The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-21
Related How the Cook Killed the Off
GERS of the Schooner.
HE WAS SUBJECTED TO CRUELTIEs
Him But Was Told, "Go to ii IL, You
Have Got to Die Anyway
He Burned the Ship.


| Anderson, cook of the schooner Oliver
| Peck, murderer of the first mate Sander
| son, on the high seas, was begun in the
| federal court today. Anderson is also in
dicted for the murder of Captain White
man and the burning of the schooner, but
the prosecution elected to bring the first
| trial for the murder of the mate.
Rapid progress was made today and it is
probable that the may be concluded
| tomorrow.
| Attorney Mcintosh, for the accused, In
| outlining the defense stated that he would
show that Anderson was subjected to un-
| heard of cruelties and that the murders
| were committed in self defense.
| A number of minor witnesses were heard
| upon the identification of the vessel and
her cargo and Martin Barstad, a Norwe-
| gian, member of the schooner's crew,
| was called to the stand as the first eye
| witness of the terrible tragedy, which will
| go down as one of the most dramatic and
| remarkable of modern times.
Norwegian Testified
| Barstad testified that he was at the
| wheel during the whole affair. He saw
| Anderson throw water on the captains
| dog on the morning of Aug. G., the day of
| the crime, then heard the captain curse
| Anderson, after which followed a noise Of
| some one falling. He supposed the cap
| tain had struck Anderson, who came up
and asked the mate to protect him. The
mate said go to hi, you've got to die
| anyway"
| Shortly after this Anderson came out of
the captains cabin and called the mate
down out of the rigging and shot him four
times. He summoned all hands and made
them throw the body overheard. Then
he made them go down into the cabin and
get the body of the captain and throw that
overheard, after which he took the crew
| down into the captains cabin and gave
them some whiskey. His story of the
burning of the vessel under Anderson's di-
rection and the voyage in the dull dis
NAL boats varied little from the story pre-
viously published.
After Barstad's testimony the court took
a recess for one hour.
John Lind on the Stand
| When court re-convened John Lind was
called to the stand. He testified that he
had shipped as a common sailor on board
the schooner Oliver Pecker. Lind told sub
stantally the same story as Barstad, ex-
cept that he did not see Anderson shoot the
mate. Anderson came up to him and told
him that he had killed the captain, and
that the mate had to go to. The witness
went and called the watch, and while he
was doing this he heard three or four shots
on the other side of the vessel Witness
| helped to throw the bodies overheard, and
! Anderson, he said, cursed the dead body of
the mate. He could not state what lam
| guage he used. Speaking of the whisky
Anderson had given him, Lind said 1t was
| only half bottle, and one was drunk.
| The captain and mate were dead when
thrown overheard Anderson fired three
shots when the small boat left the burning
schoner though why he did it witness could
not say. Lind told how the crowd drew
lots to see who should go together, and his
lot fell to go with Anderson. He said An
derson shot the dog which came ashore
with one of the boats and that he sold the
captains watch.
Asked For Protection
On cross-examination, Lind said lie had
heard the mate appeal to the mate for
protection against the captain. and had
hear the mate reply: Go to hi, you'n be
killed anyway" Lind said he had seen
Anderson throw water over the captains
dog and had seen the captain go for him,
after which he had heard a noise as IL of
something 1alllnB, anu tneH saw HiiuefsoH
come out of the galley and asked the matc
TO protect him.
Andrew March, another of the schooners
crew, said he did not witness the killing
of the captain or mate. but heard Anderson
say he had killed them. March was in his
berth at the time and heard Anderson call
the mate down from aloft. He heard the
conversation between the mate and Ander-
son and heard four shots afterwards. Then
he heard Anderson say, Come out of here,
boys, lower a boat and put me ashore. Tho
captain and mate are dead and l am in
charge of the ship. On cross-examnation,
March's testimony was not shaken.
Juan de Dios Barrial did not see the
shooting but heard the shots. His story
varied essentially from those of the 9TH
ers.
Said lie Was Murderer
Referring to his conversation with An
fftoptip,to6 o,, Irf0htb papp1