The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-14
IN YOUTHFUL CREW
ARREST OF HENRY OLSEN AND
JOHN KELLY FOR KIDNAPPING.
TWO BOYS FOR Blk. KAMBIRA.
DISCLOSED THE FACT THAT MANY
SAILED FOR SANTOS.


That Runners Were ActiVe-Snn-
tos, One of the UnhealthieSt Ports
on Earth, Say SaiIOrs-They Fear
to Go There-FOur Complaints
Have Been Lodged with Police.
Kelly and Olsen VIII be Given
Hearing To-day.
The arrest of Harry Olsen and John
Kelly, who are charged with kidnap-
ping Joseph Terrell Rucker and Will
liam Seage and placing them aboard
the British bark Kambira, bound for
Santos, Brazil. by United States au-
thorities yesterday, has disclosed the
fact that the crew was composed in
large part of young boys who were
not appraised of the dangers which
lurked in the fever-infested harbor of
Santos.
The bark remained at anchor in the
harbor of Savannah some three
months endeavoring to secure a crew
for the trip. Substantial sums were
offered for seamen, but owing to the
recognized unhealthiness of the port
for which the vessel was booked to
clear, it was hard matter to secure
new men. The ships former crew, not
daring to again face the hardships
which she had encountered, forsook
the ship when this port was reached.
The crews ranks were largely filled
by young boys. On the sailing list did
not appear the names of Joseph Ter
rell Rucker John w. Seage and Will
| lie Coppage, all minors, who left on
the bark.
Wanted a Crew.
When the vessel was ready to clear
the full complement of men had not
been secured. According to the facts
! cleaned by the officers, young Terrell,
| who is a nephew of Atlanta's former
| Mayor, James G.. Woodward, came to
Savannah in quest of employment He
wanted a job on the water front. John
| Blum, with whom he was boarding,
! secured position for him in grocery
| store and he was expecting to take
| this position when approached by Ol-
! sen and induced to make the trip on
| the Kambira This action on his part
| is thought to have been voluntary, out
| Rucker is not capable of consentlng,
he being a minor.
Young Seage is a son of the steward
of the tug Cynthia and lived with
his father near the corner of Bryan
and Price streets. The runner went to
his home and got him. Shortly after
| wards the mother of the boy, her babe
| in her arms called upon the supertn-
tendant of police and told of her boy $
| departure and begged that he be
| brought back. She did not then know
the name of the runner, but said she
would find it out. She was told to
return the next day at o'clock. This
she failed to do.
Year Under Age Limit.
Seage was II years of age, one year
under the age limit prescribed by law.
He was taken, along with Rucker, on
| the tug Forest City, to the ship which
! was then anchored in Tybee roads, it
having cleared the day before. En-
route he told the captain of the tug
that he had his parents consent to
go.
Willie Coppage of Rome, Ca, Is years
old, also made the trip. July 8, Supt.
Garfunkle got letter from the father
of the boy, G.. W. Coppage, who asked
that his son be located and prevailed
upon not to make the trip on the Kam-
bira, the youngster having previously
written of his intention of seeing the
world" The boy was brought before
| the superintendent. He related to him
| graphically the horrors which lurked
| before the mast; the long voyage, the
incident drudgery and servitude; the
fever infested harbor of Santos, and
| a thousand other ills of which Cole
| ridges Ancient Mariner never had as
much as a vision; but it was to no
avail. The kid was bent on making
| the trip. and he went.
| Just before the bark cleared still an
| other complaint was lodged with the
superintendent An old woman, who
called at the City Exchange, happened
| to catch him there. She related to him
the story of her grandsons resolve to
go before the mast; said that he was
still a youth and had not the consent
! of his parents. The superintendent
| telephoned for Detectives Bostwick
and Murphy, and the three boarded
the vessel and secured the boy for
his grandmother
Difficult to Get Crew.
Other stories of young men who were
importuned to make the trip have
come to light, all going to show that
it was with difficulty that the ships
crew was secured. Patrolman Jim
| Brown, who was before the mast for
four years and who has visited Santos,
was much interested in the visit of the
| vessel to Savannah. He tells of the
| trouble experienced in securing crews,
and said that sometimes whole crews
die of yellow fever in the harbor. The
| harbor, he says, is a beautiful one.
nearby mountain ranges being almost
reflected in the placid bosom of the
harbor, The water, however, is germ
infected, and in it turks fever and
other diseases.
Capt. Mahoney, in charge of the
bark made many friends during his
visit to this city. His quarters, in
which he lived with his family, were
fitted in elegant style, and many Wis
itors crowded his boat during her stay
in port. 1t was estimated that fully
5000 visitors boarded the bark in the
two months she was here. Capt. Ma
honey, a Nova Scotian. was a per-
sonal friend of the late Lieut.. Stew
art of the photographic bureau, who
died in this city a few days ago. He
was a man of intelligence and re-
/ finement and those who knew him
are unwilling to entertain the thought
of his implication in any shanghaing
scheme. If the boys are minors they
say, he did not know it: and surely,
they add. he did not HE them away.
The vessel was full-rigged one, and
presented a pretty scene in the harbor.
Many young men desired to make the
trip, among them a well-known attor-
ney. who builded in his mind castles
of rarest architecture, in which dwelt
visions of darkhaired damsels, with
damond-laden fingers. waiting long
ingly but for a spouse. while in the
courts round and about this atmos-
pheric structure were tropical trees
grooming from the weight of luscious
fruit, which fell in ones reach, even