, 1896-07-22
HIS CAPTAIN
CREW OF A BARKENTINE MUTINY
IN A HALIFAX
PORT.
Crawled Into the Captains Cabin
Where Three Persons Were Sleep
ing and Split Their Heads Open
With AXes-A Bloody and Revolt
ing Sight.

Halifax. July 21.-The %barkentine
Herbert Fuller, Captain Nash. from
Boston. July 8, for Rosario, put into
Halifax this morning flying the stars
and stripes at half mast with a black
flag Immediately beneath. This is the
signal for 'mutiny or board" When
the Fuller was boarded it was learned
that murder had been added to mutiny,
and that Captain Nash, his wife Laura,
and Second Officer Bramberg had been
killed in their hunks while asleep.
The murders had been committed
with an ak. The rooms in which the
victims lay were covered with blood.
showing that a severe struggle had tax
en- place, and the bodies were horribly
mutilated. The cook, Jonathan Sheere
Of Rosario. suspected the mate, Thomas
Brame, and succeeded in placing Brame
in irons, and he Afterwards ironed the
man who was at the wheel at the time
the murder was committed. Upon ar
rival all on board the vessel, including
Frank Monks Of Boston, who was a pas
senger, were placed under arrest.
The United States consul here has
telegraphed to Washington for ;nstruc-
tons. pending the receipt of which he
has enjoined all connected with the af-
fair to maintain the strictest silence.
In view Of these conditions it was diff
cult to obtain further facts, but it was
apparent that the murders were COM
mitted at about 2 o'clock on the night
Of the 18th inst. Captain Nash and his
wife were in their respective sleeping
apartments and Bramberg was in his,
which was separted from those of Cap
tain Nash and wife by the room occu-
pied by Monks. 1t was the first officers
watch. When all was quiet on board
and those below were sleeping soundly
the murderer or murderers crawled aft
to the cabin. descended, and with axes
chopped their victims to death. The af-
fair became known not long afterward.
Then the cook, a negro who had ship
ped at Rosario, became suspicious Of
Mate Thomas Bran. a naturalized
American, but a native Of Nova Scotia.
Bran was placed in irons. The man
who was at the wheel when the murder
was committed. was also placed in irons
and the ship then headed for Halifax.
The bodies Of the victims were all
placed in a boat and covered with can
vass and were towed behinu the vessel.
They are now in charge of tine coro-
ner here who will hold an inquest. Po-
lice officers have been placed in charge
of the Fuller, under directions of the
United States consul. and nobody is al
lowed on board.
The Herbert Fuller halls from Har-
rington, Maine. The murdered captain
was A years old and his wife 81.
F. H.. Monk, the passenger on the
boat, suffered from pulmonary trouble
and had been advised to take a sea voy-
age and was going to South America for
r~ecuperation.
In spite Of the secrecy. it has been as
%certained that he first became aware OF
the horrible crime when he went to the
captains DON to inquire if the captain
was i'll. Monks having been aroused
from his sleep by a groan or a scream,
failing to receive an answer, entered
the room and found the captain lying
on the floor covered with blood. He
rushed on deck and confronted the first
mate, who was in charge, with the
statement that the captain had been
murdered. Bran, the mate seemed
much agitated and appeared not to
know what to do. Monks then rushed
below and aroused the crew. The men
hurried to the cabin. where the full ex-
tent Of the crime was soon made known.
Mrs. Nash's skull had been split almos.
in twain. The fingers of her right hand
had been almost cut off. while another
blow of the ak had cut off a section Of
the scalp with the hair attached. Her
husbands head was also split open and
the second mate had evidently been
killed with the pole of the ak. Bran at
first denied all knowledge of the muir
der, but later from remarks and from
the peculiar actions suspicion pointed
towards him as the murderer and he
was placed in irons. The man at the
wheel was Lahez. He was also suspect
ed of completely and was ironed by the
crew. At the police station here the
first mate was stripped and blood was
found on his clothing. Seaman Brown
this afternoon made a statement to
the effect that he saw the first mate kill
the captain. He heard a noise n the
captains cabin and on going xhither
saw the first mate murder the captain.
There was no mutiny.
Lester Monks, the passenger, is under
arrest, but u kept In the office OF the
chief Of police. with an officer present.
The evidence points strongly to the first
mate. Thomas Bran, as the murderer.
Charles Spencer. the colored steward,
says that something was in the wind
from the day the vessel left Boston, as
the mate had three large jugs OF whisky
with him. Seaman Charles Brown says
that Bram's actions we're very suspi-