The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-06-12
STRANGE suspicious.


terious Affair.
The fate of the Wandering Min
strel, whose captain and crew were
picked up on French Frigate Island .
IN March last, is still in doubt. 1t .
was reported at the time that the /
vessel had been wrecked, and was a .
total loss; that she had succumbed F.
to one Of the terrific gales that occa- (
sionaIly visit this locality. At least
this was the tale told by Captain
Walker, who declared positively that
he had lived on the island fourteen
months His story, however, does
not by any means tally with the
statement made by the first mate,
Captain Cameron, who shipped on
the Minstrel at Honolulu and left
| with her for the French F'rigate He
was next heard of in Tacoma, from
where he answered an advertisement
inserted in the papers by General
! Manager Murray Of the South British
| Insurance Company, asking for in
| formation regarding the whereabouts
| of this vessel, but did not afford
much satisfaction, combining himself
! 30 stating that the vessel had been
! lost down South America way. Some
! thing more substantial was obtained
| by two citizens in Honolulu, friends
| of Cameron. They received letters,
stating that he had set up hotel at
Port Townsend on a bonus Of $1,000
he had received from Capt. Walker.
A most determined effort has been
made to find this man, but he has
hitherto succeeded IN keeping out Of
the way.
The insurance company employed
detectives to hunt him up, but they
obtained no trace of any such indi-
vidual. Secretary G. p. Stringer was
in Washington Territory and British
Columbia recently and he made a
most careful search for Cameron,
and though he placed the matter in
the hands of skilled police officials,
he could not find anything. 1t was
suspected that Cameron was engaged
in the opium smuggling business,
but even in the ranks Of the dope
: handlers he was not to be located.
1t is thought that he must have OBJ
tanned news of the search and kept
out of the way.
The most remarkable feature about
/ the mate in Washington Territory.
J How could he get away from the isl
and when all the rest were i'm
; prisoned theref Why did he not
inform the authorities of the desti-
tute condition and unfortunate posi-
! ton of his friends? Why did he
write to say that he had been paid
i a bonus by Captain Walker?
: Neither Manager Murray nOl
4 Secretary Stringer believed the
e Wandering Minstrel was wrecked
l She left Honolulu in December will
= an immense cargo of provisions, anC
:. for the two months following her de
: parture there were no storms IN the
French Frigate ATTITUDES to speak Of
q The weather was calm and agreeable
yet Captain w. claims that he ex
perienced a terrific gale as viOlen
J. almost as the Samoan hurricane
/ Strange to say, however, he ha(
O. taken on board in Honolulu enough
food supplies for three years, though
he knew he would not be absen
more than four months.
The explanation now offered b,
some of those interested IN the vesse
is that on arrival at destination, tn
captain, his family and crew disem
parked with provisions, supplies, etc
while Captain Cameron, as pc
. agreement, navigated the Wander
- ing Minstrel to some South Amer
. can port. There he sold her, and
p putting the proceeds in his pocket
e he sailed for Portland and Washing
I ton. Evidently he had no intentiO
y of dividing with Captain Walker
9 who, it is understood, characterize,
II him in Honolulu as william of tn
Y deepest dye. Cameron is prObabl
q the only man who can throw light o.
the affair, but he is keeping out Q
. the way.
u The Wandering Minstreps GREY
comprised much that is cOnspicU
II ously noxious in the marine line.
Q consisted of negroes, Malays an
70 Manila men.
10 The vessel was the property Of th
Shark Fishery Company OF Hong
Al Kong, and she left that port il
e9 August, 1887, provisioned for fou
IL months cruise in search of shark
e and birds nests. She reached Homo
q lulu in December, and Captain Dun
q can of the bark Kalakaua gives som
J curious information Of her captain
. dOings there.
. Captain Duncan says that abOu
% the beginning Of last year he was il
Honolulu when the Wandering Min
/ strel arrived, and later on he Wen
. on board for a short time. The yes
. sci had been seventy days on tn
D. voyage, which seemed UNUSUAL,
ri long at that time of the year, a
forty or fifty were ample. She ha,
only two sharks on board and ha,
not stopped anywhere to fish appaI
a entity. She anchored outside tn
n harbor and was closely watched
o being suspected Of opium SNUG
10 Cling. Captain Duncan had a tai
If to the mate, who complained that h
d and his junior officers could not Sc
is to know anything about where the
% were going and expressed much dis
lie satisfaction. A few days afterwar
,e the mates were discharged, togethe
g with about half a dozen mel
le and new officers and hand
a. shipped. Captain Walker o1Iere
, [ CfF c+aay, E, 90 7