The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-03
STEAMSHIP MASTER
FIGHTS WITH PIRATE
Good Luck and a Stout Heart
Save Captain Reiner of
the Willamette.
TELLS GRAPHIC STORY
Bold Sea Robber and Alleged
Pal Held by the Federal
Authorities.
TELLS GRAPHIC STORY

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. "A sea
rover and arctic trader turned pirate,
Andrew B. Nelson, himself master ma
riner and one-time owner of the schoon-
er Hera, was brought to port today in
irons, locked in the brig of the steam
lumber schooner Willamette, and turned
over to the federal authorities, who
held him in $4,000 bail on charge. of
assaulting Captain Reiner on the hlgh
seas with intent to murder.
With him was brought Joseph Lar
annie, a bricklayer, who says he is from
Shelby, Ind, charged with being an &c, .'
complice in tho crime. He was held In
the same bail, Neither man will admit
that he knows the other.
Nelson was arrested Wednesday night
after hand-to-hand battle in the cap
tain s cabin, which he had entered muf-
fed in towel, wearing a brown wig
as thick as thatch and as palpably
false, false mustache and carrying an
automatic pistol in his outstretched
hand.
Captain Resists.
Though smaller, lighter man, Cap
tain Reiner fought the pistol away. from
the grotesqne pirate, who Immediately
drew double action revolver. he was
getting the better of the captain when
two sailors and r waiter rushed into
the room, overpowered Nelson and
ironed him. Laramie was standing out"
side the door while the fight was In
progress.
The Willamette carried $500 in cash
TO pay her crew of twenty five, and
there were twenty five passengers quar-
tered aft A launch followed the YES
sci, keeping distant about half mile
r.. fNo, fa,, pntr no.
lieves the pirate intended To rob the
safe and hold up the passengers for
their cash aud valuables, and make his
escape TO shore In the launch, Elabor-
ate notations of possible landing places,
giving distances and compass bearings,
were found in his clothes.
Luck of Skipper.
After turning over his prisoner and
telling his tale, Captain Reiner put out
to sen again, bound for Seattle. He
not that in fighting for possession of
the automatic pistol, he was lucky
enough to put the mechanism out Of or
der. The pirate was pulling the trigger
constantly until he realized that the
weapon was useless, when he threw it
to the foor and drew his revolver.
So terrifying an apparition did he
tain S nephew, a lad of II, burst from
the room and ran headlong to the fore
castle, where, inartlculate with fright, |
he fell in a faint before he could make
known his uncle's plight. II was the
noise of the scuffle that finally drew
the crew to the captain S aid.
AZ member s card of the Masters
Mates and Pilots association of the
Pacific. California harbor No, 10. found
in Nelson s pockets, was the clew that
led tonight to his past history. At the
association 1t was admitted that Mel
son was n member, Until two weeks |
ago he was second mate of the steamer
Rochelle, when she WAS laid up for re-
pairs
Under Suspicion.
81 We 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
history OF seafaring, Nelson says he is
Il private detective, and that he took
passage on the Willamette to arrest
Captain Reiner, for whom reward of
$4,000 had been offered. OF course the
reward is mythical and the many
crimes, none OF them specified, which
Nelson, said the captain had committed,
are unknown 10 the police.
Nelson, in 1907, acquired the schoon-
er Hera at Tacoma and went trading
along the coast of Alaska
The Hera was wrecked, but again
Nelson will not tell when or where.
Nelson denies acquaintance with the |
other prisoner, and says he has no |
knowledge of the launch seen following
the willamette at the time he was bat |