Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-25
Grew D|SAbLES SHIP
Puts WindIaSS of American
Whaler Out of Order.
NOW IN BALTIMORE JAIL
Five Men Under Arrest and Two
Others Held as Witnesses.
BROUGHT HOME ON WARSHIPS
Sailors Have Signed Confessions.
Say They Were Treated Like
Dogs by Captain.
BROUGHT HOME ON wARSHIps

BALTIMORE. August 25-w Clark
Russelrs sea stories of mutiny and ro-
nance on the trackless ocean are re-
hected in the arrest of five young Ameri-
can sailors. who were taken from the
United States cruiser Iowa at $50 O'Clock
yesterday morning. of Solomons Island,
transferred to the United States revenue
cutter Apache, brought to Baltimore and
lodged in the city Jail to await trial be-
fore United States Commissioner Bond
on the charge of plundering and disabling
an American whaling schooner, hailing
from the port Of New Bedford. Mass.
The peculiar charge that the federal
government will prosecute against the
men is the first one Of it's nature In many
years, and the focts set forth in the dep
ositions taken before the American con-
su1ar agent at Horta, Fayal in the
Azores. recall the days of strife between
masters of sailing vessels and their
| crews.
i The men under arrest are
William r. Albert. New Bedford, Mass.
/ Charles Mitchell, Worcester. Mass.
Edward w. Lillya, Lowell, Mass.
i Charles Turner. Cambridge, Mass.
j George White. Somerville, Mass
| The other members of the crew of the
/ whaler. who gave the government evil
dence which will be used to convict the
/ five men named above, also were brought
to the city on the Apache and will be
held in Jail as important witnesses. They
are.
John w. Haddock. Fall River. Mass.
Jerry J. Mccarthy, Boston. Mass.
All Are Young Men.
The charge on which the FIVE men
will be tried is that Of disabling and
plundering the American whaling
schooner Pedro Varelo in midocean
The men are American citizens. all
under the age Of twenty-five years.
The youngest is mere boy. being near
case are in the hands Of District Attor-
ney John Philip Hill. Maj. Hill also
made an investigation as soon as he
came in contact with the accused men.
and from them he heard their story,
alleging that they had been mistreated
by the master of the schooner.
The whaler Pedro Varelo cleared
from New Bedford with Antonio c.
ICorvello her master commanding a
the number being Portuguese and Ital-
| ians. while the remainder were Ameri-
cans.
Nothing was heard from the schooner
until August IA, when Maj. Hill, United
States district attorney for the district
| of Maryland, was advised OF the al
| legged mutiny through the State De-
| pa rtment at Washington. In the mean
communications from NJ. Benarus.
American consular agent at Horta,
Fayal. Azores. For twenty-eight days
previous 10 the cablegrams sent the
State Department by the American con-
| sular agent the five Massachusetts
sailors had lain in the hold OF the oily
| whaler in irons and fed on three bis
cults and a pot OF water a day. II
| took the master Of the Pedro Varelo
| twenty-odd days to reach port after he
and his officers had discovered that the
| Americans had plundered the forward
deck of the schooner by throwing into
the ocean the implements necessary for
operating the windlass.
Windlass Is Disabled.
| Without the implements 1t was impos
| sible to lift the heads Of the captured
| sperm whales on board the ship for the
| cutting-up process, thereby causing a
| seasons loss to the owners and operators
Of the Whaler. The windlass. according
| to the confessions of the men, was dis
abled for the purpose of forcing the COM
mander of the vessel to put in at the
nearest port, but II was not for a month
that the captain put in at the Azores
| port. During this time the sailors lam
| guished in the chainhold of the whaler.
When the condition of affairs finally
came to light Consular Agent Benarus,
to whom Capt. Corvello appealed, COM
municated with the American consul at
st. Michaels, Azores, and the agent was
advised to notify the State Department.
The United States naval training
squadron, composed Of the cruisers IN
diana and Massachusetts and the bat
tleship Iowa, was homeward bound and
near the Azores, when the State Depart |
ment received the information of the
Aremicans' arrest and detention at Horta. |
Fayal Capt. George r. Clark. command |
ing the squadron, cabied Supt. J.
NJ Bower of the Naval Academy of |
distress I'll
ed instructions off Horta.
Capt. Clark was ordered to bring the |
men home on the war vessels.
Last week Maj. Hill received from
Washington Instructions to proceed TO
Soomons Island with the United States |
marshal and meet the squadron. The dis. |
| trict attorney Monday wired the Treas |
ury Department. asking that the Apache |
be placed at his disposal. and received an
answer granting the request.
The Squadron Arrives.
The squadron. Capt Clark commanding. |
arrived of Solomons Island at $40 o'clock |
Tuesday night. and Maj. Hill lost no time |
i'm getting into communication with the |
captain of the Iowa. Capt. Clark re-
ceived Maj. Hill, and produced the sealed |
dispositions, taken under oath at the pre-
liminary hearing held at Horta. Fayal. |
before the American consular agent. The |
tanned the written and signed testimony |
which will be used to convict the men. |
The documents formed a bulky pack |
age, and the confessions and report made |
by Consular Agent Benarus were written |
on long paper in a bold hand. The depo-
sitions, confessions and report of the |
ships log by the master were sworn TO |
by witnesses and stamped in the seal of |
the consular service. After examining
the papers, Maj Hill left the Iowa and |
returned to the Apache. Lieut.. Strom- |
berg of the Apache accompanied Maj |
Hill on board the Iowa. In the Baltimore
party on board the Apache were Commits |
sioner Bond and United States Marshal |
George w. Padgett. After a conference |
between Capt Clark, Commissioner Bond |
and Mai Hill, il was decided to have a |
preliminary hearing for the five prisoners
on board the Iowa. The men were taken |
aboard the Apache and brought to Bati- |
more arriving here at 10 O'Clock yester- |
day afternoon. |