The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-16
UNLuokY AND LUCKY SHIPS.
MisfOrtunes That Followed the
SLAYER Juanita.

MisfOrtunes That Followed the
SLAYER Juanita.
To the understanding of people Of educa-
ton and culture the idea of human desti-
MES being controlled by blind chance
known as luck seems absurd. All the
same, great minds have been Influenced
by such belief. The first Napoleon be-
lieved in his star, and Nathan, the found
er of the Rothschild dynasty divided men
into two classes-fortunate and otherwise
and refrained from doing business with
people he regarded as unlucky.
In 1888 there was built at Portland Me,
a topsail schooner christened the "Juani-
ia" From the internal fittings in the
hold it was evident that she was intended
for SLAYER. A man named Stoever of
rather shaky reputation, was appointed
captain. The day she sailed for Havana
sailor dropped tail block from aloft.
1t struck the captain and he never spoke
again; same day the hawser broke and
crippled the pilot, and the vessel left the
wharf with the reputation of being a hoo
doc. When she arrived at Havana a new
name came out on her stern, and as the
"Malek Abel" her reputa ton became cos
mopolitan.
The first voyage was to old Calabar
river, coast of Africa, for slaves A cargo
was secured ana the Mack Abel was off
like swordfish for Cuba, for she was a
very fast sailor. Inside of three davs a
most virulent fever broke out among the
slaves, and three of the crew caught If
and died in few hours. Mad with
fear, the men urged the captain to throw
the slaves overheard and have a clean
ship. He refused and shot one of the ne
titioners. That night the crew rose in
M = 1A1 Ill
their helpless cargo overheard men. wo-
men and children, in number 300 They
agreed to make the Malek Abel a pirate
They had seven guns and an abundance
of small arms. So they ran back to Cal
abar river and captured the Spanish
SLAYER "Golconda," with $4,000 on board
Several of the slaver's crew toined the
pirates and the schooner started for East
India, hoping to take a treasure ship
landing was made on the south coast of
Madagascar and a division of the spoils
called for. OF course, there was a quar-
rel and mutual slaughter. Thirteen of the
survivors got aboard of the vessel, set
san and next day was overhauled by the
British corvette, Grampus and, with the
exception of the negro cook, Lundy, all
were hung al Capetown a few weeks
after. claim was made by the Spanish
owners, and after a years delay they got
back their vessel. the evidence that She
had been SLAYER not being sufficient to
condemn her
After sailing on several successful slave
ventures her owners sold her to Gillian
Englishman named Groves, and here the
history of the Malek Abel becomes almost
as mysterious as that of the Flying Dutch
man. When the South American republics
were fighting Spain they issued letters of
marque, and these We're taken advantage
of by privateers that IN effect were only
pirates, and plundered all alike; and the
La Elites disappeared under flag of this
character One of these vessels, known as
the Condor, sailed under a Gillian commits
sion, commanded by a desperate English
man named Garry, with crew to match,
many of them Americans. Rich prizes were
made in the Indian ocean, and finally the
Condor turned her Prov eastward with
supposititious millions on board
One thing is known--the Condor slipped
for water at one of the Palliser Islands,
and here the crew and officers fought until
there were only few left. Six weeks af-
ter vessel came ashore in Tacahuana
Bay, about 1919. This was on the west
coast of South America, near the city of
Conception, Three wounded men and a
mad woman were the crew. The woman
and two of the men died, telling nothing,
but the survivor Maltese, was more
communicative and gave the log of the
Condor, and this the authorities kept to
themselves, and sent a vessel for the treas
ure. But while finding abundant proofs of
the truth Of the survivors, story, they fail
ed, as many others have done, to locate
the treasure. This was beyond doubt the
inspiration of Stevenson's Treasure Island.
In 1872 a Gillian naval officer named
Ramiro got at the information held back
by the authorities and went to Acapulco
and chartered the Malek Adel Then, as
now, the seamen of all nationalties that
are to be found in South American ports
haH Inf nd Chi INN at
them is possible, but Ramiro made up his
crew among them and sailed for the is
lands. Four months after ships launch
came into Valparaiso with two men, near
ly dead with hunger, and wounds, and
they told this story: The Malek Adel got
to its, destination and beyond doubt
found some treasure-enough, anyway, TO
set the ruffianly crew wild. they rose
in mutiny, the officers fortified themselves
in the cabin and there was a mutual kill
ing until one of the mutineers got into
the hold and putting key of powder
underneath, blew up the cabin. and the
men in the launch, who were the sailing
master and the steward, alone escaped
The Gillian government sent a we'll
armed vessel to look for the mutineers.
There were, according to the natives.
twenty-one left. and half of these we're
cut off by a war party that landed at
night from the Marquisas and attacked
the crew while sleeping. The Others fit
ted up their long boat and sailed Cor the
Sandwich Islands. They were never
heard of again That some Of the buried
spoils came into the natives hands is
true, as years after a magnificent dia-
mond and ruby ring was bought from
woman by a whaler
The Malek Abel was brought to Nalpa-
raise, reftted and became smuggier on
the coast Of California. During the Mex
lean war our government seized her at
Monterey for supplying arms to the Mex
leans, and John Grady who died in
Swanson street In 1890, was one Of the
prize crew. Her Mexican owners got her
back, and in 1883 with a large excursion