The Sunday Oregonian., March 09, 1913, SECTION FIVE, Page 16, Image 70

THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAT, PORTLAND. MARCH 9, 1913.
Magnetos, spark plugs and other en
gine connections began to dribble Into
the second-hand stores, and compari
sons with the report of those stolen
showed that they came from the robbed
property.- -
Perhaps the only theft of the lot
which was not reported for obvious
reasons was that of a' quantity of
goods from the houseboat of Brantlgan,
a gang member, who lived on the east
shore of Ross Island. When the gang
had taken home the loot of the Golden
Gate part of It was placed In Brantl
gan's place. Brantigan was downtown
the next night, and when he returned
BAND OF FRESHWATER PIRATES IN
PORTLAND HARBOR PUT TO ROUT
Gang of "Scowtown' Thieves Exterminated Single-Handed bj Patrolman Charles Bakcsy, Who Is None Other
Than "Strangler Smith" of Wrestling Fame Robert Doble Belates Bomantic Tale of Criminal Adventure.
SURVIVOR OF MISSION FOUNDED AS
MEMORIAL TO LIVINGSTONE TALKS
J. A. Faterson, One of Party to Follow Great British Explorer Into Heart of Africa, Recalls Experience in
' A Dealing With Savages on Banks of Lake Nyassa.
he found that the rest of the gang
had broken into his shack and taken
away both the loot and much of his
own personal property. He never pro
tested, but his connection with the
gang ceased, and his incarceration
came from other offenses. While Bak
csy was looking for him. with a war.
rant for his arrest, he passed two bad
checks on a saloon man. and was
landed behind the bars on that charge.
tie was convicted and sent to the rock-pile.
16
, zWWu
Con fSe-s'j'on 3sctr&Gt
Jit Z. OOO IVor-il
; i'c?ZSjT?' CxsotS72'
BY ROBERT DOBLE.
ALONQ the halfmoon bend in the
river to the east of Ross Island,
where, they migrated' when the
enforcement of the waterfront laws was
made stricter six years ago, is a line
tot scowhouses and boathouses, with
their own grocery store, their own
gasoline supply tanks and their own
social and business affiliations. Num
bering In all about 40, the scowhouses
and stranded boats in which the scow
dwellers live, house about 200 souls.
They are one of three similar colonies
in the neighborhood of Portland, the
other two being, one at Fulton . and
alonsr the west side of the river near
South Portland, and the other much
farther down the river near Linnton.
Across the branch of the river where
the scowdwellera live is a black coast
steamer of past years, stranded high
on the sand above the damp marshes
of Ross Island, and about it are clus
tered three or four other scows and
stranded boats of similar, sinister ap
pearance. The big boat is the George
li. Mendell. and Its former inhabitants
comprised the sinews of one of the
worst gangs of river pirates with which
the harbor police have had to do in
many years, in fact since Jack Roberts,
the murderer, who was hanged recently
at Salem, was a member of the scow
colony.
The leader of the gang was Joe
Lousigrnot. by heredity and environment
a criminal, sprung from a long line of
criminal ancestors. One of the mem
bers of the family, Jim, is an escaped
convict with a price on his head. Fred,
the youngest, has been in trouble many
times with the Juvenile Court. With
him were his brother. Jack, Charlie
and Fred Gossa. both now out of reach
of warrants which have been secured
for them, Sam Brantlgan. alias
"Bunny." and Albert Silence.
Deeds Dose In Darkness.
In the course of operations of river
piracy extending over the three months
beginning the first of last November,
the river pirates gathered together at
different times more than S3000 worth
t every kind of article which could be
stolen from house, ship and scow along
the water front, from fishermen's nets:
. fw.iHl.,v. ' -re a . fv. Till V :
l- .vrL ill1 rnll CvkIiAi
I..,. - . m r7TI i ? i fi7 C'' iLslsA'
s . . s ,
SO&i - & ioi&a SZzt2&ir
down the Columbia River, to pig iron
at Oswego.
But after two montns' work by Har
bor Patrolman Charles Bakcsy, - Joe
Lousignot Is spending in jail 90 days
on the first of some 19 contemplated
charges against him. Fred Lousignot
has been turned over to the Juvenile
Court for action; the two Gossas have
fled the country with warrants out for
their arrest, "Bunny Brantlgan is
spending a season on the Linnton rock-
pile, and Silence, for his service to
the state in. recovering the stolen
goods, is free and reformed.
Story Reads Uke Novel.
The story of the breaking' up of the
gang reads like the 'river pirate novels
of . the S-cent variety, with Bakcsy
playing the role of the dauntless hero,
threats ol death mingling In the blood
thirsty tenor of the tale, and aSuc
cessful culmination bringing out right
triumphant and the ' "vlllyuns" paying
the Just penalty of their-jnisdemeanors.
