The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1896-01-30
FRIeH1fuL MuTINY IN SOUTH SEAS
Crew of an American Trader Murdered
the Captain and Mate.

| San Francisco, Jan. pa trading
| firm in this city has received advices
| from the English consul on the island of
zap, one of the Pelew group, in the
South Seas, regarding one Of the most
atrocious sea tragedies that has been
reported for months.
On November 10, the crew of the
American trading vessel Maria muffin
led, 1t is said, and murdered Captain
Brown, Mate Hohlmann and a passen-
ger. The captains wife and their son
were nearly killed by blows from an
axe. The tragedy was reported from
Singapore on November 20, but it was
enormously stated that the mutiny
took place on the Spanish ship Marie
Securda. The Maria is an American
ship flying the Spanish ensign. The
mutiny occurred off the Andrew isl
ands.
Captain Brown was relieved at 10
o'clock at night, leaving the boatswain,
named Hover, on deck and watch.
Mate Hohlmann had already turned in.
The boatswain stole quietly forward
and gave the word to the crew that the
time had come to act. He secured a
sharp Ratchet and stealing below to
the shippers cabin he struck at Cap
tain Brown with the weapon, nearly
cutting the sleeping mans head off his
body. Brown turned on his side and
gave dying groan, which awakened
his wife. Mrs. Brown raised on her
elbow and shrieked for help. Mate
Holman heard her cries, and he
sprang from his berth to go to the res
cue of the woman. Hover had stationed
a Pelew boy behind the door TO the
mates cabin. The lad was armed with
an axe, and when Hohlmann made his
appearance on his way to the captains
room, the boy dealt him a terrific blow
on the head, killing him instantly.
The passenger was Gagged below, but
all the firearms were removed from the
cabin, and he could not find anything
with which to defend himself. The mu-
tineers were afraid to attack him in the
saloon, so they called to him to come
on deck, saying that his life would be
spared. He came on deck as directed,
and was struck at by one of the sailors
He ran to the rail, bleeding from a cut
on his shoulder, and jumped into the
sea.
The mutineers then took the corpses
of Captain Brown and his mate, made
them fast to an anchor and pitched |
the weight into the sea. The schooner |
was headed for Andrew island, and |
Mrs Brown and her boy were kept close |
prisoners, it being the intention Of the |
mutineers to put them ashore on an |
Isolated coral reef near Andrew.
Before the island was reached the
Chinese cooks, native sailors and boat
swain got to fighting among themselves
and knives were drawn. Two half
breeds were killed instantly and an
other died of wounds received All the
mutineers were more or less wounded.
Provisions gave out, and when cruis-
Ing off Andrew island the schooner was
manned solely by the boatswain, two
Chinese and a half breed. The vessel
was steered into port and the king of
the islands gave the murderers food
enough to last them several weeks.
Before the vessel sailed again. how
ever, the king became suspicious, board
ed the craft, rescued Mrs Brown and
her boy, the former more dead than
alive, and took the mutneers prisoners.
The Spanish gunboat Velasco put in at
Andrew and took the murderers to Ma
nilla for trial.
Mrs. Brown and the boy were taken
to zap by O'Keefe's schooner.