markable paper. The spelling is attribut able to the excitement of the moment. Tuesday, July 14, 1896. Monday night everything on board of the barkentine Herbert Fuller was perfectly quiet and peaceful. The crew had no fault to find with anything on 1юап1. The second mate had the watch from 8 until 12. I went to bed about 8 o'clock. The steward says the captain had been drinking, but I did not notice it. I am naturally a very heavy sleeper, ïO the murders which were committed might have happened before I woke up. My first recollections are these : I heard a scream, followed by a gurlling noise, as if some one was choking. I reached down and got a box of shells, took my revolver and filled the pistol, which I kept under my pillow, as fast as possible. Then I called, " Captain Nash." As I got no answer I unlocked my cabin door and stepped out into the after cabin. The captain slepted on a cot placed against the starboard wall. The captain was lying on the floor with the couch tipped upon end. I went up to him and shook him. I found he was covered with blood. I ran into Mrs. Nash's room to call her. I could see that sheets of her bunk were covered with blood. I then ran forward to the forward companion way and looked on the deck. I saw the mate, Mr. Bram, on deck. I called to him and held my revolver pointed toward him. When he saw me, he picked up a board to throw at me, but I called out : " It's me — Mr. Monks; come below for God's sake." He came below, and we took the lantern in the foreward cabin and went into the after cabin. I slipped on a pair of trousers and a shirt; he grabbed his revolver, and we ran on deck. We did not know who were our friends or foes. We crouched down on the deck to windward just abreast of the mizzenmast. Mr. Bram covered the man at the wheel, and I kept my revolver pointed forwards. It was very dirk. In this way we sat waiting for daylight. We then — (Then written above a line across the page is : "We found a bloody axe on the deck which we threw overboard, as we feared the crew would use it against us." And then the sentence goes on from the first page.)
We then went forward and banged on the galley door for the steward, J. Spencer. He came on deck, and we told him what had hap pened. He went aft and went into the cabin, while Bram and myself kept on deck with our revolvers. He came running out of the cabin in a few minutes and said the (something scratched out) second mate, Mr. Blum, was lying dead in his berth. We then went aft in a body and ques tioned the man at the wheel. He said he didn't know anything had happened, and had heard no unusual noises. We then went forward and woke up the crew. They all appeared greatly astonished and all pro tested they knew nothing. We all then went aft in a body and went into the cabin. The second mate was lying dead in his bunk. Mrs. Nash was lying in her bunk with her clothes pulled up. Captain Nash was lying on the floor dead. We went on deck and at once decided to steer for French Cayane, that being the nearest ]>ort. My theory of the tragedy is this : — The second mate, Mr. Blum, had been drink ing, and went below and tried to rape Mrs. Nash.1 Captain Nash woke up and went and got an ax (the one we threw overboard) and attempted to kill Blum and his wife. Blum must off gotten the ax and hit the captain and then staggered on deck and then back to his bunk. Lester Hawthorne Monks. The second mate offered Mr. Bram a drink at about 12 o'clock. This whiskey made Mr. Bram very sick while on deck with me, and he acted as if he had been drugged. lister Hawthorne Monks. Thomas H. Bram, Mate. Jonathan Spencer. Charles Brown. Frank Loheac. Falke Wassin. On the back : "Henry J. Slice, Oscar Andersson, Hendrik Perdok."
This writing was then read aloud to every body by the passenger.and everyone signed it. When the men had finished sewing the 1 There was no evidence of this, and it was not discussed at the trial. Nor did anything appear against Mrs. Nash.
