The port of Sunderland 26th June 1878 saw the hottest day of the year. All the
ships were waiting for the wind to pick up so they could set sail. The ship
William Leckie was one of those ships, as the crew sat restlessly under the
blazing sun waiting to set sail to the South American port of Montevideo. The
Captain, Lumley Fletcher well known for his discipline among crews and the
pilot John Wallace, 62 years old was also a respected seaman.
On returning to the ship from a business meeting the captain was not happy with
what he found. The new cook Robert Vest who had promised to work hard and feed
the crew of 20, was sitting slumped waving his arms and mumbling incoherently
as others of the crew sat playing violins. The captain who thinking he was
drunk told Vest that such behaviour would not be tolerated and carried on to
say: The best thing you can do is pack up your things and go ashore because I
will not carry a drunken man. Robert Vest was a stocky man he had a badly
scared weather beaten face and a broken nose, and as the captain finished
shouting Robert tried to say something but the pilot interrupted. Jokingly he
told the crew: Lat aft boys and put him in irons! As the captain and pilot
returned to their cabins, Robert stumbled to the galley and sobbed.
By this time it was evening and the temperatures were still in the nineties,
Robert was still sitting quietly when he saw the pilot go past his door and
Robert’s mind snapped. Grabbing a 10inch knife he ran and grabbed hold of the
elderly pilot slashed his throat and then stabbed him in the stomach, the pilot
fell to the floor screaming: Boys I’m stabbed. As he lay choking and trying to
pull the knife from his stomach, the captain shouted for bandages and brandy to
stop the loss of blood.
Within seconds the pilot was dead and his body was covered with the ships union
jack flag. Robert put up no fight as he was tied to the deck while the captain
ran a distress signal for help to come from ashore. It was over an hour later
when Inspector James Larkin of the River Police Station in Low Street and other
officers reached the ship. By this time Robert was again starting to ramble and
as Tom Talbot, an apprentice who was guarding him later told police Robert had
said: I hope the poor man’s soul is in heaven. He also at great length said
that for 20 years he had been suffering dreams of hangings and murders.
Two days later the jury went to the victims home at 13 Peel Street to view his
body and the inquest was held around the corner in Mr Hugh McAllister’s home,
Salem House, Salem Street, Hendon. On the 12th July 49 year old Robert Vest was
taken to Durham Assizes where his wife and five daughters who lived in Seaham,
saw him plead not guilty to murder. It was reported at the time by newspapers
that Robert had five terrible scars on his forehead and a large dent on the
side of his head, but when asked Robert could give no reasons for his scars
only that they gave him terrible pain.
