The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-06
j. Anderson Tells How He Killed the
Captain and Mate and After
wards Fired the Vessel.
ALL THE CREW UNDER ARREST
BROUGHT FROM BRAZIL ON THE
WAR SHIP LANCASTER.
Atlantic Liner Southwark Forced to
Put Back to New York with Part
of Her Cargo AbIaze.

NEWPORT NEWS Va, Nov 5.-The
United States ship Lancaster dropped an
Choir in Hampton Roads this morning from
Bahia, Brazil. In military confinement on
the war ship are five men of the crew of
the schooner Olive Pecker, whose captain,
J. w. Whitman, of Rockland Me-, and
first mate, William Saunders, of Sandy
Cove, N. s., We're murdered at in Au-
gust last In the ships brig, closely ironed,
is J. Anderson, the schooner's cook, who is
the self-confessed perpetrator of the muir
ders and who afterward set fire to the YES
sci. The Olive Pecker sailed from Boston
on June q, with a cargo of lumber for
Bahia, and the story of this tragedy of the
sea is told best in the words of the muir
derer, who tonight gave out the following
version of his crime:
II was the cook aboard the Olive Pecker,
a two-masted schooner, from Boston to
Bahia, and had to serve the captain as his
servant. I had good reasons to believe that
the captain did not take to me, and was
always in fear of my life whenever he got
into mad fits. He had dog which was al
ways coming into the cookhouse and an
noying me. On the day of our little diff
ficulty the animal came inside and l threw
boiler of hot water on him. WE'LL he
captain was calling for me. 1 went to his
cabin, and he commenced cursing me, tell
ing me that this sort of thing had to stop.
1 did not say anything to him. and he or
dered me into his cabin to make up his bed.
This was in the morning.
II made up his bed, and he ordered me
out with a volley of oaths. l saw he was
IN a mean humor, and determined to arm
myself against him. / knew the captain
had some pistols in his cabin, and 1 went
hack to get one of them. Just as soon as
l entered the captain fired a beer bottle at
me, and, seeing that l lodged it, he picked
up a pistol from the table and sent a ball
in my direction / had got my hands on a
weapon which was lying on the corner of
his table, and, of course, l opened fire on
the - rascal. My first bullet took effect
in his forehead, and the second went into
his breast, killing him almost instantly.
II then went upon deck and called to the
mate, who was in the fore rigging He
shouted down to me, asking what l wanted.
/ told him to come down, that the captain
wanted him in the cabin. He started down,
and when he reached the deck / went for
him. He was an old fellow with whiskers,
and l felt like smashing him with my fist.
He looked at me as if to inquire my au-
thority to order him about, and / leveled
the weapon at his bewhiskered head, saying
at the same time, Now die like the dog you
are. With that L pulled the trigger and
the mate dropped to the deck, rolling to the
port side of the ship.
Il then went down into the cabin, think
ing would be able to take the ship by my
self. l saw that the captain was a ghost
and 1 came on deck again. The mate was
grooming and / felt it my duty to put him
out of his misery. One more shot did that.
L secured the captains other pistol, and,
after giving the mate a second bullet L
started towards the crew, who were aft,
with a pistol in each hand, and gave them
to understand that l was to be master OF
the Olive Pecker, and that the first man
who undertook to disobey my orders would
have to suffer the consequences. They car
ried out my commands without murmur.
7 first ordered them to throw the mates
body overheard, and then we went down
into the cabin and brought up the captains
corpse diSpoSing of it in like manner. Next
l ordered the men to get out oil and satu-
rate the whole vessel in such manner that
she would burn up like hades. They did
that and then we got our belongings and
prepared to take to the boats first setting
fire to the old ship. My chum and l went
dOWr in one of the boats, while the other
four men took to another. They pulled off
in a different direction from us, and we
never saw them until we met in prison in
no sooner had we landed from the ship we
had taken than the officers placed us under
arrest and sent us to Bahia. The Pecker
was one month out from Boston and was
within two days of Bahia when all this hap
pened. She was tWo-masted schooner and
started out with crew of eight
The statement was sent ashore by an
officer of marines. The officer stated that
when the men were thrown into prison at
Bahia the United States consul at that port
communicated with the Navy Department
at Washington concerning the arrest of the
murderer and his accomplices and received
instructions to place them aboard the
cruiser Lancaster, which at that time was
several hundred miles south of Bahia and
which was ordered to that port as soon as
possible. The seamen remained in the old
prison at Bahia for four weeks before the
were sent aboard the cruiser they were
found to be so filthy and poorly clad that
it was necessary to give them baths and
new wearing apparel. The cook was or
dered in irons and the remainder of the un-
fortunate ships crew were placed in mill
tary confinement
The five sailors are under the impression
that they are being held as witnesses
against the cook and will be expected to
testify that he murdered the captain and
the mate 1t is moee than probable however
that they will not only be used as witnesses
against the murderer, but will be held
on the charge of firing a ship on the
high seas. The other five men of the
Olive Pecker's crew are William Horsburg
Andrew F. March. Manuel Barriatt, John
Lend and NJ. Barstad.
ETREE IN HE'D unTn