The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-04-01
hOEWE BRINGS FIFTY
AMERICAN PRISONERS
Taken From Allied and Neutral Ships
BY Raider On Destructive
Trip.
THIRTEEN SHIPS CAPTURED
AND SUNK: TWO AFTER BATTLES
Americans Taken To Prison Camp BY
Seaman ON Arrival mt ktcl---Two
american Seanaen Tell of Rasages
Of Raider.

Washington. March 3l---A dramatic
story OF the raid of the German COM
merce destroyer Moewe, came TO
Washington tonight IN the coldIy
formal language of diplomatic reports.
Minister Egan at Copenhagen cabled
the state department the story of
two American seamen captured by
the Moewes captive ship the st.
Theodore. coverted into auxiliary
raider According to Minister Egan' s
report. fifty Americans. taken from
the British ship Eysium Meralda
were taken To Germany on the Moewe
AS prisoners. The two Americans, Alex
ander Meyer and Jack Benson were
captured on the Norwegian bark Staut.
and they told Of thirteen ships, cap
tured by the Moewe and the 81.
Theodore. at least two Of them after
sea battles in which a dozen men were
killed. Benson and Meyer confined in
the hold of the raider calculated the
ravages of the German sea rover by
the additions to the captives as they
were brought aboard after each new
conquest The fifty Americans taken
from the Eiysiun Meralda, the two
sailors reported. were taken off the
Moewe at kiel. shortly after her ar
rival in Germany, and II was believed
that they we're taken to a prison camp
In Westphalia
Minister Egan's report to tho de-
partment made public tonight. read,
Alexander Meyer and Able Seaman
Jack Benson. reached Copenhagen
from Germany on March 2S..and made
the following statement:
Sailed From Norfolk.
That they sailed from Norfolk, Va,
on September 5, 1916, on the Nor
wegian park. Staut bound TO South
Georgia Islands The Staut carried a
cargo OF provisions and coal and was
to run from the South Georgia Islands
with wheat
She was sighted by the British shir
| ST Theodore ON February 80. which
ship had been captured by the Ger
mans and was manned by German
crew. A German officer boarded the
Staut and ordered the crew to pack
up belongings and embark on the st
Theodore. After emharking. bomb
was placed In the main hatch Of the
Staut and the vessel sank within
twenty minutes The Staut carried
sixteen sailors and officers, Benson be-
ing the only native American and
Meyer being naturalized citizen
They remained ten days on the st
Theodore. and were then transferred
10 the GeFInan cruiser MOeNe. lneN
arrived at kiel March 81, having beer
forty three days on the Moewe. Ben
son and Meyer were confined below
while on the Moewc, but knew when
ever ship had been sunk or torpe-
doed by the new prisoners
List Of Victims.
According to Benson, the British
schooner Jean had already been tor
pedoed and also the Radnorshire. the
Rotal mail boat with crew of eighty
eight men, and Netherhv Hall with a
crew of forty men. when they were
taken aboard the Moewe. The Staut
was captured with sixteen men. Az
forwards the Breckneckshire was cap.
tured with eighty eight men. includ.
ing one American from Seattle. Brit.
ish steamer Eddy with twenty -four
men: British steamer French Prince
with twenty nine men; British steam.
err Rodenta, with twenty-nine men
British steamer katherine, with TWEEN
ty-seven men: British steamer Otacka
was captured after a fight. eight mer
being killed. The Pacific Steam Navi.
CATION boat. Elysium Meraida. from
Liverpool, having delivered American
horses. wac captured with sixty-si,
men. five of them Americans. One
man named Smith had an American
army discharge. Steamer Governor