Swansea Journal and South Wales Liberal. — 1895-04-13 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

SHIP.  Sensational Occurrence on the Falls of  Halladale.  Advices just received from San Francisco report a sensational occurrence upon the wellRnown Swansea trading ship, the . Falls of Halladale, which left Swansea for the City of the •Golden Gate on the 19th of September Last. The Falls of Halladale is sister ship to the equally well-known ship, the Falls of Foyers, and she has, amongst her crew, ten Swansea men--Michael Drury, John Rogans, William Patterson and Henry Norman whose address is given as from 3, Strand; G. Johnson, Royal Oak; F. Beynori, Carmarthenroad; James Diver, High-street; J. Jackson, J. Watkins, Portia-terrace, and Thomas Irving, 97, Western-street. The following account of the affray we extract from the "Sn Francisco Call," of Sunday March 17th, which heads the limiter in Laid black lines :—" Be is a very bad shot. Walter Helliwell goes gunning on the Falls of Halladale Narrow escape of the Captain. Amuek on a British Ship ' : The British ship Falls of Halladale, lying at Main-street Wharf, was the scene of a lively fusillade oh Friday night, when Walter Helliwell, steward • of the vessel, attempted to murder the first mate and came near sending the carpenter and captain to kingdom come. Helliwell, who 'had been ashore during the day, boarded the ship about 8 o'clock in the evening and went to the mate's room. First Officer David Longwell and second mate William Kerr were sitting in the room, and Haiwell opened the door suddenly and shoved a lantern and a pistol in between their heads. Quick as thought Kerr grasped the barrel of the weapon, but the next moment the steward pulled the trigger and a bullet just grazed the head of the first mate and buried itself in a wooden partition. Kerr hastily closed the door in Helliwell's face and the two men threw themselves against the portal as a barricade. Helliwell went out on deck and peppered the mate through a deadlight, but fortunately his aim was bad. The human barricade mattered and the light was extinguished. Kerr heard tha stew ird ascend the poop cieck, and -slipped out in the darkness. A shot rang out and a bullet flattened itself on the deck. Kerr made a jump for the side and went down to the wharf hand over hand on the after mooring. Captain Peters and Carpenter Wilson Morney rushed forward as Helliwell reaelied the poop, and inquired into the cause of the shooting. ..The steward warned them to go back, threatening them with death. The captain whispered to the carpenter to go below for a gun, but the latter reminded him that he had the key of the room. Helliwell overheard the remark, and commanded the captain to put the key on one of rlie ventilators. Peters complied, and then tried to reason with the frenzied steward. The captain Stotters in his speech, and, il.B he did not talk quickly erough to suit him, the madnian deliberately took a shot at him, the »ullet passing dese to his head. •  'fhe carpenter followed the second mate to the dock, and never stopped running until he found Officers Matt Maher and Robert Whittle, who immediately started for the vessel.  •• A 4, When the policemen arrived at Main-street Helliwell had possession of the ship. He was in the .cabin and had in his possession a rifle with which to take a shot through the captains door under the impression that Morney was in the room looking for a gun. A dark companion-way 20ft. in length stretched between the officers and their man, and it seemed like courting death to attempt to enter the cabin. From where Helliwell stood he commanded a view of the entire ship and he could not he  soen. When the officers called upon the steward to surrender .he asked them to show their autholty. Maher leaned forward with a lantern in his band and gave the desperate man a side view of his star. This not being sufficient evidence Maher removed the star and placed it in the lantern's rays. "Come on .cried Helliwell.  The policemen proceeded in single file, Whittle going ahead with the lantern and Maher following closs behind him with his revolver resting on his cwnpanion's shoulder. Helliwell had the barrel of his rifle in one hand and the stock in tire other. The officers closed in on him and handcuffed him without trouble. The man was not drunk, for he went down the ship's ladder as "Araight as a string." When the Officers and their charge reached the wharf the mate emerged from his room. "I'll have that dog's life yet," muttered the sttward. "Wbo is that?" asked Maher. "That,brute and bully, tht fint mate,"