Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-06
EU7INOUS BILL LEWIS,
One Of 'he "saiishury's" crcw-How Born
Pirate Was shipped In Philadelphia.

~ ObD DIM Lie w iUs
One Of the "saiishury's- Crcv-uow . Rorn
Pirate Was shipped In Philadelphia.
Philadelphia TImcs.l
This cablegram was received In Pailadel-
phia yesterday. II caused much alarm for
the ssfety Of the ship Salisbury and her
commander. Captain Paul Reitzens,ein, OF
Brt men, who has many friends and re.a-
uycs at this port: "The crew OF the Ger
man ship Salisbury. from Phil,delphia,
September 18th, for Fiuuie, OF Gibraltar,
mutinIed and attempted to set fire TO the
ship. Assistance was sent 10 the vessel.
The mate was stabbed. lie was taken
lahore and imprisoned, and the vessel vas
left to the mercy OF the mutineers."
In The accounts received later ~ the mu-
tiny no mention is made Of the fate OF Cap
tain Reitzenstein. In September last the
Salisbury arrived here from Fiutne, bring
ing cargo OF empty barrels.
She was consigned to Messr.. Melting &
Audenreid, Of II Banks Place.
After dischargiBg her cargo she loaded
with petroleum In barrels for the same
port from which she had sailed. On Sep
TENDER 2Cth she cleared for Fiume. The
Salisbury was 1,094 tons register, and car
ried, besides her captain. q first and second
ofhcer, boatswain. carpenter, two stew
ards. and twenty men before the mast.
The boaiswaiu. Nells Martinscn. Swede;
The carpenter, Isaac Flams, Norwegian
seven able seamen. and four ordinary sea.
men, were shipped at this port.
ats seldom q ship goes TO sea with 90
many different nationaites TO make up her
crew as the Salisbury did" said Dominick
N,.I. tl1.-
on Front street below South, Yesterday.
At Mulane's house had boarded the greater
number Of the men who shipped on the
Salisbury.
THE SAILORS SHIPPED HERE.
The men who Joined the vessel here were
o. W. johnson and John Zimmerman.
Norwegians; John McKeever. Irish; Will
liam Lewis, American; John Mclean.
Scotch; Mars Ohlsen and Carl Shredder,
Danish; Henry Austin, English; George
Hanson, Dutch; Oliver Rhoads, American,
and Carl Matbel, a Frenchman.
The remainder OF the men making up
the crew had "siayed by" the vessel on
her arrival here.
~ expected there would be trouble on
board the Salisbury before she got to
Flume," said runner" connected with
the clearinghouse. ~ never knew that
Lewis TO make a voyage without fight
yet. Oh, know him like hook. made
"A cruise with him I'm the United States
navy dozen years ago on board tine
Han ford. You recollect the mutiny up
the Mediterranean on board OF that vessel.
Well, that same Lewis Is the man who
organized Il. He was an apprentice
boy on board the old frigate Sabine.
He began his career there when he was
but boy by starting project for the de-
serlion Of every first-class lad In the ship.
II was when the Sabine was moored one
winter at the Boston navy-yard. The plan
was for the gang 10 watch their chance and
slip into the steam float that lay along
SIDE during the night. gag the fireman who
slept IN her, and cut her adrift. She would
drift down with the tide against one Of the
Charlestown wharves, and they could get
ashore. The plan worked very smoothly
at first.
GAGGING A FIREMAN.
"Six or seven big boys got into the float
unobseryed and rammed fstful OF cotton
waste down the throat Of the fireman, but
in their excitement they made too much
noise. The ships corporal on watch heard
the scuille. looked through u portfolio on
the berth-deck, and saw the whole business.
The officer OF the deck was notified, and
the master.at-arms and four ships corpo-
rails captured the whole gang.
"The next time 1 met Lewis was when
the Hartford was fitting out In 1871 at the
Boston navy-yard. / went out in her rs
cook Of the petty officers mess. One night
big draft OF men came down from Boston
and everybody crowded smidships to see
'em mustered on the quarterback. When
the officer called out Louis Williams who
did see step forward but BIZ Lewis-he
had only twisted his name little. In the
mutiny on board the Hartford in Leghorn
harbor Bill Lewis was the chief. He was
the fellow that suggested the idea OF
disabling the broadside guns by taking of
the locks and hammers and throwing them
overheard. He escaped going to Weathcrs-
field prison along with the gang that was
court-martialed by blowing on the mutt
neerS.
"Wby, the mutinies that man has been
in would nil book. He was one OF the
men that stole the bark Orbit, OF Portland,
Me-, in the Pacific few years ago, and in
the mutny the captain was killed. Lewis
and negro named Moses took command,
and they ran the vessel on a reef, LETT her,
and came back TO tell story OF shipwreck,
short rations, and all that. Yes, Lewis
was in Jail while for that business"
FAD MAN FROM BOSTON.
GLOW was the Orbit stolen?"
"Why, the crew mutinied at sea. The
vessel was loaded in New YORK for Glas'
gov. Her captain was a man named SEQ
Vile. a down-eaSter. She shipped her
crew, eight men before the mast, in New
York. Bill Lewis was among them.
.'On the run over to Glasgow Lewis and
the second mate had q row. Young SEQ
willie had charge OF tho captains watch and
found Lewis loafiDg at the wheel. He re-
ported II &c, the captain, and Lewis was pun
ished. lie dropped whole watch-tackle
from halfway up the mizZen-rigging one
night. The blocks grazed the second mite
head. Another time he dropped, accl'
dentally, AS he claimed, a steel marlinspike
fIom the miZZen-tOp that stuck clear into
the deck just side OF where the second mate
stood. After that he was warned that II
any more accidents happened to hin
aloft he would be clapped into irons. The
grub was none too good. As every sailor
man knows, there amt anything that viii
stir up mutlny quicker than that. The
men were growing, and Lewis added rue
To the fire. lie used 10 tell them OF the BIZ
spreads the captain and the mates sat dowr
TO in the cabin. Then he began to tall
about his knowledge OF navigation.
HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PIRATE.
"When all was ripe Lewis knocked
down the second mate, and with bis fellow
took the vessel. In the row the captain l.
said to have fallen through hatch ant
crushed in his skull. Next day the iirs
and second mate and two men cut ava!
a boat and tried to make land in Australia
two hundred miles distant. They were
never heard Of. Lewis and the other
stuck TO the vessel, and when she wa
beached near sydney they told story o.
shipwreck. Their behavior excited SUI
picion, and all but Lewis were arrested. lie
shipped and got away. The story OF th'
mutiny came out in court aud some OF 'em
WAS punished, but they never got Lewis.
knew a man who was in that mess. mex
heard OF Lewis on the j. l. Dwight,
Boston bark bound for Rio. A day out o.
port Lewis aud two other men refused u
work. as they said. because the grub wa
bad. Lewis was mutinous and was PUT l,
irons. The Dwight came back and landed
him. | met him here last summer and go
him good berth on fruit-ve>sel. Beior,
she was out OF the river Lewis gave back tall
| to the mate and was badly whipped. Ina
night The mate was found Inscnslble on th'
| deck Of the vessel and Lewis was missing
He had swan ashore leaving his kit aboard