The San Francisco call., 1898-03-12
PIRACY OFF
 THE COAST
 OF ALASKA Fight for Possession of the Wrecked Bark
 Canada. Wrested by Force From a Crew Left in
 Charge. Had Been Hauled Off the Beach by a Steamship and
 Libeled CAPTAIN UNDER ARREST. Recaptured and Held His Ship, bu, Will Be Prosecuted by the
 Government.
UNDER ARREST
Recaptured and Held His Ship, bu Win Be Prosecuted by the
 Government
Special Dispatch to. The Call.

sKAGUAY. Alaska, March 6 (by steamship Australia, via Seattle, March IDA case of alleged piracy on the high seas has recently occurred off Alaska. In a recent storm the bark Canada, said here to belong to the Washington-Ala line, was blown ashore against the rocks at the foot of the mountain across the harbor and de- serted by her crew. One morning sev- eral days later she was nowhere to be seen and it was thought she had been blown off and sunk.
 The Canada had been blown off, but not sunk. She started on a voyage down Lynn Canal alone and without an occupant, like a riderless horse. The small steamship J. NJ. Coleman, which runs between Dyea, Skaguay and Ju- neau, picked up the Canada half way down to Pyramid Harbor, lowed her to a sandspit and beached her. The Can ada was a prize. She had cargo of lumber, coal and lot of miscellaneous merchandise. The Coleman left three men aboard the Canada, including Chief Engineer Daniels, and proceeded on her course.
 The captain of the Canada, who was
 
 cue, became greatly incensed and swore he would capture the ship. He did. but is in a whole flood tide of trouble on account of it. He got small steam ship and with ten men hired here, in- cluding part of the original crew. sailed for the spot where the Canada was beached. A pitched battle oc- cured in which both blood and hair were shed. It required all of the ten men to take the ship from the Cole mans three, who fought as did the noble trio of ThermopyIae. Previously the captain had gone aboard the Can ada alone and acknowledged, it is said, to the three men that he had aban- doned the ship and that they were en- titled to salvage.
 About three hours after the capture of the ship, the Coleman came up from Juneau, where her captain had taken out the necessary papers for ibeling At the Canada and had sent them to Sitka. 1Imagining that all was safe and secure as when she left her prize, the Cole man came alongside with that feeling of pride and enthusiasm with which a miner approaches a thOuSand-dOllar nugget in the Klondike. Her crew was startled by the per-emptory com mand to Keep off there Instead of three men. quite a crowd was standing along the rail. Undaunted by this as GOQlSnlnS snow or 1Orc6, Sn6 nedVeQ aboard and attempted to tow her prize to port at Dyea, and there place her in charge of the United State Deputy Sheriff. The line was no sooner heaved than it was cut away. Two more lines were thrown with the same result. Fail ing to lasso or make fast to the ship, Captain Piper of the Coleman deter mined to board the bark, and sounded the engineers gong to run the Cole man alongside. Perceiving this war like movement the captain of the Can ada leaped upon the rail, and holding fast to the halyards, f1ourished a re- volver and shouted:
 I'll shoot the first man who steps aboard"
 He fired the revolver. Not being an armored vessel and fearing the result of a broadside on the United States mail. the Coleman being a mail boat. Captain Piper sheered off and steamed for Dyea. There he laid the situation before United States Commissioner J. T.. Smith and asked the aid of the United States troops to recover the yes sel. Deputy Marshal Cudihee said that no troops would be required. War rants were issued by the United States Commissioner for Captain John Doe of the Canada on charge of piracy, the real name of the captain not hay ing been ascertained. The warrant also included his nine men. The Cole man put back immediately Nor the Canada with the Deputy Marshal to serve the warrants. The Marshal de- clared himself and the Coleman was allowed to come alongside. The war rants were served without trouble. Cap tain John Doe Said
 Well, boys, my bluff didn't work. "
 The ten men were taken back to Dyea and are there now awaiting n hearing on a very severe charge, which will now be prosecuted by the Govern ment The original three are again in possession of the prize.
 HAL HOFFMAN.