Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-05-23


give notice to the officers Of the customs
that they might secure the ''waifs ant
strays" in question.
Larry felt the temptation with peculia
force, owing to his position. He wa
returning with an empty boat to CLAIM
his bride, and. although at any othe
time his natural rectitude would hav,
saved him, he now weakly yielded, ant
his opinion. as skipper of the boat, de
cided any doubts ofqualms ofconscienct
on the part of his crew. They therefore
hauled the rundlets on board, and hi
ding them under the nets, put towards
land, and at nightGall attempted 10 run
the booty on the coast. They were
seized in the act by some revenue off
GERS, and Lillias soon heard that her be
trothed was lodged in Leith goal, await
ing examination on the charge of Snug
Cling.
The unhappy girl and mPny of thC
fishermen attended the next morning a
the hall of where the magistrate sat il
Judgment. The evidence was too cleal
for any defence to avail but Larry tool
all the blame on himself, and so strong
ly averred that his. own influence, a;
skipper. had alone induced his crew tc
take part in the act, that the magistrates
mercifully discharged them, with q
strong admonition to beware of the fu.
ture but the boat was forfeited, and Lar
ry himself was doomed. The presiding
Justice read over in the court the clause
of the act defining the penalty incurred
by the latter, as follows
every such person, so convicted as
aforesaid, shall, Immediately upon such
conviction, pay into the hands of such
justices, DC, for the use of His Majesty
the penalty of one hundred pounds, with
out any mitigation whatever, for any
such offence of which he shall be so con-
victed as aforesaid, or in default there.
o.
GA hundred pounds !'' calculated the
miserable prisoner can where, in
Gods name, dye think the like Of me is
to get hundred pounds 90
" In default thereof, the said justices,
or governor, &C., shall, he and they is, and
are hereby respectively authorized, and
required, by warrant under his and their
hand and seal, or hands and seals, to
commit such person, so convicted as
aforesaid to any goal or prison, there to
remain until such penalty shall be paid /:
Providing, always, that if the person
convicted of any such offence or offences.
shall be a seaman, or seafaring man,
and fit and able to serve his Majesty in
his naval service, it shall, and may be
lawful for any such justices, DC, and
he and they is, and are hereby required,
in lieu of such, by warrant under his or
their hand and seal, or hands or seals,
10 order any officer, &C., to carry and
or cause to be carried or con-
veyed, such persons on board his Majes-
tvs ships, in order to his serving his
Majesty in his naval service for the term
of FIVE years"
Give years l' again interrupted poor
Larry Stirling "then hae mercy on me!
I'll never see New Haven again"
The fine could not be raised, and
brisk demand was then required to fit
out squadron for the West Indies. By
the law, a month grace was allowed to
each ''seafaring man," convicted under
the act, and if he could not raise the
penalty in that time, he would be deliv-
cred over to the officer commanding
tender then lying in Leith Roads.
The month expired, and Larry Stirling
was conveyed and carried in stale of
desperation, leaving Lillias broken-heart-
ed behind him. She subsequently as
certained that he had been drafted to the
Northumberland, a line of battle ship,
which had sailed for the West Indies.
Now comes the most extraordinary
part of this romance of reality in humble
life. For several months Lillias was alb
sorbed in grief and appeared to have
lost all relish for existence. She cried
''caller herrin" with as much vigor as
ever, and seemed quite reconciled to her
cruel lot. But suddenly she was missed
from New Haven, and nothing heard of
her till a sailor belonging to Leith
smack came to tell her friends that she
had made passage in the vessel to Lon
don, and charged him TO bid them have
no concern on her behalf. What her
object was in thus secretly quitting her
home, and going to the great city. no
one could conjecture. Time rolled on,
and nothing further was heard concern
ing her.
On her arrival in London, she bought
a sailors suit of clothes, chest, and ham
mock, and dressed herselfa tar. She
was, like all the girls of New Haven,
very robust, and by no means unconver-
SAINT with a portion of seamen's duties.
Her idea was to follow her lover, and
ship in the man.of war. She obtained
berth before the mast in merchant brig
bound for Havana, and during her whole
voyage nothing occurred to create any
suspicion of her sex. She performed