The Hawaiian gazette., 1898-06-07
Suspicious Schooner Captured.
But No Goods.
LABRADOR FROM VANCOUVER
She Met With Disaster on Maui.
Tug Sent to Scene-Vigi!s of
the Customs Officers.s

the way from Vancouver, is now on
the sand at Maizena,, Maui, with hole
under her bow. The Labrador is the
schooner the Custom House officials
have received information about and
for which they have been looking for
the past three weeks. People have
noticed the unusual activity of Gus
tom House officers and the tugboat
in the vicinity of Maui, Kahoolawe and
Molokini, and it was in the wind that
something wrong was scented
News was received on the Claudine,
Sunday morning as to the movements
of the schooner. 1t was expected that
the Labrador would bring a cargo of
opium and that she would land it in
a hut surrounded by stone wall at
a place near Maizena,. There was how
ever a possibility of change in
plans. Ernest Renken, Captain Ka-
nuha of the Custom House here and
a numebr of natives, enough to form
a boats crew, were stationed on the
Island of Molokini, while W. E. Beck
with and James Bicknell of the Gus
tom House were given charge of the
Maui part of the work. These men
were of course in direct communica-
ton with the police whose services
were available at any moment.
A week ago Sunday, Renken and his
crew returned to Molokai as they
could leave their work unattended to
no longer Kanuha then returned to
Maui to join the remainder of the
officers.
A nightly patrol was kept up out
side of Makent but night after nigtd
went by without the appearance of
anything suspicious. A week ago last
Tuesday the tug paid visit to Make
ma and was around in the vicinity for
quite while. Nothing appeared and
she returned to Honolulu. The Off
GERS kept up their weary vigil from
night to night, eating and drinking
what they could get at Maizena,, which
was by no means sufficient.
On Thursday night their patience
was rewarded. The patrol left Ma
kena at about 1920 o'clock and start
ed out in the direction of Kahoolawe
At about IL o'clock a schooner was
sighted in the direction of the island
just mentioned. The patrol boat gave
chase at once but. before catching
what they were after, they saw a small
boat coming toward them. 1t was
soon found that the captain of the
schooner and a young man of about %
years; were the occupants. The
former stated that they had approach
ed shore in the interests of passen-
ger who was very sick. The two men
were placed under arrest, and taken
aboard the schooner. The men in the
shore boat were Deputy Sheriff King,
Captain Kanuha and four police off
GERS. All climbed aboard the schooner
and the captain was ordered to take
his craft toward shore so as to cast
anchor. This he refused absolutely
TO do, so Deputy Sheriff King took
the matter in hand himself and, with
the assistance of his men, soon had
the little schooner headed toward Ma
kena. The captain, seeing that the
officers meant business, turned to and
assisted in the work of taking the
schooner to a landing. This, was eff
feeted IN the early morning. The
schooner was found to be painted
white and rugged just as the island
coasters.
At daylight the people of the ship
were all taken ashore and the vessel
was thoroughly searched. The papers
showed that the schooner was from
Vancouver and that she was bound on
a sealing cruise with sealing outfit
aboard. No such outfit could be dis
There was found aboard
quite a quantity of coal, a lot of pro-
visions, a shotgun and three revolvers,
besides the usual paraphernalia to be
found on shipboard The people
aboard consisted of the captain, man
OF about 80 years, his wife, passen-
ger who was quite i'll. the young man
spoken of, Japanese cook and a
Chinaman whose work was that of
general handy man aboard the ship.
The schooner lay at anchor until
the afternoon. when it became a little
rough. This caused the parting OF
the chain of the anchor and the little
schooner drifted in toward shore. 1t
was not long before she was on the
sand. There was a rock near by and
the schooner must have struck on this
for she was soon found to be leaking
very badly from under her bow.
The Japanese cook was taken ITO
Kahului as it was believed something