The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1869-02-04
THE MYSTERIOUS WIDOW
A tale of the war of 1912,

A tale of the war of 1872
During the summer Of 1914 the Brit
ish had not only laid claim to all tina
portion of the District of Maine lyin
east of the Penobscot, but Admira
Griffith and Sir John Sherbrooke, tn
latter then being the Governor of Nov
Scotia, had been sent with heavy fore
to take possession, and occupied tn
town of Castine, which place command
the entrance to the Penobscot river
Shortly before the arrival of the Englisl
squadron, Commodore Samuel Tucke
had been sent around to Penobscot Ba,
to protect the American coasters, ane
while the British sailed up Castine, he
ay at Thomaston.
1t was schooner that the commodore
commanded, but she was a very heavy
one, well armed and manned; and that
she carried the true Yankee grit up
on her decks the enemy had received,
from them, many proofs. On the morn.
ing of the 2Sth of August, messenger
was sent down from Belfast with the
intelligence that the British frgate was
coming from Castine to take him. Tuck
cr knew the British feared him, and al.
80 that Sir John Sherbrooke had offered
large amount for his capture.
| When the commodore received the in
tel!igence, he was lying at one of the
low wharves where he would have to
| wait two hours for the tide to set him
| of, but he fastened to have everything
prepared to get off as soon as possi-
BILE, for he had no desire to meet the fri
gate.
The schooner's keel was just cleared
from the mud, and one of the men had
been sent Oh the wharf to cast off the
bowline, when a wagon, drawn by one
horse, came rattIing down TO the spot.
The driver, a rough looking country man
got out upon the wharf, and then assist
ed a middle aged woman from the We
hicle. The lady's first enquiry was for
comodorc Tucker. He was pointed out
to her, and she stepped upon the
schooner's deck, and approached
him.
commodore, she asked, "whan do
you sail from here:"
1--WE sail right off, as soon as possible,
madam"
"Oh, then, know you will be kind
to me-" the lady urged in persuasive
tones. my poor husband died yester-
day, and wish to carry his corpse to
Wiscasset, where we belong, and where
his parents will take care of it,"
but my good woman, I shan't go to
Wiscasset."
"Ifyou will land me at the mouth of
the Sheepscot, l will ask no more, l
can easily find boat there to take me
up"
"Where is the body ." asked Tuck
er.
"In the wagon returned the lady, at
the same time raising the corner of her
shawl to wipe away the gathering
tears. l have sum of money with me,
and you shall be paid for the troub-
le."
Tut, woman; if accommodate you,
there won't be any pay about it,"
The kind hearted old commodore was
not the man to refuse you favor, and
though lie liked not the bother of talk
ing the woman and her very strange ac-
compartment on board, yet he could
not refuse. When he told her he
would do as she requested, she thanked
him with tears in her eyes.
Some the men were sent upon the
wharf to bring the body on board. A
long buffalo robe was lifted off by the
man who drove the wagon, and beneath
lay neat black coffin. Some words
were passed by the seamen, as they were
putting the coffin on board, which went
to show pretty plainly that the affair
did not exactly suit them. 1t may have
been prejudice on their part, but then
seamen should be allowed little preju-
dice once and while, when we consid-
er the stern realities they have to en-
counter.-"Hush my good men, said
the Commodore, as he heard their mur-
murs. Suppose you was to die from
home.-would you not wish that your
remains might be carried to your pa
rents? Come hurry now"
| The men said no more, and ere long
the coffin was placed in the hold, and
the woman was taken to the cabin. In
less than half an hour, the schooner was
cleared from the wharf and standing out
from the bay.
In the evening the lady passenger
came OH deck, and the commodore as
sured her that he would be able to land
her early next morning. She expressed
her gratitude and satisfaction, and re-