New-York tribune., 1921-06-23
Pirates Took
VannishedShips.
Adn1iiralS Says
Black Flag Gould Rid e
Seas Undetected % r
Weeks, Mutton Declares
in Support of Theory
Red Plot Here Revealed
Bomb Squad Chief Links
Missing Vessels W it b
Soviet Plan of Year Ago

Rear Admiral L. NJ. Mutton, COM
mandant of the Mare Island Navy
Yard, expressed his belief last night
iii the theory that pirates were respon-
sible for the loss of the score of ships
which have vanished with their crews
or been wrecked in the last few months
off the coast of the Carolinas.
Detective Sergeant James J. Gegan,
head Of the police bomb squad, said
that he thought the pirates were Boil
sheviki. Gegan said plot for the seiz-
ure of ships was revealed in papers
seized here in police raid last year
Admiral Mutton said that, in spite
of modern means of communication at
sea, it would be possible for vessel
to hoist the black flag and prey upon
commerce for a limited period without
detection
II have read with great interest" he
said, "of the alleged operations of this
1921 edition of Captain Kidd, and I
have accepted the situation as true. l
have wondered at the possi Utilities of a
pirate craft. The running ashore of
the Carroll a. Deering off the coast OF
North Carolina last January with all
sails set and every member of the crew
missing was most astounding
Entire Crew Missing
Il cannot understand why the mas
ter of the ship was never found, and
from what l have learned | cannot see
how the entire crew could have been
lost IN rough weather and no trace left
The stories of the ships found ashore
without trace of any members of the
crew read like old-time pirate tales.
'It would be possible for an
outlaw of the sea to run wild short
time, but IN that time it could do con-
siderable damage to shipping. If there
is pirate craft she is operating with
forged ships papers. 1t is always nee
essary when ship enters a port to
have her papers examined, and this
craft could operate for a short time
with forged papers, but in the end she
would disclose her identity.
1T is true also that by stripping YES
seis OF provisions and fuel the outlaw
could continue operations for long
time, but eventually she would have to
put into some port for repairs Ma
chinery, you know, cannot run forever
without being overhauled and repaired.
Ii such a craft is operating she will
have to return to port, and when che
does | assume there will be interesting
developments. My knowledge of the
alleged pirate is only CLEANED from the
news columns of the daily papers and
| have no official information of such
a craft, but | understand that the Navy
Department is interested in the mat
ter"
Papers Seized in Raid
In expressing the opinion that the
sudden regeneration of piracy was q
plot Of Russian Bolsheviki, Sergeant
Gegan recalled papers which some of
his men seized in raid on the head
quarters of the United Russian Work
ers, at 1873 East Fifteenth Street, more
than a year ago.
The place was headquarters not only
for Russians of Bolshevistic tendencies
he said, but for alien malcontents OF
all nationalities. and the documents
found there showed that a plot was in
the Matching for the seizure of Amer
lean vessels for delivery to the Soviet
government.
All the papers, which gave specific
instructions as to how the ships were
to be taken, were turned over to the
| Federal government, Sergeant Gegar
Continued on next pase)