The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-05
WITH MALICE PREPENSE.
CAPT. RICHARD LENGE CHARGED
WITH SMUGGLING LIQUORS.

He Is Master of Steamship Cycle anu
Complaint Against Him Was Made
by $. c. Landsverk - LandsVerk
Claimed to Have Bought Four Bot
ties of whisky and a Case of Gin.
which Had Not Paid Duty, From
the observation-disclosures Before
U. S. Commissioner Developed the
Fact That Landsverk Was Being
Prosecuted and Wanted Revenge.
Commissioner Discharged Capt.
Lcnge.
A hearing held yesterday afternoon be-
fore United States Commissioner Edwin
c. Ryals developed an interesting story
of the differences that spring up between
man and man and the results that fol-
low in their train.
The hearing was IN the case of
Capt. Richard Lenge of the British steam
ship Cycle, charged with SNUG
Cling into the United States. with design
to defraud the government revenues, four
bottles OF Scotch whisky and a case of
Holland gin. The complaint alleging the
offense with which Capt. Lenge
was charged had been sworn out
before the commissioner by s. c.
Landsverk, proprietor of THE Office" a
Bay-street saloon. The commissioner af-
ter hearing the evidence of a number of
witnesses, decided that there was no prob
able cause 10 believe defendant guilty,
and directed his discharge from custody.
Capt. Lenge had been arrested and the
examination begun on Thursday, but
it was postponed until yesterday
his witnesses and counsel to repre-
sent him and also to SECURE an important
witness for the government.
The substance of the charge against
Capt. Lenge was that he had sold four
bottles of Scotch whisky and a case of
gin, upon which no duty had been paid,
to the prosecutor, Landsverk, and had
also offered to sell him two additional
cases of gin, which, according to Lands
verk's testimony, Capt Lenge told him
were in the custody of Mr.. Hugh Logan.
Landsverk testified that Capt. Lenge
had given him an order upon the steward
of the Cycle for four bottles of Scotch
whisky and a case of gin. He had sent
his negro porter. Charles Young. to the
Cycle with this order and the boy brought
back the goods it described
the boy said that Mr. Landsverk had
given him the note and that with it he
had gone 20 the Cycle and obtained four
bottles of whisky. Afterwards, Mr.
Landsverk gave him another note and he
had made a second trip to the Cycle and
brought back the case of gin.
Deputy Collector of Customs ]. Paul
Johnson testified that no whisky or gin
had ever been entered at the Custom
House from the Cycle or by Capt. Lenge
Mr.. Logan, whom Landsverk said Capt
Lenge told him was in possession of two
other cases of gin, swore that he had
never had them in his possession and
never received liquor of any kind from
the Cycle.
Henry Simpson, the steward of the Cy-
Gle, swore he never saw Young before
he was pointed out to the witness in the
commissioners court room and that he
never had delivered him any liquor upon
the order of Capt. Lenge or any one else
These are the outlines of the case
against Capt Lenge. When his defense
began to be developed, through his own
statement and the cross-examnation of
witnesses by his counsel Mr. Gordon
Saussy. the case against him, already
weak enough, fell to the ground.
Capt. Lenge began by an indignant de-
NAL of the charge and then told why,
in his opinion, the complaint against him
had been made by Landsverk. This part
of the story is interesting
He said that some three of four weeks
ago the mate of the Norwegian vessel had
been set upon by a negro on the Plank
Walk assaulted and badly wounded
The mate is still in the hospital and
the probability is that he will never
recover from the wounds he received
Some of the masters of the vessels in
port had become interested in the matter
and had taken up subscription among
themselves and the Bay-street merchants
interested in shipping, for the benefit of
the mate and his wife and three children
who were left in INDECENT circumstances
in Norway. Landsverk was made the GUS
todian of this fund.
A few days ago Capt. Lenge and
Capt. Olaf Felsen, of the steamship Olaf
Kyrre, called upon Landsverk and
asked him what he had done with the
money. Landsverk said he had sent $40
of the 500 that had been collected to the
wife of the mate in Norway, and that
he still retained $26. On being asked how
he had sent the money he said he had
sent it through one of the banks"
Inquiry at the bank he named devel-
oped the fact that he had not. Capt
Felsen had been named by the wounded
mate to represent him in the matter, but
Landsverk refused to settle with the mas
ter of the Olaf Kyrre.
Capt. Felsen and Capt. Lenge caused
Landsverks arrest, on a warrant sworn
out before Magistrate G.. Noble Jones'
charging him with the larceny after
trust of 1896. He is now out on bond,
conditioned to answer this charge in the
Superior Court.
Capt. Lenge said that Landsverk had
threatened to get even with him. Capt.
Felsen, who was placed on the stand as
witness for the defendant, corroborated
Capt. Lenge's account of the trouble be-
tween Landsverk and those who had
raised the fund for the wounded mate
and said that he also had been threat
ened
While the case was in progress Deputy
Collector Johnson had Landsverk's place
on the Bay searched for the gin that the
latter claimed to have received from the
Cycle. One bottle only was found The
gin in the ships stores of the Cycle was
also examined and found to be of another
brand. The gin that Landsverk claimed
to have got from the Cycle was apparent
ly of American manufacture
Under the circumstances the commits
sioner promptly ordered Capt Lenge's dis
charge. Some half dozen masters of YES
sells were in the commissioners court
room at the time, and they united in con-
gratulations one of those present in
vited Capt. Denge to come around the
corner and try a glass or two of gin that
was not struggled"