The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-06
BOY MATE WEEPS
AS HE TESTIFIES
Eric Petersen Says Squall Pre-
q. vented Effort to Save
Drowning Seaman.
GLASS PUT IN HIS FOOD
Judge Announces Evidence Is
Insufficient for First De-
gree Murder Verdict.

% q
Eric Petersen. youth who during
three days had been pictured as a cub
who strutted the deck OF the barkentine
Fuaka striking, kicking and beating sea-
men in imitation Of the methods OF q
grim and cruel old tiger of the sea, his
Gather. Capt. Adolph Petersen. master
eof the vessel, began testimony in his own
defence on a murder charge yesterday
with a spell of crying.
Eric, accused with his father Of having
driven Axel Hansen, a seaman. to drown
himself, took the stand in the United
States District Court before Charles M.
Hough and jury as the first witness
for the defence. He said he was Is
years old. He was asked II his mother
were living. He began to weep.
Eventually he said she was. He has
three brothers. Tho family home
Is In Oakland, Cal. He went aboard
ths Puaka when he was 1e years
old. He was made second mate at
Manila In February, 1918. A brother
Leonard, IL FIRST mate and IL under IN
dictment here for assault
When the Government rested Dudley
Field Malone, counsel for the DEFEND
ants, made a motion to dismiss the In
dictment on the ground that the evidence
had not been sufficient. Judge Hough
reserved decision, but said that he would
not accept a verdict OF murder In the
ftrst degrees. The court said that there
was no evidence that the defendants had
caused the death of Hansen with pre-
meditation.
-Four Months of Tumult.
Eric told the story Of the voyage OF
tho Puaka from Victoria, b. c., to
Cape Town, around Cape Horn, carrying
q c4rgo Of lumber. He asserted that the
voyage was four months Of tumult and
strife In which sixteen persons OF divers
races and trades-only i've Of them sea-
men-went all the lengths from at
tempted murder to petty meanness to
make the journey through the desolate
wastes of the Pacific and the South At
lantic as unpleasant as they could for
enc another.
His story was a succession of charges
against the crew and individual seamer.
The division, aboard ship. was twelve to
three, he said. and he and his father
and brother were forced to stand
on the alert day and night to enforce
discipline with a stern hand among a
mutinous and indolent crew to take their
ship to It's port and save their own lives.
For the first time during this trial
laughter was heard in the court room
when Eric gave testimony about one
Peter Jorgenson, q temperamentd sea-
nan who insisted on wearing sixteen
shirts, one over the other. at q >tempera-
ture Of 80 degrees Fahrenheit Mr..
Malone asked Eric II he had applied
the water cure" to any seaman.
IT put the hose on Jorgenson," he an
swered.
was he the man of the sixteen
shirts7" ~.s
Yes"
Describes Death of Hansen.
The witness told of the death OF Han
sen in narrative form. He said:
"A squall was coming up rapidly
There were little puffs of wind and a lit
tie rain. changed my mind about
setting the royal and ordered Hansen
down When he came down called him
over to me and told him. There Is a
squall coming and we wont set the SAN
He did not answer me. He turned
around and went forward.
IT was watching the weather.
turned to look at the royal again and
saw Hansen start to run His queer
move attracted my attention. ran
after him. I saw him dip under the
lifeline and jump overheard. ! ran to
the ships side. I saw him in the water
floating by the boat
II ran back and told the man at the
wheel to put his wheel hard down. I
ran down into the cabin. The captain
was in bed. l told him Hansen was
overheard. I ran up on deck. The cap
tain was after me.
when came out I looked over the
stern could not see Hansen. BY this
time the ship had got into the wind.
The squall hit the ship at that moment.
The captain said. Where Is her
"Just about that time the captain
gave orders to get the ship OF because
Il was Threatened with dismastfns. He
said to me, Put that wheel over
Campbell said. There he Is had
Just got TO the wheel. I started to
npin the wheel over. Jack Joe helped
me. The captain ordered a man aloft-
sent John Campbell aloft- Campbell
went up the mizzen rigging. He said,
4 can't see him.
Has to Explain Sea Terms.
Eric testified in the idiom Of the sea.
At times he was halted to make expla-
nations in terms more familiar TO jury
of landsmen.
Describing the makeup OF the crew
and It's conduct. the witness said:
The crew got mutinous and during
the whole passage they tried to weaken
the captain. mate and myself by putting
glass In the bread and dishwater and
soap In the hot cakes. We had to cook
our own meals aft lost eight pounds
in weight. the mate lost seven pounds
and the captain twenty. I was splitting
blood and my throat was inhamed and
sore and had TO take medicine.
Eric will continue his testimony to-
day. He probably will be followed by
his father The announcement OF the
court regarding a first degree verdict
limits the maximum penalty upon con-
Niction to ten years imprisonment.
Before the Government closed, Capt.
John Duffy, L. S, N. master OF one of
the Luckenbach transports, was a wit
ness He used a wooden model of the
Puaka to explain the Governments the
DRY that the Puaka could have been
maneuvred without difficulty or danger
In an effort to save Hansen II Capt.
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