There Is an attempted drowning, much
sneaking along the river with "doused"
lights, dramatic details, threats of
death to the informer, and a certain
amount of praise for the hero, mixed
up. hodge-podge, in the yarn, which Is
a fresh-water tale of piracy which the
oldtimers are already telling as his
tory. -
Opposed to the sang was a single
patrolman, whom, under the name of
Charles Bakesy, nine out of 10 sports
would not recognize as "Strangler
Smith," whose exploits in the wrestling
game of a few years ago bronght him
into National prominence in the light
weight division. Bakcsy was a mat
artist whose willingness to meet any
and all comers.no matter the odds and
difference in weights, has always
brought him admiration from the fans
of the wrestling game.
A university graduate, with a work
ing knowledge of Latin and Greek, a
sea captain, with- the laws of the high
seas and the harbors at his fingers'
ends, a wrestler of note, and a philos
opher are combined in Bakcsy, and to
cap them all, in the police mind, he is
a capable policeman.
Flushed with , their success in the
past two weeks, when they had stolen
the contents from ' bait a dozen small j
oZcem&ri 'Who Sro&e
boats, robbed a house and taken all
the machinery out of a launch, the
entire gang of ' river pirates, in their
gasoline launch, dropped down the
stream one night in early November.
They were headed for the steamer
Golden Gate, which was lying In the
stream near the Portland Lumber Com
pany mill.
Vessel Is Stripped.
With the lights of the Montana
doused so that they might sneak along
side without attracting notice, they
passed noiselessly down the stream and
arrived alongside the big vessel. Then,
Silenoe later confessed, they climbed
aboard, and went through everything
in the ship. They took the lubricators.
valves, oil cups fixtures and other
parts of brass from the engines, the
lead pipes and connections, dies and
tools, and even the door knobs of brass.
To cap it,- they stole even the brass
nut on the propeller head, without
which the ship could not be driven
through the water.
Lowering the loot into their boat and
a rowboat which they trailed, they set
out again and landed at the dock at
the foot of Clay street.
Concealing their boat under the edge
of the wharf, and making their cargo
invisible by tarpaulin coverings and a
false wooden bottom to the skiff, they
landed. Bakcsy, on , his rounds, came
upon the six in the darkness of the
wharf, and throwing his flashlight
upon them, forced them to stand while
he searched them for weapons. They
naa none, ana gave . a plausible ex
planation of their presence.
Bakcsy. . because he had no charge
against them, permitted them to go on
ineir way, Dut their faces he kent In
his memory, especially those of Joe
iusignot, tne leader, and Albert SI
lence. -
Losses which later were traced to the
gang, began to be reported to Captain
Speier, of the Harbor Patrol, and the
ngures or value lost soon mounted
Into a serious quantity.- In. the month
ol .November, before their trail became
harried, it is estimated that they stole
more man sauuo worth of stuff from
different places. -
Reported Losses Are Many.
Among the losses were those of the
launch Tasmar, belonging to J. L. Shaw,
oi oui Montgomery street, of the
launch Sparkle, belonging to Charles
Vollum. 440 Lexington avenue; of J.
N. Weaver's launch Greyhound, a
launch belonging to Mrs. H. T. Evans,
living in . the scow colony, . and the
boathouse Idyllwtld, owned by Mr.
Weaver and moored near Ross Island.
Several rowboats also disappeared.
in eacn case toe loss totaled about
100, Mr. Weaver's loss being about
$500, because the pirates not only took
the electrical connections of his en
gines, but also robbed his boathouse
of everything movable, including a
stove, rifle, cornet, graphophone, rec
ords and family furniture and keep
sakes. Out of the launch of Mrs. Evans
the thieves stole the engines and con
nections, and left only the empty hull.tLousignob
Landing at the pawnshops and sec
ond-hand stores Just a short time be.
hind the men, Bakcsy, who by now
had learned whom he wanted, spent a
busy month in returning to various
persons the loot which the river pi
rates had sold. Each successive find
led back by Inference to the Lousigrnot
gang, and the trail became warmer.
Stlemce Is Caught.
Finally one night about the first of
December he chanced upon a party of
young men who were taking an old
man to a dark place In the street at
the foot of Jefferson street, for the
purpose of "strong-arming" and rob
bing him. When he showed his star
ana advanced upon them, they fled, but
not before Bakcsy had recognized Al
bert Silence, the only grown-up son of
a destitute and aged couple living in a
scowDoat on the east shore of the Wil
lamette River, nearly opposite the
Lousignot stronghold. He ran after
tnem, and seized Silence.
In Municipal Court the next mnrntnp
the patrolman asked for a continuance
of the case. He had sat up through a
long night with the prisoner, and the
revelations concerning the river pirates
uceu many.
