The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-21

| John Anderson, cook Of the schooner
| Olive Pecker for the murder of Mate
William Wallace Saunders on the high
seas in August last, was begun in the
federal court today. Anderson is also
under indictment for the murder Of
Captain Whitman and for burning the
schooner.
| Attorney Mcintosh, for the accused,
in outlining the defense, stated that he
would show that Anderson had been
subjected to unheard-Of cruelties and
that the murders were committed in
/ self defense.
AN EYE WITNESS,
Martin Barstad, a Norwegian,
member of the schOOner'S crew, was
called to the stand as the first eye
witness to the terrible tragedy, which
will go down as one of the most dra-.
matte and remarkable of modern
times. Barstad testified that he was at
the wheel during the whole affair. He
saw Anderson throw water on the cap
tain'S dog on the morning of Aug 3,
the day of the crime; then he heard
| the captain curse Anderson, after
which followed a noise as of someone
falling. He had supposed the captain
had struck Anderson, who came up
and asked the mate to protect him.
The mate said: Go TO hell; 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 over
board, after which he took the crew
down into the captains cabin and gave
them whisky. The story of the burn
ing of the vessel under Anderson's or
ders and the voyage to land in the
small boats varied little from the pub
| liShed accounts.
John Lind was called to the stand,
and told essentially the same story as
| Barstad, except that ne did not see
| Anderson shoot the mate.
NATE HAD TO GO.
Anderson came up to him and told
him that he had killed the captain. and
| that the mate had to go, too. The wit
ness then 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 language he
used.
Speaking Of the whisky Anderson
: gave the crew, Lind said it was only
/ half a bottle, and no one was drunk
/ The captain and mate We're dead when
Z thrown overheard. Anderson fired three
+ shots whea the small boat left the
I burning schooner, though why he did
( it, witness could not say. Lind told
Z how the crew drew lots to see who
{ should go together, and his lot fell with
I that of Anderson. He said Anderson
shot the dog, which came ashore in the
boat, and on the way to Belmont, sold
the captains watch.
I Upon discrimination, Lind said
| he heard Anderson, prior to the kill
( ing, ask the mate to protect him from
| the captain. and he had heard the
mate tell Anderson, Go to hell; you
will be dead, anyway
CURSED HIM.
Anderson that morning had thrown
water on the captains dog; the captain
cursed him in the worst language he
/ had ever heard, =" and then made for
him" after which Lind heard a noise
as if of someone falling, and presently
Anderson came out of the galley and
, asked the mate to protect him.
4 Audrey March, another of the schoon-
/ er's crew. testified that he did not see
the killing Of the mate. but heard An
/ QefSGn say ne ndq kIIleQ nlIu-
Witness was in his bunk at the time
/ and heard Anderson call the mate
/ down from alOft. He heard the con-
versation between Anderson and the
mate and heard four shots, after which
Anderson said: Come out here boys
and lower a boat and put me ashore.
/ The captain and mate are dead and
am in charge of the ship
TESTIMONY NOT SHAKEN
On cross examination witnesses tes-
| timony was not shaken. Juan de Dios
Barrial did not see the shooting, but
heard the shots. His story varied es-
sentially from those of his mates. Re
ferring to his conversation with An
derson after the tragedy, Barrial said
Anderson took him aside and told him
that he (Anderson) was a murderer,
but that he had killed the captain and
mate to save their lives, and before
they left the vessel they would all be
just as guilty as he (Anderson). Bar
rial said he urged the cook not to burn
the schooner.
William Horsborough. another sea-
man, was the last witness examined.
His story did not differ materially from
the others, and when he had concluded
his testimony court adjourned until 10
| o'clock tomorrow.