Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-09-26

care 10 remain where they could see
me. and very soon they called me-
There had been dispute. / believe.
Adams and Mcnamara stood off from
the others, their faces not unfriendly,
but clearly differing from the decision
Charlie Jones. who by reason of long
service and a sort of pious control he
had in the forecastle. was generally
spokesman for the crew, took a step or
two toward me.
We'll not do it. boy" he said. I'VE
think we know a man when we see
one. as we'll as having occasion to
know that you're white all through.
And we're not inclined to set the talk
of women against what we think best
to do. So you stick to your job and
we're back of you"
In spite of myself 1 choked up. I
tried to tell them what their loyalty
meant to me; but l could only hold
out my hand and. one by one, they
came up and shook it solemnly.
I'VE think" Mcnamara said, when.
last of all. he and Adams came up,
that it would be best. lad. if we put
down in the log book all that has hap
pened last night and today. and this
Just now too. It's fresh in our minds
now. and it will be something TO go
by"
By unanimous consent the task of
putting down what had happened was
given to me. L have a copy of the log
book before me now, the one that was
used at the trial. The men read it
through before they signed it
This morning. between 2:30 and O'Clock.
three murders were committed tho
yacht Ella At the request of Mrs. Johns.
of the party on board. / had moved
blanket and pillow in the storeroom ami
sleeping on the floor there Mrs. Johns
gave. as her reason, a fear of something
going wrong, there was trouble between
Mr.. Turner and the captain. 1 slept with
a revolver beside me and with the door
of the storeroom open.
AT some time shortly before O'Clock
Weakened with a feeling of suffocation and
found that the door was closed and locked
on the outside / suspected a joke among
the crew and set to work with my pen
knife to unscrew the lock. When l had
two screws out a woman screamed, and
/ broke down the door.
As the main cabin was dark / saw no
one and could not tell where the cry
came from. I ran into Mr.. Wallis cabin.
next the storeroom. and called him. His
door was standing open. 1 heard him
breathing heavily. Then the breathing
stopped. 1 struck match and found
him dead. His head had been crushed in
with an ak, the left hand cut off. anc
there were gashes on the right shoulde.
and the abdomen.
I knew the helmsrnan would be at the
wheel and ran up the after companionway
to him and told him. Then l ran forward
and called the first mate, Mr.. Singleton
who was on duty. He had been drinking
Il ncly rad i'm, tn col tI,a fof I,r,f ha
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 loves:
stair. He had been killed like Mr.. Vail
His cap had been placed over his face.
Tho mate collapsed on the steps. I
found the light switch and turned it on
There was no one in the cabin in the
chart room. l ran to Mr.. Turner's room.
going through MIR. Wallis and through the
bathroom. Mr.. Turner was in bed. fully
dressed. / could not rouse him. Like the
mate, he had been drinking.
The mate had reused the crew. and
they gathered in the chart room. / told
them what had happened and that the
murderer must be among us. ] suggested
that they stay together and that they
submit to being sea rched for weapons.
They went deck in a body. and 1
reused the women and told them. Mrs.
Turner asked me TO tell the two maids.
who slept in a cabin off the chart room
found their door unlocked and, receiving
no answer. opened it, Karen Hansen. the
lady's maid. was the floor. dead. with
her skull crushed in. The stewardess.
Henrietta Sloane. was faint;ng in her
bunk. An ak had been hurled through the
doorway as the Hansen woman fell and
was found in the stewardess bunk.
Dawn coming by that time l suggested
guard at the TWO compa nionways. ana
this was done. The men were searched
md all weapons taken from them. Mr..
Singleton was under suspicion. 1t being
known that he had threatened the cap
tain's life. and Oleson. a lookout. clajminl;
TO have seen him forward where the AK
was kept.
The crew insisted that Singleton be pu
In irons. He made no objection. and ~ |
locked him In his own room IN the fot
ward house. Owins 10 the /!
Schwartz. the second mate already r.
corded in this log book tsre entry f. !
Aug 81 the death Of the captain and III 1
imprisonment or the first mate. the shi !
was left without officers. Cntil Mr.. TuI |
ner could make an arrangement the cree !
nominated Burns. one OF themselves. q
mate and asked me TO assume commaDs'
1 protested thar I knew nothing al
CATION, but agreed on its BENG reDresei.
ed that. not or them. the.
could be no III feeling.
The ship was searched on the possible
ity OF finding slowaway In the hoio
But nothing was found divided III. /