Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-02-09

Of his course and could not understand
| why ne should pass the Webber, which
he would know on sight, without trying
to signal rs. When | got to NV York
| reported the matter"
! 1t was learned In time that the Baker
appeared In the offing at Baracoa. July
8. and was boarded by the pilot Ii hap
pened that the pilot knew Capt. lewis.
was greeted by the mate.
| pilot.
| u am Capt. Lewis replied the mate. :
You are not said the pilot. II know
1 Capt. Lewis.
= am Capt Lewis" repeated the mate.
| and don't need YOU"
The pilot got into his boat The Baker
| kept Off. and was soon hull down.
on July 30. the schooner Annie d. Mcr-
| and her commander reported that he had
learned. while trading in the West Indies
mat the Baker made sail from Baracoa
Capt. Medero Of the schooner Phebe.
capt. Medero said the person in charge
| lnagua at IS a barrel. and on hearing the
schooner Phebe was due at Inagua, hastily
collected what money he could with II
New York, and cleared for '' Trinidad adj. Oh
her deck load of lumber at Fortune
island. a wrecking and sponging port,
and offered flour there. but failed to sell
it on account of the extremely low price,
it being thought that the flour was bad
from Key Wcst. to the consignors Of the
cargo, Tough Van Romondt. saying
that the Baker had put in there from
Fortune Island with her mast sprung.
An agent from Warner, Merritt & Co.
FASTENED to Key West to look after the
vessel and inquire into the disappearance
Of Capt. Lewis. He caused the arrest of
1t was stated by the crew that the cap
tain had died a violent death. after hav-
ing taken medicine given him by the
did not know. They said the cook had
left the vessel at Long Key, where she
had touched.
On Aug. q the cook of the Baker ar
rived at New. York and was placed under
arrest In his, story he said: I'VE left
New York with good wind, but just at
came to anchor off Red Bank He asked
me for mustard plaster. but there was
no mustard: The mate gave him some
morning. and then sailed on our voyage. |
The captain was sick four days and then
died. During his illness he called on the |
On the fourth day | got half a yard of |
it around his chest, where he complained |
of pain.
This was in the morning. and in the |
afternoon he was buried at sea, the crew
having demanded it through fear that |
ing kept on board. This occurred about /
100 miles off the Bermudas. according to /
the mates reckoning The mate then |
of heading for Gaudeloupe. where she i
was consigned. he headed her for Long Il
Key. an English seaport in the West In /
Orange Key, rocky, barren point, where |
she lay, at anchor. and IA smack came
alongside.
AT Long Key the mate disposed of the
dGcktOad of lumber and used the money. /
he said. to pay for the fresh water we
took on board. AT another point near
Hour. l grew tired of remaining on the /
vessel. thinking that something was 1
wrong. and told the mate that wouldn't
hell. | boarded the smack, was taken to
Bimini. From there went to Nassau. and
from Nassau came to this port. When
tiles that John Williams, an American
seaman. had left the ship. | was known
on the smack as John Williams, and so
When Capt. d. II. Craig, who was
sent to Key West 10 investigate the
trouble on the Baker, returned to Phila-
formant being the man at the wheel at
the time OF the death of Capt. Lewis:
The cabin window was open. and this
man could see plainly into the room. and
rs plainly hear All that was going on.
The captain had not been very well for
three days, but had been about his duties,
i
mate and the cook. The captain had pre-
viously been given medicine by one of
these men. and fell down as he was
the room TO go on deck. The
man at the wheel heard the captain groan |
and ask for something to relieve him.
and he saw the mate and steward put
some reddish fluid in his mouth from a
bottle.
No sooner had the dose been admins
tered than the captain put his hand to
his MS stomach and called out: 20. my
liod. give me something to drink" The |
two men then held a long thin flask con-
tanning a whitish fluid to the captains
lips. He shook his head. spoke no more
and was dead In less than five minutes
The body was thrown overheard about .
[hree hours later. at T. M.
Immediately after this the mate kept
me vessel OFF in south-south-westerlyI
instead of to the south-south-I ,
east on the plea that they were out of
water They made Fortune island.
In spite of these stories nobody was Z
placed on trial for the death of Capt,
4ewis The mate was tried on the charge {
If unlawfully selling the cargo and was
and sentenced to short term I
n prison, which he served out. AS he
lere. one OF the crew was convicted of
,enig. an accessory to the theft of the /.
iesse! and cargo. and died in prison. !
ihe story OF the man at the wheel was =
old IN court at Key West. but the cir
.umstanees of the captains death were I
UGH that no effort was made to bring an e
Indictment for murder. I
The facts here given are matters of .
ecord. and speak for themselves. The =
eader is left to decide whether or not
mere Is some strange spell over sea !
rimes that makes 1t more difficult to I
venge them than those which are COM
nitted on land. U