The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-10-27
ship IS A PIRATE
u. S. REVENUE CUTTER CHASS
SUSPECT IN MEXICAN GULF
IS MANNED BY GERMANS
Department Of Justice viii Try OPP
orators of Vessel on Charge Of
Piracy if They are Members Of
Crew Of Interned Raider-Other
Striking Events in Caribbean.

Athrilling chase by the United
States revenue cutter Miami is being
| conducted in the Gulf of Mexico
after the steamship Zealandia, which
has been declared pirate ship by
the department Of justice. The crew
of this fugitive vessel is known to be
| German or men of German sympa-
thies.
Attorney General Gregory an
nounced that if any of the crew are
shown to be the men who escaped
| from the German interned- cruisers
at Norfolk they will be arrested and
| tried for piracy in this country, for
which the penalty is death.
The Zealandia is an iron ship un<.
der American registry built in 1871
and is capable of making twelve;
knots an hour. She is owned by the
Fiske Trading Co., New York. It Is
| understood the Zealandia is now .un-5
der charter to another shipping firm
aad carrying miscellaneous cargo.
| bound for Malmo, Sweden, with
stop at Tampico, Mexico, ostensibly
| for a cargo Of oil.
The department of justice has re-
ceived reports confirming earlier ru-s
mors that the Zealandia had changed
crews at Pensacola, Fla, and sailed
from that port October Z, practically.
converted into German cruiser to
be used for raiding the commerce Of
the Allies. It was specifically re-
ported that when the ship left the
Florida port tho American flag paint
ed uponrher side had been obEterat-
ed and her name effaeed from its
proper place.
The ships owners, in explaining
this, said they had ordered the ship
painted at Pensacola and that the eff
facement of the Distinguishing marks
that identified American ships within
the dan ger zones OF Europe undoubt-
edly had been wiped out through
carelessness and not by design.
If the government officials know
how the Zealandia has been armed
to make it available as commerce.
raider, they are keeping that infor-
nation to themselves. The United
States government would be respons1--
Bile to the Allies for any damage
done to the commerce Of the. Allies
by any ship fitted out at an American
port. -,
A general alarm has been set out.
All the revenue cutters and several
warships are engaging in the search.
Merchantmen plying in the waters
where the Zealandia is supposed to
have been have been warned to be[on
the lookout and report by wireless.
The department of justice holds that
the ship having gone to sea in vlo-
lation of law and for an unlawful
purpose, is liable to seizure. by sny
ship that can take her and declare
that extreme penalty will be metec
out to the offenders when caught.
Officials at Washington ere per-
picked by a tangled skein Of circun-
stances, ointing either to the tnstitu-
ton of a new commerce raiding cam
paign by Germans in the Caribbean
sea OF the beginning Of {. series OF
flibustering expeditions against
Mexico. The justice, navy and state
departments have worked on the
mystery several weeks without sue
cess.
The departure of several sea-going
motor boats, the escape Of German
officers interned at Norfolk and the
mysterious movements OF seVeral
American yachts in the Gulf Of Mexi-
co have baffled, not only officials OF
the Washington government, who are
anxious to prevent violations of neu-
trality through use Of American ter
ritory as base of naval operations,
but also agents Of the British gov
ernment, who fear a Commensurate
ing campaign is about to be begun
against tank steamers carrying Oil
from Mexican ports for use Of the
British navy.
The circumstances, which officials
believe are all connected in a gen
.ral way, follow:
/. The sudden departure of six
German warrant officers from Nor
folk in the motor yacht Eclipse, pro-
visioned for several days voyage.
2. The arrival at Buena Ventura,
Colombia, of an American ship, the
Academy, from San Francisco heaVl-
ly provisioned. One of the Academy
owners telegraphed the government
at Washington that the vessel had
no instructions to go to Colombia.
The captain of the vessel claimed
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