The daily Alaskan., 1916-05-02
nATOPPO'S SHEER . HELD FOR THREAT
Young Man In Jail Who SlngIs
 Handed Captured Ship,
PLANNED TO TAKE PANNOHlA

PLANNED IU TAKE PAHNUHlA He Tells How He Frightened the Brit
 ish Captain and Crew of Fifty.six
 Into submissiOn--chinese Cook Only
 Person Aboard Who Was Not Afraid,
 He Says.
 Romantic Clarence Reginald Hodson, the poetic looking young man who scared fifty-sIx men out of possession of the British frelghter Matoppo off Sandy Hook, Is still in jail in New York.
 The twenty-three-y year-old son of an English father and German mother relieved the federal officials of consid- erable worry by relating that he had prepared to sink the Pannonla.
 The Pannonia was on her way to New York from London when Hodson and his three associates began to con slider the project of slipping aboard the Cunarder just before she left here on n return trip. She departed from Lon don on Feb. 27 and got into New York on March 12.
 By this later date, Hodson told Cap tain Tunney, he had purchased a mo torboat, which was to be run over from Hoboken, where the plotters had head quarters, to the ship. She left for London on March IS.
 The four men met in a Twelfth street room at II o'clock on the night of the 1Tth. That was to be the final meeting before going aboard and at 1t was to be settled whether the four men were to try boarding her from tue pier, bringing dynamite with them. or were to bring the explosive from HOboken in the motOrboat and board her from the waterside.
 Decision had been made on one point That was, to steal the liners money. Conditions were to determine whether, after the quartet had taken charge of the vessel, crew and passengers and had set the crew and passengers off in the small boats, the vessel was to be blown up or permitted to sink by open ing the sea cocks.
 When HOdsOn got to the meeting place that night 1t quickly became ap- parent to him that two of his bold fel- lows had lost faith in him and in them selves. They told him the job was too big for them.
 His persistence of purpose, so clear ly shown by his temporary seizure or the freighter Matoppo, becomes all the moro surprising when one has studied the young man. Captain Tunney was amazed when he looked at Hodson. He expected to see husky giant of menacing mien. He saw a youth not more than five feet ten inches in height and weighing not over 16O pounds. His brown mustache, though well developed, does not conceal in the mouth an apparent Indication of inde- cision, which his achievement seems to belle.
 Soon after he was brought Into Cap tain Tunney's room he betrayed his thirst for notoriety. By courtesy of Police Commissioner Woods some re porters were permitted to question the odd prisoner, who welcomed ques- tlons from the newspaper men with high enthusiasm.
 "When l held up the captain" he said. q was as much frightened as he was, I guess, but he gave in first. You see, was very weak. l hadn't had anything to eat for several days. put the gun up to him. and 1t wayered in my hand, but guess he was too much excited to take notice of that, and he surrendered very quickly and quietly.
 lt Amused the Chink.
 "The Chinese cook made me laugh. After he had learned what the situa- tion was and that only one man had taken the ship he came to me and told me he thought what had done was awfully funny.
 Another amusing thing occurred the same day. In the captains room saw big cake. I asked the captain what 1t was for.
 "'We intended to eat 1t in celebration of British victories he said.
 "Cut it up,' I told him. We'll eat It tonight in celebration of this German victory And he and some of the others ate 1t. had some of 1t too.
 Everybody on that ship except the Chinese cook was frightened foolish. When the captain and went into the wireless room we found the operator asleep. I touched him on the shoulder and shouted, The Germans are here! The operator woke up and almost rolled off his chair. T am in charge of this vessel told him. handed him the emergency fire ax and told him to smash the apparatus. He took the ax, but he was so weak from fear he couldn't hold it firmly enough to break l an epV SO I grabbed if and smashed