The morning call., 1893-04-08
NE MATES STORY.

''The night that the murder occurred was
pitchy black" said the surviving mate,
drawing hard at his brierwood pipe, the
same which he had smoked when the crew
were planning to murder him.
81 was on the watch after midnight. The
deckIoad was piled up pretty high and hid
the galley from my view. The dim glow of
the light from its windows only served 10
throw the foremost into a deeper shroud Of
darkness and make the sky appear as an
abyssm of blackness ahead.
'I looked around for Fitzgerald, but
could not see him. 1 looked below; he was
not there. Then l called Captain Soden-
gren, who questioned the man at the wheel.
and got the reply that Fitzgerald had gone
forward about 1880 O'clock and he had not
seen him since.
"High and low we searched, rouslng Car
penter John Langlaise, who brought an
anchor light with him.
Here" continued the mate. pointing to
a spot between the fore and main rigging,
and near the port rail, lis where we found
the spots Of blood. They were not in pools,
but merely smeared upon the planking as
though the body had been dragged over
them.
"Langlaise raised lis light above his
Hbdua II AGESIeu uNoludltl III kue Llkul
breeze that blew from the west. lighting the
set features Of the captain. calm but deter
mined, and revealing indistinctly the pallid
face of the ship carpenter.
In an instant l conjectured their
thoughts, but said nothing. The captain
fitted his eyes and motioned his head toward
the aftercabin. asking me cautiously If
was armed. Ireplied that was not.
ttTIa tauahad fuOar m Inns nd
went aft. followed closely behind him.
Foul work were the only words he
spoke until we reached the cabin below.
Then he briefly told me that he thought
Fitzgerald had been murdered. handed me
a revolver armed himself, and we both
started forward.
THE starboard watch had turned in.
Green. ZIcariah and Jens Olesen. the port
watch, were on deck. but declared they
knew nothing of the blood spots.
1.-THE starboaId watch was aroused and
summoned aft. Hansen and st. Clair were
the first TO come.
They were sullen and snarled like cor
nered ours, but the sight OF revolver
curbed their cowardly tempers.
''Sparf came next. He bore up little
better than the others, but he told contra
dietory story.
THE captain placed the irons on him.
Well, you know the rest Of the story; 1t has
all been published.
Here under the fore-rIggin'," said the
mate. pointing his hand toward the spot,
were great spots of blood which the muir
derers had tried 10 wash away. The star
board rail was smeared with the crimson
fluid. proving conelusively that the body of
the murdered man was thrown into the
sea-"
The mate shuddsred when he had finished
his story, looked silently at the spot where
Fitzgerald had fallen and pulled solemnly
al his pipe.
he is strongly built man with pleasant
face, well tanned by exposure, and bright
piercing eye that seems to look into the very
depths Of ones soul. II will go hard with
the murderers when he gets on the Witness
stand.
The HPsDer is lofty bark OF about 700
tons register. Her decks look unusually
clear considering the use they have been
put to as a carrier.
Her cabin is coy and well fitted, but not
unlike the cabins of other sailing vessels.
The cabin OF the Hesper has very dit-
ferent history from the forecastle In more
respects than one.