The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-21
CARRIED A CARGO OF ARMS.
Munitions Of War Supposed TO Be for
Brazilian Insurgents.

The Trim Little Yacht Natalie Quietly
Took on a Cargo of Rifles and Am
munition and Sailed Without Clear
ing-The Captain Went Under Nu-
merous Names - His Movements
While Here as Mysterious as His
Arrival and Departure-Thought to
Be an Agent of Admiral Melio.
The trim little steam yacht Natal e
came up the Savannah river in tow Dec.
/ 81. During her two weeks stay here she
excited some suspicion by the mysterious
movements of her captain and crew.
Those who knew what she was
doing in port here have kept very
quiet since her departure, and it
was only yesterday that it was
was learned that she carried out a cargo
of about ten tons of arms, all the indiCa-
tions pointing to the fact that they were
bound for Brazilian waters.
The movements of the Natalie excited
suspicion from the time of her entrance
into the harbor. The captain Of the tug
which towed her up the river, out of curl
osity, went aboard the yacht, but the cap
tain positively refused to let him go be-
low the deck He would not even let him
look down the matches, which were kept
tightly closed.
WENT UNDER TWO NAMES.
Again it is not known definitely who
the captain was. He received several
communications which were addressed
TO him as Capt. Nelson, but the name he
| gave to others with whom he had pri-
vate conversations was that of Capt.
Antonio Selma.
He kept strict watch on his crew,
and if they knew anything at all they
| didn't tell 1t. lie discharged one Of them,
an American sailor while here and
shipped an Italian. The American was
sent of because he had talked too much.
Capt Selma told numerous yarns about
his mission here. The yacht he said be-
longed to private parties, to an old man,
and he was here waiting for him. The
owner, he said, would be down with a
party of friends in few days, and they
were going to Fernandina and other
Florida points on fishing and hunting
expedition. Strange TO say, however,
the owners never came.
WENT AWAY IN DEBT.
Capt. Selma had plenty of money with
him, which, it is said, he deposited in the
Citizens Bank; and he contracted sew
eral debts, almost all of which were paid.
IOE a BfGdb JdEb Vi bu6 blulS GuS NdIdIl6
lay IN the river, on the north side, near
the foot of East Broad street. When get
ting ready to leave, he came over to Tag
CARTS wharf to take on coal, and tied up
behind a schooner that was lying there,
in order to keep as much out of sight as
possible
While here he got Messrs John Rourke
& Son 10 overhaul his machinery and put
1t all in good order. He carried a quad
ruplex engine and about six or eight tons
of coal. The bill of Messrs. Rourke IL
Son, 1t is said, was for $3.50, only $3.50 of
which was paid, and Capt. Selma went
away in debt for the other hundred. 1t
is said that Messrs. Rourke & Son have
been trying to keep posted as to his
whereabouts, in order to collect the bill.
THE ARMS TAKEN ABOARD.
Saturday night some time after dark
four or five trucks, loaded with boxes,
left the Central railroad wharf, where
they were brought some days before by
one of the New York steamers, consigned
TO Ernest Merritt, nd'proceeded to TIA G.
CARTS wharf, where the Natalie was lying.
The boxes, rs or 100 in mum Der, were de-
livered to the captain of the yacht The
packages were shipped originally from
Philadelphia and via New York to Savan-
nah. The freight charges are $53.
The arms were unpacked, some on the
yacht and some on the wharf, and were
stored in its hold. Among them it is
known that there were two Hotchkiss
guns and large number of army rifles.
Parties who saw the guns state also that
there was large quantity of ammunition
in the cargo. They talked to Capt Selma
but got nothing from him as to where he
intended to go.
HE MAY COME BACK.
Parties who saw the arms loaded on the
] Natalie thew HE find
from either captain or crew anything
about where they expected to go. Capt
Selma claimed to be from France and al
most all his crew were foreigners. The
cases of arms were consigned TO Ernest
Merritt which seems to have been a
third name under which he went.
The most reasonable supposition is, and
it is concurred in by those who knew any.
thing about the yacht that she was, going
down somewhere on the Spanish main
where she would transfer the arms to
some steamer which would transport
them to Brazil for the insurgents. 1t may
be that he expects another cargo here, as
: he indicated to those with whom he
talked that he might return to Savannah
in the near future,
WAITING FOR THE CAPTAIN.
After the arms had been taken from
the boxes the latter were thrown over
board and for sometime were floating
around in the river until they were
5 finally gathered up for use by some of the
I ship builders across the river Capt
, Selina's return to this port, if he comes al
all, will be anxiously awaited 1t has beer
believed for some time that the agents
3 of Admiral Mello have been al
work in this part of the country. In fact
, it has been openly stated that they have
= been laying plans for making shipments
3 of arms, and Savannah is probably the
= port from which they expect to do part
? of the business. The authorities will, nc
g doubt, be on the watch for the return Of
r the Natalie.
. She was trim little boat, about eighty
: feet, in length, and of notmore than forty
5 tons capacity at most. The only wonder
/ is that the mysterious movements of those
aboard did not attract more attention
/ while she was here.