The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-07-21
TWELVE KILLED.
Wholesale Murder by a Negro on
Schooner Olympia.
ONE WOMAN ESCAPED
Miss Elsie Morgan, After Being Shot and
Beaten, Jumps Overheard and Swlms
to the Shore. The Murderer
Captured and lie May Be
Lynched by Crowd.

One Of the most shocking stories Of
murder with r, bbery as motive In
the annals Of crime was brought to
New Orleans Wednesday by Capt.
Hans Holm Of the Norwegian fruiter
Bratten, which plies between New
Orleans and Honduranean ports. 1t
was subsequently confirmed by the
which came In later In the evening
with additional details.
The little island OF Utilla, lying Off
the Honduranean coast, whose popu
lation Is an indiscriminate mixture of
white, Caymanites and Carlbs, was
the scene Of the tragedy in which 12
lives were sacrificed. The captain of
the little trading schooner Olympia
was about to make trip to Ruatan,
Truxillo and Belize. She had about
81 400 to buy cattle at TruxillO
to sell at Belize. She carried crew
Of four and quite number of passen.
gers, making tie total list of people
aboard number 13. Among these
we're two women and two children.
The vessel left tbs harbOr Of Utilla
at IL O'Clock Friday night, juno 80,
and after she had been under way less
than an hour everybody was aroused
by shot and rushing on deck found
a negro armed with Winchester rifle
shooting down the men, one after an.
other. This negro was Robert Nc
Gill ard as 1T afterwards developed,
he had slowed himself away aboard
with the intention Of robbing the
captain and then swimming ashore.
After he had killed all Tut one of
| them he ordered the last survivor to
go below and scuttle the ship. When
the unfortunate reappeared on deck
and reported, the negro shot him to
death.
He then put the two women, ISIS
Elsie Morgan and her sister, Mrs
Walter Rose, in the dorys with the
ishiss. Rose S six geai SID nss.at ssltssii
left the boat, steering for the main
land. He changed his mind about
allowing the women to live and killed
Mrs. Rose and her infant. Then he
began shooting at Miss Morgan and
wounded her in the arm. She jump.
ed overheard and started to swim
back to the island. He fired at her
Intellectually, but his ammunition evil
IDENTIFY gave out, for he promised her
immunity from harm If she would
come back to the dory. She started
back and when within oars length he
struck her on the head with an oar
stunning her. Believing she was dead
he rowed away towards the NAM
land
| Miop Morro, eno ~ l,ooI, 20 tho 4,
land, where she was thrown on the
beach by the waves In IAN exhausted
condition. She feared that the negro
would follow her, SO she hid in the
bushes and for two days she suffered
from the heat and exposure, until
found by a woman from her nclghbOr-
hood and rescued from starvation. In
the meantime the dory had been
washed ashore and there was excite.
ment on the island. as 1t was believed
| the Olympia had gone down with all
hands. When Miss Morgan told her
story an imme diate search was insti
tuted for McGill and the authorities
on the mainland were notified.
They caught him at El P.rtvinir, a
little town on the road to Ceiba, and
there was quite demonstration, but
he was protected. His life was saved
through the presence on the coast OF
President Bonilla, who was on an In.
spectlon tour. The Honduranean
warship ia Tumba, which has figured
In 80 many revolutions, was brought
into service and the murderer placed
aboard and sent back to the island
UP to last Sunday he was still alive
though 1t Is firmly believed that he
Will be tortured to death The laws
OF Honduras prohibit capital punish
ment, but the people will take the
case Into their own hands. Miss ELSIE
Morgan, the only survivor Of the ter
rlble experience, visited New Orlean,
three years ago and isa we'll educated
refined young woman OF 25 years.