The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-19
OLSEN PUT ON TRIAL
EVIDENCE TAKEN IN THE CASES
AGAINST ALLEGED "CRIMPERS."
VICTIMS WERE NOT PUT UP.
LITTLE EVIDENCE THAT THE MEN
WERE FORCIBLY EMBARKED.

OF the Eight Negroes Put Aboard
the Alice, and of Whom Olsen and
johnson Were Accused of ShanG-
haiinG, None Were Put on the Wit
ness Stand-AH of the. Evidence
Introduced Went to Show That
the Only Objections the Men Of
fered Was to the Rig of the Ship
on Which They Were to Ship-It
Was Bark and They Thought 1t
Was to BE a Schooner.
Harry Olsen and Jack Johnson were
arraigned before United States Com
missioner Hewlett yesterday afternoon
on the charges of shanghaiing, prefer
red against them some time ago. After
the hearing the commissioner reserved
his decision.
The witnesses in the cases against
Olsen and Johnson were eight negroes,
claimed to have been placed on board
| the tug McCau1ey some months ago
and carried down the river to Sapelo.
| where the Russian bark Alice was an
chOred, and were forced to go aboard
at the point of a pistol. None of the
eight negroes, whose names are Moses
| SmalIwood, John Porter, Joe Easterlin,
Jesse Hall, William Jones, James Gill
lard, Ben Manigault and Benty Wash
| ingtOn, were put on the stand, and
| there was no testimony introduced to
show that any of the negroes had been
| taken aboard the bark against their
will, or that they had been carried
aboard in a drunken condition.
| Capt. Browns Testimony.
The first witness put on the stand
was Capt. John Browne of the tug
McCauley. Capt. Browne said that he
carried eight negroes down the river
| to Sapelo and transferred them to the
| bark Alice. They seemed to be in
| perfectly sober condition. The ar
rangements for the transportation of
the negroes was made with Capt.
! Browne by Capt. Avery, the price paid
| for their transportation being $40. The
money was paid to him by Harry Oh
sen. Capt. Browne was in the pilot
house of the tug going down the river,
but did not notice that any of the men
| were drunk. When they drew along
| side the bark some of the men objected
| to going aboard, as they said they
! thought they were going to ship on
schooner for New York. Olsen and
Johnson got aboard the bark and told
the men to come on, that the boat was
alright. Capt. Browne said he was
bound for Brunswick, and did not want
| to carry the eight men with him, and
| he told them to get off. They did so
| after a short while. There were no
threats or intimidation on the part of
| Olsen, Johnson or any of the officers of
the bark, he said,
Heard No Complaints.
Capt. Browne returned from Bruins
wick a few days later and again tied
up by the side of the bark. intending
to tow her out to sea. but found that
| this could not be done until the fol-
lowing day. so he lay alongside the
bark all night. During that time he
| heard no complaints from any of the
men on board, though he was in speak
| ing distance. They all seemed to be
cheerful, and none of them asked to
be brought back to Savannah.
Gus Anderson, who was mate on the
| McCauley at the time the men were
carried down and put on board the
! Alice, said that he remembered the
| time the men in question were carried
and put on board the Alice. None of
| them were drunk or drinking, though
| Olsen had a jug of whisky, which he
said he had for his own use. The only
| going aboard the Alice was the rig of
| the vessel They seemed to be under
| the impression that they were to board
a schooner for New York. He said
there were no firearms displayed by
any one, nor threats used to get the
| men to board the bark.
| Two negroes were introduced to tes-
tify that they had seen Olsen buying
clothing for the eight negroes at KEEL
ly's. They said they did not know
whether the men were drinking or not.
Obsen's Statement.
Olsen was put on the stand and said
that he had received $40 for each man
that he had furnished to the captain
of the bark, and had paid $40 of this
| amount to the captain of the tug for
| transportation, and had furnished the
men with oil skin clothing. He said
he did not give them whisky or force
them in any way to go aboard the tug
or to leave the tug and go aboard the
| bark.
Assistant District Attorney Leaken
did not put up any of the eight wit
| nesses they being the men who were
| shipped to Bristol, England, and at the
| conclusion of Olsens testimony the
case was argued before the commits
sioner by Col. Robert Colding for the
defense, and Assistant District Attor-
ney Leaken for the prosecution.
Commissioner Hewlett stated that in
view of some technicalities bearing on
the case, and the gravity of the de-
| cision which would, in a measure, set
a precedent, he would reserve his de-
cision. .,,,sswsess
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