A Tragic End at Sea

Seattle — James Johnson, the second mate of the schooner Siimson, sailing between Ballard and San Pedro, committed suicide on the schooner while at sea last Sunday night by roasting himself alive. The news of the terrible tragedy was brought to Ballard by the schooner, which arrived there yesterday. Johnson had been crazed by religious illusions, and while the members of the schooner's crew had noticed his peculiar actions they considered him harmless, and so no effort was made to restrain him. The man first developed strange symptoms about a week ago. The vessel was overtaken by a severe thunderstorm, during which Johnson was on watch on the deck. He appeared during the storm to be very much frightened. Two days later, while the boat was becalmed, Johnson went to the captain bemoaning his fate and declaring that he was the hoodoo of the vessel. The crazed man related that night that he had been in communication with the spirit world. He grew morose and would talk in a rambling way to himself about atrocities which he thought he had committed in the Philippines. Sunday night he went below, and saturated his clothing with kerosene, and throwing himself on a pile of wood, also saturated, he set fire to himself. The flames were discovered by the sailors, who gave the alarm, and by exerting their greatest efforts succeeded in putting out the fire, though not in time to save the crazed man's life. Johnson's eyes were burned out, and his flesh dropped from his bones. Efforts were made to relieve his pain, but he died at 8:30 that evening and was buried at sea on the following day.