The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-07-13
Negro Kills Twelve People with
Robbery as Motive
YOUNG WOMAN GETS AWAY
Woman and Child Are Among Victims
of McGiIFs Lust for Gold-It Is
Believed He Will Be Tor
tured to Death.

New Orleans, La. July 12.-One of the
most shocking stories of murder. with
robbery as the motive. in the annals Of
crime was brought TO this city today by
Capt. Hans Holm of the Norwegian fruit
er Bratten, which plies between New Or
sequently confirmed by the officers of
the fruit steamer Rosina, which came
in later In the evening with additional
details.
The little island of Utilla. lying off the
Honduran coast. and whose population
is an indiscrlminate mixture of whites,
of the tragedy In which twelve lives were
sacrificed. The captain of the little trad
ing schooner Olympia was about to
make a trip to Ruatan, Truxillo and
Belize She had about 400 soils and was
to buy cattle at Truxillo to sell at Be
lze. She carried a crew of four and
quite a number of passengers. making
the total list OF people aboard number
thirteen. Among these were two wo-
men and two children.
Shoots Them One at Time.
The vessel left the harbor of Utilla at
Ii o'clock Friday night, June oO, and
after she had been under way less than
an hour, everybody was aroused by a
shot, and rushing on deck found negro
armed with Winchester rifle, shooting
down the men one after another. This
negro was Robert McGill and as 1t af-
terwards developed. he had slowed him.
self away aboard with the intention of
robbing the captain and tnen swimming
ashore. After he had killed all but one
of tho men, he ordered the last survivor
to go below and scuttle the ship. When
the unfortunate reappeared on deck and
reoprted the negro shot him dead.
He then put the two women. Miss Elsie
Morgan and her sister, Mrs. Walter lose,
in the dory with Mrs. Roses six-weeks-
old infant and left the boat, steering
for the mainland. 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
overheard and started to swim back to
the island.
Kills Woman and Child.
He fired at her Intellectually, but his
ammunition evidently gave out, for ne
promised her immunity from narm she
would come back to the dory. She start
ed back, and when within oars length
I, har on, wi
stunning her. Believing she was dead.
he rowed away toward the mainland.
Miss Morgan swan back to the island,
where she was thrown on the beach by
the waves in an exhausted condition.
Sne feared that the negro would follow
her. so she hid in the bushes and for
two days suffered from the heat and
exposure, until found by woman from
her neighborhood and rescued from starv-
alton. In the meantime the dory
been washed ashore, and there was ex-
citement in the island, as it was D~.-eved
the Olympia had gone down with all
hands.
Negro Is Caught.
When Miss Morgan told her story an
immediate search was instituted for Nc
land were notified. iney caught him at
Ell Porvinir, a little town on the road
to Ceiba. and there was quite demon
stration. but he was protected. His life
was saved through the presence on the
coast of President Bonilla, who was on
an inspection tour. The Hondrran war;
ship Ia Tumbla. which has figureu in
SO 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 it is
firmly believed that he tortured
to death The laws of Honduras prohibit
the infiction of capital punishment. but
the people will take the case in their
own hands.
Miss Elsie Morgan, the only survivor
of the terrible experience. visited New
Orleans three years ago, and is a well
educated, refined young woman of 10