Silence's mother and fathor nM
and when their son was arrested, their
means or suDsistence was gone.
.riLu mis Knowjeage, ifaKcsy persuad
ed Silence that the beat thino- ho .m.M
do would be to aid in the recovery cf
the stolen goods and secure the len
iency of the court. Silence believed the
little, short-spoken policeman, and he
wia. an ne Knew.
Informer's Parents Cared For.
Not less faithful in his performance
of promises was the policeman, either.
He had told Silence that his aged par
ents would not suffer If he should tell
an tne truth and aid the police. Sup
piles from an unknown source hecrnn
to arrive at the Silence scow, Bakcsy,
from his own salary, being the donor,
and the Silences lived better than they
had when their son was free. He kept
his promises, and Silence, hearing from
his parents that they were being pro
vided for, made daily trips under the
policeman's guidance, brinerlns- bark
biuil mm me piraies had stolen.
Finally the case came to trial, Bakcsy.
because he was only a patrolman and
therefore not supposed to be srifted with
the sleuthing instinct, was taken off
me case, and It was turned over to
the detectives. Silence was bound over
10 me grand jury, tried and paroled for
his services in recovering the goods.
He is now working on a ranch out of
town and supporting his parents, re
porting regularly to the patrolman who
reformed him.
Joe - Lousignot's wife was reported
dying in a hospital at Oregon City.
Working on this clew, Detective Fred
Mallett, who had been given a warrant
against Louisgnot to serve, traced the
gang leader to the hospital, and there
arrested him, bringing him back to
Portland.
The case came up in court. Through
one of those little oversights which
every now and again appear in the
police department, Bakcsy was not no
tified that his man was arrested.
Lousignot was brought to trial Mal
lett knew nothing of the case or the
evidence and Lousignot was freed for
lack of prosecution.
Brother Denounces Brother.
Jack, the weakest of the family, had
shown signs, when the police appeared
to be closing in on the gang, to be
about to tell what he knew and es
cape the penalties. He had been braced
up several times by nls brothers, but
still seemed weak.
On the night of January 13, after a
fight on a houseboat near the George
H. Mendell, Joe denounced his younger
brother for a coward. They were all
more or less angry and the arrest of
Silence had put fear into the gang. In
the quarrel that followed the demon
stration. Joe and Fred seized Jack and
threw him Into the river, pushing him
off again when he attempted to climb
aboard.
The noise of their arguments had
stirred up the neighborhood and one of
the neighbors had telephoned to the
Harbor Patrol. Patrolman Grlsim, of
the harbor police, hastened to the
place in the harbor police launch. With
the engineer of the boat, he arrived
in time to rescue the struggling- Jack
and to arrest the other two. charging
them with being disorderly. Grlsim no
tified Bakcsy of the arrest of Joe.
The next day Bakcsy swore out an
other warrant against the leader of
the river pirates. January 15 brought
another warrant, and saw Jack sen
tenced to 20 days on the rockpile and
Fred turned over to the Juvenile Court.
Municipal Judge Tazwell refused to set
a bond for Joe and released him on his
own recognizance. Fearing that he
might flee town if allowed to be at
large, Bakcsy each time swore out a
new warrant, taking up in all five
warrants out of the 19 charges of
thefts he had worked up against him.
Still on his own recognizance, although
the thefts alleged In the complaints to.
tailed $500, Lousignot was bound over
to the grand jury.
Grand Jury Takes Art Ion.
Confident that he could now tell his
evidence without fer that Lousignot
would be allowed to "Jump" his word
bond, Bakcsy told the grand jurors
the story of the thefts, offering his
own substantiating evidence with Si
lence's confessions. - The grand jury
decided that J5000 was the amount of
ball necessary, and held Lousignot In
the County Jail.
They ordered Bakcsy to take their
commitment to Judge Tazwell and get
his signature to a new warrant, call
ing for $5000 ball. The Judge was ab
sent from his borne. The patrolman's
mission was secret, according to his
instructions, and he sat down patiently
on the Judge's front porch for four
hours until the Judge arrived. Then
he secured the signature. Soon after
Lousignot was indicted on three counts,
tried and convicted on one and sen
tenced to 90 days in the County Jail.
In the County Courthouse a dramatic
scene was acted while Lousignot was
on trial. All the neighbors of Scow
town were present in their best clothes.
Adherents of the Lousignots and the
Gossas threatened witnesses and the
policeman, vowed deadly vengeance
and aired their grievances. Freed of
the first charge, that of a minor theft.
Lousignot was seized by Bakcsy as
he stepped out of the courtroom, and
rearrested. He remonstrated and, be
ing allowed to telephone for his law
yers, wanted Bakcsy to talk to them.
Bakcsy took the telephone and held
down the receiver hook a minute to
destroy the connection. Then he called
the police station for the patrol wagon.
