Litchfield enquirer., 1871-07-27
James Smith. a answered.

James Smith, 'i answered. 4, @
 .'I don't know hin, he returned. Then, as if struck with . nsw idea, he asked. ssWhat day is it?"
 I told him it was Wednesday. December TO-, seast. gcf6s fsra sgt sr lse4
 'Well," he replied. ''that's rough on me. l only got in from Havre yesterday, in the old ship Rhine-and here some ~ has shanghaied me. don't care though, Do you know who stove my head in?'
 "Thankee, shipmate," said lie, when I had explainel the cause. of his accident. eff you want anything of me on this yoy age, just pass the word for Bill and he'll be there every time"
 He left me to beg drink from the mate "a favor which no Intelligent officer re- fuses to sailor who has just come oHt of
 a drunken debauch. He returned, how ever. disappointed, and cursing the mate
 heartily. We stood leaning over the rail
 when small boat from the shore ap- preached the ship. As she came along side, Bill remarked upon the hard. cruel face of the slight-buiit, thin-lipped man who was her solitary passenger: hope that ain't Cap'n James Smith, said he.
 u
 ''That ain't no James Smith," chimed in an old sailor who had approached us, ''bnt I can just tell you who it is. That there is
 Bloody Dick, and if he's goin' to take this ship out you'll know what he'll is be- fore you're off soundings."
 s.Bloody Dick" was the nickname of g captain so notorious as the hardest master afloat that no ship advertised in his name hfoiV oE l.; name created an immediate stir among the men who were nnrv.ssB deck, and they crowded to the side to look at the hated tyrant. 4rt@
 s'- him said the old sailor who had already spoken, "I know his ugly mug. He stove my ribs in on board the old Vicks- burg, and give me this here list to port that spiles me for heavy work That's his old game-putting up his ship in another mans name, aud comin' aboard at Quaran- tine. Serves me right for shipping aboard clipper. Cap'n James Smithp'
 The subject of SO much notice had al- ready reached the quarter-deck, and, from the obsequious manner in which he was sa- luted by tue mates, was evidently the man who was to command the ship. The boat which conveyed him turned back to the shore. The great wheels of the steam-t tug that was made fast to our side began to re- voive, and we entered upon our three months voyage at the absolute mercy of the worst tyrant that the sea, which breeds its petty Neros and Caligulas by the score, has ever known.
 While passing down the bay, the men were mustered for division into watches. Among them was the man with delirum tremens, who was outwardly quiet enough, but whose eye was wild and wandering. No sooner had he caught sight of the cap tain, who was standing in the waist of the ship, than he uttered wild scream. Bloody Dick is after me-" he cried, in a As--~s- ti1us- wuo s4i5t.tsv.f-su wit1.~rvs u..a springing on the rail, he threw up his hands and plunged overheard. Not the slightest attempt was made to rescue him, but fancied that saw a grim smile on the captain s thin lips as he witnessed this tribute to his terrible reputation.
 With the story of the first few weeks of the voyage I need not trouble you. It was 8 daily succession of Wanton brutalities The mates, either from inclination or pol icy, initiated the orue!ties of the master, and were apt scholars in his infamous school. Every day some unfortunate sail Tor was knocked down or beaten. "Bloody Dick" had made study of the science of torture, and often put in practice cruel ties that in their devilish ingenuity made the Old World inquisitors seem but dull lards at their trade. Graver crimes than the inhiction of bodily torture were more- over frequent. Of Hatteras, while I and three others were furling the main .topgal- lant sail-it blowing heavily at the time the second mate, enraged at the delay caused by the stiffness of the frozen sail, came aloft to hasten our movements, and in the slings of the yard deliber- ately kicked the sailor nearest him until he lost his balance and fell overheard. ssThat's the second man gone," said s'Turpentine Jack, the man whose ribs had been bro- ken on former voyage. He'll have lots of company before we reach the Horn." A week afterward another was so severely beat. en on the head with a 'handspike that he died raving mad. About the same time the captain became exasperated at the slow ness of the sailor who was passing the weather caring while reefing the mizzen- topsail, and, going into the cabin, return ed with pistol and shot the man, who fell overheard, dying or dead. The shot was really an excellent one in view of the dis tance and the uneasy pitching of the ves- sel, and Bloody Dick" seemed quite proud of it. In one way or another the number of our crew steadily diminished, and when we reached Cape Horn seven men had died, either directly or indirectly from the effects of their inhuman treatment. Our crew at the outset was far smaller than it should have been for the efficient working of so large ship, and began to fear that the black cooks prophecy might prove true when he said, sBloody Dick won't leave enough of you fellers to work her into port. Hen have to put me and the stew ardess into his watch. q.
 For though we had no passengers, we had 8 stewardess -a slight, sad eyed, though rather pretty woman, whose gay ribbons sometimes futtered on the deck. s.Bloody Dick" did not except her from the cruel treatment which he gave to his crew, and the cook, who had access to the cabin, swore that he had seen the captain more than once strike her in the face. 5
 All this time Bill and myself had been extremely fortunate. A few blows had fallen to our share, but neither of us had much reason to complain. One day, how ever. two of the men dragged Bill forward from the wheel utterly insensible. and with his handsome face beaten out of recogni. tion. According to the story of one of the two. Bill was at the lee wheel two men being neededsto steer the ship in heavy weather-when the stewardess came on deck. It so happened that he had never