The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-15
A TRAGEDY OF THE SEA.
The Grewsome Story of the Good Ship
Thekla.
From, the Neig York Trfb.

FROM the Nei0 York Tribune.
Seldom has there been told a more grew
some tale than that of the three sailors who
have been confined in the prison at Ritze-
buettel, under charge OF murder and canni-
balism. They are the survivors Of the crew
Of the ship Thekla, and, after drifting about
for thirteen days on it's wreck, almost dead
from starvation, they killed and ete,the flesh
of the fourth member of their CHASTITY
party. All three are young. Olaf Andersen
OF IonsberQ, in Norway, is %; Christian
Hjalmar jacobsen of Christlansuud is the
same age; Alexander Johanssen, born in
Fisker bekskilde, in Sweden, is in his 25.h
year. The murdered man, OF whom all
three speak as "the Dutchman," was the
eldest; he was q. A correspondent Of the
Hamburger Ndchrichten has interviewed
the prisoners, and gives the following &C
count:
The first to step into the small court is
Olaf Andersen. He is of middling hight,
and OF broad,ouild, s5oops slightly, and has
long swinging arms. His head, covered
with fair curly hair, is a massive one, the
forehead high, and his face, which issnot
without some intelligence, is beardless,
bloated and colOrless, and his fieshy under
lip hangs down. his steel gray eyes with
the tired and sad look, only raise themselves
now and then, and very unwlllngly, from
she ground. The impression that Olaf
Andersen makes is not an unfavorable one.
One might imagine him to be an uucouth
fellow, but by no means a wicked one.
"Olaf Andersen. sit down and tell ms
your story
You mean about the Dutchmau, sirg"
Yes, about the Dutohman.n
Olaf Andersen looks down and begins to
speak. His voice sounds hoarse, but be
speaks without hesitasing, as if he knew
there was only one thing now and forever
that he could relate, and that was about the
Dutchman. Olaf Andersen began:
We left Philadelphia on Dec !. Up TO
Dec. ~ we had good voyage. Then in the
North sea the bad weather began. Great
seas broke over the vessel, and the ship was
lost. She began to break up. Two masts
had gone by the board, but that did no good.
We were to take to the boats but while
they we're being lowered they capsized all
but one. Those who could manage it
jumped in, the captain and some others
altogether eight Those who remained be-
hind climbed into the rigging. " did not
see much of each other, and at first did not
even know who had stopped on the wreck.
For what with the continual rolling Of the
vessel and the pillows dashing over her we
had as much as we could do to prevent
ourselves being washed away. When
we were able to look about a bit
We saw that there were four of US, jacobsen,
Johanssen, the Dutohman and |. This was
on Dec. %. We ell four had nothing to eat,
not even a tobacco leaf; not a slice of
bread. 1t had all happened 30 suddenly.
Besides being hungry we could not sleep,
Tor We sat in the souttle, and it was very
small. When sleep got the better of one a
wave came and struck one on the head and
lace, which caused great pain, so sleep was
not to be thought of. This made US feel
bad. We suffered greatly. Ships passed
US, but did not see us, for we had a deal OF
foggy weather. or it was night. We Gers
talnly saw them, these strange ships even
In the darkest night, for our sufferinRs
made our eyes sharp. but the others had not
such sharp eyes, 80 they passed on and saw
US not.n
Olaf Anderson of course related all this
In broken sentences. The questions had to
be put to him singly, whereupon he an
sWered without any hesitation. In his
statements he msde the impression of
man who, although not quite sure how to
express himself. was yet quite sure about
what he wanted to say. He continued:
On the thirteenth day-it was Friday
the sea had Gained down; the weather
was clear. Dew had fallen in the morning,
and We licked it off the topmasts and the
MANILA ropes as far as we could reach.
This gave some of US courage. But not ALL
4he Dutchman, for instance, was quite des-
peraten
Could you make yourself understood
with the Dutchman? Did you speak his
language, or be yoursin
=, There was not much talking going on.
NOBODY cared to talk, and had scarcely the
strength to do so. In order to prevent our
selves being frozen to death, we climbed
from the souttle TO the forecastle, which at
snls time stood above water, and from the
Iorecastle back again to the scuttle. While
Standing there somebody spoke the first
une OF 1t. Who it was don't know. 1t is
suInclent to know that it was spoken. One
81 u as was to die so the rest of US could live.
me Dutchman said he did not care any
tning about his life. He would die But
we others said that II it must be it must be
uone Iairiy, as is the custom in such cases"
custom Why, have you ever heard OF
sucn frightful custom"
p, Yes; and we decided to do it that way.
E5Hst we waited from morning till noon.
Ierhaps after all ship would come. But
none came. Then the Dutchmsn began
sKsln: lie said that we were to make an
euu OF the matter, one way or the other; he
oould MOI bear it any longer. So we de-
sSenaed again to the forecastle, one after
1e other. When there one of us tore of
bAeCe OF linen and Divided AZ fntn four maria