The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-06-21
An ADVENTUROUS CAREER.


York to port uu Texas, the captain o
which, Juhu Williams by name. had
somewhat remarkable carcrr lie Uas
native II Sussex county. Del, and frs
sHw light about SIXTY yeara ago. near ia,
banks ut Indian riyvr. Following th'
example of the male population Of thu
region from time lmmumuri8l, hc early n
life became fisherman and spent th,
greater portion Of his working hours II
hls boat dredging for oysters ur hauling
the seine for neh. OF Williams hapi
and mi,haps 40 TINS period uf his careei
We have Ho record, bat IL they Ner,
at all in proportion 10 what brfvl him
IA subsequent years uuy were very
many.
When he Was about twenty years ol,
hc had grown tired ui his quiet fishing
life and hired as "a hand uu q schooner
trailing with New York. He made sey
erul trips, md his first glimpse of the
outside world Was obtained AS the ycsse
sailed up the East aver among the forest
If mAsts. The ualy accident that Lap
peucd him " hale Iu the service II the Ia
dian river skipper Was hls being knocked
over one day iu New York harbur, but d
rope being thrown him be was speedily
un deck again His first extended voyage
WAS L. the West Indies, uud one day
while iii the tropics Lc. WItA two coln,
pAulans, went lu 10 bAthr. 4 school ui
sharks Lappyurd Ia the urlgAburAppi,
and one ut Williams companions WAS
eaten. while oar hero himself lost a part
yt has taoL HIS escape from the jaws oi
the lsh was So narrow that Ae never ycn,
turui 10 tAthe I'M that latitude ugAsu.
His next adventure WAS IA south
America. While the vessel CA which hr
sailed Was iu port undergoing repair
Williams. with two other ct mpau4uus,
got leave e. make au excursion inland.
As the three Mru were winding their
Way SLOWLY down u mountain slope, be
s;Flalug yAc mules uscl in such culIu-
trars, Williams, being some distance ia
advance, MAS startled by the sudden
shyiug 81 has mule. At the same instant
hc heard d horrible kissing sound, and
uu looking IN the direction whence the
uu-ss proceeded WAS terror stricken 81
behold huge serpent IN tie act ui
pauuc.Es upuu Alm. Hy Instantly spTauP
ir1m tie saddle and bounded up the
path 4 moment later the poor mule
uttered au almost human cry # fright 40
the serpent spEaas upon il nd bore II Ia
thc earth When Williams came IN sight
Of his companions they asked Tor au cz-
PLANTATION # his strange conduct. doclAr-
ing tAAt Le looked as l4uugl hc had seen
"a ghost. He could only point down ihc
mountain where tho syIpeEt and the
o.
the th.ckyt below. The sailors lost no
time lu departing tram the dangerous
nr,ehhorhupd. and made 30 more eXcur-
sioas into the country.
On the home voyage the vessel en-
cuuuterri terrible storm and went q
pieces. Williams and colarei man
found themselves c.uHng tu spar hall
dead They both managed 20 bcs,r4de
IL. and bv constant watchiullegs managed
O. avoid being rolled under the waves 10y
their unsteady raft After they had been
floating ior twenty hours the oolured
mau complained that lass strength Was
fast leaving HIM, and feared that Ac
could NOT hold ugt much longer. Wal
Jams cniyayurri D. cheer linn hy saying
that as they wore iu the track # south
yru bound vessris ,Acy must surely soon
be- seen and picked up. But exhaustion,
Thirst and hunger proved too much iur ,he
mans endurance. and oa thc second day
ang- thc sApWrrck Le suddenly fell
backward wgt4 "a sharp cry 81 despair and
disappeared under the sea. Williams
continued % Laat for another half day.
whom be- was seen by passing ship aid
rescued more dead than alive The YES.
sci proved to he an American bark for
: the West Indies, thence To Spain, and
ON reaching tie former islands Wi
lJ4ms. finding uc vessel ready to sail Tor
New York. and being offered a berth by
the captain who rescued him. accepted,
A. the ycs, ] lay in a Spanish port a
party II the sailors went ashofc on ms
chief bent. While s.rulliug aloug the
streets they heard etruas Of music, and,
entering a house. found dance ~ pro-
gruss. " Half-snas over. and cpuse-
gueutly reckless, they entered into the
iandango with great ze>t. All went well
for time. and the inmates seemingly
enjoyed the viyaciiy uf the lutrudcrs.
Presently Williams began paying very
markell attention to "a fair senurita, who
IN turn seemed charmed with the Amcri-
cau-too much So, indeed, for the peace
- mind of her jealous cavalier, who IN a
rage drew AN ugly looking knife from its
sheath, and, making lunge at VII
liams, stabbed hm in the side. lie
staggered. aud would have fallcD, had
he not been caught 10y hl- comrades,
who, after dcmnlishinR the furniture of
the place and wuun1iuw several Of the
inmates, removed their injured compan-
ion ON board ship. Williams wound was
found to he dangerous one, and it was
deemed advisable TO sail without him.
lie was accordingly placed in "A hospital
ashore. and the captain sailed home with
out him. In few months, however, he
recovered and shipped for New York, at
which port he arrived without accident,
after an absence uf several years Find
my vessel from Indian river about to
return, he embraced the opportunity Of
visiting his early home. While there
he WAS offered the position Of first mate
on n ship engaged in the Southern trade,
and accepted the place. On the second
trip from New York, when of the capes.
the schooner was wrecked in "A terrible
gale. and Williams. the only survivor of
the ships crew, was found lashed to the
mainmast and taken ntf 10y n passing
vessel after the storm had in measure
abated. 1t would naturally be supposed
that this narrow escape would deter the
mariner from further risk by sea, but
not SO: there was n fascination in the
tempestupus life which he could not re-
sst. and accordingly we find him sailing
again as soon as he could find n berth.
He continued n scafaring man for num-
ber OF years. and finally obtained com
mand Of schooner Trading between
New York and Galveston, Texas. 1t was
while sailing from the former 10 the lat
ter port that his vessel went lswn during
one of the terrible gales OF the early
spring, and all ON board are supposed to
have persisted. Thus ended the life of
this intrepid mariner, who for forty years
followed the sea, in that time visiting
almost every part Of the civilized globe,
and braying dangers both ON sea and on
land 10 find ut last n watery grave
I'hiiddciphia Press.
ENERGY AND HUMANITY. A widow
about forty years Of age, living on High
street and having the reputation of
being one OF tho meekest and humblest
ladies' in Detroit, pulled hair with the
servant girl before breakfast the other
morning, clubhcd two boys from the
gate before eight o'clock, and had n fuss
with n neighbor about parrot ere the
"A II. Il nina vuu "A palllpr put pf