The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1914-10-22

I broke down the door.
AZ the main cabin was dark saw no
one and could not tell where the cry
came from. | ran into Mr.. Wallis cabin,
next the storeroom. and called him. His
door was standing open. l heard him
breathing heavily. Then the breathing
stopped. 1 struck match and found
him dead. His head had becn crushed In
with an ak. the left hand cut off, and
there were gashes on the right shoulder
and the abdomen.
l knew the helmsman would be at the
wheel and ran up the after compa nionway
to him and told him. Then 1 ran forward
and called the first mate. Mr.. Singleton.
who was on duty. He had been drinking
l asked him to call the captain. but he
did not He got his revolver. and we hur-
ried down the forward companion. The
body of the captain was lying at the
foot OF the steps. his head on the lowest
stair. He had been killed like Mr. Vail
His cap had been placed over his face.
The mate collapsed on the steps
found the light switch and turned 1t on.
There was no one in the cabin or In the
chart room. | ran TO Mir Turner's room
going through MIR. vap's and through the
bathroom. Mr.. Turner was In bed. fully
dressed. 1 could not rouse him. Like thc
mate. he had been drinkins.
The mate had reused the crew, and
they gathered in the chart room toll
them what had happened and thar III.
murderer must be among Us. | suggcsto,
tnat they stay together and that theN
submit to being searched for weap pons
They went on deck in body and /
reused the women and told them. Mrs
turner asked me TO tell the two maids
who slept in cabin on the chart room
1 found their door unlocked and. receiving
no answer. opened It Karen Hansen, the
lady's maid, was on the floor. dead, with
her skull crushed in. The stewardess
Henrietta Sloane. was fainting IN her
bunk. An ak had been hurled through ths
doorway as the Hansen woman fell and
was found in the stewardess' bunk
Dawn coming by that time | suggested
guard at the TWO companionways. ana
thls was done. The men were searched
and all weapons taken from them. Mr.
singleton was under suspicion Il being
known that he had threatened the cap
tain's life. and Oieson. a lookout. claiming
TO have seen him forward where the AK
was kept.
The crew insisted that Singleton be nut
IN irons. He made no objection and va
locked him in his own room in the for
ward house. Owing TO the loss OF
schwartz, the second mate. already re.
corded in this log book (see entry for
Aug. 81 the death of the captain and the
imprisonment of the first mate, the ship
was LEFT without officers. Until Mr.. Tur-
ner could make an arrangement the CREW
nominated Burns one OF themselves. ms
mate and asked me 10 assume &C nmaud
l protested that | knew nothing OF navi-
cation. but agreed on its being represent.
ed that. as / was not one OF them there
could be no i'll feeling
The ship was searched on the possibil-
ity OF finding stowaway in the hold
But nothing was found divided the
men into two watches. Burns taking one
and the other. We nailed up the after
companionway and forbade any member
OF the crew TO enter the after house The
forecastle was also locked. the men bring
ing their belongings on deck. The stew
ardess recovered and told her story.
which. In her own writing, will be added
10 this record,
The bodies OF the dead were brough,
on deck and sewed into canvas and later
with appropriate services, placed in the
Jolly boat II being the intention, later on
TO tow the boat behind us Mr. Turner
insisted that the bodies be buried at sea
and, on the crew opposing this. retired TO
his cabin. announcing that he considered
the position Of the men as mutiny.
some feeling having arisen among the
women OF the party that | might know
more OF the crimes than was generally
supposed, having been in the after house
al the time r;isy were committed and
having no references. this afternoon vol
unfairly surrendered myself to Burns
acting first mate. The men. however. re.
fused to accept this surrender, only two
Adams and Mcnamara. favoring il. eX.
pect to give myself up to the police at the
nearest port until the matter is thorough
ly probed.
The ak is locked in the captains cabin
RALPH LESLIE
witnesses, John Robert Burns Charles
klineordlinger Jones>. William McNa-
mara Carl L. Clarke. Joseph Q Adams.
John oleson. Tom Mackenzie. Obadiah
Williams