The Trial of the Crew of the Yacht "Reseda", or the Case of the Eaten Cabin Boy

The story we're about to tell sounds like a script for a thriller, but it's true. In the 19th century, the trial of the crew of the yacht Reseda shook England and raised questions about morality, survival, and the limits of the law. What happened on board? Why was the cabin boy a victim? And how did society react to this horrific incident? Let's find out.

Cases of cannibalism among travelers have always existed. They are usually the result of prolonged hunger, and are even called "cannibalism for the sake of survival." It is very difficult to judge people who have committed such an act, but there is no escaping it. The trial "The Queen versus Dudley and Stevens", which took place in the late 19th century, is one of these cases. The crew of the yacht "Reseda" was accused of murdering cabin boy Richard Parker and committing cannibalism.

Hundreds of stories of cannibalism at sea have been preserved in official documents. In particular, 15 such cases were recorded in Great Britain alone from 1820 to 1900. However, this only concerns those events that were recorded in the papers. Sailors in distress usually ate the corpses of their comrades. Sometimes people would cast lots: one of them would voluntarily sacrifice himself for the rest. This phenomenon was called the "custom of the sea."

There were some terrible stories when comrades had to be eaten one by one because help did not come. However, many historians believe that stories about drawing lots are a product of the imagination of romantic writers. Most likely, there were no lots. Usually, the weakest or most helpless person was chosen, as well as a servant or a foreign stranger. These were the people most often missing from the crews after the rescue. It is unlikely that such a thing could have happened by chance if they had decided by lot.

Excruciating hunger and fear of death pushed not only ordinary sailors, but also famous travelers and scientists to commit murder and cannibalism. For example, members of the famous Franklin Arctic expedition, which set out for the Arctic Circle in 1845 and died two years later, were suspected of cannibalism. In the 1880s, similar accusations were made against members of the Greely Arctic expedition. During the investigations in both cases, human bones were found with clear signs of butchering.

In 1883, Australian lawyer John Want set out to explore the Great Barrier Reef. He needed a boat to do so, and he made an unusual decision: buy a yacht in England, on the other side of the world. The choice fell on a small, battered yacht called Mignonette. Want was confident that it would be able to reach Australia on its own.

John Want hired a crew to ferry the vessel. Captain Tom Dudley led the crew, and under his command were assistant Edward Stevens, sailor Edmund Brooks and cabin boy Richard Parker, for whom this was the first serious journey. At first, the voyage was quite calm. The yacht moved along the coast and sheltered from storms in bays.

But near the coast of Africa, where pirates were in charge, such tactics were dangerous. Therefore, the crew of the Reseda decided to move away from the coast. The irony of fate was that the sailors were killed not by a stormy sea, but by a rare natural phenomenon. English sailors call it a rogue wave. It is a powerful single wave that can appear even in a calm ocean.

On July 5, 1884, a "robber wave" hit the Reseda with such force that it caused fatal damage to the vessel. The yacht sank in a matter of minutes, and the crew barely had time to launch a boat. They were unable to take any supplies. They had only two cans of stew and a couple of kilograms of canned turnips on board. There was no fresh water at all.

Rescue seemed almost impossible: the nearest shore was about 1,000 km away, and the wreck site was far from busy shipping lanes. For 16 days, the four men survived on canned turnips and collected rainwater. They tried fishing, but caught only one small turtle, which barely added variety to their meager diet.

When the hunger became unbearable, the sailors decided to resort to the "custom of the sea" and sacrifice one to save the others. They did not cast lots - the choice was clear. Cabin boy Parker, the youngest member of the team, was already barely able to stand on his feet. In addition to hunger, he was weakened by the fact that he drank sea water, which is absolutely forbidden. The young man's strength was fading with each passing hour, and he could die at any moment. It was he who was chosen to save the others.

Parker was stabbed and eaten. This saved Dudley, Stevens and Brooks from death, and just five days later their boat was spotted by a German steamer. The sailors were rescued and taken to the English port of Falmouth. There they were immediately arrested on charges of premeditated murder. There was no such thing as cannibalism in British law, so the sailors were tried as common murderers.

The crew of the Reseda did not hide the details of what happened and honestly told their story from beginning to end. It immediately hit the newspapers and caused heated debates throughout the country. Most of the British population, including Parker’s own brother – his only relative – sided with the sailors. Even the young man’s brother believed their actions were justified.

Despite this, Home Secretary William Harcourt insisted on a show trial. He believed it would help put an end to the dreadful "custom of the sea." Of the three rescued, only two were in the dock - Captain Tom Dudley and Mate Edward Stevens. Seaman Edmund Brooks was released in exchange for his testimony.

Captain Tom Dudley, a noble and honest man, took all the blame. He insisted that the murder and eating of the cabin boy was entirely his initiative, and that his companions had merely submitted to his will. In his speech to the court, the sailor said:

The court faced a difficult choice. It was clear that Parker would not survive anyway - his condition was already beyond hope. Without extreme measures, the other three would also die. Thus, murder and cannibalism became the only way to save three lives. Judge John Walter Huddleston quickly made up his mind, but much depended on the jury. He managed to get the jury to agree to a special verdict, when the judge himself makes the final decision.

The judge ordered the case transferred to the Court of Queen's Bench. The judge was adamant. The law was the law, and murder was murder, even if it was about survival. Dudley and Stevens were sentenced to death.

It would seem that the story was over. But then the public intervened. Newspapers were full of headlines about the "Reseda affair", and people wrote petitions in defense of the sailors. Even Queen Victoria received hundreds of letters asking for mercy. As a result, the death sentence was commuted to six months in prison, which they had already served while the court hearings were underway. Dudley and Stevens were immediately released. British society welcomed this decision and sang the praises of fair royal justice. The crew of the Reseda was released, but their names will forever remain associated with this dark story.

Interestingly, the case of cabin boy Richard Parker added mysticism to the case. 50 years earlier, Edgar Allan Poe wrote a story where a hero with the same name was eaten by his comrades in a similar situation. Coincidence? Or an ominous hint of fate?

The trial of the crew of the yacht "Reseda" left more questions than answers. Where is the line between survival and crime? Is it possible to justify murder for the sake of salvation? The case is still discussed by lawyers, historians and mystery lovers. It became an example of how human nature manifests itself in extreme conditions.

Today, the story of the Reseda is not just a legal precedent, but part of the cultural heritage. It inspires books, films, and debates about morality. And the cabin boy Richard Parker, an unwitting victim of circumstances, has become a symbol of a tragedy that cannot be forgotten.

Do you think you would have acted differently if you were in the Reseda crew's place? Share your thoughts in the comments!