Evening star., 1911-10-22
Holy Gh0sters Suffer Terrible
HardshipS at Sea.
SEVEN DIE FROM SCURVY
The Coronet, Disabled, Forced to
Anchor at Portland, Me.
LEADER OF SECT Is ARRESTED
Woman Charges She Was Illegally
Kept Aboard One of the
Society's Fleet.

SoCleCy fleeC.
|. PORTLAND. Me. October c1.-As the
climax to months of hardships during
which he and his little band of followers
| had suffered from hunger and thirst as
their yacht Coronet was buffeted about
by sea and wind, the Rev Frank w
Sanford, leader of the Holy Ghost and
Us Society of Shiloh, was brought to this
city tonight in charge of county officers
His arrest was made on writ in
civil suit brought by Mrs. Florence \.
Whitaker wife of one of the Holy Ghost
and Us leaders, who alleges that she was
Illegally detained aboard the Kingdom,
formerly one of the Sanford fleet She
was released on habeas corpus proceed
ings in June. 1910, and since then the
authorities have been awaiting the ap-
pearance of Sandford within this jurisdic-
tion to arrest him. Today was his first
appearance and then it was not in ac-
cordance with his plans or will.
When Sandford was brought ashore
from the Coronet. which swings at an
chor off the quarantine station, wrecked
and disabled craft, he was accompanied
by the husband of the woman at whose
inStigation he was arrested, the Rev. A.
a. Whitaker. The latter wished to as
sist in arranging bail for his leader.
Damages in the suit brought by Mrs.
Whitaker are set at 5000, and the au-
thorities demanded $4,000 bonds for their
prisoner. Originally there were five suits
for 10000 each, brought in the names of
Mrs. Whitaker and her four children,
but recently it was decided to drop the
childrens actions and seek only nominal
damages.
Two Taken to Hospital.
Tonight two men were brought ashore
from the Coronet by the health authori-
ties and placed in a local hospital, both
suffering from scurvy. Seven others, six
men and one child, died with the same
disease, and were buried at sea during
the last few months, according to state
ments made by members of the crew.
Many others have had touches of the
scurvy. The men taken to the hospital to-
night were John Cummings, a sailor.
whose home is in Canada, and John Boil
ster of Maine, for several years past
missionary to Africa. Both are in seri-
Gus condition.
Capt. Everett Knight and several men,
bers of the crew of the Coronet came
ashore after the quarantine was removed,
the former to telephone to Shiloh for a
new crew to take charge of the yacht
and relieve the worn-out sailors.
Not a sail of her original suit of can
vas was left whole and there was a
foot of water in the cabin when the Cor
onet entered the harbor and dropped
anchor today. Her flying jibboom. both
her jbs and foresal were carried away
in recent storms and her mainsail was
split to ribbons. The pumps were be-
ing worked continually.
No Fresh Meat for Days.
In the vessels larder. there was not a
loaf of bread and no fresh meat had
passed the lips of any of the religious
seafarers for many days. So exhausted
and weakened We're the crew and pas
sengers that it is doubtful if they could
have kept their craft afoat for many
days.
For fcur months the Coronet had strug-
gled against the elements as she beat her
way up the coast, but never once did her
commander ask aid his only requests
from passing vessels being for food Tor
the crew and passengers.
The COronet has been at sea since June
II, when she sailed from Haitian port
and was last reported September II when
she was sighted by the steamer Lapland
flying signals which indicated that she
was short of provisions. The Lapland
sent relief and then proceeded. At that
time the Coronet was off Cape Sable. For
the last week the stanch craft has been
beating her way along the coast, her
crew despairing her alb lity to reach port.
On board were fifty-five people, includ-
ing the Rev. Sanford and his wife and
five children. Besides the thirty-one
survivors of the wreck of the barkentine
Kingdom, which was wrecked on the
coast of Africa some time ago. there
were twenty-fOur persons who were on
the Coronet when she left Maine waters.
The party included eleven children, rang
ing in age from four to sirteen years. and
just nineteen able-bod men.
At Pumps Seven Days.
Worn by the terrible hardships of
months at sea. half starved and with
faces emaciated. it was a ghastly look
ing company of seafarers which con-
fronted the boarding party at quarantine.
For seven days the men and women had
been working necessarily at the pumps, in
| reliefs of three watches, and this terri
bic labor in their weakened condition had
reduced even the strongest men to mere
skeletons.
While they worked at the pumps men
and women prayed incessantly. In the
storm every small boat was smashed to
kindling wood, and if the yacht had
foundered the Shiohites would all have
perished without a chance to save them
selves other than by clinging to broken
spars and wreckage.
The Coronet. which more than twenty
years ago defeated the schooner Daunt-
| less in a race from Sandy Hook to
! Queenstown, has been battered by many
| distant seas since she left Portland in
| 1910. When asked where she had been
the sailing master. H. r. Witham, replied
| Everywhere" He said later that they
had been to the Holy Land, but had spent
| much time in the tropics, spreading the
| faith of their sect.
! Released on Bail.
| MIR. Sandford was released from custody
shortly before midnight the necessary
bonds, having been furnished by Samuel
| Sylvester and William s Wakeman.
| ,aaxx,bare Of tho SapIfOrd Marty are