The Republican journal., 1897-08-26
Another Sea Horror.
| The Captain and Nate of Sch. Olive Pecker Mur-
| dered at Sea and the Vessel Burned.

|
| first mate of the sch. Olive Pecker, Boston
| for Buenos Ayres, had been murdered, the
vessel burned, and that the crew had reached
| Bahia, a port some distance north of her
destination. On these meagre facts the daily
| papers spun columns of sensational matter,
| but on Sunday last the Boston Globe had
| the following details in a special from Bahia,
| Brazil:
| The facts in connection with the mutiny
| and murder ON the American schooner Olive
| Pecker, as ELECTED by preliminary exami-
| nation conducted by U. ! Consul Mcdaniel,
| are as follows:
| The ring g-leader of the mutiny was John
| Andersen, Swede, but naturallzed Ameri-
| can citizen, the steward of the Olive Pecker
Andersen claims that he killed Capt.
| Whitman iustifaDly, the harsh and over
| bearing conduct of his superior officer pro-
| Voklng him to commit the deed.
Saunders, the mate, attempted to save the
life Of the captain, and Andersen, to save
his own life, was also forced to kill the
mate.
The remainder of the crew do not appear
to have made any attempt, or at best only a
feeble one, to protect the lives Of their
officers
Andersen is very reticent and has decin-
ed to give the particulars of the captains
harsh treatment, or the particular acts
which led up to the killing.
After Capt. W hitman and Mate Saunders
had been killed Andersen appears to have
taken complete control of the vessel, and
to have intimidated the five other members
| of the crew
| According to their stories Andersen sug-
| gested the firing OF the vessel, evidently
| with the hope that the fire would conceal all
! traces OF the crime, and that it would be
believed the vessel had foundered and the
| captain and mate had been washed over
| board
! The crew We're to represent themselves as
! survivors, and to pretend they had escaped
| in the small boats.
! The vessel was accordingly fired and the
crew took to the boats about 120 miles from
| the Brazilian coast.
| They drew lots as to the way they We're to
| divide themselves up in the two boats, the
| i've members of the crew being anxious to
| have the authorities here believe that none
| of them was DESTROYS to be Andersen's ship
mate.
The lot fell to John Lind, seaman, a Swede,
| the four others, William Harsburgh, engi-
neer, Juan Dios BARREL Gumerrez, Andrew
| March and Martin Barstad, sailors going in
| the other boat
When these four men reached the Brazil
| ian coast they Immediately went before the
authorities and united in statement regard
ing the crime, placing all the blame on
Andersen and representing that they had no
completely in the affair; hut it is not quite
clear why they We're unable to protect the
lives Of their captain and mate.
Andersen and Lind attempted to ship on
two Norwegian vessels in Port Bahia, but a
| description of the men had been given to
| the Brazilian authorities and they We're
| promptly arrested
When visited by the American Consul
Andersen freely admitted having killed the
captain and mate, but claimed that he was
I justified but it is believed Lind was his az
| eomplice.
Tie entire crew are move prisoners in the
[ house Of correction, and are being held there
/ until the arrival OF an American war vessel
tQ convey Jhem 70 the United States No
| merchant steamer Is willing to take the
/ prisoners, who Will be held IN confinement
until the government sends after them.
Consul Mcdaniel expresses great satisfac-
| ton at the cooperation given him by the
| Brazilian authorities and the pr0mptness
/ with which they arrested the alleged muir
derers. He has received no instructions
| from the state department regarding the
! disposition OF the prisoners and docs not
| know When Il naval vessel will he sent to
take them to the nited States.
The three masted schooner Olive Pecker
sailed from Boston June 9th, with d cargo
consisting Of 677 ,SSS feet of pine and 81 ,03C
| feet OF spruce lumber, for BuenOs Ayres
! Argentina. She was commanded by Capt
| j, W. Whitman of Rock land, and had the
following crew VIM. Saunders, first mate,
OF Dlghy, Nova Scotia, 10 years old William
| Mitchell, second mate, native of France
| aged 80 Peter Thompson, steward, a Dane,
! aged H. seanen Andrew March, native OF
| England, aged So: Manuel Baria, a Span
lard, aged 35; John Lind, a native of
| Sweden, aged 27; and William Harsburgh
said to belong in Maine, aged -. The Olive
| Pecker was double-decked schooner of S32
tons net, and was built at Belfast in 1889
| for Capt. A. j Hall of Rockland, who COM
| manded her mp to a short ago, when he sold
a share of her to Capt. Whitman, still re-
tanning an interest in her, however She
hailed from Boston, but was largely owned
in Rockland. The vessel was valued at
| $4,000, on which there was partial insur-
ance, and the cargo at S100,00O fully insured
Capt. John w. Whitman was born in
Guysboro, n s., January IS, 1855, and was
Therefore II years, mouths of age. When
| young man he Went to Gloucester, and
sailed out of that port fishing vessels
| Some ten years ago, when schooner Oracle
Young was bought by parties in Rockland,
for the fishing business, he went there with
her and remained in command. He finally
left the fishing vessel and engaged in the
coastng trade, commanding successively
the schooners Adde E. Snow, Eugene Borda
| and Hattie Marsh. Last year, Capt. Hall
desiring to retire from the sea, for a time at
| least, sold an interest in the Olive Pecker to
Capt. Whitman. The latter has been sue
good abilities. Those who knew him
we'll speak of him in the highest terms, as
man of excellent character, and of blame.
| less life. His family consists of wife, who
is a native of Nova Scotia, but married him
in Massachusetts, and daughter about Il
years of age. Mrs. Whitman is ia rather
poor health, and the shock of the news that
reached her Wednesday afternoon well-nigh
| overcame her. She bears up bravely, how
ever, and, it is said, even cherishes some
hope that there is some mistake and that
her husband will yet return to her alive.
Wife and daughter must have the profound
sympathy of every heart in their affliction,
| so sudden, terrible and crushing. The fam
lily reside on Granite street, Rock land.
Saunders, the first mate, who was also
murdered is said to have left widow and
| several children, who live in Digby, n. S.
Although there is nothing to connect
Harsburgh with the deaths of Capt. W hit
man and Mate Saunders, he was a sympa-
thizer with the crew during the voyage, and
| the murderers made no attempt to kill him
| He may, however, be called upon to explain
why the men could have secured an oppor
| tunity to steal into the cabin while he was
in charge of the watch
Capt. Whitman was very large man
| and able TO take care of himself unless as
| sauted unawares. The murdered captain
has brother who is clergyman in Nova
| Scotia.
The Worlds and National w. G. T. U,