The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-10-23
ShipIoad Of Religious Fanatics
All III Of SCurvy
SEVEN DIED ON LONG TRIP
From Coast Of Africa--Sandford Leader
of the Sect, Arrested and Locked
Up in a Civil Suit-Story of
Many Hardships,

Portland, Me-, Oct. 23.--The Rev.
Frank w Sandford, leader of the Holy
Ghost and Us sect, was arrested here
Saturday afternoon on a civil writ all
leging $4,000 damages and is now il.
the Cumbeland county Jail, unable to
get $4,000 bail asked for his delivery.
Sandford's yacht Coronet, which has
been reported several times in the past
few months along the southern Atlantic
coast as begging provisions from passing
steamers, is in port, sea-fouled and al
most dismantled hulk
Aboard the Coronet are fifty-four of
the flock, men, women and children, all
emaciated and weak and some near
death with scuryy.
In this little 70foot yacht these fifty.
five human beings, including Sanford
and his wife and five children, have been
huddled for six months, through storms
and all kinds of ocean hardships All
the way from the western coast OF Africa
they came, There to the thirty already
on the yacht, thirty-three survivors from
the wrecked Holy Ghost barkentine
Kingdom were added. Seven died on
the way home and were buried at sea,
six men and two year-od child This
left aboard the Coronet when she finally.
made port Saturday thirty-one women
and children and twenty-four men. Two
Of the men, John Cummings OF Canada
and John Bolster OF Aroostook county,
in this state, are so far gone with scurvy
that they are mere skeletons, and they
have been taken to the Marine hospital
The Coronet crept into port at day
light Saturday morning under two storm
trysails. Every other sail on her :as
been torn to ribbons by the terrific gales
she has encountered Her hull is crusted
with barnaeles and foul with seaweed
Her entire party of men, women ana
children have taken turns az the pumps
in three watch relays for many days,
expecting each day that they would
90 to the bottom.
Huge waves finally smashed their life
boats to kiudling in storm off Sable
island three weeks ago, destroying their
only means of escape If the water
should gain too fast for the pumps.
To add to their hardships their food
NhlliilitE AhNN piAA anu DtiiN AAAI NHRAAAN
appearance Of passing vessels saved
them. Even In this dilemma, trusting
in the Lord and refusing all aid as is
their custom. they sailed on until they
had lost both their topmasts and all
their sails. Under jury rig, with the
water gaining and the cabins flooded,
they came up the coast.
The Coronet has not seen port since
June 27, when she sailed from Annse
D'Hanult, port of Hayti. She was
then two months ont from Africa
When she came into port SATURDAY
morning she flew the yellow flag of
quarantine an she was Immediately
boarded by the port officials, who found
sanitary conditions almost intolerable,
In command of the Cornet is Capt.
Everett knight, only "a years old. lie
refused to answer a question further
than those absolutely required by the
port officers, and all the crew main
tanned their customary silence.
II was found that the seven people
who had died were: Ralph Merrill, aged
80, a missionary; Alden Day, go, a cook;
Benjamin Cook, 90, taxidermist and
native OF England; George Hueghey, 46i
Charles Hueghey, 80, and Stewart Wolf,
"a, seamen, and Jalez Sellick, aged two,
son of the second officer, Charles A. Sell
lick. No record of the mems original
residences was kept.
The civil writ on which Sanford was
arrested Saturday night by Deputy
Sheriff Arthur NJ. Pickett was issued
by Judge George f. Bird of the supreme
court on complaint of Mrs Florence n.
Whitaker Of this city, former mem
Der Of the Holy Ghost colony, who asks
$1,000 damages for alleged detention
aboard the bsrkentine Kingdom for six
months from December, 1909, to June
1910. when she was taken off on a writ
Of habeas corpus. The writ is return.
able at the January term or the supreme
court.
Comedian & Comedian, attorneys for
Mrs. Whitaker, say they will also bring
suits for her four minor children, who
were on board the Kingdom with their
mother. The father, the Rev. A. A.
Whitaker, is still with Sanford. hay
ing refused to leave when his wife was
taken away.