Girl Pat's End

British authorities at Nassau last week heard that a wrecked trawler had just been found on lonely Samana Cay, 300 miles southeast. At once they leaped to the conclusion that the wreck was the mysterious Girl Pat, brand new trawler which ran away from Great Grimsby on the Humber, England, on All Fools' Day and, after lurid adventures, was last reported fortnight ago off Guiana (TIME, June 8 & 22). Before they could investigate, the Girl Pat turned up safely at Georgetown, British Guiana.

Badly in need of food and water, the Girl Pat had called at Devil's Island, sailed out again without papers. Few days later, again out of supplies, the little tub appeared at Georgetown, anchored four miles off the beach. Primed to nab the outlawed craft, port authorities sent U. S. Pilot Art Williams, in Guiana after an air search for Paul Redfern, to fly over her. When Williams reported she was indeed the Girl Pat, a police launch set out to arrest her. As it drew alongside, the Girl Pat's doughty crew of four appeared at the rail stripped for a fight. Shouted Captain George Black Osborne: "We're outside the three-mile limit. Get out or we'll sink you."

Dumfounded, the police scuttled back for a conference with Governor Sir Geoffrey Northcote, who cabled London for instructions. When these came, the police set out armed to the teeth in the government steamer Pomeroon. The Girl Pat tried desperately to escape by sail, headed for Venezuela. For nearly three hours the two boats dodged about the ocean while hundreds of spectators lined the shore. Finally the Pomeroon rammed the Girl Pat's stern, sank her tender, forced her to surrender. Cursing loudly, Captain Osborne and his three freebooting cronies were lugged off to jail. There the Inspector General gave one more fillip to the case by stating: "These men are not under detention. They have put themselves under police protection and they will not in any way be prevented from leaving the station." Next day they left.

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