New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-03
SHOT BY THE HELMSMAN.
FIVE BULLETS IN THE BODY OF THE
BARK MARSTERSON'S CAPTAIN.
THE BRAVE WIFE STOPS THE FLOW OF BLOOD
THE SAILOR BROUGHT HERE IN IRONS
EXPI.AN ATIONS OE THE

THE BRAVE WIFE STOPS THE FLOW OF BLOOD
THE SAILOR BROUGHT HERE IN IRONS
NO EXPLANATIONS OF THE
ATTEMPTED MURDER.
The tugboat Atwood sighted off Fire Island
yesterday morning the bark J. II. Marsterson
flying the British flag with the union down. The
tug Immediately made for her. and getting out
towline brought her into port.
The tug not only brought into port the bark,
but she brought In also an unusual and weird
story Of the sea. The captain Of the Marsterson
had five bullets fired into his body by a sailor,
and the vesse., which had sailed from this port
on March 27 for Demerara. had to put back on
account OF the captains wounds. The Marster-
was lying IL port nearly all last winter, and
at time a rumor started that her cap
tain had disappeared. As matter OF fact. the
captain Redmond Mcneil. had married Miss
Foley, in Long Island City. and had simply been
spending his honeymoon. As he was the owner
OF the ship he had a right to lay her up as long
as he pleased
On March 27 the Marsterson sailed from here
with a cargo for Demerara. The bark went out
by way Of Long Island Sound. because IT would
be cheaper to go that way. She was sixty-five
miles southeast Of Montauk Point when the
shooting affair took place. 1t was 10 o'clock at
night and the man. named William Hozhemer
was at the wheel The vessel short-handed
there being only eight men In the forecastle
which for a bark OF her tonnage was a small
number. The toatswain. II. L. Baker. was off,
Ger Of the watch. man on the lookout
The captain came on deck through the after
companonway and told the boatswain to go
down to the storeroom to get the foghorn and
blow It.
WHAT TOOK PLACE AFTER THE FIRING
The rest of the story only recount what took
place after the firing. When the boatswaln went
down to look for the foghorn TO was left on
deck except the man on watch. the captain and
the man at the wheel. Suddenly there came the
sound Of pistol shots. John II. Christholrn. the
first officer was awakened with the noise Of the
shots and rushed on deck He found the cap
tain's WIFE who had sailed with him on the cruise
trying to get him down the after companionway.
The deck was covered with blood and Mrs Nc
Neil had torn her night-clothes in pieces to bind
up the gaping wounds in the captains head.
The steward. -. l.. Fortes. also rushed 10 the as
sistance os the captain. and the boatswain. VINO
had by this time come on deck, Immediately called
all hands Meantime HOlZheimer was steering
the ship and minding the wheel with a calm stolid-
ty The first officer Immediately gave the neces-
sary orders to heave the ship to. Every order OF
his implicitly Obeyed by the crew ana Dy
Holzheimer. who had charge OF the wheel. AS
soon as the ship was hove to. Mr.. Christholm
went below and asked the captain who had shot
him. He replied:
The man at the wheel | don't know why he
did IT,"
Mr. Chrstholm went on deck. called another
man 10 relieve HolzheEer. and, presenting a pair
Of irons said: Hold up your hands" The man
Immediately put his hands in the irons. and was
taken to the lazarette. where he was chalned 20
the floor. He offered explanation why he nad
shot the captain. but simply said: Did shoot
him? Did T."
THE SAILOR IN PRISON AT STAPLETON.
Meantime In the cabin tho steward and the
captains wife were attending the captain
injuries. and on deck NJ Christholm had shaped
his coIrse for Nsw-YOrk \ strong northwest
wind was blowing and a heavy sea was running.
The lower maintop1ail yard was broken in the
sings, bat the bark fought her way toward this
port As the tug Atwood took her IN
tow something of what had taken place on board
was told 10 the people on the tug, which was
ordered to lay by after having anchored the
bark. TIE bark anchored of Stapleton and as
she anchored there boat stood Off from the shor-,
seeing the signal OF distress flying with dep
uty-sherin Of Richmond County on board. who
arrested the man who had shot the captain and
e, k him 10 Stapleton where he was imprisoned.
The tug tWoci came al )ngside nd took OFT
the captain and his wife and carried them To
Long Island city. where they went 10 the mouse
of the captains r'DtIer-in-aw. The steward or
the vessel aid last night In his oea itlful broken
Portuguese: The captain say 10 me go on
deck. | look around at the weather. I've heard
Of the Allianca | feel lash In my face. think
a Spanish gunboat has fired on @. throw my
self fat d. the deck and then | get more bull
let's"
The story OF the steward was corroborated By
the other Ofiic rrs de * The irst Idea the
captain had was that n Spanish man-ot-war hau
fired on him and he threw himself fiat on the
deck and the crazy ruillan at the wheei hred
into him gfterwarI.
SHEATH KNIFE FOR SELF-DEFENCE.
Ho.zheimer had been sailor In the United
States Navy for three years. He came to this
port from Shanghai on the American ship Roa-
noke. lie shipped aboard the Roanoke by show
ing his discharge papers from the Monocacy.
The Roanoke arrived here two weeks ago after
an extended cruise The man is German by
birth, though his enlistment on board an Amen-
can ship gave him qualified right 10 citizen
ship In the United states, but he must have been
shipped in some foreign port or he never would
have received his discharge IN foreign port.
The boatswa!n OF the J. H. Marsterson also
came from Shanghai IN the Roanoke. and was
a shipmate OF Holzheimer. He said last night
that nothing in Holzheimer's appearance since
he had been shipmate with him warranted the
op!nion that he out OF his mind but that
lately ia the forecasle It had been observed that
he was worried about something. On the night
on which Hozheimer took the wheel in the Sec
ond dog watch the boatswain said to him:
why do you take that .heathknife AFT with
you?'
II Is customary to wear sheathknives. but there
was something In the manner In which the man
was buckng his belt which prompted the
boatswain to make that remark Holzheimer
replied II take II for self-defence. IL was not
known then that he had pistol about him. The
captain although he has five bullets In his body.
will probably recover.
MES. HELM STILL IN OFFICE