Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-01-03
CAPTAIN BAT LES
WITH WOULD Be
PIRATE At SEA
MurderouS Attack, With Rob
berry as Motive, Made by
Rover and Arctic Trader on
Commander Of Schooner,

lhf hNhNlNG JOURNAL OFFICIAL LNAhAp WfRtl
san Francisco, Jan "a sea rover
and Arctic trader turned pirate, An
drew b. Nelson, himself a master mar
liner and one time owner of the
schooner Hera, was brought 70 port
today in irons, locked IN the brig Of
the steam lumber schooner VILLAIN
cite. and turned over TO the federal
authorities. who held him in $4,000
bail on a charge OF assaulting Captain
Reiner on the high seas with intent to
murder
With him was brought Joseph Lar
annie, a bricklayer who says he is
from Shelbyville, Ind, charged with
being an accompliee in the crime. He
was held In the same bail Neither
man will admit that he knows the
other,
Nelson was arrested Wednesday
night after a hand-to-hand battle i'm
the captains cabin, which he had en-
tered muffled in a towel, wearing a
brown wig as thick as a thatch and as
palpably false, a false mustache, ana
carrying an automatic pistol In his
outstretched hand Though a smaller.
lighter man, Captain Reiner fought the
pistol away from the grotesque pir-
ate, who Immediately drew double
action revolver He was getting the
better of the captain, when two sail
ors and q waiter rushed into the
room, overpowered Nelson and ironed
him. Laramie was standing outside
the door while the fight was In pro-
gress
The Willamette carried $500 in
cash TO pay her crew OF Twenty-Five
and there were twenty-five passen-
gers quartcrcd aft A launch fol-
lowed the vessel, keeping distant
about half a mile for some time, and
Captain Reiner believes the pirate in
tended to rob the safe, and hold up
the passengers for their cash and val
uables. and make his escape TO shore
in the launch Elaborate rotations
of possible landing places giving dis
tances and compass bearings were
found on his clothes.
After turning over his prisoner and
telling his tale, Captain Reiner put
out to sea again. bound for Seattle.
He would not be alive tonight II II
were not that in fighting for posses
sion of the automatic pistol he was
lucky enough to put the mechanism
out Of order. The pirate was pulling
the trigger constantly until he real
lied that ahc weapon was useless,
then he threw Il 20 the floor and drew
his revolver
So terrifying an appearance did he
make in his mask and wig that the
captains nephew a lad of seventeen,
burst from the room and ran head
long to the forecastle where, inartic-
ulate with fright, he fen in a faint
before he could make known his UNI
cle's plight. 1t was the noise of the
seuffle that finally drew the crew to
the captains aid.
A members card in the Masters,
Mates and Pilots Association Of the
Pacific, California Harbor No. 10,
found i'm Nelson's pockets, was the
cue that led tonight to his past his
tory. At the association 1t was adj
mitted that Nelson was "A member. Tn
til two weeks ago he was second mate
Of the steamer Rochelle, when she laid
up for repairs
i've had my eye on the man for
some time" said the secretary of the
association There was something
queer about him
Although admitting his identity, and
career Of seafaring Nelson says he Is
private detective. and that he
took passage on the Willamette
to arrest Captain Baker. for
whom reward Of $4,000 has been
offered. OF course the reward is
mythical and the many crimes. none
of them specified, which Nelson said
the captain had committed, are I'M
known to the police.
Nelson. IN 1907, acquired the
schooner Hera at Tacoma aud went
trading along the coast Of Alaska.
The Hera was wrecked, but Nelson
will not tell when or where.
Nelson denies acquaintance with
the other prisoner and says that he
has no knowledge Of the launch seen
following the Willamette at the time
he was battling with the captain