The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-07-23


hope they'll use peA.eable means. III they
DO try, A. thee thinks they will. don Z thee
20 with them But II thee viii. and
thee's headstrong boy, thee must 10 UNI
armed Don't thee dare 10 take That rine
that thy Uncle Isaac brought from Virgin
Ia and that hangs up In the garrct. win
horn full Of powder Aed a pouch full Of
bullets and patches. caution thee To lei u
alone"
Certainly. father just as thee says"
There were dozen young men IN the
settlement, staunch Nhigs-some Usher
men and all accustomed TO the sea-who
followed Obed's lead ON all occasions. He
summoned them quietly 20 meet him on
Wednesday night. secretly. az the bach
and in the meanwhile he secured couple
of stout boat. with oars, and hil them
away in the place Indicated.
On "Wednesday afternoon near nlghtfall
the cutter came In and anchored. but no
one came ashore. They kept good watch
but the night was very dark and their OBJ
servation could not extend very far. O5ed
and his friends msae their way through
the swamp 10 the boat. and lay their
quietly all night.
Next morning at daylight there was
whistle heard from the cutter, and two
boafs were LEI down, into which there tum-
DIT t. 20 tic ktC-At va AiA' A'AtN'tAttN
Wings. fourteen men, armed with cutlasses
and muskets, with the masters mate and
midshipmaL commanding in separate
boats. This would leave the boat>wAin.
three men. and a boy on board. Obed
kept watch. the Others lying close down,
anil saw the boats land. They all di.em-
barked. leaving the boats in charge of two
men and not sending them back. They
evidently intended 10 return in short
while. and no time was to be lost. SO soon
a the main party had disappeared behind
the sand-hil.s Obed and Niilvtts. covering
the two men who We're seated on the bows
of the boats. wherc they were drawn up
on the beach. fired. One OF the men fell
dead. and the other MORALLY wounded.
Obed and WlllettS ilOunderei through the
marsh TO where the men lay. and. without
paving any attention To the wounded
man. quickly stove holes in the bottoms
OF the boats, while the rest Of the men
rowed into sight. One of their own boats
took them ON board and they made for the
cutter.
I But the people on the cutter were not
( idle meanwhile. They disengaged ear
I roDsde. ran il out OF porf-hole, and pre-
pared TO fire. The boats, by previous I'M
I derstsnding, separated. one circling north
and the other south, and the shot missed
both. Before another gun could be aimed
\ the cutter was boarded Al bow and stern.
The noise of the firing caused the main
party 10 retrace their steps. ami they came
back in hurry 10 the landing-riace, where
Y they found their boats unfit for u~e-not.
I however. until they had pushed them of.
and the water poured in on them. Wiiletts,
I in the meanwhile. after the prisoners were
secured. ran TO the magazine. brought up
some grape and canister. loaded the Long
Tom. ami tralled il directly upon the party
/ in the water. The shot from that and one
OF the carronades did fearful execution.
and the few survivors that were unwound-
I ed ran up the beach 20 the nearest house,
where they sheltered themselves and ulti-
I mate surrendered. Five had been killed
outright and eight severely wounded.
three Of them MORALLY
The cutter had been won but to keep II
was another matter. There was no crew
70 man IL. even if IL could be got 70 sea
through the squadron As soon as tie
news OF its capture was known. or when
some time bad elapsed after it, absence.
there would be powerful boats crews sent
for IL. perhaps one OF the smaller vessels.
so. after consultation. il was agreed 10 cut
the rigging. remove the ma.ts. and sink
the vessel in the deepest hole In the harbor,
70 be raised on a suitable opportunity.
This was soon done. after taking the NOV
able property ashore. previously filling
the barrels OF the Long Tom and carrOn
AIDES with all the melted beeswax thai
could be lad in the neghborhood AND
then storing them In the hold. Then ths
prisoners were carried off by their captor'
over the country and safely lodged in PM
adelphia.
In three DAYS a British force came, a
had been expected. and they made thing
lively. They burned down a number Q
farm-houses. Lippincott's among tn
! number; but the Inhabitants. exceptthos'
of known loyal sentiments, kept AT ~
: spectacle distance from harm. Ever,
boat upon the beach for miles the British
destroyed.
/ In about a years time Obed. willetts
! and some Of the rest came back. got up
/ crew. raised the cutter. and found her il
good order The cannOns were rustes
! some on the outside. but the beeswax ha'
I preserved the inside smooth They ~
: masted and rugged her cut the wasp inquire
: head of. replaced il by the ruoelv carve
: figure of a snake, rechristened her tn
7 :. Rather and one dark. stormy nigh
got of 20 sea with her. having obtaine'
I letters Of marque. and ran down 10 TIA
West Indies, where they took ample N
: venge for the burning Of the Middle-oi
) the Shore. In fact. with the prizes the.
took. the master and crew shared quite
small fortune at the close Of the war. Tn
:. Rather was disarmed when peace cam
: and embarked in quieter business. carry
4 ing shingles and pine boards along th
coast for many years.-7he Independent.
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