Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-07-06
negro MUIINEER
TO hang TODAY
Fms, q Three 10 Pay Death
Penalty for Deep Sea
Cnmes.
READS LIKE FICTION
Story a How Seamen Musned
and Murdered The -Hany
Berwinds" O&cers.

Wilmington. y. G. July s.-This Il
ths date ses for the execution of Hen.
~ scoss. the first Of the three negro
muiineers 10 pay The death penalty
Tor the bloody crimes enacted on the
schooner Harry A. Berwind o. her
voyage from Mobile 20 this city last
October Scott's accmmplices. Robert
Sawyer and Arthur Adams. are under
sentence 10 be hanged here next
month and with their execution The
last survivor of the Inflated ship Will
disappear
Rsads like Fiction
II wa on Octobes IL last that the
fourmssted schooner Harry A. Ber.
wind, her deck ana cabin splotched
with blood. was toWed Into Southport
By Wilmington tugs. Aboard ! prise
crew Of the New York schooner Blar.
ere \. King. n charge of the three
shackted and covering negroes Who
were charged with having mutinied
and killed IN cold blood the captain,
mate and q fellow shipmaie.
The story IN detail Is bloccy am.
terrible one. SURPRISING almost the
imagination of writer's Of the most
lurid tales OF the sea. Sawyer and
Adams were tried jointly and convict.
I'd largely on the testimony Of Scott
who took the stand against them.
Scott told the story of the voyage OF
the Berwind. from the time she left
Philadelphia IN July. With the same
crew On board as at the time 81 the
mutiny, going TO Cardenas. Cuba. and
then 70 Mobile. Soon after leaving
Philsdelphis he said there was tunhls
with the food. which continued iii
through the voyage. becoming worse
after the vessel LETT Cardsnas for Mo.
bile. The members or the crew were
Captain Edwin b. Runill. whose home
was In Maine: John Hall. mate;
Smith, engineer: Folby, cook: John
5. conley. negro seaman; all of
whom were murdered, and the three
negroes Adams. Sawyer and Scott.
They Bought Revolvers
al Mobile, Scott said, an of the
crew went ashore. and Adams, Coax
ley and Sawyer bourht revolvers III d
pawn shop. telling him. Scott, that
they were going to "nx- the officers
OF the schooner II they had any more
trouble. Coming up 10 the story of
the tragedy. Scott said:
On Friday night, Oct. 6. on the
Florida straits. storm struck Us and
carried away our foretopsail. Tho
sass time saw Capt. Runill was on
monday night at s o'clock. On Tues.
day morning Sawyer was on the look.
out and Adams at the wheel
About $50 o'clock the whistle
blew and went TO the cook to get
the coffee pot Hall. the mate, was
sitting there drinking coffee and the
steward was in the galley. ! took the
coffee pot and went to the forecastle.
When ] went IN Adams was lying
down on bench and Sawyer was sit.
ting BY table reading. went AFT
on the wheel to relieve Coakley. and
he said he was going forward to give
the cook HI. In I few minutes I
saw Coakley come back and he and
the steward had some words and thea
he grabbed the steward. ! saw Hall,
the mate. coming and coakley turned
the cook loose and grabbed Hall and
shot him three times Sawyer ran up
and grabbed the steward.
When heard II ] ran on the star-j
board side, and Oakley had the mate.
throwing him OVERHEARD. Sawyer fired
two shots into the steward. uring the
time Adams Vas wrestling with the
engineer, and when Coakley and Saw.
yar had thrown the mate and cook
overheard they came to Adams assist.
ance and each Of them fired two shots
into the engineer. Then they threw
him overheard.
After supper, Sawyer said. We viii
take the water tank and put It IA the
big boat ana let It 30 adrift. AMI
when We are near land with the yes
sci We will sater-log her Then we8
could say that there were eight of us
n the small boat and she capsized
and swamped. and We swan back to-
the vessel. | opposed the plan and
they al jumped on me. knocked me
down and tied me with chains. In
trying 10 relase myself shot snd XIII
"a Coakley. Adams and sawyer over
powered me and tied me again. Then
they hcisted the distress signal, That
night the shocner King took u or
and put " n chains.'