The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-02-18
Heroic Cond ucs Of . Woman.

Heroic CDn0ucA 81 a woman,
ACCOUNT or MRS. MARTHA ANN PArrEE, A YOUH0
LADY TwENTH YEARS OF AeB, WHO COMMANDED A
VESSEL FIFIY'sIx DAYS, DvaIEd HER HUSBANDS
ILLNESS.
The readers OF tho HnAID Win remember soocus&
taken from Of tho California pspers relative 70 the
heroic oonds, OF Mrs. Martha Ann psten, wife Of Cap
tain Pstter, Of the ship Nep.une Cx, Who during her
husbands ise TOOK charge Of the vssseI and nsvgAseA
safey into su Frsnsisco This lady together with her
husband, who IA that he Is not expected 90
hvc arrived In this city In tie GeorEs Law, and now
stopping ut the Battery Hotel Her story interest
ing and painful one, and snovp how much q weak, deH-
cate woman can do whom great emergency osis 90
her powers.
Mrs. Poten was born In East Boston OF wealthy Pc
rents, and received excelleLs educaon and vas
every respo, tenderly uurured and cared for. she
now but twenty years Of age q. petit. taie has snsn
hands and features, deicats b code complexion soT
blue eyes, snd altogether gves . idea q
feminine soaness and womanlness that II is In
possible 70 associate with the daring and decisive
qualities she exhibited In remarkaSe degree Al exh
teen years or she married Csp.n.n PattsD ten bu
twenty i've years Of age, he having been master a q
vesse-the bark st. Andrew, which piled between New
York and the South American por,s-spd was then oH
duty, waiting until the Cernelis Lawrence, ship
WAS ready for sea- Shortly after he was m,rried ss
master Of the snip Neptune's siokenod she
about to put to SEA for voyage around the world end
the owners, Nessys Foster sad Nokerson, offered The
poe TO Captain PatteD, but he hesitaed he did nc4
wish TO leave his young BRIDE. The owners however,
gave him mission 10 lake nor with him. aud In ~elvs
hours Alter the nrst no,ncaon tie young couple
board and the getting ready 70 leave dock.
The NeptuDt Gar Bst sal ed for San Francisco thenoa
10 Oh ina rom China to London, finally arrived
New YORK. An absence OF seventeen ulcoths Dc.
ng this Time Mrs. Paten amused herself by helping
her tusbsua 10 hls nat tna cbserysons worked up hS
time from the chronometerr, and occasionally kegs The
reckoning OF the ship Last August tho Neptunes OR
again put TO sea, and on tb voyage aAt Mrs rA
pa1 As tha a
straits OF msgean her husband taken with disease
In the hsao, which dnaily d, veoped into brain fever.
He attended 10 hs ship as long as he able and whom
vas imptssble to give any personal orders no found
TO his dismhy, thA, nIa hvst mate was wholly inosm-
tcer board quAaea vessel into port. he
found thai the first mate was anxious TO the veasd
SHIT an leave and the cargo be destroyed before
,ne nsgpCse could send for the vessel. In this
she sssum.d command Of the vessel herse and
tcs observations sho once made In ut aud for pasNma
she now unoersoos ~ duty Her time wa spent be-
tween the becsne OF her de rious and the Wr
Ing deck, working up the intricate cacutasoos inoadeu
to nautical ob,ervaious making enres 10 log book
10 her own deoate psL arship and tra ling with
curscy the position OF the ship from charts ths
cabin. The roukh sailors all oboyed the little woman,"
they callsd her with a viii eyed hsr curiousy
and aGeoon.iey through the osoia wiadows while dess
In the calculations shich her bfe and theirs depend
viewed her course witt jeaouby ard nistrus This
the FIRST mate. Be wrote her letter. warniar her
responsibility she vss assuming and proiernog aovsoa
but she sprtedly replied ,hst cher husband not
trust hirn ~hen he well, and sLa could not do 20
now that he was sok" For diy days Mrs Psuea
did not uIdress boreelf and look very LITTLE
sleep, working day and night, sni never lcav-
ing hcr sick husbands room. Fer aooes
are the more surprAins In view OF the fact that
AL this t.,e In oellca,o condition, and s'ou expects
give birth 70 her nrst child
Tho keptunes Car arrived safely al Ian Franoiss0
the 18th OF November last hsvirg been for nity ss
days upde< the co nmanc ~ deoale female twensy
year. Of age What splendid text for tho vomen'l
rights people
Mrs. Pstsen is st the Battery Hotel With her hos
band, who is supposed Ia IN = dying condition rne
fever has never left him, and for time hes
been blind deaf rbey did expect 70 leave in the
boat for sos,cs yesterday for her home he was
too sick 10 be moved.
Mrs. Petten's or the mos, remarkable oc
record and adds 90 the many INSTANCES that hnsory
records OF female devotion and heroism.