The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-07
SELF-DBFENCE HIS PLEA.
COOK ANDERsON's VERSION or TIE
OLIYE PEOkER

Says Capt. whitman and Mate saunaers %
Tyrnnnired Over HIN That &c Fenrea rsF
Hts Lire-nHad Planned. He snyu, to Throw
Hin Ovcrboara-seama Barrina,s story.
NoRFoLK, Va, Nov. 8-TuE SUN correspond.
ent to-day visited tho United States shin Lam
caster, lying of Old Point, having aboard John
Anderson and his nvc follow seamen. Anderson
being charged with tho murder of Can't. Whit.
man and First Mate Saunders OF tho sohooner
Oliver Pccker. last juno. Anderson was brought
into tho Captains cabin. lie is Of medium sizo.
intelligent, and candid. He admits tho killing.
but says he did it in self-defencc.
I'VE had trouble from the start, =" said Andor-
son. Tho Captains vile temper had driven
the engineer to ATTEMPT to desert before We left
Boston, and he put him In irons. The engineer
md myself aftor that came In for nearly all tho
Captains abuse. Hc was a bad man and my
character is better than his. Iwant the nuthori.
ties to investigate his record as we'll as
mine. I want them to investigate the record
OF the mate. These men were devils. They
often boosted OF their cruelty TO sailors, and tho
Captain once said that he had disabled a seaman
with . blow Of his fist. Not long before tho
end OF the voyage he got after the crew and
told them that II they didn't obey him better
than they had been doing he was going to send
some OF them to hell.
III captain btTuCk me a nunDer OF times,
and after awhile. when I could stand 1t no
longer. 1 wrote q statement of his treatment OF
me. and got tho crew to sign 1t. l intended
giving 1t to the American Consul at the first
port we struck, and asking him to inter.
fere for me. The mate was almost as bad
as the Captain, and they wcrc both down on mo.
One day the mate tried to push me overheard.
1 think they wanted to get rid of mo before I
could present that paper to the Consul. They
had gotten wind of 1t, you SEQ. 1 was in deadly
fear Of my life, and did not know what to OK.
pect.
"opeday the Captain few into n terrible pas
sion about his dog, which he said 1 had ~ill-treat.
treated. That was a lie. That was the day I
killed him. l had to do it to save my life. He
was making at nue. with q beer bottle. l shot
him through the head. When tho mate asked
afraid for my life, and / shot him dead.
"Wehenved the bodies, overheard and set fire
not know what was going to happen to me.
some OF the crew wanted TO- AXE the ship to
could not trust, them, SO we burned the ship
and went ashore"
Tho manner OF Barrias, another OF the crew
under arrest, was in distinct contrast to that of
Anderson. and several times during his story
he broke down. He said that the trouble began
in Boston, where there was a dispute about rails
ing the anchor. Anderson and the engineer
had n fight and a policeman was brought aboard.
and put in irons. Several days after that, wkiie
they were. lying off Boston waiting for wind.
the Captain went forward and struck the en-.
gineer In irons with his fist.
The Pecker had squally weather crossing tho
line and lost her maintop and mizzentop sail.
tain put his head down the h%atchway and said
to the cook: IL give you $40 wages to look out
Then nc struck tho cook in the mouth. The
ance. Things went smoothly for several days
came to the Spaniard and said:
will you do me a favor2'
Barrias said he would. and then Anderson
will write q piece Of paper to the American
Consul and ! want you to sign it,"
He wrote it and Barrias signed it. There was
another space Of q few days, during which there
was no trouble. At eight bells on the day Of the
that lay down. He heard a row, and n while
afterward one Of the crew came and knocked on
."Lcok out, boys, the cook is on dock with
three revolvers."
Barrlas asked where the Captain was. and the
any one was going to kill the cook. Continuing,
THE mate was in the foresheets. There was
bunk. and thinking he was going to xiii ali
of this vessel We came out. and d'I saw
asek. Tit wa, three cIas. t pistols toll ,o ending diIs on the the
as came out the first thing l saw was the mate
lying on the deck. face down, The cook ordered
but wei told him the mate was alvey HSas fEes said he
was dead enough. and he was. Both bodies
were thrown into the ocean. There was no one
in it but himself.
Anderson then gave the crew a drink. We
were hustled into II boat, the cook saying: Row
fast; DO you want me to be hungf He said to
me: Il am a murderer, but / killed those
people to save my own life. ] saved your
lfe.' We. were about one hundred and
twenty miles from land. The cook got the oil
and poured 1t over the ship. but who touched 1t
off / don't know, for l was in the big boat. !
was the first man who informed the Brazilian
police. but they refused to pursue the cook
The mutineers will be transferred tomorrow
from the United States ship Lancaster. which
Roads. to tho Norfolk City Jail. whore they will
be confined pending trial before the United
States District Court here. Judge Robert
w. Hughes will. probably preside at the
White who will represent the Govern,
himself with the details of the case. It is moi
unlikely that Judge Hughes may order a special
session to try the case. So~licitor.General Rich.
ard 10 expected ut Old Point tomorrow to confer
with District Attorney White.
MSOLUSKY AFTER