138:, and it began to rain heavily. The first mate shouted, "This . . . won't do. Help me, God. Men, go to work." When the crewmen did nothing, he stated, "Men, you must go to work, or we shall all perish." Then, the seamen, among them Alexander Holmes, forced 12 men out of the boat. Two women also went into the frigid water, though they may have voluntarily followed their brother, Frank Askin. Early the next morning, two men were found to be hiding and were also jettisoned. All of the male passengers, except for two married men and a young boy, had been sacrificed, while all of the crewmen remained aboard. Later that day, the survivors were picked up by the American ship
175:, who presided the case as circuit justice, instructed the jury about the legal relationship between the crew members of a ship and the passengers, pointing out that it is the sailor who is expected to be responsible for the safety of his or her ship and face the dangers associated with sea voyages, which cannot change during a disaster during which a seaman is expected to maintain his duty and protect the passengers, whom (in the case of the William Brown) the crew decided to sacrifice.
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Some of the surviving passengers, after finally reaching their destination of
Philadelphia on May 10, filed a complaint against the crew with the District Attorney. Holmes was the only crewman to be found in the city, so he was the only one charged. He was accused of murdering Frank Askin. A
65:
was an
American ship that sank in 1841, taking with her 31 passengers. The survivors took to two boats, which later separated to increase their chances of being found. Nine crewmen and 32 passengers occupied the overloaded
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405:
70:. At the instigation of the first mate, who was placed in charge by the captain, some of the crew, Alexander Holmes among them, forced 12 of the adult male passengers out of the boat. In the case of
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against the slave trade is involved, but the conclusion has Cooper's character forced to jettison passengers out of the overcrowded lifeboat, and facing a trial for murder as a result.
313:
87:
The case has continued to be used in academic contexts to teach students and also spark debate in legal scholarship regarding the nature of "necessity" as a legal defense.
134:, Francis Rhodes, in charge of the crowded, leaking longboat. At about 10 p.m., 24 hours after the sinking, the wind picked up, sending water over the longboat's
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The defendant was found guilty and sentenced to six months in jail and a $ 20 fine ($ 630 today). None of the other crewmen were ever brought to trial.
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204:, is somewhat based on the disaster, changing the cause of it to a fire accidentally set by a little girl. A story involving
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271:
Waldron, Jeremy (1 April 2010). Wacherhiauser, Kier B.; Schroeder, Nancy Lynn; Downey, Rachel A.; Carter, Molly E. (eds.).
468:
436:
446:. Vol. I, no. 18. Columbus, Georgia, United States. p. 2 – via GALILEO (Georgia's Virtual Library).
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with 17 seamen and 65 passengers, mostly poor
Scottish and Irish emigrants. At about 10 p.m. on the night of April 19,
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127:. One person had died earlier on the voyage, and 31 passengers, many of them children, went down with the ship.
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123:(to be picked up six days later by a French fishing vessel), while nine crewmen and 32 passengers occupied the
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Before the two boats parted ways to increase their chances of being found, Captain Harris placed the
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306:"The Ship Masters Special Relationship to Passengers: Lessons from the 1841 William Brown Episode"
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Yarbrough, Brad (1 March 2017). Blitzer, Barbara; Navales, Ethel; Roman, Joseph (eds.).
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337:, vol. LIV, no. 7, New York City, New York, United States: NYREV, Inc.,
312:. Plantation, Florida, United States: The Maritime Executive, LLC. Archived from
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him on that charge, so it was reduced to manslaughter. In the 1842 case of
424:. No. 17671. London, United Kingdom. 15 May 1841. p. 6 Column C.
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and sank. The captain, eight seamen, and one passenger made it to the
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Allen, Craig H. (19 November 2012). Keil, Brett; Munoz, Tony (eds.).
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in the United States), was also loosely based on the incident, with
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Under the command of
Captain George Harris, the ship departed from
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Van Ness, James, ed. (10 June 1841). Written at Havre, France.
