Murder at Sea

New Haven Register – December 15, 1879

Captain Swain of the Schooner M & A Henderson, Killed by his Crew.

Baltimore, Dec. 13.—The Bulletin says that Abraham Annetta and Francis Adams, arrested by a United States deputy marshal, charged with the murder of Captain Swain, of Philadelphia, Chief Mate Prentiss and Second Mate Hess, of the schooner M&A Henderson, will probably have a hearing today before Commissioner Rogers of this city. The schooner is supposed to have been beached near Kitty Hawk, N.C. A West Indian negro, name unknown, is also accused of the murder. He has not been arrested. The arrested men have neither confessed nor denied the charge. They have been identified as belonging to the crew of the schooner. She left here three weeks ago for Savannah, Ga., and was returning with a cargo of phosphatic rock. She was found sunk at Kitty Hawk on the 30th of November. The authorities were on the lookout here for the men for several days. A woman, wife of one of the missing men of the crew, saw Annetta here on Sunday and asked him what had become of her husband. Annetta replied that he was in Savannah. This may be true, but it was probable that the others besides the officers of the schooner have been murdered. The evidence against the accused is circumstantial, but it is believed their guilt will be established. No reasons are given for the murder. Nothing has been found on the men to indicate that plunder was the object of the murder. The murdered men are supposed to have been thrown overboard or are lashed to the decks of the sunken schooner.