew, in a steam-vessel called the Laurel. I went with him on the tug-boat which took him on board the Laurel, then in the Mersey; and there were also a number of other persons who were seeing off others of the crew. It was night when we started, but there were a great many people about, and it was well known among all who were there, and openly talked about by them, that the Laurel was going to join the confederate cruiser Shenandoah, and to take to her her officers and crew. A great many of the crew who so went with my said husband were Englishmen, and some belonged to Liverpool. 8. My said husband gave me, when he so sailed to join the Shenandoah, the advance note for his first month's wages, and the half-pay note for his wages during the time he should be on board her. I drew his wages on these notes during the whole time that my husband half 86 remained on board the Shenandoah, which he did, until she returned to Liverpool in the autumn of 1865, after the close of the American war. 9. All the said wages I so received were paid to me at the office of Messrs. Fraser, Trenholm & Co., in Liverpool. 10. I know and am well acquainted with Captain Bullock, who was acting in Liverpool as an agent of the government of the said so-called Confederate States. He was very often in Messrs. Fraser, Trenholm & Co.'s office when I was receiving my said husband's half wages, and I frequently spoke to him there, and knew from what he said to me on those occasions that he had a great deal to do with the management of the affairs in Liverpool of the government of the said so-called Confederate States. I know also that the firm of Fraser, Trenholm & Co. had a great deal to do with the same affairs. 11. I used to meet and converse with others at Messrs Fraser, Trenholm & Co.'s office who were receiving the half wages of other men on board the Shenandoah, and all of them with whom I spoke well knew that the money was being paid to them on behalf of the government of said so-called Confederate States. BETSY ALLCOT. Sworn at Liverpool aforesaid the 25th day of August, 1871, before me. Half pay allotment. Notary Public, Liverpool. This is the half-pay note marked A, referred to in the affidavit of Betsy Allcot, sworn before me this 5th day of August, 1871. THOMAS C. RYLEY, Notary Public. I, Henry Allcot, sail-maker on board the Confederate States vessel of war Alabama, commanded by Raphael Semmes, esq., do by these pres ents allot six pounds ten shillings per month of my wages for the support of my family, and I do hereby appoint Mrs. Rose Hicklin my attorney to receive for that purpose from Fraser, Trenholn & Co., at the port of Liverpool, in England, the said sum of six pounds ten shillings monthly for the term of twelve months, the first payment to be made on the 30th day of September, 1862. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal the 24th day of August, 1862. In presence and with the approbation of £6 10s. Registered by CLARENCE R. YONGE. HENRY ALLCOT. R. SEMMES, Commander. |