The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1877-07-24
A FIGHT IN THE DARK.
a Thrilling incident at sandusky.


/ FROM the sandusky Register Juiy II.
A young Englishman named John ii
! Williams, first mate of the schooner
III. L. Merry, which is unloading coal
at the Baltimore aud Ohio docks, aud
who calls this city his residence, went
aboard the schooner on Monday night
about half-past eleven in company with
George Nichols, of this city, "A seaman
on that boat, who is a son Of Captain
Charles Nichols, the commander OF the
Merry. Both men retired at once.
Williams going 10 sleep in small
room just off the cabin, aud Nichols
going To bed in the forecastle. AS the
night was warm Williams left tho cab
IN door aud the door Of his sleeping
room both open. He says he had not
been as.eep more than two hours when
he was awakened suddenly by sharp,
stinging sensation in his side and feel.
ing his hammock violently Jared. He
thinks the time was about one o'clock
in the morning. There was small
lamp burning on the table in the cabin,
and 10y the dim light thus afforded he
saw "A man standing over his bed hold.
ing in his hand a huge knife dripping
with blood.
As quick as fash Williams realized
that he had been stabbed, and he
struck the man terrible blow with his
fist aud sent the william reeling into the
cabin. Williams then leaped out OF
his hammock aud seized large Chi
nese knife, terrible weapon with n
curved blade about ten inches long,
and point like a needle, the point be-
ing poisoned by n peculiar process
known To the Chinese. Williams
jumped into the cabin and discovered
at that iuncture that he had two an
tagonists instead OF one, as lac had at
first believed. He leAped towards the
second william and buried the knife 90
hilt in the would-be- person.
Then ensued one Of the IN ost desper-
ate and bloody hand-to-hand encoun-
tiers that ever took place in this section
Of country. The small lamp referred
To as being on the table lu the cabin
was thrown down and extinguished:
the table was overturned and thechairs
were scattered promiscuously about
the cabin. In total darkness, and with
a terrible wound in his side from which
the blood flowed profusely, Williams
began an attack upon the two Williams
with all the desperation Of q man who
fights for his life against such odds. -
He welded his poisoned knife with ter
rible effect, aud says that at one time
when he plunged IL into one Of the viii
lians he felt the blade crate on the
bones and heard them crack and give
way before the steel. He had the
vOuld-be assassins az a great disadvan-
tage In the total darkness they scarce
ly dared use their knives for fear Of
emitting each other, while Williams
struck out right aud left, regardless Of
anything except the protection of his
own person, knowing that every time
his weapon entered flesh it drew blood
from an enemy. Thus he could slash
away in the darkness with no fear Of
hurting friend. The cabin proper Of
the boat, like those of all schooners, Is
a very small apartment, and during the
progress of the terrible fight the blood
Of the three men literally ran on the
floor in streams, and spattered AL over
the walls. The frightful encounter
was OF short duration. While Viii
liams was pressing one of the would
be assassius 20 the wall aud stabbing
him, the other william, having probably
lost his knife IA tho melee, wrcnchrd
Oft a leg Of the cabin table and knock
ed Williams scnseless with il. Then
the williams fled from the cabin. sup.
posing that they had killed their We
tim. In going up the cabin stairs the
blood flowed proiusely from their
wounds, aud they left a bloOd-red trail
which marked their course ont OF the
cabin and along the deck. On the rail
Of the vessel are two very large spots
OF blood, aud the marks Of bloody FIN
gers, etc, showing where the hends
crawled over the side Of the boat.
Streams Of blood ran down the side
Of the schooner, and the red drops on
the fender streaks shaw tina. the iel-
lows steadied themselves q moment on
the rail before sliding down 10 the dock,
the blood in the meantime dripping
from their wounds and from of their
clothes. Their course along the dock
for a few feet eau be plainly traced 10y
blood stains on the timbors; then the
trail il lost, as the fellows evidently en-
tered small boat at that point and
pulled out into the bay.
Capt. Nichols, the commander OF tie
schooner Merry, went 20 his vessel Ut
five o'clock in the morning and was
horror-stricken at finding what he sup
posed 30 be the dead body of a man,
literally covered with blood, lying at
the foot of the cabin stairs. He recog
nizcd Williams, who lay perfectly in
sensible on the floor in pool OF blood,
with 40 clothing on his person except
a thin undershirt. which was pierced
with knife-holes and covered with
Williams was a terrible
looking object, aud the sight Of him ia
that condition made a cold shiyer run
through the Captain. During the en-
tire fight ia the cabin not word had
been spoken 10y any Of the principals to
the frightful atiray, as an alarm was 4,
something 90 be especially avoided by
the would-be murders; and Williams
did not dare 90 cry out, AS that would
not only have given his assailants a
precise knowledge Of his whereabouts.
but it would have been an indication F.
that he needed help, aud feared he
would not be able 10 coDe with them.
As quickly as possible Capt. Nichols
awakened his son, who. as stated above /
was asleep in the forecastle, and a mes- |
senger was at once dispatched for DR.. I
Clemons, who hurried 10 the boat aud /
dressed the unfortunate mans wounds. |
Williams was then removed 10 the res !
idence of Mr.. Henry Seller, on Jack /
son street. Or. Clemons found six /
terrible cuts on Williams person, on /.
his leg. shoulder, breast aud side. An
examination Of Williams bed on board /
the schooner revealed the fact that the |
knife of the would-be murderer who |
stabbed him in the side While he was |
asleep had passed through Williams's /
flesh. through thick quilt and heavy |
mattress. and cut large cash ia the I
einvass hammock That blow was /
struck to kill
Yesterday afternoon We callel NJ the 1
residence OF Mr. Seller 10 sec Williams |
having first ATTAINED permission of his |.
physician. We found him lying in bed /.
resting quite easily. and not at all |
sverse 10 telling US all about the affair. |
He is rather prepossessing looking
Young man, and talked quite pleasant !
ly and intolligontly 10 us for about ten T,
minutes, tho physician having limited /
the interview 20 that time. The
wounded man was quite comfortable
last evening.
A number of seasons ago Williams
vas mate Of a sea-goipe vessel running
between Balimore and European ports.
Antonio vas one % the crew. During
one of The trips there vas mutnv.
which Williams helped 10 auell. Two
Of Antonio's relatives were killed in the
r,rfrn anf Anforfn gvrra vanrnavga