The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-10-07
FIERCE MUTINY
ON SPANISH SHIP
QueIled by American Officer Who
Killed Many OF the
Custhroats.

The days of mutiny on the high seas
was as bloody mutiny in Philippine
waters as was ever narrated of in
stories of pirates and buccaneers. The
Dos Hermandos, a Spanish steamer, left
Manila during August, with a full car
go, many passengers, $4,000 in silver,
and as tough a crew as ever walked a
gang plank or washed down a deck.
During the time the vessel was lying
in quarantine before her departure, the
boatswain of the vessel proposed to the
forty-five men in the crew that they
kill the officers, make the women pas
sengers prisoners and incidentally their
wives, and then sail with the $4,000
worth of treasure to the South Seas.
On the evening of August 18th word
was passed among the crew that the
hour for action was at hand and to
better awaken within them false
courage and stimulate their natural
savage instincts, the boatswain issued
liberal quantities of "Beno,'' which tow
ards evening commenced to have the
desired effect Stations had previously
been allotted to the mutineers, each
knew his post and what was expected
of him, and as darkness came on the
savages became thirsty for gore. It
was about s p. m. and the captain and
officers were sitting on deck, singing,
and otherwise passing away the time,
when proceeding from the place where
the engineers usually sat when off duty,
they heard cries of alarm and sounds
of mortal combat. 1t was the bloody
work of the mutiny.
Stealing up on the chief engineer a
knife cleaned a moment in the moon
light, and driven by blood-thirsty
savage, was plunged into the unfor-
tunate mans side. Soon he and the
second engineer were surrounded, and
protecting themselves as well as they
could with the chairs, retreated towards
their stateroom. Here the chief en-
gineer fell, never to rise again, his life
blood flowing from ten terrible wounds,
while the second engineer, less severe
ly wounded, managed to gain the upper
deck, where he managed to creep into
a stateroom unobserved. A part of the
mutineers then proceeded to the upper
deck, where the captain and passengers
NOW aroused by the turmoiD awaited
them. Armed as best they could with
chairs and now well aware that it was
life and death struggle, the captain
went to the front, but despite a valiant
resistance, was soon badly wounded by
a spear which passed clean through his
leg, followed by blow on his head
which laid it open and left him, what
the mutineers thought, for dead. The
chief officer next went down; and he
too was supposed to have been killed,
for on the deck they both lay uncon-
scious, their blood rningling in red
rivulets, only waiting a iull in HOSTILE
ties to be cast overheard.
During the fight the passengers work
ed their way round to one of the state
rooms, into which they bolted, while
the second engineer reached out of his
hiding place and pulled the bodies of
the captain and chief officer into his
stateroom.
During this time the vesse! lay at
anchor near the shore of the island of
Catanduanes. Inspector Fletcher, of the
Philippine Constabulary, who was
Strolling on the beach, heard the COM
motion aboard the vessel and thinking
that mutiny had taken place armed
himself and with two native constables
proceeded to the vessel in a small boat.
On reaching the vessel he found the
mutineers at work with a winch, heav-
ing the anchor, preparatory to sailing
for the South Seas. The propeller had
started to revolve, although the anchor
was still in the water. Fletcher poured
a volley into the men at the winch.
They deserted it but it continued to
work. The boatswain showered coal at
him from the bridge but commanding
his constables to kill any one in sight
the inspector rushed up the gangway
Of the vessel. Then Fletcher started
fearful job of killing. He shot the yes
sells quartermasters and Chinese car
penter and threw their bodies into the
sea. Passing the engine room COM
Fletcher encountered the
third engineer who had been one of the
of the mutiny and had come