The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-11-13

of the Crime.
Fort MONROE, VA, Nov 5.-The
fourth class United States cruiser Lancas
ter arrived in Hampton Roads yesterday,
having on board Carl Jaeger and five other
seamen of the crew of the American
schooner Oliver Picker, which was burned
during the latter part of September near
Bahia, in the South Sea Islands, after the
captain and mate had been brutally mur-
dered BY the men.
Jaeger, the ringleader of the mutiny, is
in irons, and the other men are held IN
military confinement aboard the Lancaster.
They will be taken to Boston, the home
port of the Oliver Picker, which was a
two-masted schooner where they will be
given hearing, and eventually tried on
the charge Of firing the vessel on the high
seas. Jaeger will be tried on the addi
tional charge OF double murder in the first
degree. The story of the Picker mutiny
is as thrilling as some of the blood -curd
ling piratical narratives of the days OF
Captain Kidd The whole trouble began
when the schooner was one month out
from Boston aid within two days Of Bahia,
to which port she was bound Jaeger
was captain servant, as well as the ship
cook, and was supposed to attend to the
formers stateroom
On the morning of the day of the mu
my which Jaeger claims to have forgot
zen, the captains dog went to the cook
house and Jaeger turned some hot water
on it, scalding the animal and causing it
to cry out in pain The captain heard
the noise and sent for the cook The
story Of the difficulty as it subsequently
happened is best told in the words of the
cook, who sent your correspondent the fol-
lowing statement by an officer OF the
marine detachment on the Lancaster
1.-THE captain sent for me and said this
thing must stop, referring to my treatment
of his internal dog saw from his man
ner that he did not like me, and feared
that he intended to do me harm. made
up his bed, and as / was about to leave
the stateroom he commenced to curse me,
and swearing that he would kill me.
knowing my life to be in danger, |
returned to his stateroom, where knew
he had pistols The captain was sitting
in an easy chair with bottle of beer be-
side him. When he saw me later he
threw the bottle at me and discharged his
pistol had secured one of his weapons
and returned fire. Ny first shot took af
feet in the head and the second in his
breast That finished him.
Il then went on deck and called the
mate, who was in the rigging forward.
He asked me what wanted. told him
the captain wanted him below, and as he
started to descend shot him
IT shot the mate, as he descended from
the rigging | walked toward him, and
told him | would like to hit him in the
face, and then said die like dog. With
that I shot him. He fell on the port side
of the ship, and then started below.
II thought | might be able to take the
ship to port by myself | came on deck
and found the mate groaning put him
out of his misery, and with "a brace of re-
voIvers, which | had secured from the
captain room, went forward to the
crew, and told them had assumed COM
mand of the ship, and intended to make
them obey me. They obeyed all right.
II ordered them to throw the bodies
of the captain and mate overheard, when
this was done | ordered them to oil the
vessel fore and aft. She would burn
like. One man acted kind of sulky
and had to send bullet through his
head to make him come to his senses. We
secured our belongings and lowered the
boats, me and a friend of mine taking one
and the other four going in the other. We
set fire to the - old ship about 3 o clock
that afternoon. The other boat left us and
the men in it must have peached, because
we were arrested and thrown into prison as
soon as we landed below Bahia.
Your correspondent learned the rest of
the story from Captain Porter who com
mands the marines on the cruiser Lancas-
ter.
The four men reached Bahia on ship
three days later and reported to the United
States Consul there exactly what happened
on the Picker. Orders for the arrest Of
Jaeger were sent along the coast, and on
the fourth day he and his friend were
taken in custody.
They were taken to Bahia aud placed
in Jail with the other seamen. They re-
manned there four weeks until the arrival
of the Lancaster, which had received tel
egraphic orders from Washington to take
the prisoners on board and proceed to
Washington According to Captain Por
ter, the men were SO filthy as to make it
necessary to give them baths and change
of clothing The Lancaster arrived here
yesterday morning and may leave tomor
row for Boston.
While the FIVE seamen are under
the impression that they are only being
held as witnesses against the murderous
cook, they will be tried at Boston on the
charge of burning vessel on the high
seas.