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Wicks, Captain

Ship's master of the Flying Scud,[1] in 1871. (December 1, 1822 – February 1, 1871)[2]

In February of 1871,[2] Captain Wicks' crew spotted the signal fire of the castaways[1] of the Currency Lass[3] on Midway Island. He ordered the Flying Scud to pick them up and soon learned of their valuable cargo of pearls. Wicks demanded the castaways hand over all the pearls to him and his crew[1] as payment for their rescue.[3] The castaways objected and a fight broke out, resulting in the castaways killing the entire crew of the Flying Scud. The next day, a British man-of-war found the castaways who were now posing as Wicks and his crew to cover up the killings. The man-of-war transported them to San Francisco where they continued to pose as Wicks and his crew.[1]

See: The Wrecker