The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-13
FOUGHT HIS WAY FREE.
KNOCKED THE CAPTAIN
DOWN,
THREW HIM INTO LAzARETTE.
AND FLED FROM THE SHIP IN HIS
NIGHT CLOTHES.

Had Experience Enough at Sea.
Had Deserted Once Before but
Was Captured and Held "a Prison
err on ShipbOard-Had Experience
Enough of Sea and Wanted to 60
Into the Grocery Business in Sa-
Vannah, So Planned a Desperate
Escape-His Parents in Germany
Heard He Was Dead and CabIed
the Police TO Find out About
Their Boy.
Determined to remain in Savannah
and seek his fortune, Walter Hand
berg, aged 10 years, of Dortmund, Ger
many, cabin boy on the bark Eliza
beth. a prisoner because he had de-
serted when the vessel first reached
port, knocked the master of the bark
down, threw him into the lazarette,
closed the hatch and left the ship.
This interesting story was brought
to light yesterday morning by the
superintendent of police, who was per-
sonally making a search for Handberg,
in compliance with a cablegram re-
ceived during the morning from the
lads father. The superintendent
gathered the facts, found the boy and
made the hearts of his fond relatives
in Germany glad by sending them a
cable that the cabin boy of the Eliza
beth, their son, had not been drowned,
as was reported to them.
Supposed Their Son Dead.
The cablegram was signed Hand
berg and related that he had re-
ceived information that his son had,
some time between Jan. Is and 20,
jumped from the bark, dressed only in
his night clothes, and was believed to
have been drowned The message
conveyed the information that the act
was committed while the vessel was in
port and the police were asked to find
If the rumor were true, and if so if
the body had been found. An answer
of twenty words, and a word by cable
costs something, was paid for by DR..
Handberg
The Elizabeth sailed from Savannah
Jan. %, without the cabin boy An
investigation developed the fact that
he had made his escape, but in a much
more sensational manner than was
suspected by DR.. Handberg. The boy
had signed as cabin boy and it was his
first experience at sea. He had only
intended to get to this country and Sc
cure employment of some sort on land.
The hardships that he endured on the
voyage did not tend to cause him to
change his mind and when he reached
Savannah he deserted. He could speak
only few words of English, however,
and thus handicapped he was cap
tured almost within the day.
Was Put in Irons.
He was put in irons and kept in the
hold of the ship. With nothing else
to do he planned another escape, much
more daring than the first, and one that
required strength as we'll as nerve. At
ter nightfall he asked permission to
go to the toilet in the stern of the
ship. He wore only his underclothes,
having retired for the night. The mas
ter of the Elizabeth, Capt. Mueller,
followed behind the lad without sus-
pecting what Handberg intended do
ing. Suddenly the boy turned and
struck the master a blow that felled
him. He then threw the captain into
the lazarette and lost no time in leav-
ing the vessel. He remained in hid
sought work.
Wanted to be GrOcer's Clerk.
Strong. and healthy and bright, Hand
pNl6 was 6ANCii a AldiCS III ii BIOCGEy
store on the East Side where he isc now
employed. The police chief knew
that if the lad had been drowned his
body would have been recovered before
this time, and knew further that if
Handberg was in Savannah he had Sc
cured employment in some grocery.
He went to work on this line with the
result that during the morning he
located the deserter.
Handberg said he was pleased with
his surroundings and declared that he
will remain in Savannah and accumu-
late some money. He said that he had
already written home. 1t had never
been his purpose, he said, to deceive
his family as to his condition. He
will stay here and work out his own
fate. The superintendent cabled the
condition of affairs to the father in
Germany and Handberg is still engage
ed in the grocery.