Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-25
Capt. Crichton of the Tus-
cany Dies With a Smile.
AND NOBODY UNDERSTANDS
Never Was q Merrier or an Adler
Mariner Than He.
THEN SUDDENLY HE CHANGED
Gets Letters as His Ship Steams
Into New York Harbor-Reads
Them and Shoots Himself.

NEW YORK. July 24.--Stinton. first
officer OF the British tramp steamship
Tuscany. megaphoned from the bridge tn
the steward this morning. when the
Tuscany was approaching her pier at tn.
foot of Green street, Greenpoint-
Thompson" said the first officer. ''te,,
the skipper we're of shore ana ask him
II he'll take charge"
The steward was gone five minutes.
He returned to the deck with his eyes
wild and his hands shaking. He slut
tered when he spoke.
Hes d-d-dead, SIR" Thompson called
to the bridge.
Stinton turned the ship over to Second
Omcer JAMES Wilson and fairly ran
down the captains cabin. a scared cabin
boy at his heels. The door was open
as the steward had left It.
Dead and Smiling.
Capt. James Crichton lay in his berth
on his back with his right arm thrown
over his face. his lips parted In q smile.
His left hand dropped to the floor. A re-
volver had fallen from the relaxed fingers
and lay in the center Of q red stain.
Capt Crichton had made his last port.
The cabin boy fed to the focs'le with
his news. The sailors gaped and stared
order. Not until the Tuscany had been
laid in to the slip with her cargo Of
dye-woods, an ambulance surgeon had
| examined the captains body and the
coroner had come and gone. did the first
officer have time to tell the little that
he knew.
why he did it, said Stinton. ''no-
| body on this ship can tell. When we
left Puerto Borghie thirty days ago. the
skipper was as merry man as you'd
| want to see. Brimful Of Jokes and al
ways laughing. he was. He never drank
a drop and was as keen a navigator as
ever laid a course.
Bad News; But Where 'FRONT.'
well, sir. 1t may have been ten days
ago that q queer change came over
Capt. Crichton. We didn't have any
more Jokes at mess. and he showed q
face as long and glum as a hard-sheli
Baptist's. Now and then. when he came
on the bridge, he would grunt out his
orders with a frown. but he stayed below
most of the time. He looked like a
man that was worrying terribly over
| bad news. but he could not have got any
| bad news after we left Puerto Borghie.
and he was cheerful enough the first
part of the time. 1t made me feel bad
myself, and I asked him one day II he
| was sick.
| Il amt feeling just right. Mr.. Sttn-
ton" says he, and passes his hand over
his eyes.
Whatever it was, he did not take It
out on the officers and nen-Capt Crich-
ton was not that kind-but just with
drew into himself. Early this morning
| a tug came alongside Of us In the lower
bay and handed up some letters for the
captain. don't know what was in
them.
Makes His Last Port.
Tie took the ship part way UP the
harbor, but went to his cabin Just be-
fore we passed the Statue of Liberty.
and we never saw him again alive. One
of the men thought he heard a pistol
| shot as he passed the captains quarters
but there were so many sounds going at
that hour that he thought nothing OF II.
Naturally when we drew up to the dock.
sent word to the captain. 1t was his
business to put the ship In dock
James Crichton was thirty-eight years
old, a Scotchman by birth. He had fol-
lowed the sea for twenty years and had
held a masters certificate for seven or
eight.
BY permission of the coroner the body
was taken from the steamship to an
undertaking establishment in Greenpoint.
where il will be held to await the orders
of the British consul, who was requested
today to communicate with Capt. erich
tons friends or relatives.