Jimmy Wells and the Bluebelle Incident

Sandy Point, Abaco resident, Jimmy Wells, assisted Julian Harvey with crew duties when the Bluebelle docked in Abaco sometime around November 11-12, 1961. The Bluebelle, with the Duperrault and Harvey families on board, had set sail from Fort Lauderdale on the 8th of November for a weeklong cruise around the Bahama Islands. During their stop in Abaco, they invited Jimmy on board for dinner, although at the time, Jimmy was unaware that he would be the last person to see most of the family alive.

The Bluebelle sank approximately 14 miles from the Great Stirrup Cay Lighthouse on the night of November 12, 1961. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Harvey, who claimed to be the sole survivor of the vessel. Harvey stated that the boat caught ablaze around 11 pm, and he was unable to save the Duperraults nor his wife. 

Days after Harvey’s rescue, Terry Jo Duperrault, the youngest member of the Duperrault family, was found adrift. Terry Jo, at 11 years old, recalled the horrors of her last night on the Bluebelle: Harvey, she said, had murdered his wife and her family. Following this allegation, Julian Harvey committed suicide. The investigation concluded that Harvey did kill the Duperraults and his wife, and then intentionally sunk the Bluebelle after escaping on a dinghy. 

It is unclear if these photographs were taken as a part of the official investigation, or simply a journalistic publication, but LIFE Magazine photographer Michael Rougier captured them in 1961.