Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-08-27
The Sea Tragedy.
Andersen, II Swede, KILLED the Captain
and Mate Of the olive Pecker and
Then Took Command Of the snip.

and Mate Of the olive Pecker and
Then Took Command of the snip.
The facts in connection with the mutiny and
murder the American schooner Olive Pccker,
as elected by a preliminary examination con.
Quoted by United States Consul Mcdaniel at
Bahia Brazil. are as follows:
The ringleader Of the n,utny was John Ander.
sen, a Swede, but a naturn2td American citizen,
the steward Of the Olive Pecker. Andersen
claims that he killed Capt. Whitman justinably,
the harsh and overbearng conduct OF his supe'
rlor officer provoking him to commit the deed.
Sanders. the mate. attempted TO save the llt OF
the captain. and Andersen, to save his own NE,
was also forced t. kill the mate. The remainder
of the crew do not APPEAR To have made any at
tempt or at best only feeble one, TO protect the
lives of their officers.
Andersen is very retcent, and has declined TO
give the particulars OF the captain harsh treat
ment, or the particular acts which led up to the
killing. After Capt. Whitman and VI ate Sanders
had teen killed Andersen appears to have tai en-
complete control OF tue vesse and TO have intlul
dated the five other members of the crew. Ac-
cording to their stories Andersen suggested the
firing Cf the vessel evidently with the nope that
the fire would cone al all traces OF the crime and
that il would be believed the vessel had touu
dprpd and the captain and mate had been washed
overheard. The crew to represent them
selves as Survivors. and TO pretend they had rs
capped in the small boats. The vessel was ac-
cordiugiy fired and the crew took 20 the boats
| about l@O miles from the Brazilian coast. They
drew lots as to the way they were To divide them
selves up in the two boats. the five members OF
| the crew being anxious to have the authorities
here believe that none Of them was dcsruus To be
| Andersen 5 shpmate
The lot fell t. john Lind, seaman, Swede, the
| four others, William HuSburgh, engineer, Juan
| DiOS BARREL GumierrtZ, AnuteW March and Mar
| TIN Barstad, sailors, gong in the other boat.
When these tour men reached the Brazilian
| coast they Immediately went before the author
| tiles and united in IA statement regarding the
| crime, placing all the blame on Andersen and
| representing thar they had 10 completely in the
| affair but 1t is not quite clear why they were
| unable TO protect the lives OF their captain and
| mate.
| Andersen and Lind attempted to ship on two
| Norwegian vessels in Port Bahia, but IA descrip
| ton of the men had been given to the Brazilian
| authorities and they were promptly arrested.
| When visited by the American consul Andersen
| freely admitted having killed the captain and
mate, nut claimed that he was justified, but II Is
! believed Lind was hls accompcr.
| The entire crew are now prisoners and are be
| ing held there until the arrival of an American
war vessel to convey them to the United states
| Hoshurgh, the engineer, is an Englshman
| cumierrtz is a Spaniard. March is an English
man and Barstad is Norwegian Andersen /:
| believed o be the only naturalized American.