"Your lawyers haven't anything big
enough to say to me to make me re
lease you," he told, the swearing
Nsg Tfs-
RsJ ' V--y -
j I . - -. . -.. -- ". - f v i
DAVID LIVINGSTONE, the great
British Protestant missionary,
died in the Interior of Africa in
1872, having passed 32 years among
the savages of the dark continent.
Though he had been found by Henry
M. Stanley, who was sent on an ex
pedltion by the New Tork Herald after
he had been unheard of for six years,
he refused to return with Stanley as
he had promised to lead his native com
panions back to their home In the in
terior, i
Mrs. Livingstone, who accompanied
her husband Into Africa, died many
years before him, and was burled un
der a baobab tree at the confluence of
the Shire and Zambesi Rivers. -
After Livingstone died his heart was
buried under a tree. His body was
salted, taken to the coast and then re
moved to Westminster Abbey.
To commemorate Livingstone's work
$100,000 was raised by the Scottish
Free Church. It was decided to estab
lish a mission to be named after him
on the banks of Lake Nyassa, which he
discovered in 1859, instead of erecting
a monument. - This resulted in the Liv
lngstonia Expedition of 12 men under
the leadership of Lieutenant Young of
the British navy, which left Scotland
In 1878 and was absent four years and
a half, x
Three of Parry Survive.
Some of the number died, others re
turned home, so that after two years
only three remained at the mission. Of
the 12 who went out only three are
living, one is J. A. Paterson, of 340
Clackamas street, who gives the fol
lowing account of his experiences as
engineer of the expedition:
"I accompanied the Livingstonia Ex
pedition as marine engineer in charge
of the steel launch 'Ilala,' which was
built in Scotland and knocked down and
taken to Africa. The hardest part of
the trip was a haul of 75 miles through
the jungles around Murchlson cata
racts. We had to make the road as we
went. Livingstone had discovered
Lake Nyassa, which is 300 miles long.
and also Victoria Falls and the Murchl
son Cataracts. His courage lent in
spiration to our undertaking.
"The slave trade was a great bother
as nearly all the best men were taken
and sold by their chiefs. They had
forked sticks fastened around their,
1st
necks by iron bands and were driven
like animals, two fastened together by
a. pole. The Ilala sounded the death
knell , to slavery and the cruel 'gori'
stick. The chiefs often interfered with
us as they wanted to take away our
men, but we came across the Makololos.
the savages of the Zambesi, whom Liv
ingstone had used as companions. -
Cloth Unit of Value.
"These men were fast .becoming
chiefs, and learning , that we were
friends of Livingstone, they gave us
the assistance which made our suc
cess possible. Livingstone bad left
them at the Murchison Cataracts with
guns and other things, and that had
been the beginning of their power. We
paid the women six Inches of calico a
day and the men nine inches. Elthei
would work a week for a red handker
chief. These men and the other sav
ages whom we met were not cannibals.
They even refused to eat carnlverous
animals.
"We ate fish, game flesh, native vege
tables, such as sweet potatoes, pump
kins, maize, etc, which had probably
been introduced by the Arabs, and shot
wild animals. . The natives trapped
them. Our only fruit was bananas.
"Buffaloes were the most danger
ous animals as they were always ready
to charge when they saw a human be
ing. Once a leopard came into my tent
and stole a young goat which had come
in there for protection. We saw CO or
more elephants bathing at a time In
the rivers, but the wild animals had
so much to eat that they never both
ered us.
Coffee Industry Starts.
"We iad taken three coffee plants
from the botanical gardens In Glasgow
with us. Two of these died, but the
remaining plant thrived, and that plant
was the introduction of the present
great coffee industry into Central East
ern Africa.
"The witch doctors often raised
trouble. It was their custom to come
Into a tribe and start a dance sur
rounded by a circle of natives. At the
conclusion of the dance the learned
physician, pointed his finger at. one of
the audience, and this person was then
known as bewitched. To clear himself
h had to drink poison. If he was not
bewitched he would be cleared by vom
iting the poison. None of these un
fortunate persons ever recovered, yet
It is strangely true that the natives
looked forward eagerly to the witch
dances, and furthermore, when selected
to take the poison, they were so sure
of their innocence that they drank
eagerly. As none ever recovered the
witch doctors were credited with never
having made an error in judgment.
"The chiefs of the tribes had many
wives and the .head man of each vll
lage two, but ordinary natives were
limited to one.
The mission which we established on
Lake Nyassa and named Livingstonia
is still in existence, but we established
another Livingstonia mission at Ban
dawe on the lake 150 miles away as a
sub-station. This was a more healthful
place and now is a thriving town. Pa
latial steamers are now running oa
Lake Nyassa and Zambesi River."