New-York tribune., 1901-08-23
SAILOR TRACKS MURDERER
HE SAYS THE COOK OF A SCHOONER
SHOT HIS ''BUNKIE'' AFTER A
BLOODY STRUGGLE

big Finlander, sailor entered the Office
of the Seaman's Legal Aid Society, at No. 3
State-st., yesterday morning and glared at
crowd of seamen who were telling their trou-
bles to the attornev
L am looking for a - murderer" he cried.
banging a desk with his huge fist. we'll hard
ened from much rope handling.
The sailors thought the Finn was crazy and
began 10 calculate the distance to the windows
and door
You've come to the wrong place. said Mr..
Abbott. the attorney. There is murderer
here"
i can't find him." continued the big sailor.
running mis- hand through his yellow hair but
If ever do He banged the desk second
time and the windows ratified. He killed
bunkie,' and I'm goin to justice done.
He looked fierce as ever did any of his
viking ancestors. and the attorney half ex-
peSted to see him take some sort of bar
parous blood oath on the spot that ne would
XIII t>e murderer. Inste1d he asked:
DO you issue warrants here?" and then added
I want one for the captain of the Boston
schooner Rebecca J. Moulton"
II developed. after some questioning that the
Finlander was Peter n. Uschis. and that he has
been living for several days at a sailors board
Ing house. at No. 13I Cherry-st He says he left
down one Gus" McCard who was the schoon-
ers cook. He says that he saw McCard shoot
his friend, G. NJ. Sundstrom, July 81 last
when the schooner anchored In the harbor
OF Matanzas, Cuba. He believes that the
schooner will touch at Providence r. l.. In a
few days. and he desires to have the captain
arrested for permitting the cook to escape when
the schooner reached the Georgian port
Cschis told the story Of the murder and the
f,rt,.
sea fights which used 10 be very common before
steamships attained their present ascendancy.
in the days when crews fought for the pleasure
of fighting. bleeding freely in consequence
Every sort Of weapon that one would expect to
find a schooner was brought into the action
at one time another Uschis says he saw the
entire fight. but he is not quite sure whether the
razor the axe was used before the long. sharp
pantry knife. He knows just when the galley
poker came into the fight. however. and is GER
tain that the fight ended when the cook emptied
five slugs from the captains big revolver into
Sundstrom's body at short range.
The trouble began when Sundstrom came out
TO the schooner after getting drunk in Matan-
Gas" said Uschs yesterday. He had not been
on board long before he decided that ii was time
for him 20 die and promptly jumped overheard
He refused 70 take the ropes threw him until
he saw the cook leaning over the rail- Sund-
strom did not like the cook. and began TO swear
al him from the water. Then he decided 10
come on board and fight him. He climbed up
the vessels side with the aid of rope, and be-
gan 10 run amuck
THE cook got the galley poker and began
chasins the drunken about the dsck--Then
sundstrom went down in the forecastie and got
his razor The cook took turn at running
until we took the razor away from Sundstrom
After n while the cook got an axe and chopped
Sundstrom in the arm. This made him very
angry and he went after the cook again THIS
time with long pantry knife. The captain
drew his revolver and threatened 10 shoot
Sundstrom Then he thought better of IL, and
"a Ike the knife away from Sundstrom when the
cook began TO shoot at him. He SHOT him five
times in the body and killed him instantly
'McCard was taken before the captain or the
port. who decided that he had no jurisdiction
In the case The captain was told 10 turn
MCCard over 10 the authorities at the nrSt
United States port which was reached They
held him in jail until the schooner was ready
sail When reached Brunswick the cap
tain said something about having trial az
Savannah. He took no steps 10 have McCard
arrested, however. and one morning he was
missing. | got paid off and followed him. He
had too much of a start, however, and got
away"
Uschis was referred TO the District Attor-
ney's office for advice regarding the arrest OF
the captain. At that office he told to go to
Providence and bring the before the au-
thorities there. He said that he would do this
to-day.