Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-09-07

1906. The story of the mutlny on
board the American ship Frank N.
Thayer, the murder of three of the
crew and two officers, and the frightful
wounds inflicted on Captain Robert
K. Clarke, followed by the firing of
the ship and the escape of the captain
and his wife and daughter and the
survivors of the crew i'll an open boat,
which finally reached St. Helena, sent
shudder through the civilized world,
and was the occasion of newspaper
stories and investigations almost with
out number. Captain Clarke will
never recover from the effets of that
terrible fight; but he is still con-
nected with the sea, serving as shore
captain for the ships that are left of
the fleet to which the Thayer be-
longed. He has charming home in
Port Chester, where the brave woman
who saved him from death and the
little daughter who was on the vessel
during the awful affair, but who is
now stately young lady of twenty
years, do all they can to blot out the
memory of the tragedy.
The ship, which was owned by Ed
ward Lawrence, of Boston, and was
laden with 10000 bales of hemp,
valued at over $3.50, 900, sailed from
Manila for New York in November,
1885, carrying a crew of twenty-five
men, including two Malays and two
Cinnamon. The Malays were Manila
men, shipped at the last moment to
take the places of two men who had
decided to remain in the Philippine
Islands. and they were the ones who
committed the crimes. There was
nothing remarkable about the voyage
until the night of January 2, 1856,
when the ship was about seven hun
dred miles northeast of st. Heleua.
The captain had gone below and fallen
asleep, and every soul on board, ex-
cept those two bloodthirsty savages
from Manila, was free from any
thought or danger or suspicion. 1t was
this feeling of security which was q
fatal circumstance, for to it may be
traced the panic and bewilderment
which unnerved the crew SO that they
were the victims of the two wretches
who had been their messmates for
more than two months. In the st.
Helena Guardian, James A. Midnight,
who was then the American Consul at
st. Helena, gave the following account
of the happenings OF that night and
those which followed:
'The two mates (E. Holmes and W.
Davis) were sitting on the after
hatch talking when the two coolies
came along, one of them saying he was
sick. At the first word spoken they
fell on the mates with sharp knives in
each hand, cutting them both to death,
the second mate being able after the
blow to run to the cabin door and call,
Captain Clarke, Captain Clarke, twice
before he fell dead, and the mate dy-
ing in the forecastle three hours later.
Captain Clarke sprang from his bed
and half asleep started up the after
companionway, thinking the mate had
called him to see a vessel which was
ahead in the evening and which they
had been afraid they might overhaul.
AS soon as he reached the top of the
steps ne received stab on the top OF
the head and felt hand grab him by
the throat. He was in his nightclothes
and empty handed, but seeing the
murderous intent of his antagonist,
and that he was one of the coolies, he
struck out with all his might, hitting
the murderer in the eyes and temper
ary binding HIM so that he could moi
see to strike. The Malay continued
to hack at the captain with his knife,
however, till they went down the steps
together, where the captain would
have overcome him had he not slipped
in a pool of his own blood and faller
to the floor. The coolie then gave
him terrible slash in the left side
and, thinking he was dead, went ur
the steps to the deck. The captain
was not dead, however, but obtained
revolver and again approached tht
door, calling to the man at the wheel
sailor named Malone, to shut tn,
outside door at the head of the com
panionway. Il can't SIR was the re
ply. why notP' demanded the cap
! tain. There's somebody there, sir,
replied Malone. who is it?' asked
the captain, but the man could no
tell him."
This was only the beginning OF tn,