The Portland daily press., 1874-05-28
THE CANINE B.,DEsPERADO,
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

| AAShO yCSecludy dltcluOOu III Ou"i5O IA DSPNNJ
U. S. Marshal Wilson. He was arraigned be
fore U. S. Commissioner Rand. and pleaded
not guilty to the charge of committing an as
sault with intent to kill upon the crew of the
"Annie b. As he had no counsel, j. H
Drummond was sent for to defend him. A. A.
Strout, ESQ.,, appeared at the request of Consu
Murray. for the British government, 1t IL
thought that the case comes within the iuris.
diction of the British government, and Mr..
Murray is prepared to claim Robbins under the
extradition treaty.
AS the case was not prepared the Commits
sloner adjourned the hearing until ten o'clock
this morning. The prisoner was sent to jai
| to await his examination. He is a peculiar
| looking man, about % years old, with light in
telligent eyes, and light complexion. He appears
unconcerned about his fate. but says that he
wants lawyer if he can get one. His face is
badly SCARED. In one place on his head there
| is a bad scratch where bullet grazed him.
His face is cut with saw, and his forehead is
scared. He is dressed in coarse suit of grey
and looks decidedly rough.
He told Mr. Wilson, when that gen tleman
took him in charge, that he did not know any.
thing about the affair on the schooner. But
when City Marshal Rackleff of Rockland, ar
rested HIM he said that he knew what he was
wanted for-''it was that affair on the schooner
| the other night" He evidently intends to put
| in plear of insanity in this case. He belongs
| in Deer Isle, and his father is very respecta-
| BILE resident of that town. Robbins has always
been looked upon as the "black Sheep in the
family.
The captain, the seaman, Pinkham, the cook
and City Marshal Rackleff of Rockland, &C.
companied Marshal Wilson and the prisoner.
Camp, the mate, is still unconscious, and the
physicians have given up all hopes of his recov-
cry. The captain is greatly excited at present,
and from his agitation one would sooner take
him than Robbisn for the prisoner. While the
captain was telling his story Robbins sat near
and did OF show the least signs of agitation,
while the captain was shaking like leaf.
A PRESS reporter called upon Captain Secard
of the schooner, and received the fol-
lowing account of the affair fom the time
the vessel left this port until she arrived at
Rockland: We left Portland Friday noon,
May 22d, for st. John, N. B., with cargo of
scrap iron. just before leaving Grand Trunk
wharf the prisoner came Oh the wharf and ask
ep permission to work his passage to St. John,
saying he belonged to st. Stephens. l told him
1 would take him. He said his name was Dun
can. 1 told him he did not look much like a
sailor, and asked him where his clothes were.
He told me he had sent them by chum. At
ter we left port all went on well until midnight
A little before that time came on deck and he
asked me how far we were from Monhegan.
said about seven miles, and then he vent into
the cabin and smoked until the mate called
midnight L then went on deck and took the
wheel. l had been at the wheel about five
minutes when I saw Pinkham coming out of
the forecastle. l gave some order in regard 10
the working of the rigging. Pinkham did not
understand what was said and asked the pas
senger, who was standing between u.s. The
passenger gave very different order from what
had given, and when Pinkham went to obey
it, Robbins stepped up to me and fired revolt
yer in my face. He then turned and fred upon
Pinkham, the bullet going through the shoul-
der of his coat. then said what in the name
of God are you doing with revolver on this
| vessel?' l called to the mate and steward say
ing that the man had fired at Pinkham and
me. 1 told them that the passenger was a muir
derer. l then loaded my revolver, during
which time he shot twice at Pinkham. When
got my revolver loaded called the mate and
told them that we would all be murdered.
then went ON deck ond saw Robbins coming to-
wards us with long, heavy bar of iron in his
hand. l was then at the mainmast and fred
at him as he was coming aft. I turned about
as 1 fred and he knocked me over with the bar
1 ran for the cabin and as L went in he struck
at me, hitting the mate, who was standing be-
tween me and the Wheel This was the blow
that injured Camp. During this time Pinkham
went into the rigging. fired at the passenger
as he entered the door of the cabin. He struck
toe revolver with his bar and knocked it out of
my hand. L then clinched him and the stew
ard did the same. Hn was very strong, and we
| found him too much for us. We tumbled about
together for some time, aud at last went on
deck. There the cook took buck saw and
broke it over Robbins head But this did not
| stop him, and the cook said he must give up as
| he was exhausted. 1 told him not to do so or
| we would be murdered. I then told Pnkham
| to come down out of the rigging. The passen-
ger replied that Pinkham was dead. He then
| gave me a jrk aud sent me into the cabin fol-
| lowed by the cook. We then fastened the door
and loaded the revolver and fired at him
| through the key hole. He tried to break the
] door with his bar but didn't succeed. He then
fired at Pinkham in the rigging, but failed to
| hit him. After that he began to disable the
| vessel so that we could not follow him in case
he took into a boat. He cut the main sheet into
strings, took the iron and wooden pins and
threw them in the boat. Then he started in
the boat. 1 came out of the cabin, but was so
fatigued did not know what to do. The ves-
sci was utterly disabled. and we raised signal
of distress. We were afterwards carried to
Rockland.
The captain tells a very straight story and is
no doubt perfectly honest in all his statements,
but it does seem a little strange tina this boy
should drive four men and disable the vessel in
the manner described.