The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-03-31
BRITISH STEAMER
HELD UP BY LONE
S10WAWAY
German Youth Captured Matoppo
aud Crew of Fify-Six Men
NOW HELD AT lEWES, DELAWARE
Rifled Safe and Compelled Captain to
Give Him Small Boat But Caught
Before He Reached Shore.

LeWeS, Del, March 3l.-HOW lone
German stowaway held up the captain
and So members of the crew OF the
British steamer Matoppo, compelling
them at the point of revolver to
change the course of the vessel and
land him at the Deleware breakwateI
after he had rified the ships safe and
taken their valuables, was told last
night by Capt. Bergner, master of the
Matoppo. The stowaway, who gave
he had lived in Hoboken, n. j., for the
past eight months, is now locked up in
Lewes Jail awaiting the arrival of the
United States district attorney from
Wilmington, Del, and the British con.
sul-general from Philadelphia.
The hold-up took place outside the
three-mile limit and federal authori
ties say that this government, under
the circumstances, probably will have
nothing to do with the matter. Schil,
Ter, they say, will be returned to the
Matoppo and turned over to British
officials at st. Lucia, where the vessel
will stop for coal.
The Matoppo sailed from New York
Wednesday for Vladivostok with a
cargo consisting chiefly of barbed wire
and farm implements. She passed out
Sandy Hook at O'clock in the even
ing. Two hours later upon entering
his cabin. Capt. Bergner says he was
confronted by young man with g
revolver in each hand.
Hands up, and not sound IL you
value your life!" was the command
that greeted him.
The captain was then bound hand
and foot and locked in his cabin. prom
Using, under penalty of death, not to
raise an alarm.
Then, cautiously making his wa,
to the wireless cabin, the stowaway
who is about 26 years old. put the in
struments out of commission ant
threw the ships guns, consisting o.
six rifles, overheard, He then re
turned to the captains cabin. ri6e6
the safe and destroyed many import
ant papers. He had expected, he tolt
Capt. Bergner, to find at least e200C
sterling in English money aboard the
Matoppo. but in this his hopes were
shattered There was not a penny il
the safe. Later, however, Schiller
compelled the captain and the frs
officer to hand over their pocketbooks
containing total of about G 80 ster
ling
With Capt Bergner still prisoner
in his own cabin, Schiller proceeded
to round up the crew OF SO men. al
but few of whom were in theil
hunks. He lined all hands up in one
end of the ship and threatened if any
one made a move he would blow
everybody to pieces with bombs he
had placed in different parts of the
vessel.
At 4 O'Clock yesterday morning
Schiller released Capt Bergner, and,
still gripping revolver in each hand
ordered the steamer headed towards
the shore. Other officers and mem
bers OF the crew were likewise orGer
ed to their places and told to put OF
all speed for the Delaware Capes
When the Matoppo came within sight
of land about noon Schiller ordered q
small boat lowered to take him
ashore. Meanwhile the steamers
signals asking for assistance had been
sighted by the pilot boat Philadelphia
which Immediately responded to the
call and took the small boat in tow
disregarding the threats of Schiller
who threatened to shoot anybody who
laid hand on him.
Steaming for the Delaware Break.
water, the Philadelphia was met of
Cape Henlopen, Del. by a coast
guard power boat which had put out
from Lewes in answer to the Matoppos
signals Capt. John S. Lynch, in com
mand of the power boat, quickly dis
armed Schiller, who was placed in
irons and brought ashore. Later he
was locked up in the JAIL