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Raban, Jonathan (26 April 2012), Silvers, Robert (ed.),
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District Court for the
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
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before
Supreme Court Justice Henry Baldwin refused to
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491:
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286:(2). Boston, Massachusetts, United States:
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485:Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1841
370:(2). Gardena, California, United States:
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391:
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372:International Right of Way Association
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250:, a British criminal case that cited
111:250 miles (400 km) southeast of
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228:A 1975 made-for-television version,
787:Merchant ships of the United States
14:
357:"Considering the collective good"
797:Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean
792:Maritime incidents in April 1841
757:
752:
782:Deaths due to shipwreck at sea
397:United States v. Holmes (1842)
1:
334:The New York Review of Books
280:Boston University Law Review
273:"A majority in the lifeboat"
437:"Loss of the William Brown"
225:starring as "Alec Holmes".
818:
747:
45:
22:
18:
252:United States v. Holmes
247:R v Dudley and Stephens
169:United States v. Holmes
99:on March 18, 1841, for
73:United States v. Holmes
46:General characteristics
802:Ships sunk by icebergs
559:March (unknown date):
418:"Dreadful Shipwreck".
310:The Maritime Executive
54:17 crew, 65 passengers
364:Right of Way Magazine
41:Sank on 19 April 1841
609:Jun (unknown date):
408: 22 April 1842).
171:, Associate Justice
649:Sir William Bensley
444:The Columbus Times
402:26 F. Cas. 360
329:"The sly survivor"
230:The Last Survivors
91:Sinking and rescue
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659:William Salthouse
288:Boston University
84:for his actions.
80:and convicted of
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316:on 5 May 2015.
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211:The 1957 film
202:Henry Wilcoxon
186:The 1937 film
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148:Seine-Maritime
144:Havre de Grâce
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32:William Brown
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219:Abandon Ship!
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206:abolitionists
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173:Henry Baldwin
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142:and taken to
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314:the original
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290:: 1043–1058.
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279:
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251:
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234:Martin Sheen
229:
227:
223:Tyrone Power
218:
212:
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189:Souls at Sea
187:
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117:Newfoundland
104:
101:Philadelphia
94:
86:
82:manslaughter
72:
71:
61:
60:
59:
31:
602:David Scott
232:, featured
198:George Raft
194:Gary Cooper
776:Categories
716:John Barry
612:Cornwallis
562:Trouvadore
492:Shipwrecks
258:References
161:grand jury
150:, France.
132:first mate
121:jolly boat
107:struck an
51:Complement
735:HMS
641:HMS
632:Integrity
582:Cambridge
552:President
542:Cambridge
421:The Times
343:0028-7504
217:(renamed
113:Cape Race
97:Liverpool
733:28 Nov:
713:20 Jul:
693:27 Jan:
656:28 Nov:
639:18 Oct:
629:22 Aug:
599:12 Jun:
589:25 May:
569:19 Apr:
549:12 Mar:
539:27 Feb:
532:Isabella
529:30 Jan:
519:13 Jan:
240:See also
140:Crescent
136:gunwales
125:longboat
68:longboat
723:7 Nov:
703:5 Jul:
619:9 Aug:
579:2 May:
509:4 Jan:
502:Clonmel
499:2 Jan:
192:, with
109:iceberg
23:History
737:Driver
726:Creole
675:Latona
643:Medina
512:Thames
404: (
400:,
341:
200:, and
165:indict
78:murder
669:Henry
522:Rapid
440:(PDF)
360:(PDF)
276:(PDF)
182:Films
154:Trial
763:1842
750:1840
622:Erie
374:: 9.
339:ISSN
38:Fate
28:Name
778::
672:,
646:,
442:.
380:^
368:64
366:.
362:.
331:,
308:.
296:^
284:90
282:.
278:.
236:.
196:,
146:,
115:,
477:e
470:t
463:v
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