The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-01-20
SCUTTLED THE SHIP.
How Captain Bangs Sunk The
Clumsy Mary Parker.
TRAPPED INTO A CONFESSION.
Eager for Insurance Money, He Bores
Holes in the bottom and sinks Her
A Prey to Remerse.

| fashioned kind for which, but for q tech
| nicality of the law. Capt F. L. Bangs, OF
| the sunken schooner Mary l. Parker.
/ might soon be hanged, not between high
/ and low water marx in the old-fashioned
style. but on n conventional scafiold, came
| to light yesterday. Cant. Bangs has con-
fessed that he sunk the Mary l.. Parker off
/ Race Rocks on December y. 1898, for the
| purpose of obtaining s.. 500 insurance on
the vessel and cargo, but he exonerates
his partner in the vessel and cargo, ex-
Deputy City Treasurer ]. ]. knott, and
| James Heay, the member OF the crew who
scuttled the Parker by his command.
Bangs went before United States Commits
sioner Emery yesterday afternoon, and in
de fault of s.. 900 bonds was committed for
trial at the United States court, waving
examination. He is now in the county
Jail. His confession is now on file with
the commissioner.
The story of the Parker's tragic end,
with judicious handling and perhaps the
addition of dash or two of human blood.
would make a pretty fair yeiIow-backed
novel. Along in the latter part of Novem-
Der. it appears. Capt. Bangs, who was then
building a schooner az Salmon bay which
he needed money to rig, came TO ]. J.
knott, then deputy city treasurer, and
proposed that they shonld go into the
Alaska trading business together and
make a little money quickly. knott
agreed, and on December q, or there
abouts. the Neah bay schooner Mary
| L. Parker sailed out of Seattle har-
Dor with several thousand dollars worth
of merchandise on board. s., 500 insurance
on her cargo and $4,000 on her hull, and
clearance papers for trading voyage:
that the cargo contained raw whisky for
the natives of Alaska is denied, and il
probably did not.
The Parker carried crew of five men,
all white. and Capt. Bangs. She traded
around among the islands on the British
Columbia coast ana soon disposed of
nearly all of the cargo. But she was beset
with bad luck in other ways. She was
old, her rigging was rotten and she was by
no means a clipper either to sail or to
handle. She was so slow, in fact. that the
mate often expressed desire to see her at
the bottom of the Straits rather than sail
another day in her. The wind finally
blew away the whole suit of sails and sew
eral hundred dollars were spent in refi.-
ting her. Then she was headed for home.
When she cast anchor at Port Angeles
an idea, which may have been placed in
the captains head by the mates chance
remark, took shape. He bought big
anger and large. safe rowboat. Going
back to the schooner, he told his plan to
James Heay, the only one of the crew in
whom he had confidence. but a rather
rattie-brained fellow. Acting under the
captains orders. Heay bored large
number of holes through the vessels
bottom, plugged them up and covered
them with boards. Two days after Capt.
Bangs ran the schooner across the
Straits TO within about six mile.
of Race Rocks and there, the vessel strik-
ing q floating saw log, he ordered Heay
below to knock out the plugs. The latter
obeyed, and two hours later. at s O'Clock
in the morning. the Parker sank head
first in seyenty-four fathoms of water.
The captain. Heay and the rest of the
crew, who were ignorant of the cause
of the accident and attributed it to the
floating log. escaped to the American shore
in the new boat.
Not long after Capt Bangs, who was
confident the crime could not be detected,
came TO Seattle 20 collect the insurance.
He was met by the agents for the under
writer's. the Fireman's Fund Insurance
COMPANY vi oAh EahNi>Sos <hhouS
was one man who was an insurance detec-
tive, Thomas Mccarthy, OF San Francisco,
and who represented him self as an adiuster
also. Mr.. Mccarthy had come from San
Francisco on January TO work on the
case for the underwriters. His first sus-
PIGEONS were strengthed by chance remarks
of Heay and Bangs and he laid trap for
them He had them come to his room at
the Northern hotel, where he had con-
cealed man TO overhear the conversa-
ton. He talked over the wreck with
them and, insinuating that all was
not right abou: the vessel. he
excused himself from the room. Bangs
and Heav at once began talking
Of the anger holes. On the following day
the detective again had them in his room
under the same circumstances: again be
went cut and returned. The concealed
witness came out of hiding and faced the
men. The detective concluded IN telling
his story at the hotel last night:
Then they fell dead. They had been
talking of the anger holes again. One of
them had said: Do you suppose he IS
giving rs fill about the Parker being
Faisei2 We are gone If she is The other
had replied:
"'No, she can't come ont OF seventy -four
fathoms; he is pretty sharp, but he don't
know
''But when the witness told them of this
conversation they simply fell over one
another 70 confess. Their statements were
taken down IN writing by stenographer
and sworn TO before a notary public, +. l..
Prssbrey. with NJ. J. Bryant and +. J.
Burns es witnesses.
Bangs, in his confession, admitted that
he had made the confession voluntarily.
and exonerA;ed Heay and Knott and Heay
stated in his that he thought he vas
justified IN oaeying implicitly the
CAPTAINS order Bat the best thing
Axxardai HfrhaSt