The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-02-13

came out with his glasses in his hand, IN,
after long look, sweeping the horizon from
port TO staEboard, be shouted, Forecast
therer
"'Aye. aye, SIR
"Where away did you say that sail was
Right ahead now, sir.
"Once more he raised the Rlssses TO his eyes
| and after . second or two's observation, h
jumped down to the main deck and mounting
the forecastle, demanded of the man where
the sail was now.
"The man strained his eyes in the direction
he had last seen 1t hut the sail had disap
peared.
"I don't see it now, sir, but am certain
it was there half minute ago..
"Mr. tombstone left the lookout and came
down just as eight bells were sounding. II
was now my duty to relieve him, and when
came on deck could see that he was excited
and wild.
"sGet your lead-stand into the starboard
fore-rigging, Mr. Belts, and put Kennedy in
there with the hand lead
"The lead-stand is . sort Of boz or cage
fixed into the eye-bolts, to keep the man who
heaves the lead from falling into the sea.
"This Kennedy was the smartest hand on
board, and the best leadsman I ever sailed
with. It was treat to see him swing the
lead forty feet over his head, and plumb her
every time, We going ten knots. suggested
that Is Kennedy had gone below, one Of my
own watch would take the stand, but Mr..
tombstone waved his hand in fierce, deter
mined manner, and Kissed Kennedy
Kennedy, who had already turned in,
came up growing like bear with sore head
and took his place with sullen scowl on
tombstone, who did not seem to notice it.
50 RU ho Nil HI q putn
then mark seven, quarter less seven, by the
deep six. and half five, by the deep four,
followed in rapid succession as fast as he
could throw. Kennedy's voice, it seemed to
me, was quite different from his usual, and
his calls had not the clear sailor-ike bass that
distinguished him from all others In few
moments he came away again, 'and half
three This was shoaling with vengeance
and at the distance we were from the land,
we should not have less than nine fathoms.
"He had scarcely uttered the last depth,
when tombstone bounded like mad man into
the stand, and seizing him by the throat,
would certainly have stra0gled him if had
not dragged them both in over the rail, where
they dropped on the deck and separated in
the fall.
tombstone was frothing at the mouth, and
arming himself with an iron Delaying pin,
made lunge at Kennedy but missed him,
leaving himself unguarded. which Kennedy
took advantage of and with blow of his fist
in the face he felled him to the deck sense
less I ordered Kennedy below. and one of
the quartermasters and myself carried john
stone to his room. So sudden and quick had
all this taken place, and SO quietly was it per.
formed, that none but Kennedy and the quar-
termaster, and, Of course, the first officer and
myself, knew anything about it. I deter
mined, therefore, not to mention it to the old
NAH, and let tombstone make his own ex-
PLANTATION. At o'clock went to Johnstones
room, but he was still insensible and breath |
ing very hard, SO did not disturb him and |
kept his watch myself The old man missed
him when he came on deck at seven bells, |
and went to his room. What passed never |
knew. /
"By the time he got to Southwest Pass, |
tombstone was at his duty, and apparently all |
right. On the passage home to New York |
Kennedy and he seemed to get along as |
usual, but could see smothered fire CLEAN |
in his eyes every time he looked at Kennedy, |
and once I caught him shaking his fist at |
him when his back was turned.
Sour cotton was discharged. Boxes of |
shoes, ETC., came on board, and once more our |
Prov was pointed to the South. We mhfs
beautiful run to Canaveral, and, according to
ny calculations, we would be up to Indian
River when came on deck at eight bells I |
never heard these bells struck, and don't be.
ieve they were ever sounded. The quarter
Master told me that just as he put his hand
N the lanyard, that dismal and horrlfying
hout, "Man overheard Y rang from stem to
tern of the ship.
II tumbled out of my bunk and was on deck
No one had given the signal to
top the engines. We were bowling along
bout ten and half knots, with fine breeze,
nd the topsail and top-gallsnt sail set. From
be time first heard the word until the ship
topped she must have gone fully mile.
When did the man fall overheard, and who
ave the alarm? Nobody could tell, and till
his day we have never found out. Nobody
ould tell either who had fallen overheard, Or
vhere he had fallen from. The captain was
n deck, and by this time we had made q
weep round and were steaming back at half
peed, searching the waves on each side. The
be man was not found. On rowing back,
earned from the crew of the other boat that
be missing man was Kennedy. When we
anne on board, the captain and tombstone :
'ere in close conservation, and I could hear
be words 'lead-stand used by both, and
9th seemed to be excited. |.
II looked over the side The lead-stand
'as gone. somehow immediately jumped
. the conclusion-God forgive me if wrong
him-that tombstone had ia some way
murdered Kennedy-and I could not sleep, :
'aiting for daylight that might examine the
Imports and see if they he'd been tempered I
nth, tor why had it disappeared too? Such ,
thing had never taken place before. Such q I
hing, if it had been properly shipped, was !
npossible. At last was able to make the :
and at last the strong suspicious 7
ecame certainty. tombstone, found, had
laced the stand himself, or rather he had
displaced it, for the under hooks had never q
cen shipped on the eyebolts; the clear, clean !
Dat of black paint put on these bolts yester- !
BY was still unchafed. told the captain all i
knew and all suspected, and he said he !
ould see about it. He evidently did not be- 4
eve my story, and perhaps thought wanted .
ohnstone's berth. We made the bar in good !
me, arrived at the city, and expected to !
EAR of Johnstones arrest. but nothing hap J
sned, and we sailed again on our homeward /
assage. q
"Johnstone was greatly changed now: he :