The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-04
YESTERDAYS SECOND EDITION.
The following items of news appeared in our
Second Edition of Sunday;l
Sea Captain Charged with Conspiracy.

THE following items of news appeared in our
Second Edition Of Sunday;j
Sea Captain Charged with Conspiracy.
GLOUCESTER, Mass. Jan. 2--Captain Jeffrey
Gerrvir, master of the schooner Racer, wrecked
off Portland on Monday last, was arrested last
evening by United States deputy marshal,
charged with conspiracy to wreck his vessel and
defraud the owner. Captain Gerroir had taken
the schooner on shares. agreeing to defray all
the expenses and pay the owner one fifth of the
gross earnings. She had been absent thirteen
weeks, and, in the meantime, the Captain had
drawn upon the owner for $500, and, it is al
legged disposed Of the catch Of fish, converting
claimed, wrecked the schooner to cover his
transactions He claims that she had $4,000
pounds of fish on board when she went down.
having disposed of $4,000 pounds at Cranberry
island for which he received 81. 290 cash, which
went down with the vessel as did, also draft
for 5000.
Captain Gerroir was taken to Boston. under
arrest, from Gloucester, to-day. He was ar
raigned before United States Commissioner Hal
lett on charge of scuttling his vessel and was
held In S.. 600 for examination. 1t appears that
the vessel had very successful trip having
taken So 900 pounds Of fish before she put in at
Sydney. on her way home AT this point, Ger
roir took on two female passengers for Portland.
The crew say that the captain stopped at sew
eral ports on the way home, and that all hands
had good time generally. AT one of the
ports it is claimed that the entire cargo
of fish was sold for cash by the captain One of
the female passengers makes an affidavit that
she saw the captain cut hole in the vessel with
q Ratchet, while the vessel was leaving port. and
to overhearing the captain refuse to promise his
wife to sail to Gloucester with him in the schoon
er because of the probability of her sinking on
the trip.
One of the crew, named Sherman, said: 'T
also overheard the captains remarks about the
schooner sinking, and went to the captain, tell
ing him he must not run the vessel on the rocks.
1t is also said that Gerroir was heard to say
that he would rather have the vessel sunk than
not, as she was old, and the insurance on her
would be satisfactory to him.
Shortly after the vessel sailed from Portland,
and when sixteen miles off Cape Elizabeth, it was
discovered that she was rapidly filling, and she
sunk in forty fathoms, the crew taking to the
boats and reaching land after suffering intensely
from exposure. 1t is asserted that the captain
has admitted that his affidavit claiming that 3d.
600 pounds of fish were lost with the vessel, to-
gether with the money received for a part of the
cargo, is false and that the hold was clear when
she sunk. The extreme penalty of the crime
with which Gerroir is charged is DEATH
One Wing of an Insane Asylum Burned.
NEWARK, N j., Jan. 2.-Shortly after p. NJ
to-day fire was discovered in the easterly front
wing of the Insane Asylum, which is situated
about two miles from the center of the city. The
flames shot up the chute to the attic, and in a
few minutes it was seething mass of flames.
The wing was 600 feet long, and az the interior
fittings were of oiled pine, they ignited very
readily, and burned fercely. In this wing were
lob patients. The medical superintendent
at once summoned his staff of assistants,
and in few minutes all the unfortunates were
moved into the yard without accident. Of the
patients taken out thirty two were women and
seventy-one men, Very little difficulty was ex-
pericnced in controlling them. The entire fire
department. was summoned to the scene. but
could render little service, owing to scarcity of
water. The flames spread rapidly to the third
floor and along the entire length of the wing in
both directions, At the west end it was stopped
by o blank wall twenty-five inches thick, which
prevented its spread to the center and other
wings of the institution By hard work the
fremen KEEP. the flames to the two floors,
although the lower floors were badly damaged
by water. The total loss will probably amount
to $50, 000 which is fully covered by insurance.
The patients were sent temporarily to the City
Hospital, but were this evening returned to the
asylum, where arrangements had been made for
their accommodation. The cause of the fire is
unknown. but it is supposed to have originated
from the overheated steam pipe which surrounds
the chute in the basement which, like all the
rest of the interior fittings, was of the most in
dammable material.
The asylum is new building and was erected
at a cost of $780, 00 1t was first occupied last
spring, and had nearly 600 inmates.
DETROIT. Jan. Mrs. Elizabeth Knoch the
mother of Frank Knoch, who was murdered in
Springwells on the night of Dec. Is, with
his entire family, and the house burned to hide
the crime. died Friday night under circumstances
which suggested poisoning A postmortem was
held to-day, when, to the surprise of the physi-
clans, it was found that her skull was fractured
by heavy blow, which had left no mark. 1t
was suspected that she and son, Gustave had
had some connection with the former murder,
ha hoH hnnv,
tenn statement from the mother who has been
confined at home with nervous prostration, it rs
said, ever since she was on the stand at the in
quest on the remains of the late tragedy.
This is the fourth suspicious death in this
family. The father Christian. was found dead
IN the barn some years ago, with cuts on his
head said to have been made by the kick of a
horse brother Charles disappeared two
years ago this winter, and his body was found in
the river next spring. with marks of violence
and chain about the body, belonging to an un-
used pump on the Knoch homestead and last
month, another son, Frank was killed, with his
wife and two babies. and the house burned with
the dead bodies in 1T. Suspicion has turned to-
ward Gustave, and it is now strengthened BY the
murder of the mother. though as yet no convict
ing evidence has been discovered. Another
brother, Herman. is halfwitted fellow who
has been once confined in an insane asylum, and
an uncle Joe, has been for years a mild lunatic
though he has never been considered dangerous
Serious Disorders at Matamoras.
ST Louis, Jan. 2.-The Matamoras, Mexico,
correspondent of the Globe Democrat telegraphs
as follows, under to-days date Yesterday was
the date fixed by law for the installation of the
new board of city officers. The Torres element
who, it is alleged were secretly supported by the
military, were evidently bent on creating riot
and thus causing martial law to be declared in
the city, and perhaps pave the for the down
fall of the State government under General
Cuellar. who is favorable to ex-President
Gonzales. At an early hour Torres and his
supporters took possession of the city hail.
Mayor HAinaiosn althnnoh NOT anrrnanhaa