The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-11-06
THRILLING MUTINY
Captain and First Mate of
the Olive PeCker.
MURDERED WHILE AT SEA
LANCASTER BRINGS THE MUTT
NEERS FROM BRAZIL
IN CHAINS.
MURDERER TELLS OF HIS BLOODY DEEDS
The Cook Murdered the Captain in the Cabin,
Shot the Mate on Deck Took Com
mand and Then Fired the
VESSEL.

Newport News, Va, Nov. 5.-The Uni
ted States steamship Lancaster dropped
anchor in Hampton Roads this morning
from Bahia, Brazil. In military confne
ment on the war-ship are five men OF
the crew OF the schooner Olive Pecker,
whose captain, j. w. Whitman, of
Rockland, Me-, and First Mate William
Saunders, of Sandy Cove, n. S., were
murdered at sea in August last In the
ships brig, closely ironed, is J. .Ander-
son, the schooner's cook, who Is the
self-confessed perpetrator of the muir
ders 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:
Il was the cook aboard the Olive
Pecker, a two-masted schooner, from
Boston to Bahia, and had to serve the
captain as his servant
II had good reason to believe that the
captain did not take to me and was a.
ways in fear of my life whenever he got
| into his mad fits.
| "He had a dog, which was always com
ling into the cook house and annoying me.
On the day OF our little difficulty the
animal came inside and ] threw boil
er Of hot water on him.
We'll. he howled and the next thing |
knew, the captain was calling for me.
went to his cabin and he commenced
cursing me. telling me that this sort of
| thing had to stop
Il did not say anything to him and
| he ordered me into his cabin to make up
his led. This was in the morning.
Il made up his bed and he ordered me
out with volley of Oaths. | saw he was
| in mean humOr and determined to arm
myself against him. / knew the Captain
had some pistols in his cabin and / went
/ back to get one of them. Just as soon
as | entered the captain fired beer bot
tie at me- and, seeing that / lodged it
he picked up pistol from the table and
Isent bali in my direction ! had got
my hands on a weapon which was lying
on the corner of his table and of course
/ opened fire on the d-n rascal.
"My first bullet took effect in his fore
head and the second went into his breast,
killing hinr almost instantly.
Il then went up on deck and called to
the mate, who was in the fore rigging.
He shouted down to me, asking what
/ wanted. / told him to come down
that the captain wanted him in the cab
in. He started down and when he
reached the deck | went for him.
"He was an old fellow with whiskers
land | felt like smashing him with my
fist.
He looked at me as il to inquire my
authority to order him about and
leveled the weapon at his old be-whis-
kered head, saying at the same time;
Now die, like the dog you are
With that / pulled the trigger and
the mate dropped to the deck, rolling
to the port side of the ship.
II then went down into the cabin
thinking l would be able to take the
1ship by myself.
II saw that the captain was ghost
and came upon deck again. The mate
was groaning and l felt it my duty tc
put him out of his misery. One more
shot did that. j secured the captains
other pistol, and after giving the mate q
second bullet, started toward the crew
who were aft, with pis
tol in each hand, and gave
them, to understand / was to be the
master of the Olive Pecker and that the
first man who undertook to dsobey my
orders would have to take the conse
quences. They carried out my com
mands with a murmur.
81 first ordered them to throw the
mates body overheard and then we went
down into the cabin and brought ur
the captains corpse, dispOsing Of it in like
manner. Next l ordered the men To
get out the oil and saturate the whole
vessel fore and aft in such a manner
that she would burn up like HI. They
did that and then we got our belongings
and prepared to take to the boats, first
setting fire to the ship.
"My chum and I went down in one OF
: the boats, while the other four men took
to another. They pulled off in a differ
ent direction from us and we never saw
them again until we met in prison in
Bahia. They must have peached on
MS, for no sooner had we landed from
the ship we had taken, than the officers
placed us under arrest and sent us to
Bahia.
''The PecIer was one month ont from
Boston and was within two days of
Bahia when all this happened. She
was two masted schooner and started
ont with crew of eight"
The officers stated that when the
men were thrown into prison at Bahia.
the United States consul at that port
communicated with the Navy Depart