The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-09-22

to get the vessel about
| Abner Taft jammed the helm hard M
and dashed it fast, while he ordered the
men to let go the lee braces and square
the yards: The head of the gallant YES.
Sci played off ra:idly, and soon she head
cd northwest: As the daring leader after.
ward SAID, 'lth an unseemly profanity,
ne was bound either ''lor hell or Boston
l1arbor.'
In the meanwhile, the crew below had
extingu'shed the fire after a hard fight,
but found themselves imprisoned, while
the mysterious noises on deck told them
of some remarkable event having trans
pred. At ',rst, Captain Scott and his
lieutenants, in the stupidity of their de-
bauch, had failed to notice the strange
events going on above them, but the
noise OF the hammers spiking the matches
and the rolling of the carronades, and the
Tapping OF the yards impressed at last
their drunken senses with the alarming
truth With the instincts of discipline
and obedience, The crew, in their alarm
and amazement, waited for orders from
their supero,s.
They had not long to wait. Captain
oNoN>' ~'Ao"Sh d ~ du(- ldCNcu IeiIIeI
courage nor energy. With a torrent of
fierce imprccations, he ordered his men to
cut their way out to the decks.
While the axes were piled furiously,
! stern voice above was heard, ringing out
like strumpt of doom.
keep down below for your lives
there oe six cannon-mouths guarding the
harches,'' said Abncr Taft
''lll cut every bit Of flesh of your
bones, you devils = shouted the English
captain, foamng at the mouth with rage.
Again, to his imprisoned men: "Cut,
cut for you: lives!''
The axes few in the hands Of the Eng
lish. and soon they had chopped the
matches in fragments. As they thronged
up, the carronadcs were discharged at
close range, and an awful silence followed,
broken with low means. The slaughter
had been fearful The hatchways were
again closed and fastened. Three differ
ent attempts were made by the English
crew to break forth, attended with sim
liar results.
In enc Of these Captain Scott and his
officers succeeded in escaping from the
durance of the cabin, and, stung into a
reckless fury, charged with the sword
and pistol on the fierce band that held
the decks.
Abner Taft met his chief prosecutor,
cutlaSS in hand, and sharp, short com.
bat was ended by terrible stroke, which
beat down Captain Scott's guard and
Glove his head to the very jaw. Those
bloody stripes were at last avenged! The
other officers shared a like fate, as they
fought with a logged courage that re-
fused quarter. But why rroong the
bloody and monotonous record. and de-
scribe tho fruit|cSs efforts of the English
crew to recover the advantage!
Suffice it that destiny smiled. as she so
often does OIL deeds Of apparently hope
less daring. on the exploits: Of the Mar
blehead hero and his followers. The
winds were fair and light, so there was
not much more difficulty in working The
ship, and all things conSpired to the hope
ed-ier end. Abner Taft had laid the
ships course as nearly as possible for
Boston, and mis- fishing experience had
made him familiar with the Massachusetts,
waters.
So, at the end of the second day from
the uprising, the good townsmen Of Bos.
ton were amazed and alarmed at seeing a
British s|oop of.war come into The harbor.
the hated ensign flying at the fore.
There were bustlings and congregations OF
fearful faces. There was still dee; er
amazement, mingled with joy, when The
union jack was lowered and The American
flag went to the fore in It's stead, for
the Marbehead men had improvised ma
tional colors from old bunting. There
! we're bonfires and ringing of bells, and
almost frantic rejoicings over the hero OF
Marblehead, ard he and his two comrades
were escort d to their native town by q
great procession. lie had fulfilled his
promise to his wife Martha ~ come home
before she had all the apples strung f.,
their winters use.
The silent influence Of this magnificent
act might easily have had most potent
effect in stimulating the legislation which
looked toward the founding Of our infant
navy. There is: however, no record nor
alluson to it in the public annals. The
tradition says that Abner Taft alterward
commanded private"r, but his name is
unknown except by those who have heard
the oral legend. His after career, how
ever, must have been daring and
heroic one, and borne splendid if unrec-
ognized fruit. II is but another illustra-
ton Of the thought Of the poet in apos-
troph'zing the unknown great, and to
which | allude in the first part Of this
sketch:
Their nameless deaths are not Fate's scor:iful
mOckS
At human fame her dubious forecast always
tiles
Much modelling in clay ere carving marble dem.
iyods
That through the realms OF time and space
ta,,t lin