Evening star., 1934-02-04

S,UUU COIlS O1 phosphate IOck, leIC SOuCn
Boca Grande, Fla, for Primers Point, Va.
THE following night, shortly after mid
night, with the weather dark and
nasty, the Rose Murphy was supposed
to have struck a submerged obstacle
approximately IL miles south of Sand
Key Lighthouse, off the coast of Florida.
Crew and officers took to the boats a
little before 2 am. One lifeboat con-
tanning the crew narrowly escaped
being drawn into the propeller of the
listing ship. Only the quick action of
the steward saved the men.
The boats stood by till about GAS,
when the Rose Murphy sank. And after
floating about for hours, the crew finally
succeeded in reaching Key~West.
About two years later the New Orleans
office of the division of investigation
was asked to investigate the sinking Of
the Rose Murphy. The story which
gradually unfolded through this inquiry
was more bizarre than any fiction
thriller. However, it was true.
John George Murphy, a rich ship
owner, for years had been firing or scut-
tling his vessels to collect the insurance
on them-among the ships he sacrificed
were the Northern Light the Crescent
City, the Recipe and the Annie Murphy.
His assistant in these crimes had been
one Salvador Martinez, a language pro-
fesSOr from Spain, brilliant, highly
educated man.
Martinez also helped Murphy to plan
the scuttling of the Rose Murphy. To
direct the job he shipped aboard her as
an Oiler on the fateful trip. He had
three fellow conSpirators on board:
Orrice c. Roddy, the vessels second as
siStant engineer; James A. Fulford the
first engineer, and George H. Wonson,
master of the Rose Murphy These four
had agreed to Scuttle the ship in con-
sideration of $780, to be paid them by
the owner. No one else aboard was in
the plot.
Before she sailed Murphy had his YES
sci repainted and gone over, and the
underwriters insured it for a large
amount. Then the crime was planned.
At the agreed time the chief engineer
threw the engines into reverse, causing
the vessel to stop suddenly and giving
the impression that it had struck some
obstacle Whereupon Martinez shouted
to the crew and the officers that the YES
sci was sinking. The four conSpiratorS
then proceeded to open the sea cocks
and allow water to rush into the vessel.
Fortunately, no one was drowned. But
the crew lost all they owned and endured
a night of suffering
When Martinez confessed and the
division of investigation got on the job,
had all scattered Murphy and Fulford
were readily located. With Martinez,
that was three of the five. But Roddy
was at sea, an assistant engineer aboard
a vessel bound for England. The Coast
Guard lent its aid, sending fast cutter
to intercept the vessel 60 miles out at
sea. But the cutter reached the vessels
side only to learn that Roddy had died
mysteriously the day before of internal
hemorrhages." The cutter returned with
his body. coroner's jury stated that
his death was "due probably to poison
ing" (How the warning reached Roddy,
there at sea, no one will ever know.)
WoNsEN' former master of the Rose
Murphy, proved difficult to find.
But at last he was located-aboard a
fishing smack tied up at dock near
the small town of Nicevlle, Fla. The
special agent, with other officials,
boarded the boat eagerly-the end of