The morning call., 1894-10-27
ST. CLAIR'S DOOM.
Approaching Close of a
Great Case.
TRAITS OF THE MURDERER.
His PolitenesS That Threw Off
All Suspicion.
MATE FITZGERALD'S MISTAKE.
The Death Watch Placed In Front
of the Murderer's CELIA
Brief Respite.
NATE FITZGERALD'S MISTAKE.

Oh CIdHs
On Friday. November 23. he will die.
The death sentence has been passed upon
him. The shadow of the gallows darkens
his cell door. The ringing stroke of the
carpenters hammer sounds his deathknell.
The warm suu that shines over the fair
city of San Jose will soon have yelled its
face behind the Courth ouse dome, and the
clock in the steeple will strike u. Then
Thomas st. Clair must die, die like dog;
a lust punishment for a man who turned
the clean decks of trim bark into
human slaughter-house, then dragged his
victims body TO the port rail and over with
it to the sea.
Who is there on the wator front who
does not remember ST. CT ? Who is
there among deep-sea sailors VINO has not
read over and studied the career of st.
Clair, gentleman, scholar, murderer? Suave
Tom St. Clair OF the cabin and demon of
the forecastle.
The Hesper mutinY is not altogether
forgotten. 1t can never be forgotten by
seamen. BY landsmen its loathsome
memory is still a cancerOus recollection.
The sailors often refer to the doomed
man, and one man who has had Oppor-
tunity to study his vacillating character
spoke of him yesterday and recalled his
association with the condemned one.
1.-THE politest man that ever trod a
deck" commenced the speaker. with a
smile, "and the cunningest villain that
ever acted the part of sea lawyer" con-
tinued he, allowing his smile TO shift from
bis lower features to his brow and be
transformed into frown.
"Few men. understood Tom ST. Clair
He was generous to a fault, so far as
money matters were concerned. He would
share his last cent with a comrade, and,
sailor-like, was always ready to help a
companion in distress. Then, on the
other hand. be was quick-tempered. He
hated to be baked in any of his plans, a nd
was the most ambitious visionary person
had ever met.
"Yes, Tom was full of schemes. He
seemed to live in a perpetual dream, in
which he must have figured as a rising
power before whom all must fall.
''St. Clair could make good impressions.
He could enter the shipping Office with a
meek expression, humble bowling of the
head, speak candidly of his former voyage,
clearly explain his record as a sailor, and
almost any skipper who CHANGED to be
within his hearing would crane his neck
e,
who is that manP would like TO sign
him on my ship
''He fooled Mrs. Sodengren, the bride OF
the captain of the noted Hesper. Woman.
like, she Judged him by the mild look In
his eyes, the frank expression of his face
aud the polished, soft, soothing word:
that fell from his tongue. Captain Soden.
gren screwed up his eyes trifie and
Iod ha foin - Al
He had had great deal of experience
with foremost hands. 1t was plain to be
seen that he reserved his judgment of the
man.
Mrs. Soden gren, who, you will remem.
Der, is a San Francisco girl who was on bel
bridal trip when Mate Fitzgerald fell
foully murdered TO the Hesper's decks,
was instrumen tai in securing st. Clair
for the bark. He was one OF the most
considerate, gentlemanly men for q CON-
mon sailor that l ever judged seafaring
man could be- said the lady, but she now
adds as sort of apology: But there was
something about him that | could never
understand. Though always polite and
respectful in ones company, he seemed to
avoid the presence of any but his mess
mates of the forecastle.'
'Sparf and Hansen, who are condemned
TO die after St. Clair has expiated his
crime on the scaffold, are two entirely
different characters from the principal.
Hansen is striking only for his stupidity
and pigheaded obstinacy. Sparf is typical
of an anarchist, and was affiliated with
that sect in the minds of those who know
him.
Fitzgerald, the murdered mate, was nm
doubtediy lured to his death by st. Clair's
suavity. He watched the wrong man.
He Kept his eyes on Sparf, but the angelic
smile of the arch fiend was drawn over mis-
good judgment like veil. He did mt
hesitate TO turn his back toward the man
whose Ratchet was welded on his unsus-
pectiDg head, but he followed Sparf around
with his eye, while that coward sunk
away like a cOrnered wolf gnashing his
murderous fangs, but too much lacking in
courage 10 use them.
"rhe trial of ST. Clair brought on,
many points. but the sailors all have diff
ferent theories of how the murder was
committed. They have pictured the deed
and place in their imaginatlons and noted
that there must have been but one way il
which the act could have been successfully
accomplished.
ut was dark night, as you perhaps re
member reading. The glow from the afte1
cabin lights was Instructed by deckloaC
that was piled high against the poop
Through the chinks in the forward deck
house doors and windows the CLEANS of
swinging oil lamp tried TO force their way
into the gloom; but lights such az cal
squeeze through cracks don't cut much o
figure on black night.
Instead of st. Clair coming ont of tht
forward house and sneakiDg up behind thu
mate ne must have been hidden for som,
moments in the shadow of the manmast
Ratchet in hand, an angelic smile trans
formed into the leer OF a devil, whose
cowardly hand clutched nervously at the
handle of the instrument.
Fitzgerald must have passed SLOWLY
forward, looking aloft perhaps, trying t,
note the course of the wlnds against the
sails. He stepped slowly, step by step
foot by foot, toward his doom. The main.
mast was reached; then the fash OF steel
the piercing shrek that chilled the very
blood that coursed through the veins oil
those berthed in the cabin. Then all was
over"
st. Clair no do ubt thought that it would
be hard TO convict him, but he was mis-
taken. He was not man with hosts Of