A great deal of mystery still surrounds the where-abouts of the refugee ship Ben Hecht, which was reported last night to have been apprehended off the Palestine coast. The vessel has been expected to arrive here this morning.
Military and civil authorities here claim that the ship has not been captured, but a wireless message from the blockade runner, which was picked up last night, indicated that it had been intercepted. The authorities say the message was destined for a private receiver here, but was picked up by government monitors and, as a consequence, destroyers were sent out to seize the ship, but have not yet located it.
Believed manned by an American crew, the Ben Hecht, which was originally called the Ulua, has been an route here by a devious course since it sailed from Goeteberg, Sweden on Jan. 24.
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