Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-01-02
DAILY KENNEBEC JOURNAL TUESDAY. JANUARY . 1872

our suspicious were directed toward
Brown, who was much changed and
morose and sullen. That morning we
placed him in irons and dashed him to
the mast
Then it was that the sensation
came. After we had handcuffed and
tied Brown securely to the mast he
spoke up: Now, boys, he said, L amt
afraid TO tell, for l look TO you for
protection. ! saw Bran kin the cap
tain. but ] was afraid TO tell beforev
We We're all startled, but did not
take any immediate action We talked
the whole matter over carefully and
finally came to the conclusion that
Brown couldn't have left the wheel
and committed the murders. for If he
did the sails would flap when the yes
sci changed Ter course. which she
would have to do every minute or two
and we would be all aroused by the
noise of the canvas and yards.
1T was then that we decided Bran
would know if any one other than
himself went below and two or three
days after the discovery of the muir
dered bodies we placed him in irons
and also dashed him to the mast. OF
course he protested his innocence, but
we We're a determined lot and took
charge of the vessel ourselves. trust
ing for the courts to find out which
Of the two, Bran or Brown. was
guilty
In discussing the trials of Bran, An
derson spoke freely of the testimony. of
some of the sailors called as experts by
the defence. ANY saiorman," he said,
who is at all familiar with sailing YES
sells knows fun well that a man at the
wheel could not leave his station with
the wind over his starboard quarter
~ ship running before that kind of a
wind is constantly lacking and if Brown
had left the wheel the connection would
soon make the fact known Any sailor
who will tell the truth will say the same
thing.
Another thing advanced as an alibi
for Bran was that Brown had access to
the cabin. None of the crew had ever
been in the cabin before the murders and
the decd was done with an ak that was
in sheath on the wall of pantry
None of us knew of the AK. and if
Brown could possibly have left the wheel
for a minute he would have had to
search around for that particular ak.
and, TO my way of thinking, murderers
don't so hunting for weapons with so
little time at their command
BRAN had been below and had the OPP
portunity of locating the fixtures on the
cabin. 1t was also significant that the
bloodstained ak was found by Bran in
the darkness of the night below a deck
plank near where he was standing just
after the discovery of the dead bodies.
Furthermore, Charley Brown said that
he saw Bran striking the captain with
what he at first thought was a roll of
charts. but which he afterward decided
must have been the long-handled ak,
and We all knew from experiment that
ii was perfectly possible for Brown to
have looked through the cabin window
from his place at the wheel, notwith-
standing what the witnesses for the de-
fence claimed.
And then the mate and cabin boy of
the schooner White Wings came to Bos-
ton TO testify. but were not allowed to do
so, of Bram's plan to kill the officers of
the vessel. Bran, it seems, was second
mate of the White Wings before he sail
ed on the Herbert Fuller and he conided
them by telling the officers themselves.
II don't know what has become of
Charley Brown or the rest of the crew,
but after l was bailed out / went to
school and studied physiology, anatomy
and massage, with a view of earning my
living by some other means than by fol-
lowing the sea.
Il had studied massaging in Sweden,
a -
some time in the Boston City hospital as
n rubber For. the past 10 years L have
been manager of the Butler Exercise
Club and dislike to have my part in the
Herbert Fuller murders refreshed, al
though at this time it would seem that
for public safety it is well that someone
familiar with the deeds recall the incl
dents to mind.
Il am opposed to capital punishment,
but I would surely oppose the granting
of a pardon to Mate Bran, for in my
opinion he is not safe man to have a
large"