The herald., 1897-11-11
"HAS WHEELS"
"Capt." Hall Held for At
tempted Murder
WELL KNOWN IN THE CITY
HIS RECORD EXPLOITED BEFORE
His ESCAPE
WELL KNOWN IN THE CITY
Attempted Murder to Cover Up His
Story Of Mythical Mine-How
He Beached the Schooner

around the Clty DIT tIle last eSCdpetuc VI
Captain" A. w. Hall. who has just been
arraigned in San Francisco on the
charge Of attempted murder on the high
seas.
at that, and it was given at moderate
length by The Herald just before Hall
set out on his latest goose chase ON
the schooner Grace in search of a
mythical mine at Rosalia bay, Lower
California.
From the time when Hall took up some
government land, somewhere in behind
Santa Monica, and amused himself by
taking polo shots with a rifle at his
neighbor, he has given every evidence
of mental unsoundness. He is not,
perhaps, acutely insane, but he has al
ways been spoken Of as having wheels
albeit as recent events have shown there
was method in his madness, if he was in
truth tainted. If the story Of the cruise
of the Grace was told by one man
only it would be regarded as a colossal
lie, but all hands tell exactly the same
story, with the result that Hall-there
is no captain about his name-is held for
trial in $1,000 ball.
The alleged victims Of Halls attempt
at murder are Louis Hunt Barney Will
son, J. Oleson and J. Weiss. On Sep
tember 25th the Grace was about five
miles off Santa Rosalia.
Captain Hall prepared breakfast OF
fapjacks and coffee, and the four men
ate heartily. In ten minutes they were
rolling on the decks, groaning, vomiting,
sweating and gripping. They immedI-
ately accused Hall of poisoning them,
and he denied it, saying they must have
been poisoned by eating fish four days
before. Weiss, Oelson and Wilson were
half crazy with anger, and agreed to tie
Captain Hall in the cabin, and If he re-
sisted to throw him overheard. Hunt,
who was half unconscious, overheard
them, and ordered them to leave Hall
alone, and that he would see that he was
prosecuted when they returned to civili-
cation. The men all agree that they
were on the high seas when the poison
ing occurred.
To those who know Hall in this city it
appears clear that Hall realized that
very soon his story of a rich mine must
be exploded, and to avoid that he ac-
cepted much harder alternative.
That evening, the men being much
better, though they threw up much
blood, landing was effected at Santa
Rosalia. The skiff, says the San Fran
cisco Chronicle, was swamped in the
landing, and Hall would have drowned
If Hunt had not pulled him ashore.
Hunt left Captain Hall and the two
men at Santa Rosalia while he went
after the animals. Captain Hall was
to take the two men to the fabulously
rich mines he had located. But Halls
actions convinced the men that the fabu-
lous mine story was all myth. Hall
then returned to the vessel, and with the
sailor, Barney Wilson, headed south
ward toward Cedros island.
With one excuse after another he
kept going southwark, meantime trying,
it is alleged, to induce Wilson to join In
a plan to steal the schooner and sell her.
Wilson refused, and at San Rogue
island he declares Captain Hall sprang
at him with an oath, choking him and
hurting him back into the cabin. Then
the captain got rope and tied it across
the cabin door, and with his rifle cover
ing Wilson shouted to him not to leave
the cabin.
Hall then turned the vessel northward,
and on the night Of October 18th, while
Wilson was asleep, he ran the Grace
ashore. He claimed that the storm
would have finished her if he had not
beached her. Then he took most of the
provisions and water and hid them in 4
cave. and, after another fight with Will
son, struck out, taking the rifle, provi-
sions and water. Wilson stayed with
the schooner, getting her a1oat, and
with the help of the men of the junk
Acme, rugged up a jury rudder Then
he sailed to Santa Rosalia, where he
found Hunt. They sailed to Lagoon
heads, where they left the schooner in
charge of a Mexican, and took the
schooner Anita for San Diego.