Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-08-13


lows, as usual.''
"Wel, father, go with them occasion
ally. as thee knows; but they're very hon
est, hard working young men and good
company" -, a
al wouldn't wonder, if thee knew and
they knew that the Sea Wasp is coming
back next Wednesday, they'd try to cap
ture her. They're wicked enough
/" Shouldn't wender, father" said Obed,
ser tentiously. I" But don't see how they
could do it."
GIVE noticed that the master of the YES
sci ALWAYS anchors right by the swamp
where the beach shelves oft suddenly, and
within few yards OF shore"
$50 / perceive"
"Now, if there were bloodthirsty and
wicked men who had brains 10 keep their
bad purposes, and knew thai she is COMING
on Wednesday afternoon, and knew that
they are going to Shoud's and round about
to forage, and would leave the schooner
weak handed, they might-they are just
bad enough-they might leave couple of
stout boats in among the reeds in the creek
there the night before"
"They might, father"
"They might go down armed at the
same time, with enough to eat all day, and
lie there; and next morning when the men
came ashore and got out of sight over the
sand-hills to Shoud's, they might, if they
were as resolute as they are bad, take that
vessel"
"They might, as thee says; and l have
notion they'll try"
"They may, Obed but if they do hope
they'll use peaceable means. If they do
try, as thee thinks they will, dor t thee go
with them. But if thee will, and thee's a
headstrong boy, thee must go unarmed
Don't thee dare to take that rifle that thy
Uncle Isaac brought from Virginia and
that hangs up in the garnet, with a
horn full of powder and apouch full OF
bullets and patches. | caution thee to let
it alone"
Certainly, father; just as thee says. y
There were dozen young men in the
settlement, staunch Wings some fisher
men, and all accustomed to the sea-who
followed Obed's lead on all occasions. lie
summoned them quietly to meet him on
Wednesday night, secretly, at the beach
and in the meanwhile he secured a
couple of stout boats, with oars, and hid
them away in the place indicated.
On Wednesday afternoon near nightfall
the cutter came in and anchored, but no
one came ashore They kept good
watch; but the night was very dark and
their observation could not extend very
far Obed and his friends made their way
through the swamp to the boats, and lay
there quietly all night.
Next morning at daylight there was a
whistle heard from the cutter and two
boats were let down, into which there
tumbled, to the great delight of the con-
cealed Wings, fourteen men, armed with
cutlasses and muskets, with the masters
mate and midshipman commanding in
separate boats. TlSs would leave the
boatswain, three men, and a boy on
board. Obed kept watch, the others lying
close down, and saw the boats land.
They all disembarked, leaving the
boats in charge of two men and not send
ing them back. They evidently intended
to return in a short while and no time was
to be lost. So soon as the main party had
disappeared behind the sand-hills Obed
and Willetts, covering the two men who
were seated on the bows of the boats,
where they were drawn up on the beach,
fired. One of the men fell dead and the
other MORALLY wounded. Obed and Viii.
let's fioundered through the marsh to
where the men lay, and, without paying
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.
But the people on the cutter were moi
idle meanwhile. They disengaged car
ronade ran it out of portfolio, and pre-
pared to fire. The boats, by previous un
derstanding, separated, one circling north
and the other south, and the shot missed
both. Before another gun could be aimed
the cutter was boarded at bow and stern.
The noise of the firing caused the main
party to retrace their steps, and they came
back in hurry to the landing-place
where they found their boats unfit for use
not, however, until they. had pushed
them off and the water poured in on them
Willetts, in the meanwhile, after the pris
Oners were secured, ran to the magazine,
brought up some grape and canister, load
ed the Long Tom and trailed it directly
upon the party in the water. The shot
from that and one of the carrOnades die
fearful execution, and the few survivors
that were unwounded ran up the beach tC
the nearest house, where they sheltered
themselves and ultimately surrendered
Five had been killed outright and eight
severely wounded, three of them MORALLY
The cutter had been won; but to keep il
was another matter. There was no crew
to man it, even if it could be~got to sea
through the squadron AS soon as the
news of its capture was known, or wheI
some time had elapsed after its absence
there would be powerful boats crews sen
for it, perhaps one of the smaller vessels
So, after consultation, it was agreed to Gu
the rigging, remove the masts and sink thu
vessel in the deepest hole in the harbor, t.
be raised on suitable opportunity. This
was soon done after taking the movable
| property ashore, previously filing thu
| barrels of the Long Tom and carronade
| with all the melted beeswaX that could b.
had in the neighborhood and then storing
them in the hold. Then the prisoner
were carried off by their captors over TIL
country and safely lodged in Philadelphia
In three DAYS a British force came, a
had been expected, and they made thing
| lively. They burned down number 0
| farm houses, Lippincotts among the mum
Der: but the inhabitants, except those o
known loyal sentiments, kept at respect
able distance from harm. Every boa
upon the beach for miles the British dc
stroyed.
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 ruste
some on the outside, but the beeswax ha
preserved the inside smooth. They II
masted and rugged her, cut the wasp fig
ure- head off, replaced it by the rudely
carved figure of snake, rechristened he
the sRattler,n and one dark, storm
night got off to sea with her, having OF
tanned letters of marque, and ran down t
the West Indies, where they took ampl
revenge for the burning of the Middleo1
! the-Shore. In fact, with the prizes the
took, the master and crew shared quite
small fortune at the close of the war. TIL
| g Rnttlor,, WOO disarmed when nean