The San Francisco call., 1897-01-24
SPOOKS SAY THAT
BUTLER IS BAD
He Carries Along a Small
Arsenal on the Swan
hilda.
Jack the Ripper's Spirit Has
Warned Him of the Wait.
ing Sleuths.
Guns May Pop and a Whole Barrel of
Ammunition Be Fired Off Before
He Yields.

Another class of visitors has found
Meiggs wharf, and unlike the others they
come not to question but to inform. With
an inner eye they have followed the Swan
hilda in her wanderings over the South
Pacific across the great equatorial belt and
up through the northern latitudes. They
are lhe spirits, whether of just men made
perfect or not they have not told, but ac-
cording to their deep-sea yarns they are
marine observers of a high visual power.
Yesterday two of these tourist spooks
are alleged to have futtered down to the
Meiggs wharf police station and in the
persons of their medium, who only was
visible to the mortals on the dock, gave
message that made glad the hearts OF
watching detectives.
The Swanhilda, the medium said, is
now only few miles off shore, and VIII
be sighted to-day even by human eyes.
Butter is on board of the ship, and await
ing the approach of the revenue cutter
and the arresting officers as anxiously as
they are for his coming.
Furthermore. the spirits say, through
the medium, Butler is "heeled," 10 use
very earthly term, for his visitors, and will
shower a large cargo of cold lead around
their ears when they draw near the Swan
hilda's gangway.
One mystic old party, with his unseen
familiar, interviewed McHattie, and while
with the Australian detective went into
trance He said Butler had been notified
by the spook of Jack the Ripper that the
officers were waiting for him and the first
man who stepped aboard of the Swan
hilda to arrest him will die as Butter is
armed with a revolver, a rifle and dag
ger. In his bunk he has four other guns
and barrel OF ammunition.
When he goes aloft to help handle
sail he carries his three weapons with him
and leaves them in the top while be lays
out on the yard. When he takes his trick
at the wheel he places his battery on the
pinnacle for instant use. He advised the
officers to make the arrest in the Canaan
che or some other armored cruiser instead
of the peaceable revenue cutter Hartley.
Deputy United States Marshal Bonner
will take the matter under advisement
The British ship Morialta arrived yes
terday from Newcastle and was quickly
boarded by the officers for news. She
sailed seventeen days before the Swan
hida and was seventy-eight days out.
Her skipper, Captain Lindsay, could give
no information regarding Butler or his
ship. The Morialta experien ced much
rough weather and head winds, which
held her back for a long passage. Some
damage was done the vessel by the seas
that boarded her ana the cargo shifted in
the heavy rolling.
II the Swannilda caught the same gales
her absence may in a measure be &C
counted for.
According TO report in the Melbourne
Age, Captain Petrie of British ship Olive
bank, which is now due from Newcastle,
will have ale to tell of Butler when the
vessel gets in. The published statement
in the Melbourne journal is to the effect
that Butler, under the name OF Richard
Ashe, came to Newcastle on the Olive bank
in 1898, having shipped at Rio Janeiro.
He was very troublesome aboard ship and
threatened TO kill Captain Petrie.
For this he was sentenced 10 one months
Imprisonment and served that length of
time in jail. Butler Is reported by for
mer shipmate 10 have said that if he ever
met Petrie again he would blow that skip
per's brains out. If be has arms aboard
the Swanhilda, or can procure some kind
OF a weapon for defense, he will in all
pro liability make q reckless, and of course
a losing, fight when the detectives over
haul the Swanhilda. However he will
meet with a warm reception should he
object seriously TO his visitors.
In the meantime the Meiggs wharf
squad are preparing for their usual Sun
day clam chowder dinner, which will be
served in the afternoon watch to-day.
Sergeant Bonner is famous chef along
the chowder line and McHattie will take
a recipe for the toothsome mixture when
he returns to Australia with Butler
The Morialta, a brigantine bark from
Newcastle, n. S. W., got in last night, af-
ter passage of seventy-seven days dura-
ton. She reported heavy winds and in one
place high cross-sea, which shifted the
cargo. Her captain does not report hay-
ing spoken or even seen the much looked
for Swanhilda The latter vessel has only
been out sixty-three days ana pro badly has
encountered much of the same class of
weather. Following is the full memoran-
DUN filed by the captain OF the Morialta:
Per Morialta British bark, from Newcas tie,
n. S. W. January 23-Sailed from Newcastle,
N. S. W., on November z; had south-southwest
winds to latitude 81 south. longitude 16S west; /;
had south-sou theast winds to latitude %
south; had easterly and variable winds to
latitude 13 SOUTH had northeast and easterly
winds to latitude south; crossed the equator
on December IA in longitude 1921 west;
had strong northeast winds and gales from
latitude south to latitude 81 north; on De-
cember a. in attitude 10 north, 10 agitude 16l
west, had a very heavy east-nOrtheast gale
lasting forty eight hours, with a very high
cross sea, shifted cargo TO port. These gales