He was at the wheel from midnight until four in the morning on the
night of the murders. At certain hours we believe that he went
forward to the forecastle-head, and performed, clad in his priestly
robe, such devotions as his disordered mind dictated. It is my
idea that he looked, at these times, for a heavenly signal, either
a meteor or some strange appearance of the heavens. It was known
that he was a poor sleeper, and spent much time at night wandering
around.
On the night of the crimes it is probable that he performed his
devotions early, and then got the signal. This is evidenced by
Singleton's finding the axe against the captain's door before
midnight. He had evidently been disturbed. We believe that he
intended to kill the captain and Mr. Turner, but made a mistake in
the rooms. He clearly intended to kill the Danish girl. Several
passages in his Bible, marked with a red cross, showed his inflamed
hatred of loose women; and he believed Karen Hansen to be of that
type.
He locked me in, slipping down from the wheel to do so, and
pocketing the key. The night was fairly quiet. He could lash the
wheel safely, and he had in his favor the fact that Oleson, the
lookout, was a slow-thinking Swede who notoriously slept on his
watch. He found the axe, not where he had left it, but back in the
case.
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