Evening star., 1909-05-06
IN VENEZUELAN JAIL
Escaped Prisoner Gives News
of Crew of American Whaler.
MISSING FOR FIVE YEARS
Ship Seized in Port by Castro
Thought Lost at Sea.
NAMES OF SAILORS GIVEN
Provincetown Finds They Are Cor
rect and Credits Story-St. Vim
cent Authorities Investigate.
MISSING FOR FIVE YEARS
NAMES OF SAILORS GIVEN

JAMESTOWN. st. Vincent, B. w. l.,
May Capt. Collin Stephenson and
the crew of the American whaling ship
Kerry ID. Knowles, long since thought
10 have been lost at sea. may still be
alive in Venezuelan prison.
An American seaman. who gives the
name of Payne, an escaped prisoner
from Venezuela has made his way to
kingstown, where he laid before the
authorities an astounding story of the
seizure OF the Kerry ID. knowles at a
Venezuelan port, where she arrived five
years ago in distress. and the incarcer-
alton by the Venezuelans Of the cap
tain and his men.
So convinced are the authorities here
that there is truth in Payne's story
that they have taken down his full
statement and have already taken
steps looking to a speedy and thorough
investigation of the case.
Grew ALI in Jail.
January -, 1904. the Kerry ID. Knowles
sailed from Proyincetown. Mass, on a
whaling voyage. Her captain was Collin
Stephenson and her first mate, II. \.
Martin.
These are the names given by Payne
TO the authorities here, and as far as he
could remember the names of the men,
bers of the crew were Wallace, Warner,
Robertson. HAZEL. Sam. Davis, Pierre,
Grant, Lewis and John.
Payne asserts positively that all of these
men are now confined in a Venezuelan
prison.
The vessel was supposed to have been
lost in a West Indian storm with all
hands. Some of the men belonged in st.
Vincent. and after all hope of their re-
turn was given up, their relatives put on
mourning and the local insurance COM
pany eventually paid the claims against
il. on the assumption that the sailors
were dead
Payne declares that the whaer was dis
abIed in d storm off the Venezuelan coast
and made port i'm distress This was five
years ago, but the exact date he could
not remember.
Ship and Crew Seized.
She was at once seized and the captain
and crew were made prisoners and thrown
into Jail. He says that all the men are
alive, but are still closely confined
The details of Payne's escape from
prison are not known as the police have
him in charge and will detain him until
the investigator of the authorities estab-
fishes the truth or falsity OF his asser-
tions. 1t is possible, however, that he is
one of the score or more of prisoners who
escaped from the penitentiary at Mara
caibo about two weeks ago.
Some of these men succeeded in making
their way into Columbia. From that
country it would not be difficult to reach
st. Vincent.
Payne's story caused great excitement,
not only because of the seriousness of the
charges against the Venezuelan authori-
ties. but because 1t added another TO the
many tales which have reached st. Vim
cent concerning the high-handed methods
adopted by the VeneZuelans under the ad-
ministration of President Castro
Gives Nine Names Correctly.
PROVINCETOWN, Mass, May c.
Nine OF the names given by the fugitive
at Kingstown correspond with those of
the crew of the long-mssing whaler,
Kerry d. Knowles. indicating that there
is truth in the story of their Incarceration
in a Venezuelan prison.
Payne, who tells the story, may be
Elisha Payne, seaman of Provincetown,
who disappeared from this port previous
to or about the time of the sailing of
the knowles. So far as known here Payne
was not member of the crew when she
sailed.
The crew consisted of the following
when the vessel left Provincetown:
Captain. Collin Stephenson; first mate
H. A. Martin; cabin boy. Charles A. Mar
tin, son of the mate. all of Provincetown
second mate. Charles a. Marselean; boat
steerer. Robert c.. Robson; steward
James l.. Hazel; mate aloft, Percy A
Warner, all of New Bedford; seamen, J.
Sam. Thomas Pierre. Joseph Grant. Ar
thur Lewis, Adolphus Jon, Thomas Ferry
all of the West Indies.
Capt. Stephenson was a native Of Do
minica. West Indies. Martins wife was
Provincetown girl and she still lives
here. She has five children. Mrs
Stephenson also lived in Provincetown
but died some time ago.
Sailed on Whaling Trip.
The schooner was built at Essex. Mass,
especially for the whaling trade, and was
owned by George o. Knowles of Prov
incetown. Mr.. Knowles died last winter
She left here on January ~. 1904, with
the intention of going on a protracted
whaling cruise in the Caribbean sea, and
later returned north to hunt whales of
Hatteras.
Capt. Stephenson had planned to call
at MS native island and add to his crew.
His voyage would have taken him In
waters of the coast of Venezuela
Nothing was heard of the Knowles
after she sailed. and 1t was supposed
that she was lost In heavy storm which
swept the Atlantic within short time
after her departure. fishing schooner
reported at the time that whaler max.
ing heavy weather had been sighted on
the Georges during a big blow
A week or two afterward the steamer
Lancas;rian, bound from London to Bos
ton. reported that she passed a fishing
schooner bottom up northeast Of Cape
Cod. In some quarters here the theory
was held that this derelict was the
knowles, but no definite proof was evel
found.
The Kerry d. Knowles was a stanchl,
built craft of about 100 tons She was
regarded as good sea boat, and hei
construction was such that she was ex.
pected to safely pass through encounter.
with all SORTS of weather.
No Record in State Department.
Interest is manifested in Washington to
day. particularly at the State Department
In press dispatches from Kingston, B. w
J., reporting that the crew OF the Amer
lean whaling ship Kerry D. Knowles, sup