The San Francisco call., 1897-11-05
Mysterious Poisoning of the
Crew of the Abandoned
Schooner.
ACTS OF HALL ARE TO BE
INVESTIGATED.
APeculiar Circumstances That vii
=. Make the Tar Figure in Most
Unpleasant Light.
Special Dispatch to THE CALL

SAN DIEGO. Nov. 4,-The remarkable
story told by Captain A. w. Hall of the
schooner Grace regarding his sufferings
from shipwreck, poisoned food, an insane
mates murderous attacks and so on. are
largely modified by the story of his res
cuer, Captain Charles Smith OF the
schooner Acme.
Captain Smith was astounded when he
read Halls story He intimated that there
were circumstances connected with the
cruise of the Grace that ealled for search
ing investigation. One of them was the
mysterious poisoning of the crew of the
Grace.
Il will tell you the story of the finding
of Captain Hail." he said, land of the
abandonment of the schooner Grace. On
the morning of October Is we were an
chored about four miles north OF Turtle
Head, at Turtle Bay, and at about Z
o clock my attention was attracted py the
firing Of three shots and the waving of
white flag on shore. l went ashore in
small boat and found Captain Hall stand
ing there, with his rife in his hand. He
told me he had wandered four days with
out food ana wanted to go on board. l
took him aboard the Acme. Hall told me
= OF the beaching OF the Grace, and told me
where she was. He was afraid for some
reason to get back to the abandoned
schooner, and explained his fear by say
ing that he thought the sailor, Barney
Wilson, who remained with the wreck,
was insane and dangerous.
Il made up my mind to go down to the
Grace and see what could he done TO save
the Grace and Wilson was hard at work
on her, trying to save her from further
injury I helped Wilson TO get the an
chors in that they had thrown out to pre-
vent her Bleaching. Then we started in
to rig up jury rudder. [ got two pieces of
iron from the Acme and framed rudder
and cropped it into place, making avery
fair rudder. Then 1 placed Wilson in
charge OF the Grace and told him 1 thought
the rudder would last at least until he
could get back to San Diego. 1 told him
TO 90 on to Santa Rosalia Bay and pick up
the three miners that had been left there
and to come on to San Diego. I sailed
that night, leaving Wilson to sail the next
day in the Grace.
81 found on the mainmast of the Grace
a note written by the captain, stating that
the vessel was abandoned. l took the note
and have it now. Hall took most of the
provisions and cached them in a cave, and
they are there yet.
Wilson told me that on the way down
something was put into the 1apjacks that
made them ali deathly sick. Hall pre-
tended to be sick, too, and lay around
moaning, but he was detec ed in the cabin
eating like starved wolf, and was not
sick at sll. The others suspected that
something was wrong, and there was talk
of shooting Hall or throwing him over
board. Wilson saved two of the poisoned
fapiacks, and will have them analyzed
when he returns 10 port
"Instead OF Hall being afraid of the
sailor Wilson it was the other way. Hall
had the rife and took charge of the pro-
visions. Wilson was afraid OF his lie.
The three miners, who were left at Santa
Rosalia. were still very sick from the effect
of ;he poisoned food, and one of them, who
was not very strong, was said by Wilson
10 be as good as dead when they carried
him ashore. He vomited blood and was
occasionally taken with convulslons
There was no doctor within hundred
miles of that place.
''On the way back to this rort we dis
covered that Hall was a dangerous man.
He watched US stealthily, and although
complaining of weakness from his four
days exposure, be ate hoggishly and kept
a sharp eye on his rife. The men were
drawn into quarrel with him, and Hall
threatened to do away with one of them
Then the men got together and made up
their minds TO throw the fellow overheard.
II he had said another word l could not
have controlled the men. l got hold of
the rife. and then [ discovered that Hall
had taken all the screws out of it, so that
if the men got hold of it they could not
use it on him 1 will not say the man al
tempted to murder his com panions on the
cruise, but l will say he is dangerous
man. and there is much about the trip OF
the Ora ce to Oe explained"