Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-06
TRAGEDY OF THE SEA
CREW OF THE OLIVE rEcKER
HELD As PRISONERS.
MURDER OF CAPTAIN AND NATE.
story Of the Double Crime Told by
the Perpetrator-How the Cook
Took Command Of Men and YES
sci.

WASHINGTON, November oino
United States ship Lancaster arrived at
Old Point to-day with the crew o. the
Olive Pecker, which had been put on
board at the Bahamas on a charge OF
mutiny and numbering the captain.
The captain has notified the Attorney
General that the prisoners are at his as
posai, and that they will be landed either
at Norfolk or at Boston. where the Ian
caster is due In a week.
The Department of Justice to-day IN
formed the Navy Department that 1t de-
| sires the prisoners delivered at Boston.
They will be retained aboard the Lam
caster. which may remain for ten days
at Hampton Roads. and thence be taken
by the same vessel to Boston.
STORY OF THE MUNITY.
NEWPORT NEWS, VA. November 5.
The United States crusicr Lancaster
dropped anchor In Hampton Roads this
morning from Bahia, Brazil. In solitary
confinement on the warship are five men
| of the crew of the schooner Olive
| Pecker, whose captain, j. F. Whitman,
| of Rockland. Me-. and First-Mate Will
liam Saunders. Of Sandy Cove, Nova
| Scotia, were murdered at sea in August
| last.
In the ships brig, closely ironed, Is
]. Andersen. the schooner's cook. who
| is tho self-confessed perpetrator OF the
murders. and who afterwards set fire to
the vessel.
The Olive Pecker sailed from Boston
on June 9th. with cargo OF lumber
for Bahia, and the story OF this TRAGEDY
of the sea is told best In the WORDS OF
the murderer. who tonight gave to the
Associated Press the following version
OF his crime:
THE SHOOTING.
.J was the cook aboard the Olive
Decker a two-masted schooner, from
Roston for Bahia, and had to serve the
cantain as his servant. i had GOOD
reason TO believe that the captain did
not take 10 me, and l was always In rear
of my life whenever he got into MS
mad dts He had a dog, which was al
WAYS coming. into the cook-house and
annoving me. On the day of our little
dIficulty. the animal came inside. ana
threw a boiler of hot water on MIN.
.'Well, he howled, and the next thint
I knew the captain was ealing Ior ne
4 /
cursing me, telling me that TINS sort o.
thing had to stop. =.
al did not say anything 10 MN
ord no ordered me into his capin
: to make up his bed.
T made ND his bed, and he ORDERED
me- ont with a volley of oaths. saw
! he was in a mean humor, ana deter
mined to arm myself against MN.
l lew the captain had some pistols Il
| Il no
! them lust as soon / entered the cap
: ta,n cred a becr-bottle at me, and, see
: inc had lodged it, he picked up a
r nistoI from the table and sent ball II
NV direction. / ha v.got my hands on
= yyeanon which was lying on the corne
L az his table. and, of course, opene
9 6re ON the - rascal. My first puile
took effect in his forehead, and the sc
cond went into his breast, Killing MI
Q | almost instantly. ma 4.
: al then went up on deck ana caieo
3 the mate, who was In the Iore-ilss -
n .sue shouted down TO me, asking VIVA
: ,tad told him to come down, tina
the CAPTAIN wanted him In the CABIN IA
stor,ed down. and when he reached IN
deck L went for him. ,u,.
"IIe was an old fellow, with Whlsher'
and / felt like smashing him with III
fist. ,.,,,ra ~,
.rIIe looked at me as II to inquire III
h rthoritv 10 order him about, and
( Ia,,eIIad the weapon at his old be-whis
i kered head. saying at the same tiine
Y Now die, like the dog you are.
e "With that 1 pulled the trigger, an
t the mate dropped to the uecA' io'''"
e 70 the port side of the ship.
4 al then went down into the cao,i
d thinking I would be able to take III
q ship by myself ohos
: ct saw tha. the captain was gnos
I ord came I'D on deck again. The mat
l. was grooming. and 1 felt II my duty
M him out of his misery. One nor
!, shot did that. -.
ct secured the captains other pisto
e and after giving the mate a secohu pu
$ Iet 7 started toward the crew, VINO wei
n o., with a pistol in each hand, ana gay
/ ,her, IN understand that was 10 De u
n,oster NJ the Olive Pecker, and that u
erst man who undertook TO dlsopey ~
orders would have to take the cons'
ouences They carried out my Gun
= mands without murmur.
"I told them to throw the mates DOC
o,arhoard and then we went down I'M
The cabin and brought up the captain
u cornse disposing OF it in like manner
, FIRING THE VESSEL.
~ "Next / ordered the men 10 get ou' -
~ oil and saturate the whole Vessei, 10
- and aft, In such manner tnal
~ would burn up like -. They did ina
10 md then we got our belongings ana pr
IS nated TO take to the boats, nrst settii
he fire to the old ship.
he "Nv chum and went down In one
the boats. while the other four men to'
e. 20 another. They pulled off in dinere
d, diraotion from US, and we never sa
is | them again until we met In prison
he pabia They must have peached on U
ct for no sooner had we landed on the sh
Oh wo had taken than the officer placed
~ under arrest and sent us TO Bahia
.srhe Pecker was one month out ITO
poeton and was within two days
pobia when all this happened. She W
two-masted schooner anu S'ai'e
st with a crew OF eight ,s !.
The marine officer then concluoea I
O. story for the correspondent OF the Ass
ne ciated Press =. ~ =,
~ one very peculiar feature OK the NJ
tinv story Is that none or the Once
ui aboard OF the Lancaster seem 10 hn'
TN tho names of the dead captain ana ma
zee or of the cook now In irons.
re THE officer stated that when the m
ay nero thrown into prison at Bahia,
% rn,ted states Consul at that port col
,,,,nicated with the Navy Department
It's washington concerning the arrest OF
be murderer and his accomplices. and
II nai,,sd instructions to place them abo
ne 80 the fourth-class cruiser Lancasl
which nj that time was several hund
an an ,,i,ss south OF Bahia, which would