Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-09
Did Not Abduct Girl
from San Diego
Home
Declares Conspirators
Stole His
Ship
Man Who Was Marooned on Island
Sends Statement to The Herald.
Clears Up the Dora Bennis
Mystery

During the past summer young
woman, Dora Bennis, daughter Of
Marco Dennis of San Diego. left her
home for voyage with the Rover,
small fishing and pearl boat of the
Lower California coast.
When the girl did not come back her
father Marco Bennis, alleged she hal
been kidnapped by Capt Hall of the
pearl ship and began to search for her
Later Capt. Hall was found marooned
on a small island and his boat gone.
Since that time special commission
ers'' have been in southern waters like
schools of porpoises. Former engineers
OF fishing smacks have been turned into
captains or something or other. Special
commissioners have had first deputy
special commissioners and they have
had assistant deputy special bilge COM
missioners. Whether these special COM
missioners have yet found out and hur-
ried to a long-greased wire the fact
that Lower California is still where it
used to be or whether or not they have
been capturing the Rover and the
young woman, Dora Bennis, no one has
yet learned.
Al least Hall thinks that he has one
side of the Dora Bennis story to tell
p" Hall is not The Heralds special COM
missioner. He is simply an old seafarer
who has become mixed up in a peculiar
case, and here is his story, which he
did not telegraph from Ensenada to
San Diego, thence by messenger to the
wireless telegraph office, then by stenog-
rapher to someone else and then to The
Herald. He wrote his statement on
white paper and mailed It,
In it the old man tells a story that
would make thrilling reading If a Ste
venson or Russell managed to get hold
of it, but there are no Stevensons in
southern waters. Here is the old mans
story, told as he learned it through the
hard knocks bestowed upon him and
through experiences which man rarely
ever lives to tell of:
Captain Halls Story
ENSENADA, Jan. 5.-[Edtor Los An
geles Herald: Trusting that the man
agement of The Herald is at present as
conservative and clean as it was during
the many years that l have known 1t,
and personally being well acquainted
with the president of your company, 1
feel that 1 will receive fair showing
al your hands.
After the earthquake l made my way
to Eureka, where 1 unfortunately made
the acquaintance of John Leslie, alias
Warnell, who afterward confessed TO
me that he deliberately killed his part.
near to avoid paying his debt to him.
In our approach to Catalina island we
anchored at the isthmus when this man
for the first and only time prepared our
food and placed a portion on my plate
for me and apologized for so doing. In
less than fifteen minutes after eating
the same was taken violently i'll. For
nearly two months / was 50 i'll that I
could not keep anything on my stomach.
A Mr.. Wilson at the isthmus and Mr.. and
Mrs Parker of Avalon can corroborate
my being sick and their telling me 1t
must be ptomaine poison.
If so, why did not Leslie, alias War
nell, also get sick? While convalesc-
ing there one day appeared an open
gasoline launch with this man Hover
ton, his wife and another couple who
represented themselves as man and
wife.
1t came on to blow. I took them on
board, kept them in food for four days,
as they had none, then gave them
three days food to take them back TO
San Pedro.
Tells of Dennis Girl
Two days after their departure at
il u. M, L nearu voices on ueck ana
going up, to my surprise, here was
James Howerton and his wife talking
to Leslie. They came, so they said, TO
work with me, as times were dull in
San Pedro. l told them that / did not
want any women around me and that
the vessel was no place for woman.
But Madam Emma pleaded so well that
took them as l needed an engineer on
the passage to San Diego where
must touch for mail. This woman in
formed me that IL did not get wo-
man companion for her she and her
husband would leave me there. l did
net want any one around but when
she proffered to stand half the expense,
why l gave in rather than lose my
engineer, for what was only to be a
trip of not more than thirty days.
Going ashore we hunted the intelli-
aence offices for two days and were
just going to leave for the vessel-I
jubilant that we had not found any
other female-when the office man
said he knew of girl who would go.
Being taken there and introduced to
the girl told her she could go, but she
must tell her folks she was leaving.
oh it's my papa's house." she said.
"Call him." said l.
After some talk he said she could go.
How old is this girl?" 1 asked.
about fourteen"
Just then he excused himself for a
minute fhen the girl remarked PA
pas bug house. / am past sixteen; he
don't want my sweetheart to know II
for fear that he will marry me-"
on the return of this father l told