The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-16

New YORK. Feb 15-A correspondent of the
on the American ship Frank N Thayer. from st.
Helena: The following is plain, unvarnished
statement of the tragedy on the Frank N. Thay-
er, on Jan. g and 4. about seven hundred miles
southeast of this place. all of the affair having
been cleaned from eyewitnesses, in the investi-
cation just made by the United States consul,
James l.. MacKnieht, at this place. However in
comprehensive or horrible the story may seem,
1t is the unanimous statement of Captain Clarke.
is wife, and of the fourteen seamen who survived
and reached here early on the morning of the 18th
in an open boat
The Frank N. Thayer was fue wooden ship
of 1.600 tons, built in 1873. at Newburyport,
Mass, hailing from the port Of Boston, where
the principal owners live. She sailed from
Manila for New York in November, 1885, with a
full cargo of hemp, valued at $780, 900, and with
crew of twenty-five men, including two Manila
Indians aad two Cinnamon. The only Americans
were the captain, Robert K. Clarke, of Long
Island, and the mate and second mate, Holmes
and Davis. The others were Germans and
Seandinavians. A few days after leaving
Manila one of the Indians complained of sick
ness, but when the captain decided that ne need
ed physic and offered him dose Of salts, he
made wry face and rejected it, upon which the
captain took up rope and gave him a cut or two
over the shoulders, and after this persecution he
took the salts. Absolutely nothing occurred in
connection with the Indians that is remembered
by any of the survivors until midnight on Jan.
2. A few minutes after midnight on Jan. 2
Captain Clarke was aroused from his sleep by
some one calling. Captain Clarke, Captain
Clarke" Half asleep and in his night clothes, he
ran up the after companion way, and when he
reached the top received blow with knife on
the top of his head. He saw that one of the In
dans was his assalant, and began to fight him
as best he could with his naked hands, but the
savage pressed him so closely that he was obliged
to back down the steps. The Captain had struck
the ruffian several blows in the face and pre-
vented him from making his thrusts with effect,
but as the two reached the bottom of the steps,
graphing with each other the Captain slipped in
the blood and fell. The Indian then plunged his
knife into his victims left side and ran up the
steps, leaving him for dead The Captains wife
was aroused by the fail, and in moment she
BE merely said that he was hurt and, arming
himself with revolver, returned to the door,
He called to the man at the wheel, Malone, tell
ing him to shut the upper door of the companion
way.
IT can't SIR" said he.
''Why notl7 asked the Captain.
There's somebody there" said Malone.
Captain Clarke then shut and locked the cabin
door leading to the companion way, and went
through the fore cabin to shut the doors leading
onto the half deck. AS he did so he found his
second mate, Davis. lying dead at the door of
his room. He closed and fastened the outside
doors, impressed by the vagueness and uncer-
tainty of the danger which had fallen upon him
and his charge. As he returned to the after
cabin he heard man at the door. It was a
sliding panel, so he showed it back short dis
tance, and saw white man, G. j. Hendrickson,
standing in the passage. He covered the man
with his pistol, and demanded what he wanted
there The man cried: Hide me, Captain,
hide me-" But the Captain was not reassured,
and asked what he wanted if he belonged to
the murderers. etc. But the man only repeated
Hide me, hide me-" Failing rapidly from loss
of blood from his wounds, and fearing to trust
the man, as he would give no account of himself,
the Captain told him to go away, and again shut
and locked the door. Hendrickson then entered
the bathroom, the door of which opened upon
the companion-way, and locked himself in. He
had scarcely done so when the Indian from
whom he had retreated traced him to his
hiding place and tried to induce him to open
the door. Foiled in this attempt he went
back up the steps and Hendrickson saw
him stab Malone, the man at the wheel, and
throw him overheard. A moment after the
death moan and the struggle Of Malone were
heard by the Captain, the Indians smashed in
one of the cabin windows and one said to the
other, 'Go in." The fellow was about to obey
when the Captain fred two shots in rapid sue
cession putting them to flight with volley Of
oaths and curses on their lips. He then shut
and fastened the shutters of the cabin windows
and lashed the outside doors fast
Mrs Clarke now began to dress the wounds of
her husband as he sat braced in acorner whence
he could command the doors and windows with
his revolver His head and face were hacked to
pieces and from the cash in his left side just
below the ribs the lower side Of his left lung
was protruding. Who shall describe the sensa
tons of that Captain and his wife at that dread
hour2 The little daughter clung to her mother,
dumb with fear. and the poor wife, a fragile and
timid woman under ordinary circumstances, di-
rected her best efforts with GOODNESS and deliber-
alton to the stoppage Of the bleeding which she
knew would soon end her husbands life. While
they were thus occupied, they were entirely
ignorant as to who was engaged in the mutiny,
and knew not at what instant the cabin door
would be forced and the murder completed.
Meantime the Indians had been doing CORY
work above The mate, Holmes, was dying at
the forecastle, the two men having fallen upon
him and the second mate at once, at the
opening OF the fray. Mr.. Holmes had made his
way to tha forecastle instead of the cabin, be-
cause the Indians had gone toward the latter,
and wounded man always has keen sense Of