The Portland daily press., 1878-01-17
THE sCUTTLED SCHOONER.
Her Cargo Found Aboard AnOth-
or Vessel.
One Of Her Grew Arrested.
The Vessel Intentionally ScuttIed
by the Captain.

NEW YORK, Jan. 16.-The cargo. sails and
private papers of Capt. Clark, of the scuttled
schooner e. A. Pray, were found yesterday af-
ternoon on an old schooner named Guide, The
police found her anchored on the flats, near
Communipaw, in an out of the way place. She
was in charge of one man, who proved to he
William May, late cook of the e. III. PRAY.
On being arrested he trembled with FRIGHT and
was almost incapable of answering questions
The Guide, which is worthless old hulk. con-
tanned most OF the cargo of the Pray, including
powder. The prisoner was brought to the city.
Officers brought the Guide to the city this morn
ing. Mays story is that after the Pray had
taken aboard her cargo she was run up North
river as far as 3lst street.
There she was anchored in the stream and
Capt. Clark bought the Guide for small sum,
and lashed her to the Pray. For three days
Capt. Clark, May and sailor named Charles
Ross, worked transferring the cargo to the
Guide, and also transferred qaantity of gas
line they had procured in Brooklyn. He (May)
was sent ashore to procure the auger to scuttls
the vessel, and the last night, which was We'd
nesday, the 9th inst, was spent in destroying
all traces by which the Pray might be recogniz-
ed. He admits to helping his companions nntl
they began to cut away the masts; then he be-
came alarmed and refused to assist them furth-
er. He says Capt. Clark was the last man to
quit the Pray. and that when they thought she
was going to the bottom they left her and went
in the Guide to the fats, where they had been
since. He says Capt. Clark and Ross left him
| three days ago, promising to return soon, and
he thinks they went away to make arrange
ments for disposing of their booty. He and
Ross were to have shares with Capt. Clark in
the profits of the undertaking.
Another account states some of the Pray q
cargo was transferred to a small sloop named
Claressa, and the harbor is being searched for
her. This is said to be the first case of barratry
and piracy in this harbor. and the punishment
is death.
Something about the Captain-His Father
Thinks He was M urdered,
BOSTON, Jan. 16.-A Globe reporter in an in
terview with Capt. Melvin J. Clark's father,
Capt. Joseph G. Clark, master of the schooner
Venus, now lying at Simpsons dry dock, at
East Boston. CLEANED the following facts: "My
son, said Capt. Clark, who was found on board
his vessel, "Capt. Melvin j. Clark, was captain
and owner of the schooner e. FL. Pray, hailing
from Pembroke, Me. sold the whole of the
vessel to him last spring, and he was coasting
all the summer. Just before left Pembroke
received letter from him dated at Bangor,
Me-, saying that he was then loading for New
Bedford, Mass, with cargo-the cargo being
lumber, suppose. In that letter he said that
he was saving money enough to buy a cargo Of
corn. and that he was going from New Bedford
to Virginia to buy it and bring it down East
and sell it. He wrote to me at New Haven,
Conn.,, that his vessel was lying at Pier Is, East
River, loading for Baltimore, and wished me to
call and see him. did not receive this letter
until it was too late to comply with his wish
have heard nothing more from him until
saw the reports in the papers of Monday and
Tuesday evenings.
don't know the nu mbsr Of his crew. MY
son was 26 years of age, and had been master
of vessel ever siucs he was IL years of age.
He has been master of the schooner Emma W.
Day of Pembroke, the schooner Ceres of Dover,
n. e., and last summer he was master of the
steamer Mystic, hailing from the same place.
After leaving the Mystic he again became mas
ter of the e. H. Pray. He leaves wife and
one child at Kitsery, Me. His mother, one
brother and two sisters are living in Pembroke.
Hissother brother, Leslie B. Clark, is with me
on the vessel.
think, from the tenor of his letters and my
knowledge of his habits, that he had quite a
large sum of money about him, and that the
mate or some of the crew land believe that
more than two persons besides himself consti
tuted the crew. having knowledge of this fact,
had something to do with the affair. My son
had invested about $4,000 in the purchase of the
vessel and subsequent repairs, and, as he was a
powerfully built and courageous man, know
he would not have given up the money without
strenuous resistance, even at the point of
pistol Consequently, if the motive was simply
robbery without the idea of taking life, his re-
sistance may have resulted in his being mur-
6ered. OF course state this as theory, as l
know nothing of the actual circumstances of
the case.'
William Chalmers, the New York merchant
who chartered the Pray, says: "The captain
was good sailor, of more than ordinary INTEL
ligence and ability. I have known him for the
past three years, and always considered him a
good and honorable man.
The e. FL. Pray is said to have been worth
$4,000 and her cargo $4,000.