The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-23
Two Lone Deserters From NAVY
Slay Captain of Vessel and
Stand Off Crew.
NERVE OF ONE PIRATE
FINALLY FAILS HIM
His Companion Believed to
Have Leaped Overheard
When Battle Was Lost.

S-h-' haNClSCO, Aug. 22,-With
her captain dead in his cabin and bring
Ing tale of piracy unparalleled in mod
ern seafarlng annals, the steamship
Buckman arrived In this port TODAY
George Washington Wise, one of a pair
OF buccaneers, who has been in irons
on board the vessel since has was can
tured early yesterday morning, has con.
fessed that he and his partner in crime,
French West, planned to murder the
officers and crew OF the steamship be-
fore Bleaching her on the coast near
Point Blance
One Pirate a Coward,
That his plan would have been car
ried out had it not been for the coward.
Ice OF Wise, is the belief of the officers
of the Buchanan. After holding shot
gun leveled at the quartermaster and
second mate for three hours, Wise de-
serted his post and seeing the futility
of trying to overcome the crew single.
handle. West is believed to have
jumped overheard. No one saw him
make the leap, however, and the ship
lying at her dock here will be thoroughly
searched in the hope that the murderer
of Captain Wood may still be on board.
Heavily armed and equipped with
cord to be used in tying up the Owl
watch, the two modern pirates invaded
the bridge at midnight, entered the
wheel house and compelled Second Off
Ger Frederick Plath and Quartermaster
Otto kohlmeister, who was at the wheel,
to hold up their hands.
Hard Fought Battle.
Then began n battle between two
heavily armed desperadoes on one side
and the officers and crew armed with
one revolver on the other When it
was over the captain was weltering in
his own blood in his cabin, the crew was
barricaded in the darkened engine room,
one robber was probably overheard and
the other was covering in his bunk.
Leaving the second officer and quarter
master in charge of Wise, after bind
ing Plath and instructing Ilohlmeister
to hold the vessels nose toward the
shore, West had demanded entrance to
the captain s cabin. What reply the
from the position of his body it is be-
lieved that he was reaching for his re-
volver when West fired through the
door and riddled him with buckshot
from the automatic shotgun which he
carried.
Desperate at the plight of the cap
tain, Platb strained at his bonds until
he reached the signal cord which in
formed the engine room that there was
fire on board. Chief Encineer John
Callfas ran to the bridge where he was
met with a command to hold up his
hands. He obeyed promptly, and joined
the lineup which now included two
thirds of the crew. West instructed
them to hold to the bridge rope which
was above their heads. Stepping up to
Calfas he told him that he intended to
kill him. Calfas jumped over the bridge
aft through the skylight into the gal
le-. West went in pursuit of the chief
engineer and the men whom he had
been guarding fled in all directions,
Crews Weapon Worthless.
At this iuncture Watchman Wilson
appeared on the scene with the only
snapped the weapon twice at Wise, but
it failed TO explode. This was enough,
however, for the weaker of the two
pirates and he fed only to meet his
partner. who at the point Of his shot
gun ordered him to cut the wireless con-
nections.
West now began shooting whenever a
head appeared. Finally n splash was
heard and on investigation no trace
of either robber could be found. Wise
was afterward discovered hiding in his
bunk
According TO Wise, he met French
West on board the training ship Pensa
cola They deserted the navy early this |
month and went to Seattle, When tbev
boarded the Buchanan they were well
supplied with arms and ropes with |
which to overcome and bind the officers |
and crow, After boarding the Buck
man, they planned to rob the .purser
and passengers aud TO make their way
with their booty to the shore in a small