Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-23
Steamship Buchanan in Port with
Dead Captain and Priv
ate in Irons
ROBBERS NERVE FAILS HIM
Officers Believe Failure of DeS-
peradoeS' Plan Due to the
CoWardiCe of Wise
ASSOCIATED Press)


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 22.-With
her captain dead in his cabin and
bearing a tale of piracy unparalleled in
modern seafaring 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 he was cap
tured early yesterday morning, made
a confession, which while lacking in
details shows that he and his partner
in crime, French West, planned to
murder the officers and crew of the
steamship before beaching her on the
coast near Point Blanco
That this plan would have been car
ried out had it not been for the
Cowardice of Wise is the belief Of the
officers of the Buchanan After hold
ing a shotgun leveed at the quarter
master and second mate for three
hours, Wise deserted his post at the
first sound of resistance. Seeing the
futility of trying to overcome the crew
single-handed, West is believed to have
jumped overheard. No one saw him do
so, however, and the ship lying at her
dock here, will be thoroughly searched
in the hope that the murderer Of Capt
Wood may still be on board.
BATTLE WITH OFFICERS
Heavily armed and equipped with
cords to be used in tying up the "owl
watch" the two modern pirates in
vaded the bridge at midnight entered
the wheel house and compelled Second
Officer Frederick Plath and Quarter
master Otto Kohlmaster, who was at
the wheel, to hold up their hands.
Then began battle between two
heavily armed desperadOes on one hand
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 overheard and
the other was covering in his bunk.
The only visible signs of the battle
besides the stark body of the vessel s
master and his ridded room was the
wheel Of the steamship, which had
been shot into bits by the murderous
leader of the pirates.
Leaving the second officer and quar-
termaster in charge of Wise after
binding Plath and instructing Kohl
master to hold the vessels nose to-
ward the shore, West demanded en-
trance to the cabin of the captain,
What reply the captain gave will never
be known, but from the position of his
body it is believed that he was reach
ing for his revolver when West fired
through the door and riddled him with
buckshot from the automatic shotgun
which he carried.
SIGNALS ENGINEER
Desperate at the plight of the cap
tain, Plath strained at his bonds until
he reached the signal cord which in
formed the engine room that there was
a fire on board.
Aroused by the alarm Chief Engineer
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 in
cluded two-thirds of the crew, West
instructed them to hold to the bridge
rope which was above their heads.
Stepping up TO Callfas, he told him that
he would shoot him as soon as he had
walked twelve PAGES away. Callfas
never waited for him to finish the
PAGES, but jumped over the bridge aft
through the skylight into the galley.
West went in pursuit of the chief en-
gineer, and the men whom he had
been guarding fled in all directions,
First officer r. G. Brennan entered the
cabin of the captain to obtain a gun
and West fired at him through the par
tition Of the chart house.
At this juncture WatChman Wilson
appeared on the scene with the only
revolver not in the captains cabin. He
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 70 meet his
partner, who at the point of his shot
gun ordered him to cut the wireless
connections.
WISE DESERTS PARTNER
After Wise refused to obey the order
to cut the wireless he threw both of
his revolvers back Of the wheel house
and went to bed.
Warned by the chief engineer, the
wireless operator had just thrust his
head from his door when he was or
dcred to close the door on penalty Of
being shot. This command was given
by West, who proceeded TO attempt to
cut the wireless, when he saw that his
faithless companion was too frightened
to obey his orders. on his return to
the Whcolhouse West was met by
Brennan. who fired several shots at
him, welding both shotgun and re
volver. West now commenced a fusi-
lade which almost destroyed the wheel
but did not add to the casualties. He
accompanied the yollcy with Vitupera-
tive threats against the lives of the
officers and crew.
With the lull that followed the final
shooting, a splash was heard, and on
no trace of either robber
could be found, The President was
signalod and stood by. A rife secured
from one of the passengers was given
to the watchman who stood guard until
daylight,
PULL ROBBER FROM BUNK
When Wise failed to appear for
breakfast he was pulled from his bunk,
and on being recognized by the quar-
termastcr as the man who had held
him up he confessed to his part in the
crime
A search of the passengers failed to
reveal West, and conviction grew that
he had jumped overheard when he
was deserted by his partner.
According to Wise, he met French
West, who was formerly second mate
an a Pacific coast steamer on board
the training ship Pensacola. They de
serted the navy early this month and
came to this city. Then they went to
Portland on the Beaver, and from there
to Seattle, where they stayed at the
Hotel Reynolds. Wise claims that he
knew nothing Of the plan to hold up
the Buckman until he was on board
that vessel. He said that his COM
panion came aboard well supplied with
arms and ropes with which to over
come and bind the officers and crew.
After beaching the Buchanan they
,1a,,yr1 10 r.ob the puTSer and DaSSpu-